Build Schools

County Executive Alsobrooks Testifies In Support of Built To Learn Act

Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks made it very clear: school buildings in the county are simply too old.

Alsobrooks appeared before the House Appropriations Committee Jan. 23 at the Lowe House Office Building (House Appropriations Committee) to testify in support of House Bill 1, the Built to Learn Act of 2020.

“The need for school construction funding in our county is great. We have a construction renovation backlog of $8.5 billion,” the county executive reported to the House Appropriations Committee.

She explained that the county’s schools are second oldest in the state’s school system – with buildings averaging 41 years old.

Last year, the county was successful in securing passage of legislation that established a Public-Private Partnership (P3) model for school construction projects in the county, allowing the County to build schools faster and at a cost savings.

Alsobrooks testified before the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee in support of the Build to Learn Act of 2019, which would give Prince George’s County an extra $1.8 billion to build 18 new schools, March 27, according to an April 2019 article in The Prince George’s Sentinel.

The Build to Learn Act overwhelmingly passed in the Maryland House of Delegates, 133 to three March 18.

If House Bill 1 (which is cross-filed with Senate Bill 1) passes, the county would receive state funding that could allow for construction of as many as 18 schools over the next seven years.

Alsobrooks joined Senate President Bill Ferguson, House Speaker Adrienne Jones, members of the county’s state delegation and elected officials from across the state for a press conference at Forest Heights Elementary School last November when House Bill/Senate Bill 1 was first announced. The school, half of which was being held up by large hydraulic jacks, was going through emergency repairs after it had been deemed unsafe for students at the start of the school year.

Prince George’s County has the second oldest school facilities in the state, with many buildings averaging 50-60 years old and at least one building that is 90 years old. The county currently has an $8.5 billion backlog for school construction and renovation projects.