By Sha’de Ray
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
The Baltimore County Board of Education voted Tuesday to relieve overcrowding at Pleasant Plains Elementary School by transferring youngsters to one or two nearby locations.
Known as Plan B, the board agreed that 100 students at Pleasant Plains in east Towson would shift to Hampton Elementary School, which is located across Interstate 695 in Lutherville-Timonium. The short-term plan also considers Halstead Academy in nearby Parkville.
The move would leave Pleasant Plains, one of the most overcrowded schools with about 135 students over capacity, at 106% capacity. Hampton, which is currently at 85% of its state-rated capacity, would get to 101%, according to The Baltimore Sun.
All board members approved Plan B except At-Large member Russell T. Kuehn and Lisa Mack of District One. The main complaint was that the measure was short-term and did not take into consideration the new housing units being built in the area. Officials said the housing units may unexpectedly increase enrollment at the schools.
“This decision has just taken me to the wall,” board member Cheryl Pasteur of District 2 said as she thanked principals for preparing Plan B. “We must look down the road as schools are concerned.”
Board members praised the work of Monique Wheatley-Phillips, chief academic officer, and Community Superintendent Christina Byers for spearheading a boundary study initiated last September. But they stressed the importance of creating a long-term plan to follow up this temporary relief.
Some complained that “short-term” was not fully defined within the plan. As a result, an official suggested that they use the old Loch Raven Elementary School building for a long-term suggestion since magnet schools were not considered.
The offer to use the old Loch Raven building was not approved because opponents said the land is owned by the County Recreations and Park Department. Magnet schools were not being considered because, according to the boundary study, the specialty schools would fill up in their cycles by the time Plan B is implemented.
There is a 10-year school construction plan that can provide long-term relief from overcrowding that was successful in Arundel Mills, which is working on a second 10-year plan. This is a project that the board would like to work on in the future, said an official.