New Middle School

The Anne Arundel County school board voted late Wednesday to modernize Brooklyn Park middle school, leaving a wing for arts and other county programs, and to build a new middle school for South County.The Brooklyn Park decision is a victory for North County activists who lobbied hard for the $20.3 million renovation of the former high school building. It also gives elected officials the flexibility to use a $300,000 state grant for a North County venue for Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts.

The Carroll Board of Education has awarded a $5.5 million contract for the construction of Friendship Valley Elementary School to Morgan-Keller Inc.of Frederick.The firm was one of 19 contractors who bid for the project. Vernon F.Smith Jr., director of school support services, said the unusually high number of bidders was a reflection of the downturn in the economy.Construction of the 57,200-square-foot building could begin as early as December or January, depending on the weather, said Lester P. Surber, supervisor of school facilities and planning.

The Harford County Board of Education voted last night to move 548 students next year to alleviate crowding in three Bel Air-area schools. The board approved all 15 points of a redistricting plan presented last month by school administrators to reduce crowding at Forest Hill Elementary, Southampton Middle and C. Milton Wright High schools. Ninth-graders will be allowed to stay at C. Milton Wright High through graduation. The board also amended other proposals to allow fourth- and seventh-graders to stay at their schools - if parents provide transportation.

The lack of adequate classroom space will weigh heavily in the county Planning Commission's decision on allowing higher-density development at Belt Farm in South Carroll."

Schools Superintendent Sydney L. Cousin unveiled a $99.9 million capital budget last week that would include money for a variety of projects, such as a new school in northeastern Howard County that is slated to open in 2013. The amount of the 2011-2012 budget will likely increase in the coming months, according to Cousin. The school board must approve a version of the capital budget by Oct. 6, when a draft must be submitted to the State Construction Program staff. The school system will approve a final budget by June.

Teresa Steger is concerned about the spiritual and academic education of her daughter, Kelly -- and she's hoping a new Lutheran middle school somewhere in North County will become a reality.Although Kelly is only in the first grade at St. Paul's Lutheran School in Glen Burnie, Steger believes a new middle school, maybe even a high school, will help continue her daughter's good start.Steger was one of about 35 parents from Lutheran churches throughout the county attending a meeting last night to gauge support for creating the county's first Lutheran middle or high school.

Nearly 60 percent of Baltimore County's elementary schools are overcrowded, as student enrollment at all levels climbed to an 12-year high of 93,000 students -- half of whom are in kindergarten through fifth grade."

A genteel group, the unlikeliest of public protesters, picketed the Calvert School in North Baltimore this week while parents lined up in their Volvos and sport utility vehicles to drop off and pick up their children. Most were older than age 60, people you might see at a museum, an antique show or a country bed-and-breakfast. In short, folks who were not used to worrying about the roof over their heads - until lately. They took to the streets to protest the school's plans to buy and raze their apartments at 4300 N. Charles St. for a new middle school and two athletic fields.

Vandals spray-painted several vehicles and houses in New Windsor in an overnight spree that left residents wondering how they can prevent more incidents, the mayor and several residents said."

The Howard County school board last night delayed plans to build a new middle school in Ellicott City, opting to make one big cut to its capital budget instead of a series of small ones.The board also decided to seek more money for school construction from County Executive Charles I. Ecker for next fall after Gov. Parris N. Glendening gave the Howard schools less money than expected. But extra money from Ecker is far from certain, meaning that more cuts may have to be made later in the spring.