Hollifield Station Elementary School PTA

Jeannie DeCray, PTA President

E-mail: hsespta@yahoo.com

School Address:

8701 Stonehouse Drive, Ellicott City, MD 21043

410-313-2550

 

 

 

Hollifield Station Elementary School  PTA

 Statement of Position Regarding Mt Hebron High School Renovation - April 9, 2008

 

 

 

The Hollifield Station PTA recognizes the progress made on developing a renovation plan that addresses the programmatic and functional needs of Mt. Hebron High School.  We are pleased with many of the Board of Education's  responses to the Help Mt Hebron concerns raised during the March 14th presentation.  The solutions to which BOE willingly committed, have moved HSES PTA  to agree in proceeding with the Mt Hebron Renovation project.  However, we respectfully request that the Board of Education and the HCPSS continue an open, and cooperative dialogue with the Mt Hebron Staff, Help Mt Hebron Committee,  and the Community on several, as yet, unresolved issues.

 

Unresolved Issues

  1. There is insufficient cafeteria space and no access to the courtyard as well as congestion in the hallways. We fear that the lack of gathering space and the limited access to the courtyard will result in escalating student body tensions.  Greater utilization of the courtyard for between class movement and student gathering will substantially reduce student tensions, permit overflow from the cafeteria and facilitate student interaction.  For the health and safety of our children, we urge the BOE to continue to work with Mt Hebron Staff, the Help Mt Hebron Committee,  and the Community to alleviate overcrowding conditions and to create access to space where students have room to gather and interact.

 

  1. The renovation will be disruptive.  It is imperative that all stakeholders, work together to oversee the project's implementation and work proactively to avoid any negative impact on the students' learning environment.  The HSES PTA strongly supports an Implementation Planning Committee comprised of Help Mt Hebron Committee members, PTSA, faculty, general staff,  and administration along with central office staff to discuss lessons learned from previous projects in and out of Howard County, identify potential scenarios, and to establish a mechanism to swiftly deal with and communicate problems as they arise.

 

  1. Communication has been an obstacle during this process.  All parties involved must work to maintain the dialogue now underway.  The Hollifield Station PTA requests that the Board of Education commit to establishing open, two-way communication channels that foster a cooperative spirit amongst Mt Hebron's staff, Help Mt Hebron Committee, and the Community.

 

  1. With respect to implementation, the Hollifield Station PTA strongly urges the Board of Education to clearly and publicly commit to fully implementing the plan and to also commit to seeking full funding for the plan in its second year.  We would be unable to support a plan that did not have the Board of Education recognizing and committing to the future obligations defined by this plan.  What has begun, must be permitted to finish.

 

 

 

HSES PTA wishes to express its appreciation for those members of the community who  tirelessly sought to inform and include our members, who advocated on behalf of the programmatic needs of current and future students of Mt Hebron,  and who sought to balance the need for fiscal discipline from a taxpayers perspective throughout this difficult process.  Equally, we appreciate the time and consideration that the BOE, County Council, and County Executive have given as they have listened to,  and addressed,  the many concerns raised by the various stakeholders in this project. 

 

 

 

Respectfully Submitted,

 

 

 

Jeannie DeCray

PTA President, Hollifield Station Elementary School