Talbott Springs Plans Continue, Principal Says

COLUMBIA, MD — The principal at Talbott Springs Elementary School says that a replacement school is still the plan for the aging structure. Since the current school building on Basket Ring Road was erected in 1973, it has undergone two additions and one minor renovation.

The process of building a new school or renovating an existing one entails conferring with state and local officials and justifying the cost to get funding.

After the state questioned enrollment projections and boundaries connected with replacing Talbott Springs, the Howard County Public School System reports is working on its response.

No new issues have developed since the school board voted to move forward with replacing the school and responding to the state's questions in May, according to Principal Nancy Thompson. She also said that she had fielded concerns about an article in the Howard County Times that alleged the school system had hit new "snags" in the project.

"This plan has not changed and no new information has been presented or questions raised by the state in the past few months as the story seems to suggest," Thompson said Tuesday. "Instead, HCPSS has shown a good faith effort in collaborating with the county government and elected officials to advance plans for a replacement school. The County Executive, Council and BOE have all expressed their support for the replacement over a renovation."

The Howard County Board of Education voted on May 17 to move forward with the replacement of the school, agreeing to review and respond to issues raised by the state.

"The Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) is continuing to move forward with plans to have a replacement building in place for Talbott Springs students and community by 2022," Thompson said.

The school board voted in May to take the following course of action in response to the state's questions:

Said Thompson: "I appreciate all of your advocating efforts for a needed new building that will ensure a safe and healthy learning environment for our children. I also appreciate the collaborative efforts of the County Executive, County Council, and school system leadership in making this happen."

Here was a summary of the issues that resulted in the shift in plans, presented at the May 17 Board of Education meeting:

Rendering of Talbott Springs Elementary and Powerpoint slide via HCPSS/Board Docs.