Progress with School Construction Task Forces
County Executive Jan Gardner today provided an update on school construction task forces that have been working to find solutions to overcrowding and rising construction costs while maintaining educational opportunities for students.
“I remain committed to investing in school infrastructure and exploring ways to save money and build our schools faster,” said Executive Gardner. “Many volunteers have been working hard on our local task forces and I want to thank them for all their efforts. We’re making progress to advance our projects while also protecting county taxpayer investments.”
The School Construction Roundtable Work Group will offer recommendations in the fall for ways to cut costs. They are looking for options to allow innovative construction techniques, cost-saving designs and efficiencies, and longer planning time while also seeking incentives from the state.
The Lease Option Task Force held a public meeting in June to examine the concept of leasing schools rather than constructing them. Since then, county and Frederick County Public Schools’ financial staff have found that a proposed option would have increased the cost of schools and disrupted construction of schools in the pipeline. Recommendations for state legislative from the task force are due by September 10.
Executive Gardner also discussed issues being addressed by the 21st Century School Facilities Commission on which she serves. She will share recommendations from the local task forces with the state commission to help them complete their work by December.
Citizens are encouraged to participate in the BOE public hearing on the Capital Improvement Plan scheduled for September 7. Visit www.fcps.org for more information.
