Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley announced Tuesday that he’s requesting more than $370 million for public school construction projects in the upcoming state budget.
His proposal includes more than $350 million in capital funding for the Public School Construction Program, a $40 million increase over last year, as well as $15.3 million for a bond program that supports public school projects and $6.1 million for a program focused specifically on aging schools.
O’Malley spoke of a visit to Germantown Elementary in Annapolis, where he saw “temporary learning shacks” at the 43-year-old campus.
An influx of funds to the Public School Construction Program, which allocates money to local districts, could be a boon for Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.
The state offered Montgomery County schools $24 million for construction last month, $160.5 million less than the district requested. Local officials are appealing the decision and hope to end up at around $40 million, as they seek to build new schools and add capacity to existing campuses amid an enrollment boom.
Similarly, Prince George’s $22.9 million allotment was significantly less than the $57.7 million they requested. Maryland is expected to dole out higher offers in the months ahead.
