Governor Tours Dulaney High School

LUTHERVILLE-TIMONIUM, MD — Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan toured Dulaney High School on Monday, as part of a series of stops his administration made across Baltimore County. The high school is one area where community members hope the state will budget tax dollars to help build a replacement.

Dulaney High School was built in 1964, according to state school construction records. Since 2014, a group called the Friends of Dulaney High School has been advocating for new facilities at the school.

From utilities to the school's foundation, infrastructure has become problematic, community members say.

"Had a great time visiting Dulaney High School today!" Hogan said in posting photos of his visit on Monday. "It was a pleasure getting to know the students and faculty and getting a tour of some of the after-school programs they have, including robotics, HVAC and sports."

Principal Sam Wynkoop and Interim Superintendent of Baltimore County Public Schools Verletta White were part of the tour, according to Baltimore County Public Schools spokesperson Mychael Dickerson.

"Comptroller Franchot and I had been pushing to do something about this school for several years," Hogan told WJZ.

When Franchot visited Dulaney High School in September 2017, he said: "Trust me: Maryland is going to do right by Dulaney," after seeing building issues from the foundation cracking to electrical malfunctions closing off the stadium, according to ABC 2 News.

Replacing it is the "right thing to do," Hogan told ABC 2 News on Monday. "We're very excited about that."

County Executive Kevin Kamenetz said that he intends to allocate funding for a replacement school at Dulaney that would accommodate 2,300 students, according to a letter he addressed to White on Feb. 7. He said that data justified replacing the school, where 1,000 additional seats would be needed in the central corridor of Baltimore County.

"Thumbs up to County Executive Kamenetz for making the right call, and kudos to the Dulaney High School community - most notably, [parents and Friends of Dulaney High School] Jennifer Tarr and Yara Cheikh - for their long and tireless fight on behalf of future generations of Lions," Franchot said in reaction to the news last week.

"Having advocated for a new school for many years, I'm painfully aware of current learning conditions, and know how much this new school will mean for Dulaney students, teachers and families," Franchot said.

After touring the school last fall, Franchot posted the following on the Friends of Dulaney High School Facebook page: "I just wanted to take a moment to thank...all of the concerned teachers, parents and students who cared enough to invite me for a tour of Dulaney High. As a father, I would be heartsick if I had to explain to my own children why - in this, the richest state in the richest nation on earth - they had to go to a school with electric fences, brown tap water, flooded classrooms and no air conditioning. And as the state's chief fiscal officer, I can tell you that it's costly to the taxpayers and hurtful to an economy that relies on a good education system. It's unacceptable and it will change. Dulaney needs a new high school."

The Baltimore County executive will present his budget in April for FY 2019, which will be open for public hearings in May before the county council must vote on it.

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Images courtesy of Gov. Larry Hogan.