I read the story in the Sept. 21 edition of the Towson Times ("Towson-area enrollments prompt study for new elementary school"), and know from previous news coverage over the years about the overcrowding in our school system.

First off, when I attended Baltimore County public schools, there was no such thing as overcrowding. That was because we did not have an overpopulation issue then.

Just looking at the block where I live, there are 26 homes. Of those, 11 have school-age children (under 18). There are 31 school-age children in those 11 homes — that equals 2.82 school-age children per household.

Think of how those numbers will effect the future job market, demand for utilities and natural resources; solid waste, carbon gases, etc.

What happened to the days when one or two children in a household was the norm?

I offer a solution: government should continue to allow the deduction for dependent children — one per adult taxpayer per household.

For any additional children in the household over and beyond that, the taxpayer would not be able to claim the deduction, but instead, would have to pay the deduction amount each year for each additional child who is a dependent.

This could help curb overpopulation and, at the same time, help us with our federal revenue shortfall.

William Wiesand

Towson