DISCUSSION
10.0
Office of the Superintendent of Schools
MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Rockville, Maryland
April 23, 2013
MEMORANDUM
To:
Members of the Board of Education
From:
Joshua P. Starr, Superintendent of Schools
Subject:
Long-range Facilities Planning Process
The purpose of this memorandum is to provide an overview of Montgomery County Public Schools’
(MCPS) facility planning processes and the challenges of accommodating increasing enrollments.
Background
MCPS is entering its 30th year of enrollment increases that have averaged 2,000 additional students
per year. In 1983, MCPS enrollment had declined to 91,030 as the last of the Baby Boom generation
aged out of high school. Immediately following this decline in enrollment, economic opportunities
in the Washington area and immigration began to drive enrollment higher once again. In the 30
years since 1983, total MCPS enrollment has increased by 57,749 students.
The enrollment increases since 1983 have required the opening of 33 elementary schools, 17 middle
schools, and 6 high schools. These numbers include the reopening of 7 elementary schools, 6 middle
schools, and 1 high school (see Attachment A). Classroom additions and the expansion of schools
during modernization also have been necessary to keep pace with enrollment. Relocatable classrooms
have been an important interim measure while permanent capacity is planned and constructed. This
year, there are 395 relocatable classrooms at schools, down from a peak count of 685 relocatables in
2005. Ninety percent of the relocatables are located at elementary schools.
In the next six years, enrollment is projected to increase from 148,779 students this year to 159,433
students by 2018, an increase of 10,654 students. Additional enrollment increases are anticipated
beyond 2018. The demographic make-up of MCPS enrollment has changed significantly since the
Baby Boom days when most school enrollments were made up of White, non-Hispanic students.
Today, White, non-Hispanic students make up 33 percent of total enrollment. The growth of our
student population will continue to increase the diversity of the district as the majority of the new
students arriving are African American, Asian, and Hispanic, with the latter being the fastest
growing segment of our population.
Addressing capacity shortages that exist today while preparing for additional space needs in the
future is the challenge of MCPS facility planning and capital programming. Maintenance and
modernization of aging facilities also is critical, and funds for school capacity projects must be
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April 23, 2013
balanced with funds needed to keep older facilities in good condition. Since 1983, 60 elementary
schools, 12 middle schools, and 12 high schools have been modernized (see Attachment B). In
addition, numerous maintenance projects have been completed at schools.
Long-range Facility Planning Process
The MCPS facility planning process is guided by the Montgomery County Board of Education’s
Policy FAA, Long-Range Educational Facilities Planning, and MCPS Regulation FAA-RA, LongRange Educational Facilities Planning. The policy and regulation may be accessed on the MCPS
website at the following links:
www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/policy/pdf/faa.pdf
www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/policy/pdf/faara.pdf
The Capital Improvements Program (CIP) and the Educational Facilities Master Plan are the
mechanisms for requesting and scheduling facility improvements, in accordance with the policy and
regulation. The CIP includes the superintendent of school’s recommendation and the subsequent
Board of Education request for capital projects. The Master Plan codifies County Council-approved
capital projects. Together, these documents constitute the long-range plan for MCPS facilities.
The Board of Education requests, and the county funds, capital projects within a six-year timeframe.
Although focus is placed on the six-year period, this period does not restrict longer range planning
for facilities. Evident in the CIP and Master Plan are much longer timeframes for facility planning
purposes. For example, school feasibility studies that may result in capital projects beyond the sixyear timeframe are often included. In addition, the CIP and Master Plan provide schedules for school
modernizations that extend multiple years into the future, as well as cycles for ongoing technology
upgrades.
