Gov. Martin O?Malley took a seat in a row of Worthington Elementary School students to pound out a few beats on a drum before setting out on a tour of the partially renovated school.
His visit to the Ellicott City school Monday was his third stop to area schools to tout state school construction funding.
“If we don?t take care of them, they will crumble,” O?Malley told a crowded media room, referring to the state?s schools.
“There are so many projects we need to do in order to protect this important investment.”
O?Malley?s budget proposal included $14 million for seven school capital projects in Howard, dramatically less than the nearly $39 million the school system requested from the state.
Howard Superintendent Sidney Cousin said the Board of Public Works will increase this amount when it divvies up about $108 million yet to be allocated.
Many of Howard?s aging schools desperately need upgrades, officials said.
At Worthington Elementary, the 32-year-old school received new ceilings and light fixtures, new flooring, fresh paint and a new heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system, school spokeswoman Patti Caplan said.
The renovations also included moving the administrative office from the middle of the school to the front and building a covered entryway at the front door.
The first phase of renovation was completed last year, and the second phase is expected to begin this summer, Caplan said.
In fiscal 2007, nearly $4.5 million was spent on the renovations, $1.6 million of which was provided by the state, she said.
More than $6.6 million was set aside for the project in fiscal 2008, $3 million provided by the state. O?Malley?s fiscal 2009 proposal includes $3 million for Worthington Elementary.
With many schools between 30 and 40 years old, Howard is grappling with a backlog of school renovation and expansion projects, said Howard County Executive Ken Ulman, who joined O?Malley on the tour.
And even in the best economic times, school construction is never fully funded, Ulman said.
O?Malley visited a Prince George?s high school last week and a Baltimore County school earlier this month, where he announced his $333 million proposal for school construction funding in fiscal 2009.
