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Hampton Ridge/Leeswood Garth Residents: "We Do Not Believe it is in the Best Interests of Our Children to be Redistricted to Bel Air Elementary School"
December 6, 2010 By A Dagger Reader
From residents of Hampton Ridge/Leeswood Garth communities:
This letter represents the concerns of a group of residents of the Hampton Ridge/Leeswood Garth communities regarding the proposed redistricting plan.
While we support the county-wide redistricting initiative, we do not believe it is in the best interests of our children to be redistricted to Bel Air Elementary School for the following reasons:
1. As it stands, the current proposed plan does not meet a number of the parameters outlined by the Superintendent's Technical Advisory Committee (STAC), including:-Continuity of Neighborhoods parameter: "attending the school closest to community." For the residents of Hampton Ridge/Leeswood, this varies because our neighborhood covers so much geographic area. However, for the homes closer to the Rte. 543 side of the community, there are at least three schools (Fountain Green, Hickory and Prospect Mill) that are closer than Bel Air Elementary School.
– Continuity of Neighborhoods parameter: "look at major roads as natural dividing lines." This was clearly not done with our neighborhood, as there are a number of communities on the other side of Route 22 who will remain at PMES while we are shifting. For example, currently a small pocket neighborhood on the opposite side of 22 and 543 off of Brierhill behind the apartments is being uprooted from its current school Homestead-Wakefield to move to the PMES district. It doesn't seem to make sense if you are trying to minimize the amount of students affected.
– Capacity/Enrollment/Utilization parameter: "stick with 85-95% capacity." Moving our community to Bel Air Elementary will cause that school to have a projected capacity of 99.5%, while leaving Prospect Mill at 91.9%, Fountain Green at 89% and Hickory at 95.4%. A better option could be to keep another community currently slated to be redistricted to Hickory Elementary at PMES and redistrict Hampton Ridge/Leeswood to Hickory to meet this parameter.-Miscellaneous parameter: "try to avoid 'small pockets' of students from one elementary school feeding into a different middle school than the rest of their classmates." Our children would be in a minority of students from Bel Air Elementary who would feed into Southampton Middle School and C. Milton Wright High School.
– Miscellaneous parameter: "move as few students as possible." Again, with Prospect Mill now projected at only 91.9% it seems clear another neighborhood could remain in that district to help achieve this parameter.
2. Not only would the proposed redistricting plan result in a "small pocket" of students from our community feeding from Bel Air Elementary to Southampton Middle School, we are a small pocket moving into Bel Air Elementary – putting our children in a situation twice of changing schools and going in knowing only the kids from their immediate neighborhood.
3. While we understand that middle and high school redistricting is not slated for the immediate future, we have a serious concern that if our children attend Bel Air Elementary they are more likely to be redistricted down the road for Bel Air Middle/High, which would be highly objectionable given our geographic proximity to Southampton and C. Milton Wright.
In terms of offering a viable alternative, a number of us have individually submitted emails to the redistricting email address requesting information on the number of students in each subdivision to make some informed suggestions, but to date have received no response.
However, possible alternatives include:
· Keeping another community currently slated to be redistricted for Hickory at Prospect Mill and shifting our community to Hickory Elementary. If there is insufficient capacity to keep a community such as the Villages of Thomas Run or Tudor Manor at Prospect Mill, you could consider moving the Emerald Hills community, which is located behind Safeway on the other side of Rte. 22, from Prospect Mill to Fountain Green to open additional room.
· Moving the communities of Deer Run/Deer Manor from Hickory to Bel Air Elementary (as those students are currently among the only students at Hickory who feed into Bel Air Middle and High) and shifting our community to Hickory.
As you can see from this letter, we completely support the redistricting initiative and unlike many other neighborhoods, are not specifically advocating staying at our current school. We have seen our children suffer from the effects of overcrowding over the past five years and, while sad to leave, understand that our geographic location does make us a sensible choice to move to another school district.
