Today, a look at how a controversial school redistricting plan has pushed Howard County into the national spotlight as the latest battleground in the fight for fair and equal education.
Howard County is one of the wealthiest counties in the country, and its school system is the most integrated in the state. A plan to move about 7,400 students to different schools aims to tackle issues of overcrowding and persistent socioeconomic disparities.
Opposition to the plan is substantial. Proponents assert that as the school system prepares for an influx of new students over the next decade, the plan is a good first step to maintain equity.
Jess Nocera, of the Howard County Times, Howard County NAACP president, Willie Flowers, and anti-redistricting advocate Dr. Hemant Sharma breakdown the issues surrounding the plan that has polarized a community.
