Dear Baltimore County Superintendent and Board Members,
I am the parent of a child/children at Summit Park Elementary School in the Northwest District. I am proud to be a part of such an active, spirited school community where our children are able to excel thanks to wonderful teachers and administrators, as well as the involvement of an active PTA. However, while the staff at Summit Park are committed and nurturing, I worry about the effect serious overcrowding will have on my children’s education.
Summit Park was built to hold 375 children; it is now bursting at the seams with nearly 500. We have four kindergarten classes with 24 children each. We have five learning cottages on site, none of which are equipped with bathrooms. Every available space is being used, and our numbers are projected to grow again next year. We expect we will need at least two new learning cottages on site next year, and some classes may top 30 students.
We have no more room.
I’m sure you’ll agree that 24 kindergarteners of wide-ranging abilities are way too many for one class and that meaningful learning becomes more difficult with 31 or 32 elementary students in a single classroom.
But that’s only part of the issue. Children in the learning cottages spend little time in the main building, except when they need to walk (usually alone), sometimes in frigid conditions, inside for bathroom breaks, lunches and specials. We need to hold our assemblies in shifts because it would be a fire hazard to have all the children together. We have to hold school-wide after hours events at Pikesville Middle School because there is no room to bring our entire school community together in our building. All of these realities fracture a close-knit community school.
As a short term solution, we are asking that you evaluate four classrooms that are currently being used to provide services to students that are not from our school district. We suggest that these services be provided at a less crowded school, such as Fort Garrison. This would provide four extra classrooms for Summit Park students.
Ultimately, the ideal solution is construction of a new school. Construction of a new school is the only long term solution to our problem of overcrowding and projected over enrollment in years to come.
would help to fulfill BCPS's promises to its students which include "world class teaching and learning" and "deliberate excellence in each classroom." It would also help to fulfill the goal of transforming Baltimore County school facilities into 21st century learning environments.
I am asking you to please place Summit Park on your list of staffing and construction priorities.
We respectfully urge you to make a commitment to our children -- your students -- and to fulfill BCPS's promises to its students of "world class teaching and learning" and "deliberate excellence in each classroom."
We are a proud Blue Ribbon School, and we need your help to make sure our tradition of excellence can continue.
Respectfully and sincerely yours,
Summit Park Parent
