Harford County needs a new school to relieve overcrowding at a number of area elementary schools. The questions are, where will it be built and which schools will get relief? The answer depends on which public officials you ask.
President of the Board of Education Patrick Hess and County Executive David Craig called a surprise press conference last December to announce that a school now known as Campus Hills Elementary planned on Schucks Road would move forward. And that plans for Red Pump Elementary School, which had been the school board’s top priority, would be deferred.
The County Council was stunned. First, because it was not consulted about the Board’s decision, which impacts areas under their purview including public utilities, traffic and zoning. Second, because it hadn’t seen the case the School Board said it made to convince the County Executive that Campus Hills should win out over Red Pump. The Council decided to launch its own investigation, which culminated in a report and a series of private meetings between members of the Council and HCPS. But it has become apparent over the past few days that no agreement has been reached and new questions have been raised about who and what is actually behind the switch.
The Board of Education presented its rationale favoring Campus Hills in a PowerPoint presentation at its meeting Monday night, which focused on Forest Lakes, Forest Hill, Hickory, Fountain Green and Prospect Mill Elementary Schools. All of these schools will get relief no matter which school is built. But missing from the Board’s presentation was Youths Benefit Elementary which is projected to be 240 students over capacity in 2012 and in the vicinity of Red Pump.
Board President Hess opened the discussion by asking, “Why Campus Hills over Red Pump?” and answering “We usually build the schools where the children are.”
Odd, because an analysis by Dagger reader Larry produced the following maps, albeit of a 1 ½ mile radius around each school, showing Red Pump surrounded by plenty of housing developments, while Campus Hills, which is outside the development envelope, appears isolated:
Red Pump School Site
Campus Hills School Site
Hess went on to say he had wanted to hash out the issue in public, but County Council President Billy Boniface would not agree, saying Boniface thought private meetings would be more productive. Hess said “I believe the [Council’s] report should be made public.”
Hess also read aloud from a letter from Senator Barry Glassman asking Governor Martin O’Malley to “hold any planning or funding approvals” for Campus Hills. In the letter, Glassman notes the Campus Hills site is not in a priority funding area and has water, sewer and traffic issues. Glassman’s letter also said that the Campus Hills site is under review by the County Council and asked the Governor “not to move on this project until we have had an opportunity to look at all the local implications and possible alternatives.”
The entire text of Glassman’s letter was also posted on the boardroom’s large presentation screen with the words “Confidential. Thanks, BG” handwritten across the front. Hess said “We elect people to go to Annapolis to bring funding home to us” and referred to Glassman’s letter saying “It’s just wrong.”
In a phone interview, Senator Glassman noted that no State funding is available for either school, so no funding could be withheld. He also said the letter to the Governor was not confidential, it was copied to several other recipients and he wrote the “confidential” note on a copy given to a third party (who obviously ignored it.) The second page of the letter obtained by The Dagger was not posted at the board meeting, but showed the letter was copied to several other public officials.
Board President Hess went on to note that a letter from the Executive Director of the Interagency Committee on State School Construction David Lever to Senator Glassman said that Red Pump was no longer eligible for state reimbursement of funds forwarded by the county because sewer service was unlikely to be provided by the deadline of December 2010, but that Campus Hills was eligible for reimbursement.
However, there had been public testimony earlier in the board meeting from engineers Frederick Ward Associates contradicting the claim about the sewer service. And sources say that the letter from Lever at the Interagency Committee (IAC) was the result of advice from the Maryland Department of Planning following a personal appeal from County Executive Craig who had stayed out of the debate, at least publicly.
Senator Glassman later requested a clarification from David Lever and received a second letter indicating that the IAC approved Campus Hills even though it is outside of the Priority Funding Area, in part because HCPS informed the IAC that no site other than Campus Hills was available for a school. This was despite the fact that the IAC had previously approved the Red Pump location pending resolution of the sewer issue there.
Hess concluded his remarks at the board meeting by saying that whichever school is ultimately built, it won’t open until 2012, adding “2011 is gone.”
Various board members took the opportunity to bash the County Council for questioning the board’s decision, at times raising questions about motives.
Board member Robin Rich linked the Council’s behavior to that of the Harford County Delegation, calling it a “virus” and apologized to the staff for having to make the case for Campus Hills several times. However, the report Monday night was the first detailed presentation made by HCPS in public. Rich also called the discussion a “bloody waste of time” saying it was “asinine” and speculated that the Council’s interest in the school decision “has everything to do with ego.” She went on to address a comment directly to Harford County Councilman Richard Slutzky (District E) who Rich said was smiling in the audience.
