Wicomico County Redistricting

Public Input : 410-677-5251

Board of Education Defers Redistricting Recommendation

The Board of Education received and discussed several options from the Superintendent’s Redistricting Task Force at its work session on Tuesday, January 26, 2010. The options included changing boundaries that could affect up to 226 students in elementary schools. The options showed potential changes that could occur if magnet-type high performance learning was offered in all intermediate schools or remained in the current centers.

The Board deferred action upon receiving the recommendation from Superintendent Fredericksen to delay the process until after the Superintendent’s High Performance Learners Task Force had an opportunity to meet to determine what changes or expansion of program would best serve Wicomico’s high performance learners.

The primary goal of the Redistricting Task Force was to help ensure that all school buildings have optimum capacity of 90- 95% with no school more than 5% over capacity (based on the State-Rated Building Capacity). In the school system, several buildings are over capacity and a few schools are under capacity.

The Task Force looked at the possibility of changes in capacity based on residential home sales and examined ways to improve balance by ethnicity and for the numbers of students receiving free and reduced meals (FARM). No changes were proposed for the boundaries for middle and high schools; the optimum capacity rates could be met or maintained through current enrollment processes.

The Redistricting Task Force met for three months and was composed of nearly 30 parents, community members, and staff persons.

Redistricting Proposal to Board Jan. 26, 2010

Redistricting Process: Redistricting Task Force

The Superintendent’s Redistricting Task Force at its meeting on Thursday, Jan. 21, agreed on a draft proposal for redistricting that Superintendent of Schools Dr. John Fredericksen will now share with the Board of Education. The Board will review the draft proposal at a work session at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26, and discuss how to proceed. Board work sessions are held in the Board of Education Office and are open to the public, but are not a venue for public comment.

The Board would have to adopt the plan on first reading at a Board meeting and hold a public hearing prior to taking a second and final vote on the plan. The Board has regular monthly meetings scheduled for Feb. 9 and March 9, though a special meeting could be held if needed. Prior to the final vote, a public hearing or hearings would also be held.

The Wicomico County Board of Education at its monthly meeting Tuesday, Oct. 13, approved the use of a task force comprised of approximately 1/3 staff, 1/2 parents/guardians, and 1/6 community members to assist the school system with redistricting. The task force includes parents/guardians and community members from throughout the county. (Staff members who serve on the task force will serve only as staff members, not as parents.) Additional staff members attended the meetings to present data and information and to answer questions from the Task Force.

The task force met a number of times between Nov. 16 and Jan. 21 to develop its draft proposal for redistricting. Agendas, meeting notes and handouts from each of the meetings are now posted on this Redistricting web page.

Redistricting is necessary because in the more than 10 years since Wicomico last changed school boundaries, some Wicomico schools have become overcrowded while others are underutilized, Dr. Fredericksen said at the October Board of Education meeting. The Redistricting Task Force, starting from Targets for Establishing Student Attendance Areas, examined enrollment numbers, program information, budget and facilities materials, and other data to develop a redistricting proposal.

Public input may be made at any time by calling 410-677-5251 and leaving a message, or e-mailing to

The Board would have to adopt the plan on first reading at a Board meeting and hold a public hearing prior to taking a second and final vote on the plan. The Board has regular monthly meetings scheduled for Feb. 9 and March 9, though a special meeting could be held if needed.