Growth has been put in check by education in Howard County. The County Council has introduced legislation that forbids developers from building new houses that would increase student enrollment at Manor Woods Elementary School in 2009.
For the first time in recent years, the school is the only one within the Howard County School System that would not accommodate new development, a move county and school officials attribute to better communication between the agencies.
“Back in 1998, the county experienced a tremendous amount of residential growth that was not well planned out,” said Council Member Christopher Merdon, R-District 1.
“County government approved new homes without really checking with the school system.”
Council member Guy Guzzone, D-District 3, said at this week?s meeting that about 18 schools were projected to be closed to additional students because of new development during the late 1990s.
The school system makes projections on whether a school can accept new students based on student enrollment and program requirements such as the recent phase-in of the state-mandated all-day kindergarten. The County Council has to approve the projections.
New residential developments must also be considered because they often effect a school?s enrollment numbers.
The school system strives to keep enrollment from exceeding 110 percent of a school?s capacity, said Joel Gallihue, manager of school planning within the school system.
But state law allows a school to exceed its enrollment projection by 15 percent.
“We try to hold ourselves to a higher standard,” he said.
The County Council annually approves an Adequate Public Facilities Chart giving developers a three-year projection of student enrollment figures to help them plan for new housing.
Manor Woods is the only school out of 37 elementary schoolsthat cannot accept additional students caused by new development in 2009, according to the new chart, which is slated to be formally approved by council later this month.
No middle or high schools are slated to close, according to the chart.
Developers can build new houses that affect Manor Woods in 2010 after a 100-seat addition is completed at the school.
Guzzone said during the council meeting that the chart represented “an important moment,” because the possibility of closing a large number of schools is not surrounded by controversy.
