Let the “begathon” begin.
Officials from most every county in Maryland today will traipse up the broad State House stairway to the governor?s ornate reception room to plead for money to build and renovate schools from the Board of Public Works ? the governor, comptroller and treasurer.
The annual pilgrimage by school boardmembers, executives, and legislators has come to be called the begathon.
The name rankles Del. Curt Anderson, chairman of the Baltimore City delegation. “I just refuse to call it a begathon,” Anderson told his fellow lawmakers Friday. The city shouldn?t have to beg for what it?s entitled to, Anderson believes.
For more than 30 years, there has always been less money available than there are needs to put up new schools and renovate old ones.
County executives throughout Maryland have told Gov. Martin O?Malley that school construction funding is their top priority, in addition to finding more operating money for schools. He has promised to put a record $400 million into construction.
The city has perhaps one of the most difficult situations in the state. Until the 1960s, Baltimore had more than half the population of the state, and “we have clearly the oldest set of buildings in the state,” said Brian Morris, chair of the city school commissioners.
But because it has declining number of students, the city is under order from the legislature?s budget committees and the state school board to close more schools. At the same time it wants to build new schools to replace antiques and rehabilitate older buildings.
“We want to close schools to build schools,” said Morris. “That?s our position.”
“We can?t move kids from a dilapidated school to a more dilapidated school” and expect to improve their performance, said Del. Maggie McIntosh, a veteran city delegate and committee chair.
The city is asking for $145 million in projects, but the Interagency Committee on School construction has recommended only $27 million be funded. Other jurisdictions face similar discrepancies, and statewide there is pent-up need of more than $3 billion ? and that?s just for basic facilities.
