A group of parents and teachers opposes the school system's plans for a major construction project at Mount Hebron High School that could begin as early as the spring of next year if the county Board of Education follows the timetable set by Superintendent Sydney L. Cousin and his staff.
"We still see deficiencies in the plan," said Cindy Ardinger, head of the Help Mount Hebron Committee.
She said the group members want a slew of changes, including more square footage and classroom space than what the proposed $54 million plan offers. The group also wants the cafeteria and some hallways enlarged and the auditorium renovated.
A revised proposal last month by the school system would demolish the English and performing arts area of the school and replace it with a three-level building and renovate other parts of the building. The project would add 25,000 square feet to the school.
A schematic design will be brought to the school board for approval in April, said Ken Roey, executive director of facilities and management for the school system. Detailed design work is expected to be completed by July, and bid documents will be ready for approval by December, Roey said.
Ardinger said the group's alterations would be more expensive than the school system's plan, but she doesn't know how much more.
"We are making a wise investment," Ardinger said. "If it means delaying the project, then maybe that needs to happen. We need to be careful that we do not make decisions based on short-term limitations."
Ardinger said her group wants the school system to compare the cost of building a school with the cost of a partial renovation.
In the past, Ardinger has said her group wants a replacement school if the cost of the renovation exceeds or comes close to a new school.
"If we are going to do it, let's do it right," she said.
Ardinger, who was part of the school system's planning committee for the construction project at Mount Hebron, said she and other parents and teachers voiced opposition to the school system's plan before it was announced last month.
"From the very beginning, the committee members had questioned this," Ardinger said. "The decision was ultimately up to the superintendent."
In the meantime, Ardinger said her group wants to remain in contact with the school system.
"We want the dialogue to continue," she said. "We want to be part of the entire planning process."
john-john.williams @baltsun.com