Schools, County to Launch Facilities Study

From the AACPS Communications Office:

Anne Arundel County Public Schools and the Anne Arundel County Government are teaming up to conduct a new study of school system facilities across the county and develop a new blueprint for renovation and construction over the coming decade.

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The $313,667 contract between MGT of America and the County calls for work to be performed and a report submitted in time to shape decisions for the Fiscal Year 2017 capital budget, which will be presented to the Board of Education in September.

“I am very pleased that we are in a position where this study is getting off the ground, and that later this year we will have a product that will better reflect the landscape of our county and the needs of our school system so that we can make practical and prudent decisions regarding school construction,” Superintendent George Arlotto said. “This blueprint will be a guiding document for all of us in terms of not only our structural needs, but the funding required to address those needs.”

MGT, which conducted the 2006 study on which the last decade of school construction projects has been based, will use some of the information it has on hand from that effort as well as new information gleaned from this initiative.

“This study is a crucial partnership between the Council, school board, superintendent, and County government,” said County Executive Steve Schuh. “I believe it is a good first step towards quantifying our infrastructure needs and changing our school construction dynamic to build smaller neighborhood schools in our county.”

As part of the process, MGT will:

• review the current and future facility implications of the educational programs delivered by the district, including an examination of class and school size (inclusive of small school models) in relation to peer districts and best practices.
• update the household yield rates used in the district’s enrollment projections.
• refine the district’s facility capacity ratings and enrollment projections to develop utilization rates by school and determine the need for new schools or additions to existing schools.
• assess building and site condition, technology readiness, and educational suitability of existing facilities through site visits to each school.
• gather public and stakeholder input by conducting public meetings, an online survey, and interviews with county and school system leadership.
• identify budgets for short-term and long-term recommendations.

The timeline calls for the study’s recommendations will take shape in July, with a final report to the Board of Education due in August.