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Parents upset about overcrowding in Perry Hall schools

Posted at 4:50 PM, Feb 22, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-22 17:37:37-05

Perry Hall Middle School is already packed at nearly 112 percent of capacity. District projections that were just released show that number soaring, and by 2019 there will be almost 500 students above capacity stuffed into the school.

"The situation here is completely ridiculous, we are the largest middle school in the county and over capacity," said Perry Hall Middle School parent, Heather Bergan.

She was part of a concerned group that came together Wednesday afternoon demanding immediate action, saying they're fed up.

"I am asking the County Executive to help us by putting money in the budget for either the design of a middle school at the Nottingham Park site, which is already owned by Baltimore County, or to purchase land in Perry Hall for a middle school in Perry Hall," County Councilman David Marks said.

RELATED: Baltimore County elementary schools enrollment exceed capacity, report finds

Councilman Marks has already blocked the intensive development of more then 1,600 acres in his district.  But it's not enough, more families keep moving in.

By the 2018-2019 school year, projections show there will be more then 2,000 students crammed into the middle school and trailers that keep being added.

"We are getting absolutely no response on what's going to be done about this," said Bergan. "There's no plan, there's nothing, there's absolutely no plan."

Two weeks ago the BCPS Board of Education voted to add two amendments to the 2018 county budget. One would increase Transportation funding by $1 million so there are enough seats for students. The other funds a $250,000 enrollment study to come up with recommendations to fix the overloaded buildings.

"We know that we need to act now, we don't have a year to wait for the results of this study, there need to be short term solutions as well as long term," said Julie Henn, BCPS Board of Education Member at Large.

The board approved the budget, and It's now in the hands of County Executive Kevin Kamenetz. He's set to present his budget recommendations to the County Council in April.

ABC2 News reached out to his office for comment, but haven't heard back.

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