After a bill in the Maryland General Assembly that would have given Baltimore County an additional $400 million in school construction failed, Baltimore County Executive John Olszewski Jr. announced that school construction would be delayed for at least one year.
“Baltimore County is not prepared at this time to forward fund the State share of… a new elementary school on the Ridge Road site, a new middle school on the Nottingham site, and renovations/additions for Pine Grove Middle School. As a result, these projects will be delayed by at least one year,” Olszewski said in a letter to the Baltimore County Board of Education.
The new northeast middle school and the expansion of Pine Grove were slated to open for the 2021-22 school year before the delay. These additions were in response to the overcrowding at Perry Hall Middle School.
Councilman David Marks is upset that the three northeast projects are being delayed for at least one year and blamed the state Senate for not passing the bill.
“I am angry at this decision and the failure of the state Senate to pass the Build to Learn legislation. You should ask what your state legislators did or did not do to avoid this situation,” Marks added.
The 5th District Councilman will now look into other options to relief school overcrowding in the northeast and laid out the plan on social media Wednesday night.
“First, I will be meeting with the County Executive on Friday and looking to the budget process for ways to potentially alter this decision.
” Second, I have spoken to BCPS Board Member Julie Henn, and we will seek an immediate start to a redistricting process for Perry Hall Middle School. We will ask the School Board to redistrict for the soonest academic year, moving students to areas with extra capacity.
Third, I am drafting legislation to create development impact fees in Baltimore County, now that the state legislature has passed a bill giving us this authority. It is my plan to introduce this measure in June, which will generate revenue to pay for schools in high-growth areas. That will, in turn, free up funding to use in older communities.”
