SES Renovation and Addition: Scheduled for 2012

[Stoneleigh United]

Stoneleigh Elementary Renovation and Addition:
Scheduled for 2012

 
 
This year at Stoneleigh Elementary, there are 677 children squeezed into a building built for 499.  Even more children enrolled over the summer than projected.  School officials added a 5th kindergarten class during the first week of school.  And there are currently six relocatable classrooms housing all third graders and a fifth grade class.  We have clearly outgrown our building.  We desperately need an addition and renovation.
 
And we have great news!  BCPS is slated to begin construction on the renovation and addition to Stoneleigh Elementary’s 81-year-old building - SUMMER 2012!  BCPS is going to both give us more room and modernize our existing building.  Tonight we heard the proposals by BCPS and Rubeling & Associates for the modernization and expansion of Stoneleigh.
 
The result will be a newly renovated, technologically advanced, fully air-conditioned building.  We will have room for all of our children to have a seat in the building.  The existing quilt-work design from decades of building individual additions will be transformed into a modernized, functioning building that can truly accommodate our needs.
 
But what will happen to the children during construction?  The Stoneleigh campus will be a construction site when the school year starts in August 2012.
 
BCPS is offering a creative solution for the construction to happen as quickly as possible without the direct and daily affects on our children and their education.  The plan calls for the entire Stoneleigh population — students, teachers, administration and staff — to be temporarily housed in another building, the original Carver school.  BCPS proposes all Stoneleigh students be bused 3 miles to Carver, 938 York Road, Towson.  This option allows the construction to be completed in the shortest amount of time possible  — one academic year and two summers (15 month total).
 
The alternative is to remain on site at Stoneleigh during construction for two school years and three summers (27 month total).  There will be fewer classrooms available with more children in each class.  In addition, classes will have to shift several times to different rooms throughout the school years to accommodate construction.
 
Stoneleigh United believes temporarily relocating for one school year is a sensible solution and will have more positives than negatives.  If our Stoneleigh students relocate to the Carver campus for one school year, they will:
 
Remain a complete and unified community;
Avoid risk of having to annex a grade(s) as construction progresses;
Be removed from the dust, debris, and noise that exist when there is construction;
Have a seat within a single building;
Avoid a constantly changing environment with moves between classrooms, relocatable classrooms, and buildings;
Allow construction to occur as quickly as possible;
Have access to outdoor play space and play structures during construction;
Continue our regular activities, like assemblies and Play Centers, as we will have the space available to do this;
Maintain the wonderful activities our PTA provides;
Give the construction company the room to do this project as quickly as possible thus limiting its impact on the surrounding neighborhood

BCPS seems to be taking a carefully thought-out approach to this relocation.  Here is some additional information about the Carver option:
 
Students will be picked up at designated bus stops near their homes.  Together with our neighbors, we will see our children off to school.
“Kiss and Go” option will remain.  Parents will be able to drive their children and drop/pick-up them off at the Carver location if they choose to do so.
The Carver building will be retrofitted to meet the needs of an elementary school.
The existing play structures at Stoneleigh will be temporarily moved to the Carver location.
The school day will stay as close to the current 8:45am to 3:15pm schedule.
We will have access to a larger building.  At the Carver location, the children will be able to use dedicated indoor space for recess on inclement weather days.
 
We encourage you to tour the Carver campus on Monday, October 10th.  There will also be the opportunity to ride the bus with your child(ren) in preparation for the new busing routine at a later date.
 
Stoneleigh’s renovation and addition is moving forward.  We have a choice of temporarily using a different building and having the construction happen as quickly as possible during one school year or living through the difficulties of construction for the next two school years.  We believe that the Carver option will be the best for our children and community.
 
If you have any questions, please email us at stonelei...@googlegroups.com

Thanks,
Stoneleigh United