'Students in the HdG Community Deserve the Same Opportunities': Glenn

As County Executive Barry Glassman gets settled into his new role, one Havre de Grace city councilman made sure to get a word in on behalf of the effort to build a new Havre de Grace High School (HHS).

“I recognize that we are facing an era of increasing budget uncertainty and funding shortfalls,” Councilman David Glenn (HHS class of 1975) wrote in a five-page letter to Glassman.

Earlier this week Governor-Elect Larry Hogan reported that Maryland can expect a $1.2 billion budgetary shortfall over the next two years, according to The Washington Post. At the county level, Glassman has pledged to make government “more efficient” through various cost-cutting measures. He also said that he was more concerned with getting “human capital” in order before moving on to capital projects, The Aegis reported.

Related: Glassman Issues 8 Executive Orders to Streamline County Government

“...as you develop the path forward on behalf of the children of Harford County, I encourage you to keep an open mind,” Glenn said in his letter to Glassman, who graduated in the HHS class of 1980.

“The students in the Havre de Grace community deserve the same opportunities for educational success as those in other parts of the county,” said Glenn.

He cited a state-commissioned survey in which 40 percent of HHS students said “my school is a good place to work and learn,” versus 85 percent statewide who agreed with the statement and 84 percent in Harford County.

Glenn urged taking a longer look at the project to build a new school, citing the following issues with the current HHS:

• Security concerns
• Safety concerns
• Technological shortcomings
• Facility infrastructure
• Magnet programs

Read the full from letter from Glenn here.

Currently, the state and Harford County have put funding toward planning for a new combined high school and middle school. However, Glassman told The Aegis that the school board’s proposed $26.3 million for construction of the new schools was a “sizable commitment” that he would have to “...wait and look at...” before taking action.

Related:

• Sneak Peek at New Havre de Grace Middle/High School
• Maryland Comptroller Visits HHS
• Second Consecutive HHS Alum to Serve as County Executive
• Harford County School Board Approves Plan for HdG Middle/High School
• Glenn: Six Reasons Why New High School is Needed
• State Provides Funding for HdG Middle/High School Project