Boundary Line

No surprises appeared in school boundary line changes for 1991-1992 recommended to the school board Thursday by Maurice F. Kalin, associate superintendent for planning and support services.Kalin stuck to the redistricting proposals he had outlined in meetings with parents early this month, although he responded to the concerns of Clemens Crossing area residents by offering two alternative ways to bring an infusion of new students into Wilde Lake Middle School.County residents had no opportunity to comment as Kalin presentedhis recommendations to the board Thursday night.

The Baltimore County Council on Monday made significant changes to a measure involving the county development approval process after preservationists said it would undermine an essential county growth-control tool and could run afoul of state law. Originally, the bill sponsored by Councilmen David Marks and Tom Quirk would have allowed development outside a growth-management boundary adopted 45 years ago, but the council removed that provision under...

Dozens of Howard County parents loudly proclaimed last year they could do a better job of school redistricting than the group charged with the task. But now that it is time to find about a dozen new members for this year's Boundary Line Advisory Committee, the critics are not volunteering to take part in the process. So far, just two new applicants have come forward to say they are willing to take on one of the most criticized chores in the county: determining whose children should go to which school.

The committee charged with redrawing school boundaries delivered its final proposal to the Harford County school board last night, presenting a plan that included modifications to some of the previously proposed dividing lines as well as changes to how many high school students would be affected during the transition. The panel -- the Superintendent's Technical Advisory Committee-- presented its original plan in November, before conducting public hearings and incorporating the feedback from residents into the version presented to the board last night.

Howard County Councilman David A. Rakes would love to see the Pentecostal Church of God move its regional offices from Simpsonville to the troubled Oakland Mills Village Center, and perhaps begin some community work there. To jump-start that process, Rakes, an east Columbia Democrat, is trying to help the church sell and develop the 28 acres it owns along congested U.S. 29 in River's Edge. But his failure to clearly state his intentions nearly torpedoed the plan. Rakes asked the county Planning Board last week to recommend moving an important boundary line to advance the church plan, but he didn't tell the board members his true purpose - which prompted them to reject the idea.

Dear Mr. Azrael, My home in a new development was purchased in June 1999. I found out that the driveway on my property encroached on the neighboring lot. I wrote you about this problem, and your reply in the Mailbag advised me to obtain an easement from the owner of the lot. I followed your advice. After the easement was obtained, I had my lot resurveyed. However, some of the boundary markers bordering the adjacent lot have been removed by the developer. The developer will soon construct a new home on that lot. It appears that the driveway for that lot will encroach on my property.

School board has planned work session on boundaries The Howard County Board of Education will hold a public work session on proposed boundary line adjustments at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow in the Board Room at the Department of Education, 10910 Route 108, Ellicott City. The board will hold a meeting at 4 p.m. March 23. During the "listening post," the public may address topics not on the agenda. In the evening session, beginning at 7: 30, the board will approve boundary line adjustments for the 2000-2001 school year.

Applicants sought for Master Gardener Training Program New and experienced gardeners are invited to apply for the Master Gardener Training Program offered by Maryland Cooperative Extension. Training will include plant, insect and disease problems; vegetable gardening; composting; and the environmental impact of gardening practices. Training will be offered from 9 a.m. to noon Mondays and Wednesdays from Jan. 28 to March 29, at the Maryland Cooperative Extension office in Ellicott City.

Wheatfield pupils shouldn't be moved Last fall, my neighborhood of Wheatfield fought the battle of high school redistricting. Our community took the position that, "We are part of the Northeast community and we want our children educated with our Route 103 neighbors." Wheatfield borders the Stonecrest neighborhood, the Brampton Hills neighborhood, Route 100 and the Long Gate Shopping Center. Less than a year has passed, and we're fighting the same battle again; but this time it's at the elementary school level.

