Montgomery County Council members on Tuesday approved a measure giving $2.1 million to the school system to renovate and replace aging portable classrooms.
The unanimous vote Tuesday will “significantly address” concerns about improperly ventilated rooms, excessive mold and mildew, and sagging structures.
The funding will enable the school system to replace six classrooms at Bells Mill, Potomac, Summit Hall and Fairland elementary schools. The school system has to pay to return 121 units to the manufacturer due to indoor space made available by expansions and additions, and relocating existing structures at three more schools.
“This is in no way going to eliminate” portables, Leventhal said, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Montgomery County Public Schools does not have a full assessment as to whether mold problems are more widespread. Parents have said that two classrooms at Bells Mill had to be taken out of service because children developed illnesses while attending classes in them. The rooms were converted to storage space.
The school system has submitted a long-term plan that would mean eliminating another 246 temporary classrooms by 2012 if fully funded. Rooms in good shape will be used to replace older units at other schools, when possible.
