Central, Davidsonville, Mayo Elementary Redistricting Hearing

8:20 p.m.—Some of the final testimonies are being given right now. Vice President of the PTA at Central Elementary is speaking and claims that "Central Elementary is not in crisis."

Asked the council to vote "no" for the redistricting plan. 

8:13 p.m.—"Our board members have studied and read the materials. We are well aware and these decisions are hard. Please know we do take this very seriously. We are listening, we are reading, so please know that is occurring," Nalley said. 

The hearing is about to conclude.

8:05 p.m.—There is an additional theme developing among the speakers besides the "Central Elementary is not in crisis" theme. It's that several people think the school board should let construction projects finalize and then do a comprehensive redistricting plan in the coming years.

8:00 p.m.—Central Elementary mother, Amy Burgess, said she wants the board members to visit her school.

"Come see our lunch room flow and watch the arrival and dismissal times. We've been called a school in crisis, but we're not," Burgess said. 

She said that claims that her school is in a crisis "hurts." 

"Central is not a school in crisis. The school in crisis is Edgewater Elementary. Wait for Lothian Elementary to be built, address Edgewater Elementary," Burgess said. 

The mother then suggested the board make a "master plan" redistricting proposal after those items are addressed. 

7:55 p.m.—Lizzy Burgess, a fifth-grader at Central Elementary, says that she thinks the redistricting proposal should be put aside until . 

7:46 p.m.—Local father Glen Carter works in city government and said he feels that Central Elementary isn't in any sort of crisis. Admits he doesn't have any emotional or statistical motivation, but he just feels that Central isn't under crisis.

"I do wish Riva could be in one school, but I believe that school logically and geographically should be Davidsonville Elementary," Hudiburg said. 

7:31 p.m.—Six-year resident of Annapolis Landing Daniel Hurson is the first person to speak tonight who supports the redistricting plan. 

"Overcrowding is a safety issue, a quality of education issue," Hurson said. "I'm not trying to diminish the adversity some students might have to go through, but I do think the committee did try to make some concessions here." 

He gets no applause really. 

7:27 p.m.—"There are more pressing issues demanding immediate attention than this supposed crisis," said one mother from Central Elementary.

She said the board should focus more on the . 

7:25 p.m.—This is the second parent to say that overcrowding at Central Elementary is being exaggerrrated.

"We are not a school in crisis," said the mother. She also claimed that kindergarten is under enrollment this year too.

7:23 p.m.—One Central Elementary PTA member said the redistricting would force the PTA to lose 20 percent of its volunteer force. 

"I ask you to vote 'no' to all the redistricting proposals in front of you," Carla Dewitt said.

7:17 p.m.—Lisa Petro, who has a second-grader at Central with autism along with another son, said she loves Central and doesn't want to move to Mayo Elementary. Has son with autism would stay at Central for his special needs but the other would go to Mayo under the new redistricting.

"Splitting them up would be splitting up our home," Petro said. 

The mother also says the overcrowding claims at Central Elementary are exaggerated. 

7:13 p.m.—Daniel Waz is claiming that the board's numbers are faulty and that there's an increased financial burden on people who are affected by redistricting, citing that it costs more for child care at Mayo Elementary than it is at Central. 

7:10 p.m.—Joanne Svitak has two second-graders and said, "We've been so blessed with our experience at the schools."

Asking to please vote no on her proposal to move, she doesn't want to leave Central and she wants to have her children finish their elementary education at Central Elementary. 

7:05 p.m.—Tonight's first speaker, Basil Parlett, is discussing the redistricting of Crofton middle schools and said it needs to be totally redone.

7:00 p.m.—Here we go. School board officials are seated and president Patricia R. Nalley is giving the introduction. 

Parents and teachers are filling the auditorium for a special hearing at . 

School officials plan to listen to what community members have to say about their planned efforts to decrease overpopulation at . The school has 796 students, according to Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS).

In Superintendent Kevin M. Maxwell’s proposed redistricting plan—identical to one created by a community panel in 2011—some students from Central Elementary would move to either Mayo Elementary or Davidsonville Elementary.

Patch will be providing up-to-the-minute reports from the meeting. Follow along with the reports above.