County To Reallocate Loch Raven Funds
Smith Disappointed at Potential Loss of State Funding 

Towson, Md. (June 11, 2008) — Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith expressed his disappointment that the Baltimore County Board of Education reversed its approval of a 400 seat addition for Loch Raven High School.  Although the Board voted for the addition on two separate occasions in public meetings—once in October 2007 and then again in February 2008, last night it decided to change course.  

“I am extremely disappointed that the Board of Education decided to forego an addition at Loch Raven High School,” said Smith.  “All of the data that the Board presented to County officials indicates that there is a need for additional high school seats in the central area of the of the County.  That same data also indicates that there is not enough need to warrant the construction of a new high school. 

The Board has rightly concluded that it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to secure State funding for a high school given current enrollment data supplied by the school system.  When the Board supported the addition, it was prudent, and the County funded it.  Loch Raven’s location, and the fact that after the addition is built it would be still one of the County’s smaller high schools with a capacity of 1,375 students, makes it the perfect location to add high school seats.”

The Interagency Committee on School Construction (IAC), the State agency that recommends State funding for local school projects, approved the Loch Raven addition on April 24, 2008.  The Board of Public Works recently asked the IAC to review the project, and the IAC was expected to reaffirm its approval of the 3.9 million dollars for the Loch Raven addition at its upcoming meeting on June 26, 2008.  Dr. David Lever, Chair of the IAC indicated to school and County officials that the addition to Loch Raven High School would actually enhance its educational program, and School Superintendent Dr. Joe Hairston submitted a letter to the Board of Public Works in support of the addition on
May 16, 2008. 

 “It is frustrating to potentially lose 3.9 million dollars in State funding for Baltimore County,” Smith stated.  “While the County may not recoup the lost State funding, I will move to reallocate the roughly 12 million dollars in County funding that is in the budget for the Loch Raven addition to other school projects immediately.”   

County Executive Smith indicated that he would ask the Board of Education to prioritize the projects below that they have previously requested, utilizing the funds that had been designated for Loch Raven. The school system asked for these projects, and the County did not have sufficient funds to move them all forward. “Obviously the Board of Education makes its own decisions,” said Baltimore County Council Chair Kevin Kamenetz. “The result of this action may not help the high school students in the central area, but it will certainly allow the Council the opportunity to fund important projects all across the County.”

There are approximately 20 million dollars worth of site improvements on the list, with projects in each councilmanic district. The FY 09 budget included 2 million dollars for site improvements at County schools, and the County Executive will now include an additional 12 million dollars, making it possible to complete 14 million dollars worth of projects from the list below:

 “I am very proud of the fact that Baltimore County has allocated more than three-quarters of a billion dollars for school renovation and construction during the first 6 years of my administration.  We have built five new schools-- two new elementary schools, a new middle school, and two new alternative schools.  The current budget includes funds for a new Towson elementary school and a replacement high school for the aging George Washington Carver School for Arts and Technology in Towson,” said Smith.  “Funding for school projects all across Baltimore County will continue to be my focus until the day I leave office.”