MCPS Superintendent Joshua Starr wants kids of wounded veterans living at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center re-assigned to Bethesda Elementary School.
Starr made the recommendation in this week’s Board of Education meeting, after an advisory group of parents and base officials concluded re-assigning students who live on the base would not make much of a difference when it comes to school capacity problems.
Horace Franklin, the school liaison officer at Naval Support Activity Bethesda (NSAB), testified in front of the BOE in November about a realignment of elementary school boundaries that would have split the students between Rosemary Hills Elementary and North Chevy Chase Elementary.
Those students have been going to Bethesda Elementary for years, according to Franklin, who said the move would cause further disruption for kids who already “experienced the life changing injuries of their parents.”
For this school year, MCPS granted the 12 elementary school students from the base a transfer back to Bethesda Elementary School.
The advisory group that looked at the issue and Starr both recommended the reassignment of NSAB to Bethesda Elementary School, citing the low numbers of students the base generates:
Because the enrollment impact is minor and school capacities are adequate, my recommendation is based on what is in the best interest of the small number of students residing at NSAB. I am, therefore, recommending Advisory Committee Option #2—the reassignment of NSAB from Rosemary Hills and North Chevy Chase elementary schools to Bethesda Elementary School. As all elementary school students residing on the base already attend Bethesda Elementary School, this recommendation can be adopted effective immediately upon Board of Education action on March 24, 2014.
Bethesda Elementary is 109 students over capacity this year and is projected to be 110 over capacity next school year. It’s expected to get under capacity by 2015-2016 thanks to a classroom addition project and other reassignments.
North Chevy Chase and Rosemary Hills aren’t much better in terms of capacity issues. Both are at least 130 students over capacity and awaiting addition projects to help ease overcrowding.
The Board of Education will have a public hearing on Starr’s recommendation on March 11 with a vote set for March 24.
