The Board of Public works yesterday approved state funding of a new elementary school in Towson. This means the project, which will be paid for with both county and state funds, remains on track for an August 2010 opening.
The board, which comprises the governor, the comptroller and the treasurer, must vote on all capital spending in the state. Yesterday, it heard from Baltimore County Schools Superintendent Joe A. Hairston, who called the Towson elementary project the school system’s top priority.
The three members of the Board expressed support for the project and said they understood the urgency of getting a new school built. The project, when open, will help alleviate the overcrowding at Rodgers Forge Elementary, now the state’s most overcrowded school.
Ground is expected to be broken on the project in late spring.
Today’s Baltimore Sun reports on the plan, announced recently, to shuttle fourth graders from Rodgers Forge to Dumbarton. Read the story here.
Susan Deise, principal of Rodgers Forge Elementary, asked that we post the attached Q&A sheet regarding next year’s 4th grade move to Dumbarton Middle School. Mrs. Deise is hoping that the more people know about the plan, the less nervous they will be. Please take a minute to read over this detailed information, which was also sent home today with the students who will be affected.
Just click on the attachments below.
parent letter.pdf
Q&A.pdf
Today’s coverage of the 4th grade’s move to Dumbarton Middle School can be found here.
With the news that RFES fourth graders must attend Dumbarton Middle School next year, it’s more important than ever that Towson’s new elementary school open on schedule — in the fall of 2010.
School officials say the project remains on track, and expect a ground-breaking this spring. Still, today’s news is a reminder of just how serious the situation at Rodgers Forge has become.
It is unfortunate that an entire grade of elementary school children must move to a middle school for one year. If school and county officials had done their jobs a few years ago, the situation could have been entirely avoided. But that is history now.
Today, all we can do is work closely with Principal Susan Deise to make next year a happy and productive one for the fourth graders affected. That, and keep a close eye on the new school construction project. Clearly, any delay of this plan will further disrupt our childrens’ education. And that is not acceptable.
We trust that Mrs. Deise and her excellent faculty, as well as the administrators at Dumbarton, are doing everything they can in a difficult situation. As troublesome as this news is, we know our children continue to be in good hands.
This year’s third grade class at Rodgers Forge Elementary will attend Dumbarton Middle School next year for 4th grade. Principals at both schools sent letters home today to parents notifying them of the move, a direct consequence of the severe overcrowding at RFES. The move is scheduled only for next year, until a new Towson elementary school opens in August of 2010.
The choice of the 4th grade was made in part because parents have previously said they wanted their children to experience their 5th grade year at the elementary school, which includes benefits many students wait years to enjoy. In addition, next year’s 5th grade class is smaller than the fourth grade, so moving the younger grade would do more to alleviate overcrowding.
In a special letter sent just to parents of those children affected, RFES Principal Susan Deise said Dumbarton provides the safest, most convenient option for annexation. The school, she said, will have an isolated wing with five contiguous classrooms — so the impact of the middle schoolers will be minimal.
Several meetings have been scheduled for parents to learn more about the annexation. A general meeting for parents of the incoming 4th grade class is planned on January 26th at 7 p.m. at RFES. A second meeting on February 4th is planned at Dumbarton, where parents can tour the special wing between 6:30 and 7:30, and ask questions afterward in the auditorium.
For more information, contact Mrs. Deise at 410-887-3582.
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