On October 28, 2014, the Superintendent’s Recommended Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Capital Budget and Amendments to the FY 2015–2020 Capital Improvements Program was released. In addition, two supplements to the CIP were released on October 15, 2014, to allow more time for public review of the topics contained in these documents: Supplement A—Superintendent’s Proposed Changes to Regulation FAA-RA, Long-range Educational Facilities Planning, and Supplement B—Superintendent’s Recommendation for Clarksburg Cluster Elementary School Site. Staff will present the superintendent’s recommendations at this work session and address Board of Education members’ questions.
October 15, 2014
Superintendent’s Proposed Changes to
Regulation FAA-RA, Long-range Educational Facilities Planning
Background
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Regulation FAA-RA, Long-range Educational Facilities Planning, is the regulation that implements Board of Education Policy FAA, Long-range Educational Facilities Planning. Policies are adopted by the Board of Education, while regulations are issued by the school system administration. Due to the strong public interest in long-range educational facilities planning, I am issuing my proposed updates of Regulation FAA-RA as part of the fall Capital Improvements Program (CIP) process. This will enable all facility planning stakeholders to provide comment on the changes as part of their input to my CIP recommendations. In addition, it will allow the Board of Education to discuss the regulation prior to my issuing the regulation.
The primary purpose of Policy FAA and Regulation FAA-RA is to promote public understanding of long-range educational facilities planning and to provide opportunities for parents, students, staff, community members and organizations, local government agencies, and municipalities to identify and communicate priorities and concerns to the superintendent of schools and the Board of Education. Policy FAA establishes the purpose of facility planning processes, and Regulation FAA-RA provides facility planning guidelines and descriptions of processes to use in implementing Policy FAA.
On June 17, 2014, the Board of Education adopted an updated version of Policy FAA. The purpose of the update was to align Policy FAA with a recent update of Policy ABA, Community Involvement. This update was part of an initiative to align all Board policies that have a community involvement component with Policy ABA. The changes made to Policy FAA were relatively minor and primarily had to do with references to Policy ABA.
Now that Policy FAA has been updated, it is important to update Regulation FAA-RA. Updating Regulation FAA-RA provides an opportunity for the school system to review facility planning guidelines, as well as align community involvement processes with updated policies. A summary of the changes and additional information are in the attached document.
October 15, 2014
Superintendent’s Recommendation
Clarksburg Cluster Elementary School Site
Background
The Clarksburg Cluster spans two master-planned areas of the county. In the southern portion of the Clarksburg Cluster, two elementary schools are located on sites that were set aside as part of the Germantown Master Plan, which was adopted in 1974. These schools include Capt. James E. Daly Elementary School, which opened in August 1989, and William B. Gibbs, Jr., Elementary School, which opened in August 2009. Fox Chapel Elementary School, which opened in August 1974, predates the Germantown Master Plan.
In the northern portion of the Clarksburg Cluster, the Clarksburg Master Plan, adopted in 1994, provided for one high school site, two middle school sites, and five elementary school sites. Clarksburg High School is located on the high school site, and Rocky Hill Middle School is located on one of the middle school sites. The second middle school site will house Clarksburg/Damascus Middle School when it opens in August 2016.
Little Bennett Elementary School was the first new elementary school to locate on one of the five Clarksburg master-planned elementary school sites when it opened in August 2006. Wilson Wims Elementary School, which opened in August 2014, is located at a second master-planned site. Cedar Grove Elementary School, which opened in 1960, and Clarksburg Elementary School, which opened in 1952, predate the Clarksburg Master Plan.
Site Selection Advisory Committee Process and Recommendation
Enrollment growth in the Clarksburg Cluster now requires that planning for another elementary school begin with the identification of a site. The new elementary school, currently referred to as “Clarksburg Cluster Elementary School,” does not have an opening date.
A Site Selection Advisory Committee (SSAC) was formed in May 2014 and reviewed the three remaining master-planned sites in the Clarksburg Cluster. No private property was reviewed due to the availability of the master-planned sites. The SSAC recommended Clarksburg Village Elementary School Site (#2) as the location for the new school. This site is located on the south side of Snowden Farm Parkway between Sweetspire Drive and Newcut Road in Clarksburg. The SSAC scored this site the highest based on several criteria, including location, size, and access. The SSAC transmitted its report to me and to the Board of Education on June 4, 2014.
Subsequent to the SSAC release of its report, the Montgomery County Planning Department was advised of the recommended site. It was confirmed by the director of the Montgomery County Planning Department that this is a suitable site for the new elementary school, and as a master- planned site, it does not require the mandatory referral review by the Planning Board. The mandatory referral process is required to assure that sites conform to master plans. As this is a master-planned site, it automatically conforms.
Superintendent’s Recommendation
I support the recommendation of the SSAC that Clarksburg Village Elementary School Site (#2) be the location for the Clarksburg Cluster Elementary School. The primary reason for my recommendation is the optimal location of this site in an area where a large amount of new housing already is under construction, and schools serving this area face overutilization. Though the other two sites considered by the SSAC are suitable for elementary schools, I believe that their locations make them less well suited at this time. It is very likely that all of these master-planned sites will be used as the Clarksburg Master Plan builds out during the next decade.
A map of the recommended site is in the attached document.