Overcrowding

One question about the recent carbon monoxide deaths in Pikesville: Isn't there any kind of legal limit to how many people can occupy a given residential property? ( "County officials investigate Pikesville carbon monoxide deaths," Dec. 13.) There is certainly a legal number of people the fire marshal allows in schools, churches, commercial spaces, etc. Ten people were living in that house. Four people were living in the basement alone! This kind of overcrowding presents the potential for great loss of life in an emergency.

As The Sun correctly points out ("Crowded classrooms," May 15), classroom overcrowding has developed because of decisions authorized by Baltimore County's school board, and we appreciate The Sun's investigative reporting and analysis of this problem. Unfortunately, it is unlikely the board would have ever raised this issue or brought it the public's attention. In fact, The Sun reported that "Donald Peccia, the head of human resources for county schools, said he was not aware of the number of classes with 30 or more students.

I read the story in the Sept. 21 edition of the Towson Times ("Towson-area enrollments prompt study for new elementary school"), and know from previous news coverage over the years about the overcrowding in our school system. First off, when I attended Baltimore County public schools, there was no such thing as overcrowding. That was because we did not have an overpopulation issue then. Just looking at the block where I live, there are 26 homes. Of those, 11 have school-age children (under 18)

When I gave blood about 10 days ago, my blood pressure was surprisingly low (for me) at 90/60. But a few things have gotten my blood boiling in the last few days, particularly as I read them on the pages of The Aegis. I think what's got me most riled up is all the complaining by some Harford County Public Schools teachers about their lack of raises in recent years. We can't keep going like this," Ryan Burbey, chair of the English Department at Aberdeen Middle School, told members of the Harford County Board of Education at their meeting Monday night.

As The Sun correctly points out ("Crowded classrooms," May 15), classroom overcrowding has developed because of decisions authorized by Baltimore County's school board, and we appreciate The Sun's investigative reporting and analysis of this problem. Unfortunately, it is unlikely the board would have ever raised this issue or brought it the public's attention. In fact, The Sun reported that "Donald Peccia, the head of human resources for county schools, said he was not aware of the number of classes with 30 or more students.

Baltimore schools CEO Andrés Alonso is closing several Baltimore City schools. Many Baltimore County schools have trailers and they are in the process of building more schools to alleviate overcrowding along the York Road corridor. I figure why not let city teachers keep their jobs, and Baltimore County students (depending on their district) have a bit longer commute and use the soon-to-be-closed city schools. Kate Glorioso

ANOTHER OVERCROWDING crisis is looming at Baltimore's Central Booking and Intake Center. The lockup is said to be so cramped that officials at a recent meeting joked about perhaps having to house pretrial suspects on barges in the harbor. This is no laughing matter. As arrests have increased over the past year, so apparently have the numbers of suspects who either don't qualify for bail or don't have the money for it. They end up spending an average of 86 days at Central Booking before their first appearance before a judge, according to the state Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.

Stay-at-home mother Leslie Kornreich is working to convince Howard County voters that, if elected to the school board, she will tackle concerns she believes have not been adequately addressed — overcrowded schools, calendar planning and special-education streamlining. Kornreich, 38, who lives in the area of Hanover that is part of the Elkridge community, filed June 11 and is one of nearly a dozen candidates seeking election to the board. It will mark the first-ever election bid for the former Spanish teacher, who has two children who attend county schools.

A District Court judge in Washington, D.C., delayed ruling yesterday on whether the city should be held in contempt for continued overcrowding at its maximum-security juvenile detention center in Laurel.Both sides in the case are negotiating a settlement, said David Reiser, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, who won a consent decree in 1986 that limited the number of inmates at Oak Hill to 150.The consent decree, signed by Superior Court Judge Ricardo Urbina, still is being monitored by attorneys.

A report by county school officials detailing overcrowded schools may have put the issue of school redistricting to rest -- for now.The study, unveiled yesterday by Michael Raible, director of planning and construction for the Board of Education, concludes the county needs to spend twice what it does now to build and renovate deteriorating schools.The board receives about $15 million a year for school construction and renovation. But the report said that renovating county schoolsover a 40-year period would cost about $19.5 million a year.

Baltimore schools CEO Andrés Alonso is closing several Baltimore City schools. Many Baltimore County schools have trailers and they are in the process of building more schools to alleviate overcrowding along the York Road corridor. I figure why not let city teachers keep their jobs, and Baltimore County students (depending on their district) have a bit longer commute and use the soon-to-be-closed city schools. Kate Glorioso

Your article "Baltimore Co. to act on school crowding" (Oct. 20) points out that we must deal with rising enrollments in the public schools. It seems the only solutions ever considered are to build more schools or to renovate or expand older ones - meaning we will be asked to fund more construction bonds and then raise more taxes to run the new schools. Meanwhile, successful private and faith-based schools are closing or barely surviving with empty seats. Yet no one seems to have the imagination to realize that they offer an excellent answer to school overcrowding that could save taxpayers money and provide immediate relief.

Anne Arundel parents, teachers and administrators filled Central Elementary School's gym this week to hear county schools specialist Chuck Yocum speak about the system's plans to redistrict Central, Davidsonville and Mayo elementary schools. After a lengthy and engaging question-and-answer session, Yocum said he was surprised to see that parents didn't respond with raised eyebrows and voices. "This has been one of the funnest [redistricting] meetings I've had," said Yocum, who oversees student demographic planning.

I read the story in the Sept. 21 edition of the Towson Times ("Towson-area enrollments prompt study for new elementary school"), and know from previous news coverage over the years about the overcrowding in our school system. First off, when I attended Baltimore County public schools, there was no such thing as overcrowding. That was because we did not have an overpopulation issue then. Just looking at the block where I live, there are 26 homes. Of those, 11 have school-age children (under 18)

Rodgers Forge Elementary had reached nearly double its capacity, so parents and students were relieved last year when the new $22 million WestTowson Elementary opened to ease crowding at neighboring schools in Baltimore County. One year later, West Towson has enrolled 50 more students than it was built to handle, and it doesn't have enough land for a trailer. As schools around the Baltimore region prepare to open in the next week, many are confronting growing enrollments and aging school buildings that need billions of dollars of improvements at a time when the state and localities grapple with tight budgets.

Students could be moved to underused schools out west A careful reading of the Howard County Times provides solutions for the over crowding of public schools and the proposed tax payer funded Tennis Stadium. The new Elementary school, the public park and the adjoining tennis stadium are to be build on Duckets Lane. Perhaps, the Elementary School, the park and tennis stadium could share space (like at Veterans Elementary and the YMCA) so there is enough room for all the children at the school.

The Howard County Board of Education on Tuesday approved a new site to be considered for construction of an elementary school in Elkridge, giving an alternative to a previously proposed site that raised concerns about proximity to a MARC rail commuter line and a proposed CSX rail cargo transfer station. The new site, on Ducketts Lane adjacent to U.S. 1, is 10.1 acres and will include space for a ball field and multipurpose field. Howard school officials said a permit is required from the state Department of the Environment and the Army Corps of Engineers to fill in wetlands.