Md. District Approves $1.49 Billion Building Plan
ROCKVILLE, Md. — The Montgomery County Board of Education approved a $1.49 billion, six-year construction plan that will result in renovations or additions to 29 of the county’s 200 schools, as well as the construction of a new elementary and middle school in Clarksburg.
The plan, part of a $3.9 billion capital budget that increases capital spending for county schools by more than 17 percent, takes advantage of an estimated 30 percent drop in construction costs in the area over the last two years. It will go before the Board of Public Works and County Council in May for final approval.
As part of the plan, 18 schools will be renovated and modernized, including Paint Branch, Gaithersburg, and Wheaton high schools. Another 11 schools will be expanded, including 10 elementary schools at which gyms will be constructed. Additionally, Clarksburg High School, located in the county’s fastest-growing region, will be expanded in 2014. Clarksburg will also gain an elementary school in 2013 and a middle school in the Arora Hills region in 2015.
“The county executive is keenly aware that our outstanding school system is one of the main reasons Montgomery County continues to grow and that we must provide our students with up-to-date facilities in which to learn,” says Jerry D. Weast, county superintendent of schools. “The need is there and the time is right to build. This is a solid investment in the future of Montgomery County.”
Overall, the expansions and renovations will help the county deal with a predicted 4 percent growth in student population by 2014 compared with the 2009-10 school year.