Earlier this year, the Montgomery County Board of Education passed a resolution to conduct a districtwide analysis of existing school boundaries to address issues with the county’s changing demographics which has caused the overcrowding of some schools and empty seats in others. The analysis will analyze student demographics, school facility utilization and capacity, school and cluster boundaries, transportation patterns, and geographic proximity. The analysis will be conducted throughout 2020, as an interim report will be presented on February 20, 2019 and a final report presented on June 1, 2020.

This boundary analysis is a big step in the right direction for the county, which has recently experienced criticism for concentrated poverty and racial segregation in many schools as a result of poorly designed boundaries. While this boundary study doesn’t guarantee any action will be taken by the county to confront these issues, it is a preliminary step that shows the county is willing to work to change it’s issues. It is likely that the results of the analysis will show the problems that currently plague the county as a result of its boundaries, which has the potential to end up in the county taking action to change to its boundaries. Until June 1st, however, advocates on either side will be pressing the Board of Education at public meetings and hearings.