It will reduce overcrowding at Waverly Elementary, and use more capacity at Butterfly Ridge Elementary.
Frederick, Md (KM) A new redistricting plan for Butterfly Ridge Elementary School will come before the Frederick County Board of Education next month for a vote. It will take an additional 100 students from the area of Key Parkway from Waverly Elementary School, and place them at Butterfly Ridge Elementary School when it opens next year.
Earlier this month, the Board of Ed reviewed a plan that would have left Waverly Elementary at 158% of capacity, and Butterfly Ridge, which is currently under construction, with 82% of capacity. The new plan reduces Waverly Elementary to 133 % of capacity, and increases Butterfly Ridge Elementary School’s capacity at 99%
“Waverly will still be over capacity,” says Board of Education President Brad Young. “We have in our long range plan an addition/renovation to Waverly which probably won’t take place for five years.”
“When that’s done, hopefully that will relieve some of the overcrowding,” Young continues. “But, unfortunately, there’s also still a lot of planned development out on Route 40. It’s really going to have be evaluated year to year to see where and how many additional kids we get at each of the schools out here.”
He says the plan being considered by the School Board is a good plan. “Unfortunately, there’s no perfect plan. There’s always folks that want their students to go to a particular school, and there will be some people who won’t be happy in the end where their students are going.,” he says. “But based on the capacity that we have, and the location of the schools, I think that the plan we’ve come up with is the best scenario that effectively uses all the space that we have, and lets as many kids still walk to school as possible.”
The Board of Education is scheduled to vote on the plan at its June 14th meeting.
Butterfly Ridge Elementary School is expected to open in September, 2018.
By Kevin McManus