Policy FAA and the corresponding regulation also provide long-term direction on preferred ranges of
enrollments and utilization rates at schools, site sizes and selection processes, facility design,
development of school boundaries, and community involvement. The policy and regulation also
include a preference for straight articulation of students that, with strong support from the
Montgomery County Council of Parent Teacher Associations, Inc. (MCCPTA), has reinforced the
cluster structure. This planning paradigm is expressed in many ways, including in the development of
school boundaries and in the organization of the CIP and Master Plan documents themselves. Longrange direction also is provided by the recently adopted Policy FKB, Sustaining and Modernizing
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Facilities that favors greater investment in systemic
projects to lengthen the useful life of facilities. This policy may be accessed on the MCPS website at
the following link:
www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/policy/pdf/fkb.pdf
Capacity Shortfalls
With the continuing growth of enrollment, concerns from various areas of the county have been
expressed regarding the facility planning process, enrollment forecasts, and in general, the inability
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April 23, 2013
of MCPS to keep up with enrollment growth. As school capacity is added or modernizations are
completed in one area of the county, concerns may abate in that area while space deficits and/or
aging facilities in other areas raise community concerns. Despite the magnitude of the CIP request
each year, there have not been sufficient funds to get all schools within capacity or to modernize
older schools at a quicker pace.
County revenue and related spending affordability guidelines shape the six-year CIP request. As in
any rapidly growing jurisdiction, public facilities tend to lag behind population increases. In
Montgomery County, there is an effort to coordinate provision of public facilities with residential
development through the Subdivision Staging Policy (SSP). This policy provides a test of school
adequacy each year. Housing developers are required to make payments to support capital projects in
areas of the county with overutilized schools or in severe cases, they may be refused approval for
subdivision plans for a period of time. The policy is not intended to eliminate development in areas
where master plans and zoning allow it. Instead, SSP functions as a temporary brake on the pace of
development in these areas. The county has avoided placing clusters in moratorium by adopting
“placeholder” capital projects that are effectively a down payment on a future capacity project.
Although funds for capital projects represent the most important constraint to catching up to
enrollment growth, there also are other factors. These include enrollment forecast accuracy and
educational program changes that require more capacity for the same number of students.
Enrollment forecasting is not an exact science, and a trend that appeared likely to continue may be
disrupted by events that were unforeseen when a forecast was developed initially. MCPS enrollment
forecasts draw together local and regional expectations for the economy, the housing market, births,
and population growth. Forecasts also incorporate enrollment trend analysis at the system and
individual school levels. New housing in school service areas is accounted for through ongoing
contact with the Montgomery County Planning Department and with developers. Forecasting
information also is provided through annual surveys of school principals who best know their
communities.
Despite the research that is applied to school enrollment forecasts, the future remains uncertain.
Unanticipated events, especially with respect to the economy, can arise suddenly and result in lower
or higher enrollment than anticipated. A recent example is the significant impact on enrollment due
to the Great Recession. This unprecedented economic decline moved more students into public
schools from private schools, froze the housing market resulting in reduced out-migration, and drew
more households into shared housing arrangements. These factors were cumulative and led to large
increases in enrollment and greater capacity shortfalls.
Additionally, schools may fall behind in capacity when new programs are introduced. The most
dramatic example of this situation was the introduction in 2000, 2001, and 2002 of the Class Size
Reduction initiative at 56 elementary schools with above-average Free and Reduced-price Meals
System (FARMS) participation Since 2002, 10 more elementary schools have become Focus
schools, and 3 that were Focus schools have returned to regular class sizes. The Class Size Reduction
initiative resulted in a decrease of approximately 7,000 seats of capacity. Capital projects at these
elementary schools still are catching up with space needs that came from the reduced class sizes. In
2006, the 62 elementary schools that were not Focus schools, and still had half-day kindergarten
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April 23, 2013
programs, implemented full-day kindergarten programs as mandated by the state. This change not
only reduced the capacity of these elementary schools, but led to more students enrolling in public
school who previously enrolled in private schools with full-day kindergarten programs.
Long-range Challenges
In addition to the challenge of obtaining adequate funding in the six-year CIP cycle, MCPS must
position itself for longer range enrollment growth and facility needs. A principle way to achieve this
outcome is through continued collaboration with the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning
Commission (M-NCPPC) and the cities of Gaithersburg and Rockville.
