A decision on hiring a vendor to conduct a boundary study impacting 19 public high schools was postponed Thursday after several Montgomery County school board members raised concerns over the contract’s lack of clarity and whether the company has the ability to conduct diverse community engagement.
The board agreed to table a vote on the proposed contract with FLO Analytics – which could total as much as $1 million — until it meets Dec. 5.
The boundary study is required because of the expected completion of three Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) capital projects for the 2027-2028 school year, according to a MCPS staff presentation to the school board Thursday. The projects include the reopening of Charles W. Woodward High School in Rockville, an expansion of Damascus High School and the construction of the new Crown High School in Gaithersburg.
Northwood High School students are using the Woodward building on Old Georgetown Road in Rockville as a holding facility while the Northwood building in Silver Spring is rebuilt. The Woodward building is still under construction.
The boundary study would determine the attendance areas for the three high schools and alleviate space needs across the district, according to school board documents. It would include 19 of the county’s 25 public high schools and 31 middle schools.
The work will include an “analysis of distribution and equitable access to districtwide programs” as well, according to the documents. Dana Edwards, MCPS chief of district operations, told the board the analysis of districtwide programs is a “critical component” of the study.
According to the presentation, only one vendor submitted a proposal to conduct the study. The proposal by FLO Analytics, a company with offices in Oregon, Washington and Massachusetts, included a base price of $605,677, with a $400,000 allowance.
According to its website, FLO Analytics is “an employee-owned consulting company” that provides services such as boundary analysis and adjustment. It has completed boundary studies for districts across the country, including in Philadelphia, and at least one study in Maryland, according to school board documents.
Edwards said the district created a team of about a dozen internal and external stakeholders to review FLO Analytics’ proposal. The group asked the vendor questions about its experience conducting such work and how that experience related to the goal of the MCPS boundary study, Edwards said.
The review group made minor changes to the proposal before unanimously voting that FLO Analytics was qualified to perform the work. Adnan Mamoon, MCPS deputy chief of facilities management, said the changes included not placing a limit on the number of community meetings that would be held as part of the study.
The study will follow the board’s policies and regulations on educational facilities planning, which detail considerations and steps the district takes when addressing topics such as school boundaries. According to the documents, the study will also analyze special program placements at schools and incorporate goals for program access.
Concerns about diversity
School board members Brenda Wolff, who represents District 5, and Grace Rivera-Oven, who represents District 1, raised concerns over the exclusion of the eastern portion of the county from the boundary study as well as a lack of diversity among the company’s staff.
“The east county isn’t included in this boundary study, but I hear you talking about equitable distribution of programming. That has been the issue in east county all along,” Wolff said. “It concerns me that you’re going to look at programming and leveling it out around the county and we’re totally left out of this study altogether.”
Rivera-Oven noted the county’s diversity and wanted to ensure FLO Analytics could engage with all communities.
“I know that we’re going to be working with them and directing them, but more importantly for me is that the expectations that we set … and that [it is] very, very clear to them what we want from them even in our contract,” Rivera-Oven said.
Edwards said although the eastern portion county wasn’t included in the boundary study, the analysis would include a review of all MCPS programs offered in county schools. Edwards also said that if the board approves the contract, FLO Analytics would undergo an onboarding process to familiarize the company with the county and MCPS staff would monitor its work.
Board member Julie Yang also raised concerns about lack of clarity in the contract, specifically asking about what would be included in the $400,000 allowance tacked onto the cost.
Superintendent Thomas Taylor said this agreement sets aside money to be used for extra work such as holding additional community feedback sessions. Taylor also said the board’s feedback could be incorporated into the contract with FLO Analytics.
According to documents included in the boundary study request for proposal, the boundary review was expected to follow a timeline beginning in November 2024 and ending with the adoption of boundaries in March 2026. Current school board documents related to the project don’t have a timeline, but Taylor said he was “comfortable” with the board tabling the vote until its Dec. 5 meeting.
