Land for Future School Acquired

St. Mary’s County Public Schools has a new location for its next elementary school.

SMCPS acquired 65.49 acres of land for the facility, located on Maryland Route 5, south of Great Mills, MD.

The parcel is located inside the Lexington Park Development District and is in a Priority Funding Area. Negotiations for the land have been going on for nearly three years, and required approval from the state.

Now that the close of escrow has happened, SMPCS will begin plans for the actual facility. The Public School Construction Program has recommended that the next elementary site be part of the FY 2017 State Capital Improvements Program.

It will be at least two to three years before actual construction begins, but land acquisition was a major facet of the progress toward that goal.

The St. Mary’s County commissioners provided funding for the land purchase, including it as part of the local St. Mary’s County Capital Improvements Program.

“We believe this new property is a valuable community asset which will serve our community well in the future as an elementary school site to relieve overcrowding in the central portion of the county,” J. Scott Smith, superintendent of schools, said.

St. Mary’s County Public Schools currently serves about 18,000 students, and is projected to grow to 19,119 students in the 2020-2021 school year. About 724 additional elementary school students are expected to be attending, so the new school will be essential. The most recent elementary school added in St. Mary’s County was the Captain Walter Francis Duke Elementary School in Leonardtown, MD, in 2015.

A new elementary school will help alleviate overcrowding and give space in this crucial area.

The school system is also expected to realize an additional 382 middle school students and 420 high school students.

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