However, while we recognize that Bel Air Elementary is a fine school, we sincerely believe that our children would further suffer unfairly not once, but twice, by being the only group from Prospect Mill to switch to Bel Air and then by being among the only students from Bel Air to move on to Southampton and C. Milton Wright. While we understand that children are resilient, shouldn't we be trying to give them every advantage to receive the best possible education instead of making things harder for them by exposing them to the emotional impact of leaving their friends twice?
That is why we ask you to reconsider moving our community to Bel Air Elementary School and instead look at options that would send us to a school such as Hickory, Prospect Mill or Fountain Green where the majority of students will move on to Southampton Middle and C. Milton Wright.
Thank you for your consideration and we look forward to the next version of the redistricting plan.
Kathy and Andy Walsh
Vince and Amy Novak
Victor and Melanie Denard
Sheilah and Henry Simberg
Bonnie and Mike Mitrega
Molly and Mike Dempsey
Tony and Laura Lamb
Sharon and Steve Bazzetta
Marti and Edward Coogan
Mimi Denison
Kathy and John Brock
Scott and Sherry Bauer
Christopher and Angela Hoover
Lucie and Jay Pepe
Christopher and Rhonda Acra
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harfordmom says
I'm sorry but I must be missing something. It seems no one was to be re-districted, from all over Harford county the message is the same – is anyone in favor of it – anyone at all ???
Cdev says
I thought they posted number of kids by subdivision? That said I like how these guys are actually using the parameters to make a logical arguement and understand that they must move.
hcmom says
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I live in that "small pocket" of homes being uprooted from hwes and sent to pmes! This is the first I have heard of anyone else other than myself noticing!THANK YOU! All I can sayof my situation is WHY WHY WHY!!!!!
RPmom says
Aren't you the development that FOUGHT going to Hickory a few years ago? And now you want to go there? Hmmmm. I was at the meeting last night, and it sounded like you are afraid to go to Bel Air Elementary because you are AFRAID that one day they might send you to BAMS and BAHS!? Hickory kids have always been split when it came time to go to middle school, and Bel Air is just as good a school as Southhampton. You are what is wrong with this whole process. You think everyone else should be moved,but not you.You think that your children have a right to be at a "better" school then someone elses children. My children have to leave their current school to make room for PMES kids. An overcrowded PMES is one of the big reasons for this redistricting. Did you really think that no one would have to leave one of the most crowded schools there is? I find the arrogance unbelievable.
Jr says
RPMOM, Why shouldn't parents have a right to voice where they want their children to go to school? It sounds like your bias is reading arrogance where there is none. It is ultimately the school boards decision, but there is no reason parents cannot weigh in on the process. I'm with CDEV in thinking these parents took the time to make an educated and well formed case against the current proposal.
They are saying that they want to a) stay at one of the most overcrowded schools in HC or b)go to Hickory instead of Bel Air Elem. Why? Currently, Hickory students are divided when it comes time for middle school. PMES kids are not. These residents seem to want a perfect scenario for their kids. Most of us aren't getting that. You can't use the arguement that "our kids will be the only ones going to Southhampton", when that situation already exists in many elementary schools. Clearly the bus ride for these students won't be long, so what IS the reason that Bel Air isn't good enough for this development? Don't half of them go there already? Yes, we all have a right to say where we want our kids to go to school. Almost everyone that seems to be weighing in however, seems to think that "someone else's kids" should be moved, not theirs. THAT is arrogant. And what is my bias? My daughter is being forced out of her current elementary school just like many others.
TAR says
The letter does not mention picking one school over another. It asks for the Board to consider any of the 3 elementary schools that are in the immediate vicinity of the Hampton Ridge community. BAES does not fit that criteria. In a nut shell, that's what the community is ASKING the Board to consider. As parents they have that right.
PMESmom says
I understand your concern and do think it is valid, however, in your proprosal, my child and her friends will be affected as currently they are not. So please keep your suggestions to yourself. Lines have to be drawn somewhere and unfortunately not everyone will be happy in the end!!!
Everyones child will be affected. Even if the child does not move.
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