New Group Forms to Urge Action On Stoneleigh Elementary Overcrowding

Stoneleigh Elementary was left off the most recent list of Baltimore County's requests for state-funded school renovations. But that hasn't stopped one group of determined parents from trying to make sure the overcrowded school is not forgotten.

A group of parents called Stoneleigh United formed last month to urge the Baltimore County Board of Education to use county money to fund a sorely-needed expansion for the school. Built for a capacity of 499 in 1930, the school housed 622 students at the start of the school year.

About two dozen parents came to the Baltimore County Board of Education meeting on Tuesday night—many wearing Stoneleigh Elementary shirts—and several Stoneleigh parents testified during a public comment session.

Stoneleigh parent Laura Lechtzin asked the board to consider other options for funding an expansion, including tapping the school system's capital budget or seeking a private donor.

"We need your help now. Please support immediate funding for the completion of ... an architectural design process for Stoneleigh Elementary School," Lechtzin told the board. "Our children deserve a safe and appropriate environment to learn in."

Stoneleigh United is separate from Towson Families United, a group started in 2008 to address overcrowding concerns throughout Towson, but the groups share the same goals. TFU has expressed support for work at Stoneleigh and Hampton elementary schools in the past.

A Google group for Stoneleigh United now shows more than 230 members. Juliet Fisher is one of 12 parents on the group's informal board.

"Our 81-year-old building doesn't seem like an appropriate way for our kids to be educated," said Fisher, who has a daughter in first grade and a son in fourth grade at Stoneleigh Elementary. "None of the children in that sort of environment will be able to get the kind of education they should be getting at Stoneleigh."

Stoneleigh United parents have been sending letters to County Executive Kevin Kamenetz and Superintendent Joe Hairston, and Fisher said County Councilman David Marks has been receptive to their concerns. Marks has spoken in the past about

"They have funded [the renovation] in the past and then they've taken it out so obviously they recognize the need for the additon to be made," she said.

In a list presented to the Board of Education at an August meeting, planning for an an expansion at Stoneleigh was at the bottom of the list at No. 24. In 2009, actual funding was requested for the work, which was No. 19 and 20 on the list (planning and construction are separate entries). And that's where Stoneleigh parents have 

 Stoneleigh parents complained of poor air conditioning, cramped hallways and classes held near boiler rooms.