School Board Reviews Next Budget Early, Construction Projects On Tap

The school board met Tuesday for an evening workshop on the $200 million capital budget for FY 2013 that lists the major construction projects that will be undertaken.

Schools’ Chief Operating Officer Alex Szachnowicz led a presentation to the board on the system’s 2013 capital improvement plan. The plan lists a series of 33 priority construction projects for the upcoming budget year, all with a price tag.

Among the priorities are:

• Twelve construction projects at county schools
• Ongoing open-space classroom enclosure program that will affect and Four Seasons elementary schools, Central Middle School and
• Replacing six special education buses
• A host of routine maintenance items
• A new plan to replace sidewalks at schools in need of them

The projects are prioritized in a list form in case the Anne Arundel County Council decides to remove any of them individually. Schools that are at capacity, or projects that have already been underway, are given a higher priority. Newer projects are lower on the list. The idea is to finish the construction cycle before moving on to a newer project, Szachnowicz explained.

’s revitalization, for example, is in its final year of construction. It is set to receive $12 million more in funding to complete the work at the school. Along with ’s revitalization, which will be closing out its third year, the two schools top the priority of the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) list among construction projects.

Priority No. 22 is $5.7 million toward a design for Severna Park High School’s replacement. The school’s construction timeline was set back one year during budget discussions with the county council. But this year’s funding will bring it one step closer to completion. Construction for the project is set to begin in 2014 with a three-year construction timeline.

Szachnowicz said if all goes well, “we’re going to stand that building up within 23 months.” The final year of construction will go toward tearing down the old building and replacing it with a parking lot.

One of the new projects listed in the CIP is a program to improve sidewalks around schools in residential areas. Szachnowicz said there were many schools in the system where students could feasibly walk to and from home, but there was no appropriate means of getting there.

“To a large extent in this county, we do not have a very robust sidewalk system,” he said.

By partnering with the county’s Public Works Department, the school system would launch a multi-year program to build new sidewalks and improve existing walkways around schools. The first step in the program will cost $250,000. Szachnowicz said implementing this program would cut back on the number of students using their bus systems.

Board Member Eugene Peterson called the program a boon for the school system and the students.

“I think it’s a good idea. It fights childhood obesity, it’s a win-win,” he said.

At the end of the presentation, Peterson said he wanted to make a long-term addition to the CIP—a 10-year investment program. Under Peterson’s plan, the school system would create a special fund into which they would invest $10 million each year, for a total of $100 million. The fund would be separate from other school money and would be used only for “our most urgent needs” at county schools.

Peterson said his logic was that bonds have never been cheaper, so there’s never been a better time for this. He suggested “modest” adjustments to the county’s tax structure to accomplish the payments.

“We could over a 10-year period make an enormous difference in the lives of children of this county,” he said. “What’s better than that?”

However, board member Deborah Ritchie expressed skepticism that Peterson’s concept would get a nod from their funding body, the county council. She suggested he run for council himself to get the support “from the inside.”

Peterson said he would make a motion at the next board meeting to add his investment plan to the CIP. He will need a majority of the board’s support to accomplish the motion.

A public hearing on the capital budget will be held at the board’s next meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. on Sept. 21. The public is invited to attend.