Montgomery School Board Expected To Delay Awarding Contract for Boundary Analysis

The Montgomery County Board of Education is expected to delay awarding a contract to conduct a controversial countywide school-attendance boundary analysis by one month.

The school board was expected to award the contract on Monday for the study of attendance boundaries, but will delay that decision to Aug. 29 to further vet proposals, according to a memo from Superintendent Jack Smith.

In January, the Board of Education passed a resolution to hire a consultant to evaluate school boundaries, which determine what area schools students will attend based on where they live. Elementary and middle schools “feed” high schools near them, creating school clusters.

The boundary analysis is the school system’s first comprehensive look at school boundaries in at least 20 years. It has pitted a contingent of students lobbying for more diverse schools against parents who fear long bus rides for their children or decreased home values if boundaries shift.

In late June, Montgomery County Public Schools released a “request for proposals” outlining the duties of the selected contractor for the year-long project...

https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/schools/montgomery-school-board-expected-to-delay-awarding-contract-for-boundary-analysis/