MCPS planners and planners with M-NCPPC and the cities of Gaithersburg and Rockville regularly
collaborate as master plans and sector plans are being developed. The role of MCPS in these
processes is to ensure that adequate school sites are included in master plans when the amount of
increased housing generates a large number of students. Provisions for the dedication of school sites
are written into master plans. Since the mid-1980s, MCPS has acquired 15 school sites through the
master plan process and has an additional 8 sites set aside in master plans that will be conveyed when
these properties are developed. Acquisition of these sites at no cost has saved the county millions of
dollars and positioned MCPS to provide schools in new communities when and where they are
needed.
In October 2011, following a period of public discourse on the site selection of a M-NCPPC park as
the future site for a new school, the Board of Education and the Montgomery County Planning Board
initiated a Joint Work Group to review site selection processes and to look long-range at future site
needs. The President of the Board of Education Christopher S. Barclay and Montgomery County
Planning Board Chair Françoise M. Carrier served as chairs of the work group. Representatives from
MCPS, the Montgomery County Planning Department, the Montgomery County Department of
Parks, the county executive, and the Montgomery County Council staff served on the work group.
In addition to assisting MCPS in revising its site selection process, the work group issued a
recommendation for a comprehensive assessment of public land, public agency long-range site
needs, and opportunities for the collocation of facilities. Funding strategies for this study, entitled
“Future Public Facilities Infrastructure Study,” currently are being developed. This project will focus
the county and MCPS on a long-range plan to locate public facilities in the county. This is critical as
available land in the county becomes more scarce.
Present at the Board table for today’s discussion are Mr. Bruce Crispell, director, Division of Longrange Planning, Department of Facilities Management; Mr. James Song, director, Department of
Facilities Management; and Ms. Piera Weiss, deputy director, Montgomery County Planning
Department.
JPS:lmt
Attachments
Attachment A
Schools Opened: 1985–86 to 2012-13
School
Flower Hill ES
Lake Seneca ES
Clopper Mill ES
Jones Lane ES
S Ch
S.
Christa
i t McAuliffe
M A liff ES
Goshen ES
Greencastle ES
Clearspring ES
Stone Mill ES
Strawberry Knoll ES
Waters Landing ES
Quince Orchard HS
Cloverly ES*
Capt. James E. Daly ES
Cabin John MS*
Watkins Mill HS
Brooke Grove ES
Burnt Mills ES*
Rachel Carson ES
R
Ronald
ld M
McNair
N i ES
Sequoyah ES
Briggs Chaney MS
Francis Scott Key MS*
Dr. Charles R. Drew ES
Judith A
A. Resnik ES
School
Year Opened School
School
Year Opened School
School
Year Opened
1985-86 Dr. Sally K. Ride ES
1985-86 Lois P. Rockwell ES
Rosa M. Parks MS
1986-87
Thurgood Marshall ES
1987-88 Argyle MS*
1987-88
1987 88
Roberto Clemente MS
1988-89
1988-89 Forest Oak MS
1988-89 Rocky Hill MS
1988-89
1988-89 Neelsville MS
1988-89
1988-89 Kingsview MS
John Poole MS
1989-90
1989-90 James Hubert Blake HS
1989-90 Northwest HS
1992-93 Rocky Hill MS replacement*
1992-93 Northwood HS*
1992-93
A. Mario Loiederman MS*
1993-94 Lakelands Park MS
1993-94
Clarksburg
Cl k b
HS
1994-95 Great Seneca Creek ES
Little Bennett ES
1995-96 Roscoe R. Nix ES*
1995-96 Sargent Shriver ES*
2006–07
2006 07
2006–07
2006–07
2006–07
2006–07
1996-97 Arcola ES*
ES
2007-08
1997-98 None
1997-98
William B. Gibbs Jr. ES
1998-99
1998-99 None
2008-09
1989-90 Sligo Creek ES*
North Bethesda MS*
1990-91 Shady Grove MS*
1990-91 Silver Spring International MS*
1990-91
1990-91
1990 91 None
N
1990-91
1990-91 Spark M. Matsunaga ES
1990-91
Newport Mill MS*
1991-92
1991-92 None
1999-00 None
1999-00
1999-00 Flora M. Singer ES*
1999-00 Community Montessori Charter School
2011-12
2000-01
2000 01
Total Schools Opened to Date:
2001-02 TOTAL ELEMENTARY = 33
TOTAL MIDDLE = 17
2002-03 TOTAL HIGH = 6
2003-04
* Schools shown with an asterik were existing school facilities that were either reopened, rebuilt, renamed, or replaced at a different location.
