Montgomery County Public Schools Real Property Inventory

Ever wonder what happened to all of those school sites Montgomery County Public Schools had in the 1980s?  Back in the day, our Board of Education decided that the school population was decreasing, and so it closed a bunch of schools. 

But what happened to the property?  Yes, school sites are supposed to be held in trust for the school system.  Many of the schools and school sites were turned over to the county, and some are now parks.  Think of your favorite park or soccer field - mine are  Glen Hills Park, Bucks Branch Park, and Falls Road Park.  These were all designated school sites.

Other sites have been turned over to the county and used for other purposes.  Examples?  The Dennis Avenue Health Clinic, Bauer Drive Community Center, Potomac Community Center, and the Dameron Drive facility for Holy Cross Hospital are a few examples.

Still a number of sites have been developed.  Do you know about Victory Senior Housing on Newbridge Road?  That's the former site for Bradley Middle School.  The assisted living facility in the 300 block of University?  That's the former site of North Four Corners ES.  Potomac HS in Avenel now has townhomes instead of kids.  And of course, the recently departed Peary HS is now the site of a parochial school.

If your community is looking for a school site, check out this list:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/72108510/MCPS-Real-Property-Report-2011

The interesting material starts on page B-1.  The date may be 2011, but it is really outdated - or is poorly maintained a better description?

For example, the 30 acre property for the MidCounty High School on the Crowne property isn't on the list.  Did our school system decline that offer?

Also, certain property is still listed as closed  - for example, Shriver ES, Loiederman MS, Newport Mill MS, Northwood HS, and Arcola ES are listed on page C-1 as closed school sites.

After you've checked out the sites, be sure to call the Board of Education and thank them for their careful stewardship of our school properties.  After all, our kids don't mind those portables and we really need more soccer fields, right?