Breaking Ground for the Stoneleigh Elementary School Addition

With classes out for the summer, work will soon begin on the addition at Stoneleigh Elementary School. The 200-seat expansion is one of many projects designed to alleviate overcrowding throughout the York Road corridor.

Stoneleigh Elementary School.

Towson is one of the most desirable communities in Baltimore County. Schools like Stoneleigh Elementary are not overcrowded because of development, but because younger families are attracted to Towson's neighborhoods and our excellent school system. 

I have been a strong supporter of the Stoneleigh Elementary School addition, as well as the Hampton Elementary expansion and the new Carver High School. I applaud County Executive Kevin Kamenetz and our state legislators for their support of these projects. In Fiscal Year 2013, about 48 percent of all the consolidated public improvement projects are in the Fifth District, excluding those that cross district lines. The level of investment in Towson's schools has been extraordinary.

But I really want to commend the parents who led the way for projects like the Stoneleigh Elementary School addition. I can remember the first meeting I had with the nucleus of parents who became Stoneleigh United. I told them it would be very difficult to secure the funding, but they pushed hard. Kudos to Juliet Fisher and all those who believed in the project.

Looking forward, we need to look at our middle and high schools, which are already experiencing overcrowding (although Carver High School may be able to accommodate some growth). I am looking at the development potential of more than 480 acres of land as part of the rezoning process. We need to make sure our communities can sustain future development.

But for now, as the Stoneleigh Elementary School addition gets underway, I want to thank the Kamenetz administration, our state legislators, and parents and community leaders who helped make it possible.