Two years ago this month, Towson Families United was formed. If it’s hard to remember what was happening back in January of 2008, that might be because nothing was happening — at least when it came to the Towson area’s elementary school overcrowding.
Despite dramatic evidence that our schools would soon be unable to handle the number of incoming students, the county executive and the schools superintendent were engaged in a high-stakes game of finger-pointing. And the only plan the school system had put forth to partially solve the problem was shelved a month before, by the county executive.
That is when residents from many parts of Towson — Stoneleigh, Rodgers Forge, Riderwood, Hampton and West Towson — came together and got to work. We made phone calls. We wrote letters. We dragged our children to meetings and rallies. We got in the face of anyone who would listen to the facts.
Now, two years later, the results are becoming visible.
The new West Towson Elementary School will open this fall on Charles Street, and will accommodate 451 children. It promises to be a showcase for the county — a state-of-the-art school filled with the latest learning equipment, led by a passionate, experienced principal who is hand-picking her entire teaching staff from across the county.
But West Towson Elementary is only part of the solution to Towson’s overcrowding problem.
In the past few months, the school board has also approved $1.1 million for the design phase of an addition and renovation at Hampton Elementary — including funding approved this month to make it a LEED-certified, green project. It expected to be ready in the fall of 2012.
Another addition, at Stoneleigh Elementary, is in the planning stages. It should also be ready by 2012.
These three actions should take care of the Towson area’s elementary overcrowding. But it’s good to see that the school system is not stopping there.
BCPS recently announced that it would request $50.75 million over the next five years for new school construction and additions along the York Road corridor. This money could possibly address overcrowding at Lutherville, Timonium, Pot Spring and Sparks Elementary. The first portion of that request, in the FY 2011 budget, is expected to be ratified by the school board at its February 9 meeting.
What’s more, since we began our efforts, there’s been a change of leadership in the “Central Area” of the school system. A new area superintendent has taken over and is well aware of the challenges posed by growing enrollments.
The last two years haven’t been without their challenges. But progress is being made. We thank everyone, in every neighborhood, for getting involved and staying involved. Together, Towson Families United will continue to advocate for all the children of the greater Towson area.
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