This is the most recent letter to County Executive Jim Smith regarding the Baltimore County School Board approving constructing a new elementary school on the Ridge-Ruxton campus sent on May 15, 2008.

Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith, Jr.
Old Courthouse Mezzanine
400 Washington Avenue
Towson, MD  21204

Dear County Executive James Smith, Jr.:

As we have previously written and discussed in person, the situation concerning overcrowding in Towson area elementary schools is critical.  I realize you have been fully briefed by our mutual constituents, other elected officials, and school administrators about the overwhelming need for a resolution to this problem.  You indicated that the School Board bore the responsibility to make this project a priority.  Indeed, the Board has stepped up to the plate and made the decision to support the construction of a new school on the grounds of the Ridge Ruxton School on Charles Street.

I heartily applaud the action of the School Board, although I believe it was long overdue.  The next crucial step in the process is for the County to fund the construction project. I believe that the capital expenditure for this new elementary school should be a priority.  The families we represent in the many neighborhoods in the Towson area deserve nothing less.  Tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars are paid in real estate and income taxes by citizens in these communities to Baltimore County.  The children of our constituents are entitled to appropriate facilities in which they should receive their education.

Having had the opportunity to visit the existing elementary schools in Towson on numerous occasions, I am consistently impressed with the quality of the students, teachers and parents.  Most recently, I joined Comptroller Franchot at Rodgers Forge Elementary School where we again saw educational excellence in action.  We also witnessed firsthand the real need for classroom space (not trailers) to accommodate the expected increase in enrollment.  I have also attended dozens of meeting with parents, school administrators and community leaders who have repeated the same point – Towson needs a new school.

I urge you, in the strongest and most respectful of terms, to please allocate the necessary funds to build this elementary school as soon as possible.  It is absolutely the right decision to make and we are counting on you to do it.

Thank you for your help in this important matter.

Sincerely,

Delegate, Susan L.M. Aumann

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