Baltimore County agrees to limit overcrowding in schools, allow more affordable housing units
BALTIMORE -- Baltimore County took a step forward to reduce classroom over-capacity in its schools.
In a meeting Monday night, the county council passed a bill that limits overcrowding from 115% to 105% while also allowing the county to build federally required affordable housing units.
Passing the bill follows month of back-and-forth debate between council members on how to address overcrowding in county classrooms.
In a vote along party lines, the county council voted to reduce classroom overcrowding gradually through October 2028. Getting to this point was a complicated process involving controversy and a veto from the county executive.
"It's about reducing and preventing schools from being overcrowded. The one thing we need to do as a governing body and Baltimore County is we need to ensure that we can provide a quality education," Council Chairman Izzy Patoka said.
The council approved a bill to reduce classroom overcrowding in June, which included limiting new housing developments from being built in overcrowded districts. It was vetoed by County Executive Johnny Olszewski, and then the council overrode that action, passing the original bill.
In a press conference, Olszewski explained his concerns that the bill would not allow new affordable housing units to be built in an overcrowded district.
Because of an agreement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the county must build about 250 more attainable housing units by 2027. That will meet its goal of 1,000 new units since 2016.
A clarification bill was also passed on Monday night, creating an exception saying affordable housing units can be built in over-capacity districts, so the county stays in line with a federal agreement to build attainable housing units.
"In the past, we could allow 115 students in 100 seats in Baltimore County. That's just bad math," Patoka said.
Also included in the bill is a committee to create additional recommendations to address overcrowding, which would consist of 11 members from the various council districts and other appointees. It also eliminates an adjacency rule, which said students could be placed in neighboring districts if theirs was overcrowded.
"I'm pleased that the adjacency roll has been removed. It was the most problematic piece, but I think there's more to do in terms of finding solutions for overcrowded schools. And part of it is redistricting. And part of it is new construction and renovations," Yara Cheikh, a member of the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) Task Force, said. "We just need to keep that momentum up as we move forward."
Chairman Patoka says this issue stems back to 2020 when the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance task force was created and issued recommendations to reduce overcrowding. Those ideas sat idle until this year.
In a statement on social media, County Executive Johnny Olszewski said he is grateful to the council for addressing some of his administration's concerns with the bill.
During this process, the county executive said his administration has already opened seven new schools with two more on the way this year.
"We have an obligation as Baltimore County government and Baltimore County school system to provide quality education, irrespective of whether you are a child coming out of a market or if you are a child student coming out of an affordable housing," Patoka concluded.
Chairman Patoka says passing this bill is critical for families who already live in Baltimore County. He believes this bill will improve education quality and make the area more attractive for new families.