 |
| To address double-digit school enrollment, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett today joined County, school and State officials in urging the State to jumpstart a public school building program to increase capacity. Pictured (from left to right) are Delegate Sam Arora, County Councilmember George Leventhal, Delegate Ana Sol Gutierrez, Delegate Sheila Hixson, Council Vice President Craig Rice, Delegate Charles Barkley, Councilmember Roger Berliner (partially obscured), Leggett, Councilmember Valerie Ervin and Council President Nancy Navarro. See Press Release and Remarks of Janette Gilman, President, Montgomery County Council of PTAs. |
County Executive Ike Leggett joined County, school and State officials in urging the Governor and the Maryland General Assembly to support legislation -- similar to a bill passed last year for the Baltimore City Public Schools -- that would benefit Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). The legislation would jumpstart a public school building program to increase capacity and modernize facilities in response to MCPS’ double-digit enrollment surge that is expected to continue unabated into the future.
As Baltimore City did, the County would seek $20 million from the State of Maryland to leverage a $40 million investment by the County. The funds provided in the legislation would supplement the County’s share of new state authorizations for school construction, which has historically been only 11 to 12 percent. The $60 million revenue stream would support a bond issuance of about $750 million, which would fund construction projects over the next five years. The funding would provide for construction of 56 projects to add capacity at severely impacted schools.
From 2000-2012, MCPS grew by 14,599 students -- more than the growth of Anne Arundel, Howard, Frederick and Baltimore counties COMBINED over the same period. The County’s unprecedented increase in enrollment is the highest in the State and nearly half of MCPS schools are projected to have seat deficits by the 2018-2019 school year.
Read more.