Later in a phone interview Slutzky, who had conducted the Council’s investigation into the choice of which school to fund said “ I was smiling because I was so amazed that certain board of education members who constantly congratulate themselves in carrying out investigations and doing their homework had so little facts and details about these projects.” It has since come to light that the details of the meetings between Council members and Board President Hess, Interim Superintendent Skebeck and senior staff were not shared with all school board members.
Board member Mark Wolkow suggested ulterior motives were behind the Council’s objections, saying the board was “blindsided by issues” that have “all been debunked.” Wolkow said, “As a citizen and a member of the board I’d like to know the truth.”
County Council Calls on County Executive to Defend Decision on Campus Hills
At the County Council meeting Tuesday night, Council President Billy Boniface read aloud from a letter being sent with the consent of the Council to Board of Education President Hess and Interim Superintendent Patricia Skebeck noting that expenditures at the Campus Hills (a.k.a. Schucks Road) site had continued despite the Council’s request to hold off and calling on the County Executive to defend the decision to halt Red Pump and proceed with Campus Hills.
Here is an excerpt from the letter:
It’s apparent by the latest financial reports that expenditures are continuing at the Schucks Road site regardless of our request to hold off. We can only assume that the Administration has instructed you to proceed as planned with Schucks Road as the location.
As I stated in my letter of January 20, due to the current economic crisis and its effect on county revenues, my colleagues and I have become increasingly concerned with the potential debt obligation that future bonds sales will create. We can’t ask the citizens of Harford County to assume any additional tax burden, especially now. It’s critical that the County Executive informs us of how he plans to deal with the many problems that come along with this new site.
At the meeting I attended, Interim Superintendent Skebeck expressed frustration at not knowing how to proceed. I can assure you that we share her frustration. While you have been forthcoming in the reasoning behind your decision, the County Executive has not. Ultimately it is he who has the responsibility to request and defend this change in direction. Hopefully County Executive Craig will be presenting the Council with a comprehensive plan dealing with the multitude of issues that this decision presents.
What is not yet known is how much money has been spent by the school board since the Council asked them not to proceed and who will be liable if those expenditures turn out to be unauthorized.
County Executive Craig has not requested the Council’s approval of the bond sale to fund Campus Hills, nor has he requested that the underlying property be transferred as excess to the school board. Such approvals are needed to complete any school construction project.
Boniface said that the decision to walk away from the Red Pump project didn’t make sense given that $2,463,000 had already been expended and $3.5 million in bonds had been sold to support the project that was “shovel ready” before it was halted. He also contrasted the remaining concern at Red Pump, the sewer issue, with the cost of millions in road improvements needed around Campus Hills and said the results of the Council’s investigation would be posted on the county’s web site shortly.
Boniface also said that the decision to proceed with Campus Hills “sends up a red flag” adding that opening a school outside the designated growth area would create pressure to expand development. He concluded by saying “I’ve learned when something doesn’t make sense, there’s usually something political” behind it. He added that the Council is “elected to question how money is spent and will continue” to do so.
I am curious why the County Executive would personally go to Baltimore to lobby the state planning agency to approve a bad school site out of the development envelope. I am sure his support of this site has more to do with getting water and sewer out there or buy land for a road for his real estate buddies in the area. Mark my words..”follow the money..
And the losers, once again, are the students of Harford County. Those involved should be ashamed!
I too was confused by the comments made by several board members that the reason for Campus Hills was to “put the school where the kids are.” I found that odd since Prospect Mill isn’t exactly where the kids are either but they get transported there from other areas nearby. It seems to me that the Red Pump school offered the opportunity for students in Brentwood Park and around Tollgate Road who currently attend Homestead Wakefield to go there instead all the way over to MacPhail Road. That doesn’t make much sense because they are closer to other elementary schools. People across the street from that site attend Bel Air Elementary so that would be another school that would gain seats.
Since Red Pump is in the development envelope and it was already in the works, the residents near Campus Hills were probably shocked to hear they were abandoning that project. At the DAC meeting in January, there were many issues brought up about infrastructure problems that I don’t think were resolved in the Board of Education’s report the other night.
Additionally, John Archer was scheduled to be vacated before this Campus Hills project. What is the status with that? There has never been a formal plan announced for what the school system wants to do what that school. It is important to know because when the Aberdeen North building was vacated, the school system used it for years for meetings for themselves and refused to use it for extra capacity for Aberdeen High. Why is is we are adding all of these elementary schools, high school capacity and no middle school except the seats at Patterson Mill. Is Patterson Mill going to end up a middle school because I don’t hear of any land purchases anywhere near that site.
