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School boundary changes proposed at the Nov. 12 Board of Education meeting could help even out enrollment in central Prince George's County elementary schools, some of which have 30 percent more students than their ideal capacity.

According to a boundary review proposal presented at the meeting, central area elementary schools that would be affected by boundary changes include Carrollton, Robert Frost and Lamont in New Carrollton; Woodridge in Hyattsville near Landover Hills; Glenridge in Landover Hills; and Gladys Noon Spellman in Cheverly.

Other central area elementary schools affected include Glenn Dale, Kettering, Catherine T. Reed in Lanham, Kingsford in Mitchellville, and Perrywood and Phyllis E. Williams in Upper Marlboro. Ernest Everett Just Middle School in Mitchellville and Kettering Middle would also be affected.

The Board of Education could vote to approve the boundary review changes as early as January 2010, but legislative action could be delayed if parents request individual informational meetings for their schools, said Lynn McCawley, a county schools' spokeswoman.

The desirable range for school capacity is between 87 and 93 percent, which allows for school growth and reduces the need for temporary classrooms, she said.

Woodridge Elementary has a 123 percent enrollment, whereas Lamont has 129 percent and Carrollton is at 131 percent. All three schools would send students to neighboring schools, according to online Board of Education documents.

Glenridge is at 86 percent enrollment, and Robert Frost is at 84 percent. Gladys Noon Spellman, at 71 percent, is among the lowest-enrolled schools.

Carrollton, for example, would lose 136 students to Glenridge, dropping Carrollton's enrollment percentage from 131 to 108 percent based on the state-rated capacity and current school capacity numbers listed on the county schools' Web site.

Carrollton's state-rated capacity is 584 students, but its current enrollment as of Sept. 30 is 766.

Ernest Everett Just Middle School has about a 97 percent enrollment rate, approximately 26 students below its capacity.

However, under the proposed boundary changes, the Mitchellville school would receive 104 students total, with 33 coming from Benjamin Tasker Middle in Bowie, 43 students from James Madison Middle in Upper Marlboro and 28 students from Kettering Middle.

Denise Jordan, 45, of Mitchellville and mother of Ernest Everett Just Middle seventh-grader Tijuana and eighth-grader Tiffany, said she doesn't favor the proposed boundary changes.

"The boundary changes aren't workable for Ernest Everett Just [Middle] — we're already overcrowded," Jordan said. "They need to build more schools."

Carrollton Principal John Enkiri, who was unable to attend last week's board meeting, said Monday he was unaware of the proposal to move 136 students from his school but said he knows a change may be necessary. There are 11 temporary classrooms and class sizes between 25 and 30 students at Carrollton, Enkiri said.

He said if the proposal were to become permanent, the change might be hard for some parents, but he said he thought parents ultimately would understand why the changes are needed.

"I think any school that's large enough, they try to balance the equation somewhere," Enkiri said. "You always have families protesting, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do."

Factors in considering schools for boundary review and possible consolidation include existing building conditions, possibilities for K-8 expansion and past Maryland School Assessment performance, McCawley said. Schools below 70 percent capacity may also be looked at for consolidation, she said.

Thirteen of the 14 central county schools that would be affected made Adequate Yearly Progress — a state Department of Education benchmark for achieving reading and math proficiency — for the 2008-2009 school year. None of the six had buildings with a facility condition index, or FCI, higher than 75 percent. A FCI is a percentage indicating whether it costs more to repair an existing school rather than build a new one.

Kettering Middle did not make AYP in eight of the 23 areas.

A boundary review public hearing was held after press time Wednesday at Upper Marlboro's Sasscer Administration Building. The last meeting will be held 7:30 p.m. Dec. 1 at Upper Marlboro's Frederick Douglass High School.

E-mail Natalie McGill at nmcgill@gazette.net.

E-mail Liz Skalski at eskalski@gazette.net.