Ridge Ruxton Parents: Fairness an Issue In Moving Students

What school system officials call a plan to alleviate overcrowding at , parents on Monday called "another Band-Aid" that doesn't solve the system's problems

Officials held a meeting with about 30 Ridge Ruxton parents in the school's cafeteria to discuss a proposal to into four classrooms at Ridge Ruxton, which serves special needs students from preschool through age 21.

School system officials will also discuss the plan with West Towson parents at their school on Wednesday.

West Towson Elementary opened in 2010 on Ridge Ruxton's campus to alleviate overcrowding at other area schools, including and elementary schools.

West Towson currently houses 519; its state rated capacity is 451. School system projections show West Towson's enrollment reaching nearly 600 by next fall and 700 by 2018. The adjacent Ridge Ruxton houses 112 against a 180 capacity, and officials expect enrollment to stay even.

School officials' options are limited—there is not enough room on the property for trailers, and other nearby elementary schools, including Riderwood and Rodgers Forge, are already over capacity.

Under the plan presented Monday, three under-used classrooms on the end of the east high school wing of Ridge Ruxton would be used by West Towson, and an office and storage area would be combined to create a fourth classroom. Crews would build new bathrooms and put up a set of doors to essentially separate the two schools' populations. Students would return to the West Towson building for special classes, assemblies and other functions.

Officials repeatedly assured parents that their children's education and routines would not be affected.

"There is no plan to discontinue Ridge Ruxton as a separate public day school," said principal Ed Bennett.

What is in the three affected classrooms—including a "living classroom" that features a washer, dryer, furniture and other life-skills equipment—would be relocated, Bennett said.

If the plan goes forward, work could be completed in time for summer school, Bennett said.

The annex move would be part of what Kara Calder, Baltimore County Public Schools' director of planning and support operations, called a "multi-year approach" to elementary overcrowding in the York Road corridor, including renovation and construction at, and elsewhere.

At West Towson, measures already taken include moving music classes to hallways and the school's rotunda, and putting science equipment in mobile carts instead of dedicated classrooms.

Parents at Ridge Ruxton are frustrated, however, saying the school system had promised when building West Towson that they would not encroach upon their students space.

"Here we are just a few years later and now they want part of the building They're going to push them in closer and closer areas. It's not right," said Cockeysville resident Wendy King, whose 9-year-old daughter Riley attends Ridge Ruxton. "They have a beautiful school over there and I'm sorry it didn't fix the problem, but it's another Band-Aid. Baltimore County needs to look much further than taking three, four classrooms away from Ridge to fix the problem."

Parents also accused the system of poor planning in failing to predict the rising enrollment at West Towson sooner.

"When does this all stop?" asked Sharon Forrest, the school's PTA president. "They don't have an answer for that."

Calder said the system did not anticipate an influx of families moving into the Towson area or moving their children out of private school.

"We are going to continue to monitor the numbers, as we always do," Calder said at the meeting.

Officials did not take the decision lightly. Some, like Kathleen McMahon, the system's executive director of special programs, felt a personal stake. She sent two children to Ridge Ruxton herself and understands why the parents feel emotional about the school system's proposal.

"Change is very challenging," she said. "I understand that these parents are feeling very protective of their children."