MCPS operates Alternative Education Programs that support students in Grades 6-12. The program is intended to support students who have been unsuccessful in their home schools for a variety of reasons. The program currently operates out of two locations in Rockville: the Blair G. Ewing Center campus on Avery Road, as well as the North Lake Center, which is typically used as a holding school. The Board is requesting an FY 2027 appropriation to fund the planning of a permanent location located at the Spring Mill Center. The building on Avery Road, while larger than the program needs it to be, is outdated and will need to be addressed in a future CIP request.

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.