Projections indicate that enrollment will exceed capacity throughout the six-year planning period at Somerset Elementary School. Due to the small site size and site limitations at Somerset Elementary School, an addition at Westbrook Elementary School is requested to relieve the overutilization at Somerset Elementary School. When Westbrook Elementary School was modernized, a classroom shell was included in the construction project. This request is to build-out the classroom shell to accommodate students from Somerset Elementary School. An FY 2021 appropriation was requested for the build-out of the classroom shell. Due to fiscal constraints, the County Council, in the adopted FY2021-2026 CIP removed all expenditures for this project. The Bethesda Elementary School service area is adjacent to the Somerset Elementary School service area and will remain overutilized for the six-year planning period. The adopted CIP included funds for an addition at Bethesda Elementary School to address the overutilization. As part of the Board of Education's Requested FY 2022 Capital Budget and Amendments to the FY 2021-2026 CIP process, the Board of Education reexamined the available capacity at Westbrook Elementary School and the additional capacity gained with the addition at this school. As a result, the Board of Education's requested amended CIP included removal of the planning and construction funds from the Bethesda Elementary School addition project and a reallocation of a portion of those funds for the shell build-out to address the overutilization at both Bethesda and Somerset elementary schools. An FY 2022 appropriation and amendment to the FY2021-2026 CIP was approved to construct this shell build-out. An FY 2023 appropriation was approved to complete this project. This project is scheduled to be completed August 2022.

MCPS asserts that this project conforms to the requirement of relevant local plans, as required by the Maryland Economic Growth, Resource Protection and Planning Act.