Staff Report

DRAFT

May 4, 2010

Dr. William R. Hite, Jr., Superintendent
Prince George’s County Public Schools
14201 School Lane
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772

Dear Dr. Hite:

The City Council continues to hear from parents who are concerned about the boundary change that will go into effect this fall, for 137 students who currently attend Whitehall Elementary School and are being transferred to Kenilworth Elementary School. This change will be implemented to reduce the number of students at Whitehall Elementary. While we are proud of all the schools in Bowie and believe that students can be successful at any of our local schools, we do empathize with the concerns of these parents, as we understand how disruptive any change can be to young students who are comfortable in a particular environment.

The concern of parents, at this point, has to do with the need for this change. Whitehall Elementary School students are excelling in their current environment. The number of students in the building does not appear to be a detriment to their success, as shown in test scores obtained by their students. Parents have raised questions and concerns about just how crowded the school really is. They point to what they see as inconsistencies in how the State Rated Capacity (SRC) formula is being calculated and applied at Whitehall as compared to other schools in Bowie and around the County.

The issue of SRC is not one that we can adequately address, as the information is not readily available to us. Therefore, we have sent the attached letter to the State of Maryland, asking for an explanation of the State Rated Capacity. We are hoping for a prompt reply to help us better

understand this aspect of the situation. While this issue, which is causing much concern for these parents, remains unresolved, we ask that you consider the possibility of postponing this
particular boundary change, at least until such time as parents are provided with a complete understanding of the concerns and issues driving this change.

Sincerely,

Bowie City Council
G. Frederick Robinson
Mayor

Attachment

cc:
Senator Douglas Peters
Delegates James Hubbard
Delegate Gerron Levi
Delegate Marvin Holmes
County Council Member Ingrid Turner
County Council Member Samuel Dean