When Brandon Barrett’s daughter was entering kindergarten, there was a choice: send her to the neighborhood school, Bryant Woods Elementary, or move.

The test scores at Bryant Woods weren’t as high as those at other Howard County public schools, but Barrett saw the value in its racial, economic and cultural diversity. He decided to stay put.

The deciding factor? Bryant Woods was showing signs of academic progress. But now, Barrett is concerned that growth will suffer under Superintendent Bill Barnes’ redistricting proposal. If approved, it would increase the portion of students living in poverty by roughly 7% at Bryant Woods.

The proposal is “a deliberate attack on the Bryant Woods community to concentrate low-income families into one neglected school which has not been renovated in almost 20 years,” said Barrett, who is now an active member of the PTA.

Barrett was among the parents jockeying to make their voices heard on Thursday at the Howard County Public School System’s first public hearing and work session on the latest round of redistricting.

The forthcoming shuffle, announced last winter, was intended to address ballooning enrollment at Bryant Woods and Centennial Lane Elementary School in Ellicott City. But when the superintendent’s recommendation went before the school board last month, he ditched the plans to redistrict Centennial Lane for the time being.

It was a victory for parents who’d fervently opposed the change. It also raised some eyebrows.

“We understand how this looks, right? Like, I’m just going to flat-out ask this question. We understand how this looks,” school board member Antonia Watts had said at the proposal presentation.

More than half of Bryant Woods Elementary students participate in the school’s free or reduced meals program, while only 14% of Centennial Lane students are enrolled. That means Bryant Woods children are far more likely to come from low-income families and need extra support to succeed. Parents like Barrett are concerned that many of the students who would be moved out of Bryant Woods are from families with more resources, who can afford to pay for outside tutors, for example.

He called the proposal “clearly economic segregation” that will deter new families from moving into Bryant Woods neighborhoods and worries existing families may leave because of a strain on resources at the school.

In a statement, schools spokesperson Brian Bassett acknowledged that the socioeconomic effects on Bryant Woods and other west Columbia elementary schools are “a considerable drawback” to Barnes’ proposal. He said more options would be presented to the board on Thursday evening.

Bryant Woods PTA President Massawa Stevens-Morrison wants to know what steps will be taken to combat absenteeism and improve test scores.

“We know statistically that kids who come from impoverished families have issues with or struggle with attendance in school,” she said. “The solution is to put more families in poverty together?”

Stevens-Morrison has noticed that parents at other schools have seen the solutions they want when they make their voices loud.

Centennial Lane Elementary is presently marked safe from being redistricted. For months, parents, community members and students have voiced their desire to keep the school as is. A parents group, the Alliance for Neighborhood Schools, quickly emerged in the late spring to oppose redistricting and put pressure on school officials to move pre-K out of Bryant Woods and Centennial Lane. Their theory was that the schools would have more room for children in older grades and could avoid redistricting.

In a statement, the group called Barnes’ proposal to postpone Centennial Lane redistricting “strategic.” “Deferral is not neglect,” the group said. Rather, it ensures that when a school needs to be redistricted “it will be both effective and lasting.”

The group said “the superintendent’s approach acknowledges reality,” given that in the next few years Bryant Woods will be nearly at 150% capacity, while Centennial Lane “though crowded” is projected to stabilize at 118% capacity.

Barnes recommended leaving Centennial Lane alone until a renovation and addition project at nearby Dunloggin Middle School is complete. It’s expected to add 136 new seats by September 2030, which could trigger a small boundary review process involving Centennial Lane students.

Board of Education Chair Jolene Mosley said during the presentation last month that it doesn’t sit right with her to not redistrict Centennial Lane at this time, considering there is room at nearby schools.

The fate of both schools lies with the Board of Education. The board is expected to vote on a final plan Nov. 20, and changes will be implemented for the 2026-27 school year.

Public comments can be emailed to redistricting@hcpss.org or mailed to the Howard County Board of Education, 10910 Clarksville Pike, Ellicott City, MD 21042.