I was speaking to a parent of a student who attends Harford Technical High School. She told me that when school is 2 hours late and her son drives to school via Schucks Road, he sometimes waits 15-20 minutes at the light at 22! That means the traffic is pretty backed up on there. The problem is of course that if the light is shortened at 22, then the traffic on there is also getting backed up because of the high amount of traffic.
At least Red Pump has several arteries leading into it and is close enough to houses (where the students live) to even have walkers.
Why doesn’t the light on 22 at the college have a trigger basically to stay green for the turning lane longer during the busiest of times…such as morning, afternoon and end of day. Surely it wouldn’t be that hard to figure out. I rarely drive up 22 because of the congestion which has been made worse by the arena club and the shops that were put in a few yrs. back. It’s impossible to get out of that coffee shop and turn left without risking your life…
From the BOE presentation on 3/9/09, regarding traffic issues (see powerpoint linked in the article, slide 11):
“Concerns have been raised that the new school at the Campus Hills location will create a worse situation to an already bad situation at that intersection.
-Similar traffic issues exist at Red Pump Elementary School.”
HUH?
Advantage — Campus Hills site!
HUH?
Great work Cindy and Larry. The Board of Ed will never get it. They never have the facts, and accusing the council, and particularly Slutzky, is unbelievable. It’s amazing that anyone could be trying to do the right thing and so ignorant. Then again, maybe some board members aren’t one of those things.
My solution is so basic that I assume it has previously been done and may be a regular planning exercise, but I’ll throw it out there anyway…
I would like to see a study done consisting of assigning each Harford County elementary student to the school that is physically closest to his or her home, making minor adjustments to allow for continuity of neighborhoods, and then comparing the capacities. Is there a simpler way to determine where the chldren are, and which area has the greatest need for a new school?
Yes, this will probably involve a traumatic redistricting of large areas of the county, which usually meets great resistance. I saw this first hand when I participated in the redistricting exercise for the reopening of Forest Hill Elementary. The major roadblocks to effective population distribution consisted of the principal of Hickory Elementary, who pleaded with us quite theatrically not to destroy the heart and soul of his school, and the parents of Prospect Mill Elementary, who insisted that they would prefer to be drastically over capacity in the future rather than have students moved to another school. Well, they got what they wanted! From what I remember, all of the proposals we made that met any resistance were rejected by the Board, and just the bare minimum movement was allowed to fill the new school, which only postponed any problems for a future date.
If the idea is to build the schools where the children are, let’s see where the children are and actually put the schools there .
Red Pump was supposedly “shovel” ready and about to be bid. They had already worked with the P and R and demolished a house there to have a viable access off of RedPump RD with a roundabout and the water line had been run. All the permits had also been acquired from MDE, so I’m not sure what the sewer issue is now. Even if it is an issue or just an excuse to justify the decison for the other project. The Red Pump project was ready to go. It was obvious that someone preferred Campus Hills, all along. The amount of expenditure at Red Pump is now wasted, as they proceed merrily along with the Campus Hills site, disregarding what the council had instructed. Most of us will stay away from the MD 22/Prospect Mil intersection in the morn and afternoon. If the BOE thinks the County Council make “assanine” decisions, then they should stay away from a mirror. It becomes quite frustrating when “transparency” is violated and insults are the norm. I personally had asked for some justification on why Campus Hill over Red Pump and got my emails unanswered–I guess I wasn’t alone. The BOE decisions for the “good” of the children takes another hit.
Carl there perk testing, as I speak. at thomas run campus hill’s projected school site. I would have thought that would have been done prior to aquireing the property. it makes you’ wonder who’s running the show.
The problems with well water in Jacksonville and other places around the county make me wonder why they would build a school without public water. Especially on a site near a former gas station. The water may be clean now, but no one can prdict what may happen in the future.
…and that will be among the reasons listed when the push is made to extend public water and sewer to the Campus Hills school site.
From the Campus Hills school site, it’s only a short stretch to extend public utilities down to the end of Schucks Road and the long-coveted…Stoney Forest.
Ms.Rich should be ashamed of herself for her inappropriate tone and unprofessional, irresponsible comments at the meeting. But this is nothing new for her. She has always been incapable of hiding her disdain for feedback, dissent or input from the unwashed masses. The sad thing for all of us is that she and Mr Wolkow have constantly been, by far, the most dismissively arrogant towards input and towards those giving it; and they have been extremely prone, for 6 years, to giving fauning praise and approval to anything that the administration says or does. Then they deride whoever dares to question. The two of them simply do not hold HCPS accountable. Its stunning.
