Glen Geelhaar
2514 Windsor Rd
Parkville, Maryland 21234
December 26, 2014
Dear Harry(H.B) Bhandari,
LIA President/Leader Democratic Party
I am Glen Geelhaar, and on September 10th, 2014, I set out on a journey to let people know why Parkville would be the perfect place to build the new North-East Elementary school.
First, like many established neighborhoods in Baltimore County, older residents are moving into Senior living communities. Their cherished homes are being purchased by first time home buyers who are eager to have a family in a great neighborhood. Unfortunately, our schools are feeling the pinch. Here are some recent numbers from our area:
Fullerton Elementary School capacity 463 Total enrollment 608
Perry Hall Elementary School capacity 528 Total enrollment 714
Carney Elementary School capacity 574 Total enrollment 573
Villa Cresta Elementary School capacity 637 Total enrollment 675
Oakleigh Elementary School capacity 496 Total enrollment 579
I grew up on Avondale Rd and attended Parkville Elementary, Middle, and Senior High schools. Parkville Elementary was part of the North-East area as is the Middle and High School. However, when Parkville Elementary was closed, the children living around Parkville Middle School were moved to the Central School district schools of Villa Cresta and Oakleigh.
This is why I am so excited to inform you of an amazing opportunity to build the school right here in Parkville while restoring balance back to the school districts. Baltimore County owns a 44 acre property located at 7704 Bel Air Rd-3601 Hiss Av. That’s right, this property is so amazing that it actually has two addresses. The distance between the Ridge Rd Proposed site and the 7704 Belair Rd entrance is just 2.5 Miles. The distance to the 3601 Hiss Avenue side is 3 miles. This property is relatively clear of trees for the construction of the new school unlike the Ridge Rd property too.
In addition, I believe that the County would save considerable construction costs by choosing the Hiss Avenue site. Our neighboring Parkville Middle School and Double Rock Park already have Athletic Fields and Tennis Courts to support the children in the Community. The original Parkville Elementary school simply had a tot lot and a basket ball court for recess. This is all the new school would need as well. Also, by building the North-East Elementary school here and shifting the children who live around Parkville Middle back to the North-East area where they started, Oakleigh in Central would eliminate the need for an addition.
Lastly, according to the NEA Education Policy and Practice Department, Successful school-parent- community partnerships are not stand-alone projects, but are well integrated with the school’s overall mission and goals. Parent-school-partnerships improve schools, strengthen families, and build community support and increase student achievement and success. The Parkville community has consistently demonstrated strong partnerships with our schools. Whether it was the Hiss Avenue Halloween Parade, or the Parkville Elementary Fun Fair PTA fund raiser, the residents showed their support! As recently as February 14th, 2011, The Parkville Community lined Hiss Avenue while the President of the United States visited Parkville Middle. It was the President himself who said it best; “Over the last few weeks I’ve traveled the country, talking about what we need to do to win the future; talked about the need to invest in innovation, so that the next big idea is discovered here in the United States of America. I’ve talked about the need to invest in high-speed rail and high-speed Internet, so that companies can move goods and information faster than ever. And this week, I’ll be talking about the need to invest in education -– in places like Parkville -– so that every American is equipped to compete with any worker, anywhere in the world.”
The President believes we need to invest in education in places like Parkville. The residents and community leaders want to make the new Parkville Elementary school, like our Middle school, a place that all of Baltimore County can be proud of as one of our Nation’s best! All we are asking is for you to believe in us too and build our new Parkville Elementary School.
Sincerely,
Glen Geelhaar