FCPS considering combining Middletown elementary, middle schools into one building
Nov. 12—The Frederick County Board of Education is seeking community feedback on a plan to demolish the current Middletown elementary, middle and high school buildings and replace them with two facilities — one high school, and one combined elementary and middle school.
The elementary and middle schools would remain separate schools, with separate entrances and classroom wings. But they would share a building, and possibly a gym and cafeteria space.
The three schools are currently located on a shared 71-acre campus. The district launched a feasibility study in April to determine how best to modernize the buildings and add capacity to each one.
Middletown Elementary houses students in third through fifth grade. Younger students attend Middletown Primary School, located a little less than a mile away from the main Middletown campus.
Under the proposal, which a team of said could take more than 12 years to complete, the elementary-middle school building would be located behind the current middle s 20 chool. The high school would go where the stadium is currently located.
The board heard about that plan, as well as two other options, at its Wednesday work session.
One alternative was to renovate and add onto the three existing school buildings. On the other hand, FCPS Facilities Director Holly Nelson said, the board could demolish all three buildings and build three new ones.
The renovation and addition plan could take up to 20 years and would require students to attend classes in portables during extensive renovations. And the final layout of the buildings could still be less than ideal, the study found.
Building three new schools, meanwhile, would be more expensive and take longer than building two, and it wouldn't allow as much flexibility for future expansions. The study determined that two school buildings would be the quickest, most cost efficient and best for long-term planning, Nelson said.
A team of architectural consultants and engineers recommended the two-building plan to the board.
Some members praised the idea of housing the elementary and middle schools under one roof, while others were more skeptical.
Board member Jason Johnson said he didn't like the idea.
"I'm uncomfortable having the big kids so close to the little kids," he said.
Frederick County Public Schools Superintendent Cheryl Dyson said she supervised two co-located schools during her time with Montgomery County Public Schools. She suggested board members make a trip to visit them to understand how separate they feel.
Board member David Bass expressed concern about the proposed construction timeline, which was estimated to be either 10 and a half or 12 and a half years, depending on how the board chooses to schedule each project.
"I was hoping this project would be completed in less time," Bass said. "Certainly the 12 and a half years, for me, feels entirely too long. And even the 10 and a half years is longer than I anticipated."
FCPS Chief Operating Officer Paul Lebo said district employees visited colocated schools in Baltimore to get a better idea of the plan.
He said it would be possible for the two schools to share large gym and cafeteria spaces which would be separated during the school day with partitions that could be removed for after-school events.
"It will feel separate," Lebo told the board, "but it's going to have a lot of benefits."
Members will vote on the plan at their Nov. 21 meeting.
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