MIDDLE RIVER, MD—Baltimore County Councilman David Marks on Friday called the recently-prepared assessment of high school needs in northeastern Baltimore County unacceptable, and will introduce a resolution before the Baltimore County Council that calls for evaluating land for a new high school in the Eastside.

“After months of study, the school system’s planning firm ignored the County Council’s repeated calls to examine land in the Middle River area for a new high school site,” Councilman Marks said. “Instead, the consultant hired by Baltimore County Public Schools is recommending a new large building at Loch Raven High School, something opposed by residents in the past.

The report can be accessed online here.

On Tuesday, Councilman Marks will introduce a resolution asking the school system to evaluate the Lafarge property as a potential school site, which was requested by the County Council in a resolution in October.

“Baltimore County families are poorly-served by super-sized schools that cram students onto already-strained properties,” added Councilman Marks. “It’s plainly unacceptable that the school system won’t even evaluate undeveloped land.”

Since his election to the Baltimore County Council, Councilman Marks has pushed for new schools to reduce overcrowding, a problem that has vexed the county for decades. He has downzoned property to lighten development, and prioritized senior housing that does not impact schools.

By 2024, three new schools will have been built in the area that serves the Fifth District—Honeygo Elementary, which opened in 2018; Rossville Elementary, which opened in 2022; and the new middle school on King Avenue, set to open next year.