Officials: No middle school to be added in South Carroll

Mount Airy, Sykesville middle schools would get modernizations by 2013

Mount Airy and Sykesville middle schools are 100 and 150 students above their respective capacity, Caine said, and the numbers are not expected to grow until at least 2011 and 2015.

Instead, officials have decided to address the overcrowding problem by expanding the two middle schools by 2013.

This will allow the system to provide space for additional students and modernize the 50-year-old Mount Airy Middle School, according to the new facilities master plan for Carroll County Public Schools.

Officials took a fresh look at the needs of aging schools, evaluated enrollment projections and came up with the new solution.

Their decision also lined up with requests from parents, who for the last two years advocated for updating schools before directing money to a new building.

Sykesville and Mount Airy Middle were over what Carroll County Public schools considers to be ‘‘functional capacity” in fall 2007. ‘‘State-rated capacity” refers to a Maryland Department of Education standard; functional capacity refers to a higher standard set by Carroll County Public Schools.

According to state standards, Mount Airy Middle is at 93 percent of capacity, but according to county standards it is at 118 percent.

Earlier in the year, Carroll County schools conducted a study looking for schools that might need modernization. The study considers the physical condition of school buildings and their ability to meet educational requirements and standards.

Mount Airy Middle came in third on the list of 14 schools that are most in need for modernization, Caine said.

Charles Carroll Elementary and William Winchester were first and second, respectively. Sykesville Middle, however, did not make the list, and therefore will get an addition without being modernized.

The school system plans to start a full evaluation of Mount Airy Middle School in 2009, and complete design and construction in the following four years. When the school opens in August 2013, it should have about 250 more seats, Caine said.

Sykesville Middle School is also expected to be ready for students by 2013 and should gain about 150 seats, Caine said.

Plans, however, will depend on available funding, he added.

The facilities master plan, which was adopted on June 11, requires money that Carroll County commissioners direct toward school construction later in the year.

The proposal resonated well with parents, who said they are happy with expanding existing schools.

‘‘We want a facility that encourages learning,” said Todd Frager, acting president of the Sykesville Middle School. ‘‘I am happy that the facility issue is being addressed.”

But Rita Misra, a parent of two Mount Airy Middle School students and one at Parr’s Ridge Elementary, encouraged parents to continue advocating for the needs of Carroll County schools that need renovation.

‘‘There is still definitely a risk,” Misra said.

Together with other parents, Misra advocated for updating existing schools before constructing new buildings and giving equal opportunities to students in all county schools.

Misra considered the master plan a positive move toward addressing school construction problems, but it needs to be followed through by county commissioners.

‘‘The community really wants to make sure that the money doesn’t go to new construction,” she said. ‘‘It is definitely a step in the right direction ... but there is a lot of improvement that still needs to be done.”