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Baltimore County Council objects to building new Dulaney High School

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The majority of the Baltimore County Council sent a letter to County Executive Kevin Kamenetz objecting to his plan to fund a new Dulaney High School in the 2019 budget.

The letter says the council members are aware of the problems the school faces but it's not a fiscal reality for the County at this time.

The council members went on to say any project of this magnitude should be the decision of the next administration.

"We are very mindful of the pressing needs of Dulaney and other deserving schools, and we recognize the political landscape has changed. But, so, too, has the fiscal landscape, and we view it as our role to ensure that it is not made worse by last minute, late-term decisons."

Kamenetz is running for Governor this year.

The council ends the letter by saying, "It would be irresponsible for us to ignore the fiscal reality, and therefore we cannot now support the inclusion of planning funds in the capital program for this new school building."

Kamenetz's Chief of Staff responded to the letter saying the County Executive announced his intention to include planning money for two new schools in the central/northeast corridor back in September. He also says the School Board in September unanimously passed a budget that included new schools for both Towson and Dulaney.

"Recent projections suggest that the central corridor will need more than 1,000 new high school seats in the next ten years. In light of that new information, a new Dulaney High school with 350 additional seats, along with a new Towson High School, is the most cost-effective solution."

Last Wednesday, Kamenetz announced his plans to include money for a new Dulaney High School in the FY2019 budget plan.

The budget is expected to be submitted to the County Council in April.