So their credibility, when assessing a school administration initiative, can no longer be taken seriously. Their words are meaningless and their oversight is nonexistent. Sad.
Ms. Rich wants answers and is frustrated, as a taxpayer you should be frustrated too. I mean what is she suppose to do, what are we suppose to do as taxpayers, as a community? Pay taxes and shut up. As a parent, as a taxpayer as a business man, I feel her frustration. Her action are no different then your post., like her you should be ashamed of yourself, your post has an inappropriate tone and is unprofessional; irresponsible. What makes your words so meaningful, because you are a Parent, taxpayer and businessman? “Coach” I mean Dick needs to open up to to community with his information stop the privatization. To take your power as a council man and just stop a project with no explanations is wrong and that action does not have the kids in mind at all.
The explanation is out. The BOE knew what Mr. Slutsky had to do and stonewalled him–with the standard answers the BOE typically gives. “It’s all for the good of the children”. However, that is not an answer for incompentency. The report which I believe is accurate is embarrasing to the Board and their arrogance in stopping the Red Pump ES, which was ready to go, was “not for the good of the children” Read the report, which I believe at least Mr. Hess knew the cotents were and you will see why we should be outraged at Ms. Rich and the Board. Mr. Slutsky does care, but from the several posts I have seen by you, my perception is that you have a problem with him–not the issue.
Just curious…Is there a published map that shows the elementary school districts and where the schools are located? I sure miss the community schools from the days of old.
One of the unfortunate things for Harford County (other than we have a county school district rather than town schools and an appointed school board) is that because of the way new schools are funded, we cannot plan for growth. Schools are constantly crowded, and by the time a new school is approved–let alone built–a problem already exists. The forward funding that has been done for the newest schools may run into real problems with the economy continuing to move downward.
And while the Board of Ed always says it acts for the good of the students, one needs look no farther than the block schedule, the earlier start times for high school students, and career cluster curriculum to know it just isn’t so. Also, how can spending $2 million plus on site preparation be prudent in this economy. It’s all fun money to these people.
Sinne Cal — here’s your map:
https://www.hcps.org/schools/docs/attendanceareas/es.pdf
Red Pump would be at the top of the “T” in BENEFIT.
Shucks Road would be at the first “P” in PROSPECT.
Outsider: If you are truly an “outsider”, then I have one request of you: please invest a few hours in watching recordings of some of the school board meetings for the last 6 years. You will then see for yourself the exceptional behavior that I am referring to regarding these two individuals. They might be nice people, and I know that they are volunteering their time; but that doesn’t change the fact that they are doing all of us a huge disservice in that they are not the overseers that they are obligated to be. As I said, it is quite stunning. Their attitude is just the icing on the cake.
Thanks Larry.
Larry, any idea why the map doesn’t include all elementary schools–Homestead-Wakefield, for example?
Homestead Wakefield is there, they just left the name label off. It is the red “$” above the “Y” in RING FACTORY.
Like many charts coming out of HCPS, this one is nearly incomprehensible. I love the way they used colors that are nearly identical so you can’t really figure the different districts out. Some districts look like they have 2 schools in them. Homestead-Wakefield doesn’t have a name, but it’s the one with the gerrymandered district that runs from Cedarday to Brentwood park. If you expand it to about 200% it’s a little easier to figure out.
Now I need to go buy that bigger computer monitor, so I can read the HCPS charts and help the economy.
It looks as though all the schools are there, but Hall’s Crossroads isn’t labeled either. Ironic that they used $ as the symbol for each school.
This chart is almost funny..I mean wherever there is a $ sign is supposed to represent an elementary school?? Yea Sinne Cal is right..no irony there! How about a key listing all the ES..and a corresponding symbol and unique markings for respective school districts.
In theory the community school concept makes sense..but then you have a very large ES like HWES…and they “pull” from outside the community. It has never made sense to me that kids over by Red Pump and Vale Rd are driving past Bel Air ES to attend HWES. Given this issue, building a school near Red Pump would help. Then what?? all neighborhoods would get bumped?? Maybe this is the reason why Shucks road has more appeal to the BOE?? To avoid all that shuffling?
As a taxpayer I resent knowing nearly $2 million was spent on the Red Pump sight to have it tabled. I for one am glad the council stepped in–thank you Mr. Slutzkey and the county council for trying to manage our taxes responsibly. Yes I feel for the parents/kids in PMES, having to get bussed to another school for one grade is not fun, and is disjointed. Let’s hope a resolution happens quickly.