West Towson Elementary update
As many in Towson already know, a hearing took place Tuesday in Baltimore County Circuit Court about a group of residents' request to stop the Board of Education from continuing with its plans to build West Towson Elementary.
I wanted to share a letter to the editor from local resident Kris Culp about the overcrowding and the suit against the board, posted here with her permission.
Dear Editors,
I was pleased to read that some neighbors to the proposed second school on the Ridge Ruxton School site in Towson have chosen to challenge the School Board’s decision to move forward with a project of questionable merit (Neighbors sue school board over plan for new Towson elementary in 4/24/09 Sun).
Your article quotes a real estate attorney in Towson as saying “In most instances, the state’s concern is that the local government capacity calculations satisfy the state’s requirements. That becomes the threshold issue, not necessarily matters of process.” This suggests that just because there is overcrowding, the process is unimportant. This is appalling! A respect for process by government agencies is one way the public is assured their tax dollars are being spent responsibly.
Let’s look at some numbers. The proposed school, called the Towson West Elementary School, is to be located on the southern portion of the Ridge Ruxton School site. This site is located inside the boundary of the nearby Riderwood Elementary School. Riderwood has a state-rated capacity of 463 students and its enrollment as of September of 2008 was 517 students (according to data at http://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/Agencies/planning/public_facilities_planning/adequate_school_facilities.html ). Riderwood has 54 extra students this year. Yet a new school designed for 451 students is being built within its boundary.
The next closest school district to the site is Rodgers Forge Elementary. As has been widely publicized, Rodgers Forge Elementary School is overcrowded. It has a state-rated capacity of 396 students, yet its enrollment as of September of 2008 was 707. So, take the 311 extra students from Rodgers Forge Elementary and zone them for the new school.
A careful reader will see a problem here. There aren’t enough extra students from Rodgers Forge Elementary and Riderwood Elementary to fill up the new school (311 plus 54 equals 365). The new school is supposed to have a capacity of 451 students.
Why is a new school being built at a location where there are not enough extra students to fill it using the nearby districts? Because process was ignored.
A vocal group of angry parents insisted that a new school was the only solution to the overcrowding problem. The Baltimore County Public Schools’ Board bent to the public pressure and ignored their mandated procedures. Additions to existing schools, redistricting, or more appropriate sites for a new school geographically (like the Bykota site or the Towson YMCA site) were not adequately considered. Planning and process are missing in action as our tax dollars get spent on a very expensive project.
Furthermore, there is not a comprehensive study of how long the overcrowding situation will persist. The housing bubble had a lot to do with many houses in Rodgers Forge turning over from empty nesters happy to sell their houses for a handsome sum to parents of young children eager to buy a house in a good school district. To young families, Rodgers Forge has more affordable housing stock than other districts. This, coupled with the all-day kindergarten mandate, would explain why Rodgers Forge, in particular, got so crowded, but it doesn’t explain how the numbers work going forward. Broad demographics suggest that the school-age population has been declining. Ask the county for a study showing where the school population numbers are going in the greater-Towson area and you won’t find a study. Yet a whole new school is being built for a need that may not be long-term at a location that doesn’t match even the current need is.
I care about how my tax dollars are spent. If Baltimore’s only large newspaper isn’t capable of being a consistent government watchdog, I will not shed a tear for its continuing decline. Please start reporting on this issue with the same interest in neighbors’ concerns as you have shown to the neighbors of the Towson University Arena (which even in its original plan was further away from a house than the proposed Towson West Elementary will be) and to the neighbors of the Keswick multi-care center proposal for the Baltimore Country Club.
Most sincerely,
Kris Culp
I was pleased to read that some neighbors to the proposed second school on the Ridge Ruxton School site in Towson have chosen to challenge the School Board’s decision to move forward with a project of questionable merit (Neighbors sue school board over plan for new Towson elementary in 4/24/09 Sun).
Your article quotes a real estate attorney in Towson as saying “In most instances, the state’s concern is that the local government capacity calculations satisfy the state’s requirements. That becomes the threshold issue, not necessarily matters of process.” This suggests that just because there is overcrowding, the process is unimportant. This is appalling! A respect for process by government agencies is one way the public is assured their tax dollars are being spent responsibly.
Let’s look at some numbers. The proposed school, called the Towson West Elementary School, is to be located on the southern portion of the Ridge Ruxton School site. This site is located inside the boundary of the nearby Riderwood Elementary School. Riderwood has a state-rated capacity of 463 students and its enrollment as of September of 2008 was 517 students (according to data at http://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/Agencies/planning/public_facilities_planning/adequate_school_facilities.html ). Riderwood has 54 extra students this year. Yet a new school designed for 451 students is being built within its boundary.
The next closest school district to the site is Rodgers Forge Elementary. As has been widely publicized, Rodgers Forge Elementary School is overcrowded. It has a state-rated capacity of 396 students, yet its enrollment as of September of 2008 was 707. So, take the 311 extra students from Rodgers Forge Elementary and zone them for the new school.
A careful reader will see a problem here. There aren’t enough extra students from Rodgers Forge Elementary and Riderwood Elementary to fill up the new school (311 plus 54 equals 365). The new school is supposed to have a capacity of 451 students.
Why is a new school being built at a location where there are not enough extra students to fill it using the nearby districts? Because process was ignored.
A vocal group of angry parents insisted that a new school was the only solution to the overcrowding problem. The Baltimore County Public Schools’ Board bent to the public pressure and ignored their mandated procedures. Additions to existing schools, redistricting, or more appropriate sites for a new school geographically (like the Bykota site or the Towson YMCA site) were not adequately considered. Planning and process are missing in action as our tax dollars get spent on a very expensive project.
