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Schools

Superintendent Offers Preview of School System's Capital Budget

The $204.8 million capital budget for Anne Arundel County Public Schools in 2012-2013 funds many construction projects.

School board members got their first glance at next year’s budget on Wednesday, and among the items is a renewed .

Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) Superintendent Dr. Kevin Maxwell and his staff gave the board an early preview of the school system’s 2012-2013 capital budget. Of the two school system budgets, the capital budget mostly consists of construction projects. The operating budget, which includes teacher salaries, will be unveiled in December.

This year’s capital budget weighs in at $204,775,000, a bit heftier than last year’s request of $156.9 million, of which only $116.4 million was ultimately approved by the Anne Arundel County Council, the system’s funding agency.

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School board members touted a nearly $1.5 billion backlog of construction needs at the county schools, but the system requests a small amount to chip away at that figure each year.

“The need is always greater than the level of funding the county provides,” Maxwell said.

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A renovation for the Severna Park High School was set to be approved during this year’s budget cycle, but was removed at the last minute during talks with the council in favor of funding more elementary school overhauls. Some critics called the move politically motivated.

The high school is back on the roster this year and Maxwell said it’s his intention to keep it in, but it will once again be up to the council whether or not it stays this year.

“Clearly, we’ve made it a priority of ours,” Maxwell said. “But it’s truly a question of the council.”

If the project is approved this year, construction will begin in 2014. The total cost for the reconstruction is $116 million.

Among the other improvements in the capital budget this year are revitalizations and modernizations of existing schools, including the following facilities:

  • (revitalization)
  • (revitalization)
  • Phoenix Annapolis (modernization)
  • (revitalization)
  • Lothian Elementary (construction)
  • (construction)
  • (construction)
  • (construction)
  • (construction)
  • (construction)
  • Severna Park High School (replacement)

A full breakdown of the school system’s 2012-2013 capital budget can be seen in a PDF attachment to this article.

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