DULANEY HIGH RENOVATION MUST ADDRESS PRESENT AND FUTURE NEEDS!
Built in 1964, Dulaney High School is in poor condition and is in dire need of a comprehensive renovation. Overcrowded and plagued with inadequate facilities, burst pipes, and brown water, current and future students at Dulaney High deserve a facility of the highest standard. I am working hard to ensure that the planned renovation will be comprehensive and appropriate to the scale of the problem.
Mindful of the concerns of my constituents, I have shared their very serious reservations about the preliminary renovation plan to the County Executive. In response, County Executive Kevin Kamenetz asked me to visit the newly renovated Pikesville High School telling me that Pikesville is an example of what he envisions Dulaney will look like once DHS is successfully updated.
While Pikesville was well done, there is no way Dulaney can be successfully remodeled at current funding levels and its current plan. The fact remains that DHS is twice as large as Pikesville, and was allocated the same amount of money as Pikesville. Furthermore, one of the biggest differences between the renovation of Pikesville and the planned renovation of Dulaney is that the current plan for Dulaney is to remodel by installing central air conditioning and addressing the deficiencies in the building on a room-by-room basis. By contrast, Pikesville has been comprehensively remodeled to meet the needs of the present population of students and the needs of future classes at the school.
On April 10, 2016, I attended a ribbon cutting ceremony of the newly renovated Hereford High School where on the same day, we celebrated Hereford’s designation as a Blue Ribbon school. When Hereford was in the planning stages of its renovation, planners were careful to take into account the programs the school offered, and would offer in the future, in determining the proper space needed. This kind of analysis is essential for the future of Dulaney as well.
The County Executive is aware of the deficiencies of the current Dulaney plan and funding allocation, and has now ordered the County to recraft the existing plan to meet the needs of Dulaney High School now and into the future.
The question remains, however, WILL THE PRICE OF A PROPER REMODEL OF DULANEY BE SO HIGH THAT A NEW BUILDING MAY BE MOST COST EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVE?
I will continue to work on this issue to ensure that Dulaney High School gets the proper facility it needs for current and future classes of students.
~Wade
As always we welcome your comments on this issue below.
Thanks for this thoughtful analysis and for your work.
All students in Baltimore County (and Maryland!) deserve first class buildings and teachers.
Thanks, once again. Wade.
Renovation is not the answer. A new high school is needed.
The proposed amount for the renovation along with state funding will provide the necessary funds to begin building the needed new high school. It’s a shame that government leaders can’t review reports and funding analysis the way middle and high school level children [and their voting parents] can.
It’s time for “government leaders” to LISTEN to the constituents – current and future. Build a new high school. Period!
I started my teaching career in 1966, just a few years after Dulaney was opened in its current location. Though the next 30 years there were few major renovations and the biggest problems were not addressed. The addition with classrooms, auxiliary cafeteria, fitness room and dance facility were planned with NO input from the teachers that were employed. When I saw the location of the fitness room and the lack of security for that area, I requested a change. I wanted the addition to have a classroom that could be used for health. The locker room and showers in that addition were useless for classes.
The new plan needs to consult the teachers that are in residence there and not be just changes that an architect thinks would be good. Security needs to be considered.
I don’t know why I was emailed about rallying for updates to schools in well do to rich people areas when I live in Middle River. For decade after decade, the poorer communities have gotten the short end of the stick. The rich line the pockets of county politicians campaigns in exchange for favors such as schools in rich areas (Towson, Dulaney) receiving preferential treatment and funding. Why did you insult me and the rest of county residents in non-influential areas like middle river that are falling apart to ensure that rich and mighty of Towson have a shiny new school.