Nearly all speakers implored school board members to keep plans to renovate Frederick High School and replace North Frederick Elementary School on schedule.

The audience applauded Board of Education President Jean Smith's announcement at the beginning of the hearing that the board had voted to build a new North Frederick Elementary, rather than renovate the old. North Frederick parents, students and staff members dominated the crowd of about 50.

The request has been made to the state for approval to build a new school and tear down the old, Smith said.

Peggy Younkins, a 30-year FCPS teacher, called North Frederick a "school on the move." She said her students deserve a clean, healthy, safe place to learn, where the classrooms are neither too hot nor too cold.

North Frederick Principal Kathy Prichard told school board members that she knows they value students.

"It really is our turn," she said. "I ask you to work urgently and diligently to keep our project on schedule."

A couple of speakers complained of late notice about the hearing, apparently announced Sept. 4.

Smith took responsibility for the rushed process. She said the board's prolonged redistricting process prevented Ray Barnes, the school system's executive director of facilities services, and staff from working on the facilities plan. Barnes needed the final feeder pattern information to finish the annual update, Smith said.

Barnes has to submit the plan to the state by Oct. 6. Given the late notice of the hearing, Smith said the school board would accept comments up to Sept. 23, when the board will vote on the plan.

Janice Spiegel, past president of the PTA Council of Frederick County, said she is concerned that "lines were blurred last year between the capital budget and operating budget like never before."

"I'm already disheartened to see less than a collaborative effort between the two sides of Church Street. We had an elected official who said it was time to slaughter the sacred cow," she said, referring to comments made at a Sept. 8 Board of County Commissioners meeting. "Who is our sacred cow? Is it our children?"

Spiegel has recommended creation of a joint committee comprised of commissioners and school board members to work through the budget process. She thinks such a committee might make the process less acrimonious.

Smith told Spiegel that the board has recommended creating the committee.

Supporting the renovation of Frederick High, Alex Ayer, a senior and president of the Student Government Association at the school, used humor in his message to board members.

He jokingly talked of mixing up history facts with parts of the brain because he can overhear a nearby history teacher while he's trying to concentrate on his psychology class. Frederick has open classrooms, the result of an education trend whose time has come and gone, Principal Denise Fargo-Devine said after the meeting.

Frederick 's hallways are so crowded during class exchanges that it's dangerous, Alex said.

"And many of the lockers don't work so students carry all of their books and coats with them," he said.

The Educational Facilities Master Plan Annual Update can be viewed at www.fcps.org.

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