A committee comprising Kent County Public Schools administrators, educators, state officials, school construction experts and parents held meetings over the past year to explore possible plans for renovating or replacing Kent County Middle School in Chestertown.

The Kent County Middle School Education Specifications (or Ed Specs) Committee narrowed down more than a dozen scenarios to three options under consideration by the Kent County Board of Education.

No decision has been made on the future of Kent County Middle School. Input from the community will be part of the decision-making process.

There will be a series of listening sessions for community members to learn about the project and offer their comments. Dates and locations are posted below. 

Kent County Public Schools wants to hear from you as we continue to plan the future of the middle school. We have posted an online survey seeking community input on the three options currently under review for Kent County Middle School. 

The three options currently being considered are:

Under the third proposal, the middle and high schools would maintain their individual identities and have separate entrances and their own administrations.

Adding fifth grade back to the middle school grade-band configuration is also being considered. Prior to consolidation to a single building more than a decade ago, the three KCPS middle schools served fifth through eighth graders.

In 2018, the Kent County Board of Education accepted and published a Six-Year Facilities Strategic Plan.

 

This was prepared by the Strategic Planning Committee. Members included Superintendent Dr. Karen Couch, additional KCPS administrators and educators, education and school construction experts, county officials and community members.

 

"The Six-Year Facilities Strategic Plan initiates a process that will bring the public school facilities of Kent County into the educational and performance standards of the 21st century," the plan states. "For a teacher to be effective in the classroom, a wide range of supports must be in place: a visionary and ambitious school administration, teaching materials, information technologies, training, and equally as important, instructional spaces that facilitate and enhance every form of learning."

 

Long-term planning projects included the formation of an Ed Specs Committee to consider the renovation or relocation of Kent County Middle School, as the aging building has physical plant issues. The committee also was tasked with reviewing the adequacy of the building's instruction spaces.

 

"The major decision will likely be whether to retain and renovate the existing facility, or to relocate the middle school to another site," the Facilities Strategic Plan states about Kent County Middle School's future.

 

A copy of the Six-Year Facilities Strategic Plan is available for download below.