1 presented at symposium: infrastructure and growth: are we keeping pace? march 7, 2015

Montgomery County Public Schools Facility Planning

1

Presented at Symposium:Infrastructure and Growth:

Are We Keeping Pace?

March 7, 2015

2MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland

Facility Planning Timeframes

Decades Future school sites, collocation options

Six-yearCapital programming for facilities

One-yearSubdivision Staging Policy: School Test

Decades

3


Facility Planning Timeframes: Decades

MCPS collaborates with county planners, the Planning Board, and elected officials during the development of master plans and sector plans.

Two primary purposes for this collaboration:Ensuring that projected school utilization levels are

known.Designating future school sites in plans.


Facility Planning Timeframes: Decades

Sites and Schools

Today most schools are located on sites dedicated in master plans.

There are 14 future school sites owned by the BOE and another 11 set aside in adopted master plans.


Facility Planning Timeframes: DecadesSites and Schools

Sites in “green fields” suburban master plans used to be the norm. (Clarksburg Master Plan)

Now plans focus on high density development near transit. (Bethesda, Shady Grove, White Flint)

Obtaining adequately sized school sites is a challenge in sector plans.


Facility Planning Timeframes: DecadesClosed Schools

Since 1989, 15 closed schools have been reopened.

There are now 14 closed schools in BOE ownership and another 30 in county ownership.

Most closed schools are leased and can be reclaimed for school use.

The BOE is holding on to all sites and closed schools for possible future use.


Facility Planning Timeframes: DecadesExamples

The following schools will open in the next 6 years:

Clarksburg/ Damascus MS – August 2016

(site dedicated via Clarksburg Master Plan)

B-CC Middle School #2 – August 2017

(former site of Kensington Jr. HS, transferred from M-NCPPC)

Richard Montgomery ES #5 – August 2017

(former Hungerford Park ES, transferred from county)

Northwest ES #8 – August 2017

(site purchased from private land owner)


Facility Planning Timeframes: DecadesCollocation of Schools

46 elementary schools, 12 middle schools, and 7 high schools are collocated with parks.

MCPS, M-NCPPC and county agencies are now studying long-range collocation options for compatible public facilities.

Six Years

10


Facility Planning Timeframes: Six YearsEnrollment Forecasting and CIP Planning

Forecasts are prepared, by year, for six years. A tenth and fifteenth year also are projected.

The six year forecast is aligned with the county CIP period.

The six-year forecast determines where additional capacity needs to be programmed, through: classroom additionsnew schoolsexpansion of schools when they are revitalized.



Enrollment forecasts are based on: county births migration aging of the student population approved new residential development

MCPS works with planning staff and developers to factor in building schedules for new development.



Large master plans and sector plans can take 20 to 30 years to build-out.

Capital programming focuses on what is expected to be built and occupied in the six-year period.

Master planning for additions at schools enables more capacity to be added when warranted.

The inventory of future school sites and closed schools enables MCPS to address long-range growth.



The Clarksburg Master Plan provides an example of how long it may take for a master plan to build-out.

The plan was adopted in 1994, but housing construction will continue for many more years before build-out.

A 20+ year built-out is expected in large sector plans, such as Shady Grove and White Flint.


Facility Planning Timeframes: Six YearsEnrollment Forecasting: Housing Impact

Turnover of homes, and changing demographics of neighborhoods, account for the majority of enrollment increases in the county.

In 2014, there were 10,976 existing homes sold and 3,839 new homes started construction.

In 2014, 60% of new home starts were multi-family units that generate fewer students than single family units.

One Year

16


Facility Planning Timeframes: One YearSubdivision Staging Policy (SSP): School Test

The goal of the policy is to coordinate development approvals with provision of adequate public facilities, including schools and roads.

The policy is adopted by the County Council every four years and administered by the Planning Board.

The policy includes the methodology for assessing school utilization levels and the authority for the Planning Board to condition or limit preliminary plan approvals.


Facility Planning Timeframes: One YearSubdivision Staging Policy (SSP): School Test

MCPS works closely with Planning Board staff to prepare the annual school test.

The FY 2015 school test shows:

16 of the 25 MCPS clusters exceed 105% utilization.A “school facility payment” is required in these clusters.No cluster exceeds the 120% utilization for moratorium.

Summary

19


Summary

The main constraint to keeping up with enrollment growth is insufficient revenue to address the magnitude of need.

Adding capacity, while critical, competes with the need to revitalize aging schools and adequately fund systemic maintenance projects (e.g., HVAC, indoor air quality, roof replacements, etc.)

1 presented at symposium: infrastructure and growth: are we keeping pace? march 7, 2015

Documents