Despite somewhat harsh criticisms from Ike Leggett about Montgomery County schools’ portable classroom reduction plans, he’s allowing school officials to use so-called planning money to start the reduction process as scheduled.
During the county executive’s fiscal 2008 construction budget announcement, Leggett’s biggest surprise was that he called for administrators to hold off on moving children out of trailers by a year in order to have extra time to evaluate what he called a subpar five-year plan.
He also said he wanted administrators to use $1.8 million to restrategize in fiscal 2008.
But now — one day after the criticism was leveled — he’s giving the OK for administrators to use that $1.8 million for additions to Takoma Park and East Silver Spring elementary schools in lieu of revamping overall plans.
“We think it’s fine since it’s in the spirit of what we’re trying to do overall,” said Patrick Lacefield, the county’s chief information officer. “Both are additions that are being done in order to get the portables out of there, so it’s fine and dandy with us.”
Lacefield said Leggett still is in favor of changing the pace of the aggressive plan to reduce portable usage in half by 2012.
But the county executive is agreeable to skipping out on a total overhaul of the plan.
Leggett’s construction budget recommendations came as good news right off the bat to school officials, according to schools chief public information officer Brian Edwards.
The projects that Leggett suggested be bumped up also are priorities of the district’s, he said.
These include upgrading lab space at Poolesville and Wootton high schools, stadium lighting at Clarksburg High School and a cost increase for the modernization of Galway Elementary School.