Rocky Hill MS replacement is not included in total for middle schools opened, as it was already an operating school.
2004-05
2004-05
2005-06
2005-06
2009-10
2010-11
2012-13
2012-13
Schools Modernized: 1985-86 to 2012-13
School
Oak View ES
Woodfield ES
Twinbrook ES
Cedar Grove ES
Bannockburn ES
Rosemary Hills ES
Gaithersburg MS
Cloverly ES
Highland ES
Laytonsville ES
Monocacy ES
School
Year Completed School
1985-86 Highland View ES
1985-86 Meadow Hall ES
Springbrook HS
1986-87
Brookhaven ES
1987-88 Georgian Forest ES
Jackson Road ES
1988-89 North Chevy Chase ES
1988-89 Rosemont ES
1988-89 Julius West MS
Pine Crest ES
Travilah ES
Walt Whitman HS
1989-90 Flower Valley ES
1989-90 Kemp Mill ES
1989-90
1989-90 Ritchie Park ES
Wyngate ES
1989-90 Westland MS
Albert Einstein HS
1990-91
1990-91 Barnsley ES
1990-91 Westover ES
Montgomery Blair HS
1991-92
1991-92 Bethesda ES
1991-92 Harmony Hills ES
1991 92 Rock View ES
1991-92
1991-92 Takoma Park MS
John F. Kennedy HS
1992-93
1992-93 Chevy Chase ES
1992-93 Mill Creek Towne ES
Ashburton ES
Burtonsville ES
Clarksburg ES
Forest Knolls ES
Oakland Terrace ES
Thomas W. Pyle
y MS
White Oak MS
White Oak MS
1993-94
1993-94
1993-94
1993-94
1993-94
1993-94
1993-94
1993-94
Montgomery Knolls ES
Burnt Mills ES
Olney ES
Westbrook ES
Beall ES
Burning Tree ES
Viers Mill ES
Sligo MS
Sherwood HS
School
Year Completed School
Attachment B
School
Year Completed
1994-95 Lakewood ES
1994-95 William Tyler Page ES
1994-95 Montgomery Village MS
2003-04
2003-04
2003-04
1995-96
1995-96
1995 96
1995-96
1995-96
1995-96
1995-96
Glen Haven ES
Rockville HS
2004-05
2004-05
Somerset ES
Kensington-Parkwood ES
2005-06
2005-06
None
1996-97
1996-97 College Gardens ES
Parkland MS
1997-98 Richard Montgomery HS
1997-98
1997-98 Galway ES
1997-98
Bells Mill ES
1998-99 Cashell ES
1998-99 Francis Scott Key MS
1998-99 Walter Johnson HS
2006–07
1999-00
1999-00
1999 00
1999-00
1999-00
1999-00
2010-11
2010-11
Carderock Springs ES
Cresthaven ES
2007-08
2007-08
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
2009-10
2009-10
2009-10
Cannon Road ES
Farmland ES
Garrett Park ES
2000-01 Seven Locks ES
2000-01 Cabin John MS
2011-12
2011-12
2011-12
2011-12
2011-12
Rock Creek Valley ES
Earle B. Wood MS
Bethesda-Chevy Chase HS
Winston Churchill HS
2001-02 Beverly Farms ES
2001-02 Paint Branch HS
2001-02
2001-02
2012-13
2012-13
Wood Acres ES
2002-03 Total Modernizations to Date:
TOTAL ELEMENTARY = 60
TOTAL MIDDLE = 12
TOTAL HIGH =12
Year opened or modernized refers to August of year shown, or in the case of some modernizations, later in the school year.