School lines to be discussedEllicott City and Elkridge residents are invited by the Department of Education to two public meetings on boundary line adjustments.The meetings will help explain the superintendent's proposed capital budget, which deals with projections of numbers of students in each school.Schools projected to be over capacity or under minimum enrollment as defined in the boundary line policy will be discussed, and redistricting alternatives will be proposed.A meeting at Hammond High School at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday will look at boundary line changes affecting these Ellicott City or Elkridge schools: Elkridge, Deep Run, Waterloo and Worthington elementary schools; Ellicott Mills and Mayfield middle schools; and Howard High School.

Volunteers sought for panel on school boundary lines The Howard County school system is seeking volunteers to serve on the Board of Education's School Boundary Line Advisory Committee, which assists in developing and evaluating boundary line adjustments. This year's committee will focus on the boundary lines associated with the opening of an elementary school in Dayton, which is planned for August next year. The committee will also examine middle school boundary adjustments in the northern and northeastern parts of the county.

Howard County Councilman David A. Rakes would love to see the Pentecostal Church of God move its regional offices from Simpsonville to the troubled Oakland Mills Village Center, and perhaps begin some community work there. To jump-start that process, Rakes, an east Columbia Democrat, is trying to help the church sell and develop the 28 acres it owns along congested U.S. 29 in River's Edge. But his failure to clearly state his intentions nearly torpedoed the plan. Rakes asked the county Planning Board last week to recommend moving an important boundary line to advance the church plan, but he didn't tell the board members his true purpose - which prompted them to reject the idea.

The Howard County School Boundary Line Committee presented proposals last night for redistricting several area high schools in the 2004-2005 school year, including one that would move nearly 400 students from Long Reach to Oakland Mills. But with two of the three reasons for the boundary-line changes still in flux - the fates of a new high school and the Career and Technology Education program - the suggestions were all hypothetical, characterized by "if this, then that" thinking dependent upon decisions the school system has not made.

Dozens of Howard County parents loudly proclaimed last year they could do a better job of school redistricting than the group charged with the task. But now that it is time to find about a dozen new members for this year's Boundary Line Advisory Committee, the critics are not volunteering to take part in the process. So far, just two new applicants have come forward to say they are willing to take on one of the most criticized chores in the county: determining whose children should go to which school.

The Howard County Board of Education made elementary- school boundary line changes official last night, adopting the recommended plan put before members in October with the changes suggested Tuesday by School Superintendent John R. O'Rourke and his staff. Middle school pupils will learn their fates Nov. 26. "All of the decisions made [were] in the best interests of the children," said Jane. B. Schuchardt, the board chairman. "It's been a very, very difficult [process]." Motion by motion, board members reviewed suggested boundary line changes - which all together move more than 1,000 of the nearly 20,000 pupils to different schools - and voted to keep or kill them.

Islands, polygons, purple dots - they all mean something to the school boundary line faithful in Howard County, who have absorbed the redistricting vernacular as if it were handed to them with an easy-to-follow booklet and translation tape. "It's a public phenomenon," schools spokeswoman Patti Caplan said. Parents and community members have bandied about the very specific terms. Last year's high school redistricting started it, Caplan said, by introducing a citizens committee to draw suggested boundary lines and asking for lots of public input.

The Howard County school board last night approved a redistricting plan that forces more than 1,350 elementary and middle school students to switch schools next fall.In the most controversial of its boundary line changes, the board chose McKenzie Road as the border between Waverly Elementary School and the new elementary in Ellicott City, saying it was willing to split up a neighborhood to avoid opening a new school with more students than its capacity."I can't in good conscience leave a facility 40 percent under capacity while another school is over capacity," said board member Stephen Bounds.

Some western Howard County elementary school students and eastern county middle school students will change schools next fall as the county school board redraws boundary lines for the opening of two new schools.One parent group has already formed in the western area of the county to present a case against playing musical chairs with students who face the likelihood of additional transfers as new schools open in the next few years.The redistricting process will begin with public meetings Tuesdayand Wednesday, Jan. 8 and 9. Maurice F. Kalin, associate superintendent for planning and support services, will discuss factors behind boundary line changes: population projections; schools that are expected to be over capacity and redistricting alternatives.