LEONARDTOWN, MD -- On August 16, 2005, St. Mary's County Public Schools announced the signing of an agreement with Wildewood Residential, LLC to acquire a 55 acre parcel of property for two school sites, pending state approval. According to the school system, the Board of Education of St. Mary's County and Dr. Michael J. Martirano, Superintendent of Schools, have been pursuing future school site options within the California area to meet the capacity needs of the community,. School. A representative of the school system commented, “The ability to acquire this property will assist the school system as we move forward with our capital improvements program.”

The property is adjacent to the existing Wildewood development and will serve the school system as an elementary and a future middle school site. The school system is in the process of submitting this site to the Maryland State Clearinghouse, the first step in obtaining state approval.

Acquisition of the Wildewood land with its two sites would bring to four the number of possible school sites submitted to the Maryland Clearing House. The School system has said it will need 3 elementary sites, a middle school, and a high school site within the next ten years. Sites have been identified in Leonardtown, (the Clarks Rest site), on St. Andrews Church Road (the Oscar Buchanan Property near Blacksmith Shop Road), and now two sites adjacent to Wildewood on the 55 acre site.