The Board of Education of Anne Arundel County will conduct a public hearing on Superintendent George Arlotto’s recommended Fiscal Year 2017 Capital Budget and six-year Capital Improvement Plan during its next regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, September 16, 2015.
The six-year plan, which includes a $159.9 million capital budget for Fiscal Year 2017 and was built upon recommendations from the updated 2015 MGT school facilities study, charts the course for maintenance, renovation, and new construction projects through Fiscal Year 2022. After adoption by the Board, the plan will be submitted to the State of Maryland for funding consideration. The plan will also be part of the school system’s overall FY2017 budget request, to be forwarded to the County Executive in February 2016 after the Board holds additional public hearings.
Dr. Arlotto’s recommendation allocates nearly $74.6 million to the following pre-existing renovation projects, in the priority order below:
- Severna Park High replacement (construction), $5.2 million
- Manor View Elementary School renovation (construction), $15.1 million
- High Point Elementary renovation (construction), $17.8 million
- George Cromwell Elementary renovation (design), $2.7 million
- Jessup Elementary replacement (construction), $17.4 million
- Arnold Elementary replacement (construction), $16.4 million
Based on the updated Strategic Facilities Utilization Master Plan developed by MGT of America and presented to the Board of Education on September 2, Dr. Arlotto’s Fiscal Year 2017 capital budget recommendation also includes feasibility study and design funding for Edgewater Elementary School ($3.5 million), Tyler Heights Elementary School ($3.7 million), and Richard Henry Lee Elementary School ($3.2 million). The plan also includes $6.7 million design funding for a new high school in the Crofton area. All were among the highest priority schools listed in the MGT study.
Dr. Arlotto’s recommendation also includes $10 million for prekindergarten and kindergarten additions at Odenton, Woodside, and North Glen elementary schools; $10 million for gymnasium additions at Woodside and Millersville elementary schools; and $7 million for open space enclosures at Chesapeake High School.
Dr. Arlotto’s proposed capital budget and six-year Capital Improvement Plan can be found online here.
Wednesday’s meeting will be held in the Board Room at the Parham Building, 2644 Riva Road, Annapolis. The Board will meet at 4:45 p.m. to vote to go into closed session, during which time it will discuss confidential matters as permitted by the Maryland Open Meetings Act including, but not limited to, legal advice, personnel, and negotiations. Closed session is not open to the public. The general session of the meeting, which is open to the public, will begin at 7:00 p.m.
The public hearing is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m., but could begin sooner depending on the length of other business on the agenda before it. Speakers will be limited to three minutes. Those who wish to testify can begin signing up at 6:00 p.m.
A complete agenda for the meeting accompanies this news release. More information on agenda items will be posted on the AACPS website in the Board Docs section under the Board of Education tab.
The general session of Wednesday’s Board meeting will be broadcast live on AACPS-TV, which can be found on Channel 96 on Comcast and Broadstripe, and Channel 36 on Verizon. High definition broadcasts can be seen on Channel 996 on Comcast and Channel 496 on Broadstripe. Rebroadcasts are scheduled for 7:00 p.m. the day after the meeting and 2:00 p.m. on subsequent Sundays.
The meeting can also be viewed live on the Internet here.
Archived videos of Board meetings can be found online here.
BOARD BUDGET WORKSHOP
The Board will also hold a public workshop on Dr. Arlotto’s recommendation at 6 p.m. on September 15, 2015, in the Board Room at the Parham Building. The workshop is open to the public, but no public testimony will be taken.