Getting Set For A Fight

State, County Leaders Team To Make School $2 Billion In Construction Funding A Top Priority In Annapolis Thru Built To Learn Act

The biggest problem with Forest Heights Elementary School is that there are no students in it. The building isn’t safe for classes.

Like so many schools across the county, Forest Heights Elementary is in need of renovation and repair.

That’s what made it the perfect location for the announcement made by County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, outgoing Maryland Senate President V. Mike Miller, incoming Senate President Bill Ferguson, Maryland House Speaker Adrienne Jones, Senator Douglas J.J. Peters and a number of county and state leaders. Prince George’s County Public Schools CEO Dr. Monica Goldson and Forest Heights Mayor Habeeb-Ullah Muhammad were among the notables in attendance Nov. 6.

The leaders gathered to announce a call for $2 billion in state funding to support school construction across the state. They plan to fight for funding support.

During the 2019 session of the Maryland General Assembly, legislation was passed establishing the use of a Public-Private Partnership or P3 model for school construction in the county. Prince George’s County became the first jurisdiction in the region and the first county in the country to use this model for school construction. The process will allow the county to build schools faster and at a cost savings.

While the process is already underway, with the ability to build five schools in the next three years, the county continues to seek additional state funding that will increase those numbers to 18 schools over the next seven years.

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