Gazette.Net: Boundary changes would cut busing costs, officials say

Proposed changes to Prince George’s school boundaries, grade structures and special programs should save the school system money, but many parents attending a series of public forums this week and last week on the plan are wary.

“We want our children to have more of a nurturing environment,” said Melissa Sweeney, who has two children at Mattaponi Elementary School in Upper Marlboro and opposes the plan to shift about 700 sixth-grade students countywide to middle schools next fall.

“We’re not ready for our elementary-schoolers to be exposed to [middle school],” she said, although Mattaponi Elementary is not slated for changes.