Prince William school officials review redistricting proposal in Brentsville area
The Prince William County School Board is considering a proposal that would redistrict three new residential developments in the Brentsville District due to overcrowding at The Nokesville School.
The School Board in November directed division staff to develop a redistricting proposal related to the three developments. The division brought the proposal to the board at its Jan. 22 meeting.
The three developments — Bristow Corner, Bristow Crossing and Thomas Farm at Bristow Station — have already been approved by the Prince William Board of County Supervisors and would be districted to The Nokesville School.
The Nokesville School is currently operating “significantly” over 100%, and there are 12 portable classrooms already on site to serve as overcrowding abatement, said Matthew Cartlidge, the supervisor of planning for the school system.
To prevent further overcrowding, the school division proposed the future communities at Bristow Corner and Bristow Crossing be redistricted to Cedar Point Elementary School and those at the Thomas Farm at Bristow Station be redistricted to T. Clay Wood Elementary School.
At the middle-school level, the division is proposing all three communities be redistricted to Marsteller Middle School.
These changes would take effect in the 2025-26 school year.
Cedar Point Elementary is currently projected to have approximately 344 vacant seats in five years, Cartlidge said. The communities of Bristow Corner and Bristow Crossing are anticipated to yield approximately 60 elementary students when fully constructed.
School division projections estimate approximately 40 of those students will be present in the next five years, leaving Cedar Point with around 300 vacant seats remaining. That would leave the school at roughly 63% of program capacity.
The situation at T. Clay Wood elementary is similar, Cartlidge said. Currently, the school is projected to have 345 vacant seats five years from now, and the division anticipates the Thomas Farm at Bristow Station to yield approximately 95 elementary students.
“With those added to T. Clay Wood five years from now, we anticipate about 323 vacant seats at the school, leaving it at approximately 64% of program capacity,” Cartlidge said.
There is one current student who would be impacted by the redistricting in this proposal. That student has indicated to the division they’d like to remain at The Nokesville School, which Cartlidge said would be possible if the School Board grandfathered that student in to remain at the school.
Marsteller Middle School is projected in five years to have about 180 vacant seats. Upon the buildout of the three communities, the division anticipates about 80 middle school students, however, only 26 of those students are anticipated within the next five years.
If those students are redistricted to Marsteller, the school division anticipates Marsteller to reach roughly 87% of program capacity five years from now.
“Where we have under-capacity, I don’t want to be in the business of closing schools and in the business of dropping enrollment and less babies and less people moving in. I am concerned,” said School Board Chairman Dr. Babur Lateef.
While enrollment in the division has been slowing, in part because of a declining birth rate, two regions — Brentsville and Potomac — have seen significant growth.
“Addressing their growth is critical, but at the same time, addressing the fall off everywhere else is deeply concerning, and these tools that you’ve all provided us will be helpful moving forward,” Lateef said.
The board will vote on the proposal in the first week of February, according to Lateef.
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