Furthermore, there is not a comprehensive study of how long the overcrowding situation will persist. The housing bubble had a lot to do with many houses in Rodgers Forge turning over from empty nesters happy to sell their houses for a handsome sum to parents of young children eager to buy a house in a good school district. To young families, Rodgers Forge has more affordable housing stock than other districts. This, coupled with the all-day kindergarten mandate, would explain why Rodgers Forge, in particular, got so crowded, but it doesn’t explain how the numbers work going forward. Broad demographics suggest that the school-age population has been declining. Ask the county for a study showing where the school population numbers are going in the greater-Towson area and you won’t find a study. Yet a whole new school is being built for a need that may not be long-term at a location that doesn’t match even the current need is.
I care about how my tax dollars are spent. If Baltimore’s only large newspaper isn’t capable of being a consistent government watchdog, I will not shed a tear for its continuing decline. Please start reporting on this issue with the same interest in neighbors’ concerns as you have shown to the neighbors of the Towson University Arena (which even in its original plan was further away from a house than the proposed Towson West Elementary will be) and to the neighbors of the Keswick multi-care center proposal for the Baltimore Country Club.
Most sincerely,
Kris Culp
Baltimoresun.com's 
Comments
I wish the letter writer would look at more than two schools to look at the needs of the central district. Riderwood and Rodgers Forge are two of five Towson area schools that are 50+ students overcapacity. Those five schools are 631 students overcapacity as of Sept. 30, and will gain another 300 students in the next 10 years. Please look at the BCPS Strategic Planning Office web site for these official numbers. State regulations request a new school to be half full by the school's opening and at capacity within five years of opening. With redistricting, which must happen with a new school, there will be no problem in hitting both standards.
Posted by: Kent | April 30, 2009 5:13 PM
The same nimby-ism that has prevented a school being constructed for the 30 years a need has existed continues. The players may change but the song remains the same.
Posted by: MrRational | April 30, 2009 5:30 PM
I'm sorry, but Kris Culp's point about process and building a school for only 300+ kids is completely off target.
All of the projections I've seen, and the increase in young families in the area that I can see in my own neighborhood, indicate that the overcrowding issue is getting worse, not better. Anyone who simply looks at the trend over the last couple years, and at the projections can see this. Kris is factually wrong here.
We also need to consider the impact of the 1000's of new housing units build in the Towson area over the last year, plus those that are under way. What about the impact of the economy on the number of people who are sending kids to private school and may be opting for public in the future? The parents of kids in the county school are well aware of serious overcrowding. Would Mrs. Culp care to share with us where her children go to school ? I would bet it's not the public school system.
As for building a school for 385 kids vs 451, I'm not sure I even understand the thinking there... does Mrs. Culp believe that we realize some huge savings by doing that ? If she does, I would ask her to show HER numbers if that's the case. What exactly is the benefit of building a school for 385 kids over one for 451 kids ? She doesn't say.
As far as following the process goes... anyone who's lived here more than 12 months (which I hear that you can't say for some of the objecting parents in the lawsuit) would know that this issue has been up for discussion for several years now, and that the school board, the state, and the community have been very actively engaged during this time. For the private school parents in the lawsuit who have been resident during that time, they were certainly able to participate, but perhaps they chose not to be involved since you don't really care about the public schools ?
Finally... I don't understand the arguments by some of the lawsuit participants and that they object to the school system building a school on the school property, right next to the school on the school property they bought next to. Do they think that they have been duped ? Or is it that they wish to go on pretending that the school fields are their personal playgrounds, and object to the community utilizing the school property for a school ?
Posted by: Dave T | May 1, 2009 11:00 AM
Um, Kris?
They don't build schools for exactly the number of students who will attend today. They build them based on long-term projections. And the long-term projections for Towson are frightening.
Please inform yourself before embarrassing yourself.
Posted by: Jack | May 1, 2009 11:53 AM
Wow, what can I say to this... the 4 homeowners who bought homes adjacent to the school and the school property, and who are suing the county schools over building a school on school property next to the existing school, want donations from the community to fund their lawsuit to stop the new school.
http://towsonfamiliesunited.com/blog/?p=494
"The Ruxton-Riderwood-Lake Roland Area Improvement Association sent an email to its entire membership today, asking for their “feedback” on whether the association should contribute to the plaintiffs’ legal expenses. Members were asked to reply “Yes” or “No” to the organization, which has already taken an official position against the new school."
The entire request is posted online:
http://towsonfamiliesunited.com/blog/?p=494
Posted by: Dave T | May 1, 2009 11:51 PM
I just have one more comment for Mrs. Culp and the lawsuit moms.
The time to get involved in your community was last year, when the desperate need for a solution to the massive overcrowding of the elementary schools was being discussed between the state, the county school board, the community, in the news, and on television.
Pushing a lawsuit after the groundbreaking isn't being a good neighbor, and begging that same community to pay your legal bills to (in your own opinion) protect your personal property values shows a severe lack of good judgment. New and adequate schools increase property values, but given what you believe, that you've asked others to foot the bill for what seems to be a mostly personal crusade against the county schools speaks volumes about what you/they are about.
Please, help me understand why private-school moms would want to prevent a new elementary school being built on the schoolgrounds, and why they feel we should pay for the suit, or at least help us understand why you think it's justified in a clear rational manner.
Or at least try focusing on something constructive, I understand that you don't want the school built for personal reasons, but are you suggesting that these hundreds of kids just stay in the trailers out in the yard ? Are your kids trying to learn in a trailer ? There have been numerous suggestions at the many, many, meetings over the last year, what were yours ?
Seriously, I expect a dialogue here.
Posted by: Dave T | May 2, 2009 12:17 AM