The question of where to build a new high school is reigniting feuding between the Baltimore County Council and the school system.

Fifth District Republican Councilman David Marks said school officials are ignoring a request from the county council to consider a site at a former quarry in Middle River that is being proposed for development.

“For me, it’s galling that they have not even looked at this site,” Marks said.

“The county council is the funding authority for Baltimore County,” Marks said. “We ultimately appropriate money. And I just don’t understand why the school system ignores legitimate requests from multiple members of the county council.”

Charles Herndon, a spokesman for the county school system, declined to comment,

Officials have long called for a new high school in the fast-growing northeast part of the county.

On Tuesday, the school board will consider a proposed list of capital projects which includes replacing Loch Raven High School with a bigger building that can handle more students to help alleviate the overcrowding.

A Northeast High School study for the school system by Samara Associates and MK Consulting Engineers considered five options for easing the overcrowding. It recommended building a new Loch Raven.

The Middle River site Marks wants considered is not among the options.

“I know this is going to be expensive,” Marks said. “I know we have a new Dulaney High School and a new Towson High School in the budget. All I’m saying is that they should at least look at this other site.”

In a statement, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski appeared skeptical about the idea of building a new Loch Raven High School.

“We will carefully consider the initial study in the context of the minimal amount of community participation and amid the fiscal realities of our existing long-term, multibillion dollar roadmap to improve every school and address overcrowding throughout Baltimore County,” Olszewski said.

A 2021 consultant’s report came up with a $4.7 billion plan for renovating and replacing Baltimore County’s schools. It called for Loch Raven High to be renovated, not replaced.

New high schools cost around $150 million according to school officials. It took years for officials to agree to replace Towson and Dulaney High Schools.

Deciding which schools to build is a complicated dance between the school system and state and local officials. The county and the state pay for construction.

The school board is expected to pass its list of proposed school construction projects January 24. That list is then sent to Olszewski who will decide which projects he wants to fund in his budget which will be presented in April.

The county council last fall passed a resolution requesting the school system consider the feasibility of putting a new vocational high school on the site of what was once the LaFarge Quarry.

According to Marks, a developer plans to put warehouses on a portion of the 400 acre property. As part of the deal, which has not been finalized, 40 acres would be given to the county for a new high school.

If the school is not funded within five years, the county may then find another way to use the 40 acres.

On Tuesday, the county council will consider another resolution which again requests the school system to consider the LaFarge site for a new high school.

In a statement, Olszewski did not appear enthusiastic about the LaFarge site, saying his administration “has concerns about potential limitations of the site.”

It’s nothing new for council members to cross swords with school officials.

Last year, the county council lambasted the school system for chronically late school buses. Council members were miffed that they had heard little from the school system about the problem. Meanwhile their phones were blowing up with complaints from constituents.

It led to a majority of the council members calling for a nationwide search for a school superintendent. Darryl Williams’ four year contract ends in June.

“We’ve lost confidence in the superintendent and in the school system itself,” Republican Councilman Wade Kach said at the time.

Williams also angered council members over not telling them much about the November 2020 ransomware attack on the schools’ computer system.

“It seems to be a recurring problem,” Marks said.

Williams said at the time he could not go into details about the attack because it was under investigation.