A Message from Councilwoman Bevins

In just a few short weeks, our children will return to school for a new school year.  Some very exciting things are happening within our school system in Baltimore County, as a new Superintendent, Dr. S. Dallas Dance, officially took the reins as the BCPS top administrator last month.  I am impressed and excited by his desire for efficiency, and his vision for the future of Baltimore County’s public school system, and I am looking forward to joining Dr. Dance at several of the area schools later this month to welcome students and faculty back on the first day of school.

Year after year, Baltimore County is rated as one of the best public school systems in the nation, and we are fortunate to have some of the brightest and most dedicated teachers and faculty in the industry.  Still, I am often reminded that, despite our successes, we have many of the oldest school buildings in the state.  I find it troubling that, within the BCPS system, certain schools are perceived to be “better” than others.  I believe that all students deserve to be taught in a comfortable learning environment, with access to the highest level of attention, instruction, technology and resources available.

Over half of the tax dollars spent in Baltimore County are spent on education, and in these tough economic times especially, I believe that we need to ensure that this is money well spent.  After all, an investment in quality education is an investment in our future. 

Accordingly, I spend much of my time communicating with education administrators and officials to focus on ways to improve our schools.  I frequently advocate for physical improvements to bring the older schools in the 6th district up to current standards of the newer schools.  Over the past 20 months, I have been an advocate for the installation of air conditioning, new windows, infrastructure repairs, and other physical improvements at the local schools.

While it is simply not possible to have a new school built in each and every neighborhood, I am pleased that these efforts have resulted in funding and plans for several physical improvement projects, including air conditioning at Middleborough Elementary School, plumbing repairs and new windows at Overlea High School, and limited renovations at Parkville High School, among others. 
 
On that note, Dr. Dance recently announced that BCPS has created a new web page to improve community access to project information for its upcoming and ongoing school construction projects.  Site and floor plans are available for viewing online at: http://www.bcps.org/construction/.
 
I believe that education is one of the most important local government services, and although the County Council does not administer or oversee the public school system, I have made it a priority to advocate and work together with BCPS officials, administrators, teachers and parents to ensure that our youth continue to receive the individual attention and high quality education that they deserve. 


Cathy Bevins,
Councilwoman, Sixth District