The Board of Education tonight unanimously approved its official Fiscal Year 2022 Capital Budget request of $234.5 million that contains $188 million for major capital projects that include new construction, replacement projects, renovations and additions.
The Board passed just one amendment to the plan recommended by Superintendent George Arlotto. That amendment prioritized the boiler replacement at Studio 39 within the Maintenance Backlog Reduction line item.
The Board’s request allocates $75.8 million for construction of Old Mill West High School, to be built on the site of the current Papa John’s Farm on New Cut Road in Severn. The request also contains more than $98 million for the following major projects, in priority order:
- Quarterfield Elementary School, construction ($23.7 million)
- Hillsmere Elementary School, construction ($20.2 million)
- Rippling Woods Elementary School, construction ($29.9 million)
- West County Elementary School, design/construction ($19.6 million)
- Old Mill Middle School South, design/construction ($4.8 million)
Also included is $10.0 million for full-day kindergarten and prekindergarten additions at Van Bokkelen, Sunset, Brock Bridge, and Meade Heights elementary schools, and $4.0 million for a four-classroom addition at Southgate Elementary School.
The plan will be part of the school system’s overall FY2022 budget request, to be forwarded to the County Executive. The County Council will review the County Executive’s proposal and adopt a final capital budget for the school system by June 2021.