A controversial plan to increase capacity at Anne Arundel schools has quietly been pulled from discussion, but two County Council members vowed they still will change how the county fills its schools.
“It pains me to do this, as [school capacity] remains a system in dire need of repair,” said Councilman Jamie Benoit, D-District 4.
Benoit and Councilman Ron Dillon Jr., R-District 3, co-sponsored a bill they said would simplify the process the county uses to calculate school capacity.
Problems have surfaced where developments are blocked because the capacity chart says a school is overcrowded; but due to outdated numbers, the school actually has open seats.
“I liked our bill, but we need more time. The only thing we can agree on right now is that no one likes the current system,” Dillon said.
That plan, however, may have put more students in some schools, which prompted some principals and school officials to oppose the plan, fearing it would increase teachers? workload.
“We have empty seats, but adding more students will adversely affect how we educate children,” Freetown Elementary Principal Shirley Moaney told The Examiner in April.
Dillon and Benoit tacked on amendments in hopes of finding compromise, but the councilmen said the bill got too complicated and they decided to shelve it last week.
Officials say their concerns were somewhat relieved after the council helped shorten a $20 million funding gap that would have resulted in teacher shortages.
Dillon said the bill would return later this summer when the council tackles it biggest issue ? impact fees, or monies developers pay to expand roads, school and public safety for their projects.
Council Chairwoman Cathy Vitale, R-District 5, said this week the council would receive legal advice on a report conducted last month on impact fees, with legislation coming soon after.
“Impact fees and school capacity go hand in hand,” Dillon said. “In fact, both bills are likely dependant on each other.”
