Crofton High School Construction Focus Of Public Hearing

CROFTON, MD — More than $50 million to build a Crofton high school will be discussed at a public hearing on Wednesday, Sept. 20, by the Anne Arundel County school board. According to a news release, the hearing will focus on Superintendent George Arlotto’s recommended Fiscal Year 2019 Capital Budget and six-year Capital Improvement Plan. The general session of the meeting, which is open to the public, will begin at 10 a.m.

Those wishing to speak in the public hearing can begin signing up at 9 a.m. Testimony will be limited to three minutes. The meeting can also be viewed live on the Internet here.

The six-year plan, which includes a $216 million capital budget for Fiscal Year 2018, charts the course for maintenance, renovation, and new construction projects through Fiscal Year 2024. After adoption by the board, the plan will be submitted to the State of Maryland for funding consideration. The plan will also be part of the school system’s overall FY2019 budget request, to be forwarded to County Executive Steve Schuh in February 2018 after the Board holds additional public hearings.

Arlotto’s recommendation allocates nearly $133 million to the following major projects, in priority order:

• Manor View Elementary renovation (construction), $3.8 million
• High Point Elementary renovation (construction), $4.5 million
• George Cromwell Elementary renovation (construction), $15.6 million
• Jessup Elementary replacement (construction), $7.9 million
• Arnold Elementary replacement (construction), $6.7 million
• Edgewater Elementary renovation (construction), $19.7 million
• Tyler Heights Elementary renovation (construction), $18.2 million
• Richard Henry Lee Elementary renovation (construction), $16.9 million
• Crofton Area High School (new construction), $54.8 million

In addition, Arlotto’s request includes $8 million for prekindergarten and kindergarten additions at Maryland City and Riviera Beach elementary schools and $10 million for classroom additions at Marley, Solley, and Glen Burnie Park elementary schools.

Dr. Arlotto’s proposed capital budget and six-year Capital Improvement Plan can also be found online.
Wednesday’s meeting will be held in the Board Room at the Parham Building, 2644 Riva Road, Annapolis. The board will meet at 8:30 a.m. to vote to go into closed session, during which time it will discuss confidential matters as permitted by law, including, but not limited to, legal advice, personnel, and negotiations. Closed session is not open to the public.

A complete agenda for the meeting accompanies this news release. More information on agenda items will be posted on the AACPS website in the Board Docs section under the Board of Education tab.

The general session of Wednesday’s Board meeting will be broadcast live on AACPS-TV, which can be found on Channel 96 on Comcast and Broadstripe, and Channel 36 on Verizon. High definition broadcasts can be seen on Channel 996 on Comcast, Channel 496 on Broadstripe, and Channel 1961 on Verizon. Rebroadcasts are scheduled for 7:00 p.m. the day after the meeting and 2:00 p.m. on subsequent Sundays.