I recently joined several other parents who spoke before the Annapolis City Council in support of a measure introduced by Aldermen Marc Rodriguez, Rob Savidge and Ross Arnett to strengthen the city’s law on school overcrowding.

As a parent of two children in Anne Arundel County Public Schools and as a member of the Annapolis Education Commission, I have seen firsthand the detrimental impact of overcrowding on our students, teachers and schools, including excessively large classes — of up to 38 students! — and increased reliance on portable classrooms at Hillsmere and Tyler Heights elementary schools and Annapolis High School.

I support ordinance O-8-18 and believe two amendments deserve consideration.

First, the capacity threshold should be set at 100 percent rather than 95 percent. My understanding is that the county law has been at 100 percent for years and the recent change to 95 percent was only temporary. In three years, or when the County General Development Plan passes, it will return to 100 percent.

Second, the law should apply to developments of four or more units, rather than 11 or more.

The city should simply bring its law in line with the county’s, and these two changes will achieve that goal. I hope more residents will contact the mayor and City Council about this win-win ordinance that can help prevent overdevelopment and ensure that our children get the better-quality education that they deserve.

ALICE CAIN, ANNAPOLIS

Editor’s note: The writer is a Democratic candidate for House of Delegates in District 30A.

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