In order to maximize the ability of residents and the general public to see the information presented, the second of three informational community meetings on Phase 2 of the redistricting process – set for 6:30 p.m. on April 9, 2025, at the Parham Building in Annapolis – will be broadcast live on AACPS-TV and streamed live on Anne Arundel County Public Schools’ YouTube channel.
At all three meetings, a condensed version of information regarding the redistricting process will be presented prior to public comments from up to 30 people. Comments will be heard by Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mark Bedell and his staff and will be considered as Dr. Bedell formulates a recommendation to the Board. The meetings are intended to convey information and hear comments, not as question-and-answer sessions.
“I have talked about transparency since I got here and this is a way to ensure that the content is available to everyone and eliminate the need to travel to one of the locations,” Dr. Bedell said. “A public comment portal remains available on the website through May 15, so even those who can’t speak at the meetings have ample opportunity to provide input.”
Each meeting will feature a brief presentation about the process, timeline and three scenarios developed by consultant WXY, which AACPS has hired for both phases of the redistricting process. The information to be presented at the meetings is readily available at www.aacps.org/phase2redistricting, and the slide deck from the meetings will be posted on that site as well.
Those wishing to speak must sign up for the meeting at which they wish to offer comment in advance through links available at www.aacps.org/phase2redistricting. Comments will be offered in person only. Registration will close 72 hours before the start of each community meeting. More than 30 people have already signed up to speak at each of the three meetings, so lotteries will be conducted to determine the speakers. Speakers will be notified of their slots and names of speakers will be posted online at www.aacps.org/phase2redistricting. To allow for diversity of voices, speakers may only speak at one community meeting.
Dr. Bedell will consider input from the meetings and the online tool available here as he repares to provide a recommendation to the Board of Education in July. The Board will then hold public hearings to solicit even more input prior to adopting a plan in November. Speakers who speak at the community meetings are still eligible to testify at a public hearing. The adopted plan will go into effect in August 2026 for the 2026-2027 school year.
Because of the timing of these community meetings, the deadline for comments through the web tool linked above has been extended to May 15.
The two other informational community meetings are scheduled for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 25, at Southern High School, and 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29, at Annapolis Middle School.