Days before the new school year, Poolesville parents still fear potential harm from campus construction

POOLESVILLE, Md. — 7News is On Your Side, following ongoing construction at Poolesville High School that has some parents worried for their kids’ health and possible exposure to hazardous chemicals.

Students return to campus for the 2023 school year in just seven days--on August 28.

Months ago--some students experienced symptoms like "headaches and nausea" off and on during construction at the school.

"Earlier on there was kind of debris and dust as they were walking outside the buildings in between classes, and then later on--the air quality, indoor and outdoor, strong tar smells, kids getting sick," parent Cindy Fang described...

Days before start of the school year, Poolesville parents still fear potential harm from campus construction | WJLA

Poolesville High School Closed at 1 PM Today Due to On Site Construction

Due to the impact of construction activities, Poolesville HS will be closing at 1pm. All after-school activities are canceled. @PHSathletics @MrCarothersPHS

— Poolesville AD (@PHSFalcons18) February 14, 2023

County Planning Board approves gymnasium project at Silver Spring International Middle School

 From Bethesda Beat, reporter Caitlynn Peetz. Full story here.

The Montgomery County Planning Board this week gave its approval to a proposed project at Silver Spring International Middle School that aims to eliminate accessibility problems associated with the school’s physical education program.

The project includes demolishing an abandoned auditorium that is not connected to the Wayne Avenue school and constructing a new indoor gymnasium and locker room area that is connected to the school building, according to Planning Board documents.

And:

The project, when originally announced in 2018, was more extensive, aiming to increase the school’s capacity and create a “unique identity” for the adjoining elementary school. The project originally included demolishing the front section of Silver Spring International and building a new, three-story addition with a larger cafeteria, more parking and additional classrooms. 

Maryland leaders propose record $2.2 billion to quickly build, repair schools

...The $2.2 billion would be in addition to the roughly $400 million per year that Maryland already dedicates to fixing school buildings. The Maryland Stadium Authority would oversee construction and issue revenue bonds to cover the costs. The debt would be repaid over decades, using $125 million per year out of about $538 million in tax receipts generated by Maryland’s casino industry...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/maryland-leaders-propose-record-22-billion-to-quickly-build-repair-schools/2019/11/06/c5c4a63a-00a3-11ea-8bab-0fc209e065a8_story.html

2019 Report: Maintenance of Maryland’s Public School Buildings. MCPS "semi-annual roof assessments were not being completed... and relocatables appear positioned too close together..."

STATE OF MARYLAND INTERAGENCY COMMISSION ON SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION FY 2019 Annual Report October 1, 2019

From the Report on Page 40:

MONTGOMERY COUNTY

Thirty-nine schools were assessed in April and
May 2019. Original existing square footage at
these schools range from 1936 to 2017, with
adjusted building ages ranging from 2 years to
49 years. Eleven of the schools assessed this
year had an adjusted building age of 30 or more
years.
Montgomery County Public Schools is the
largest school system in Maryland with 210
school facilities totaling 24,510,372 square
feet.
This year, roofing conditions seemed to need
additional attention as 14 of the 39 assessed
schools received Not Adequate or Poor scores
for this category. It appeared that the required
semi-annual roof assessments were not being
completed or were not completed accurately. If
routine assessments of the roof and other
areas throughout the buildings were performed
more often or thoroughly, MCPS would likely
identify and prevent many of the deficiencies
found during the IAC assessments.

The setup of the newer relocatable classrooms,
like those at Clarksburg Elementary, is of
concern as well. The downspouts are not being
extended down and diverted away from the
structures; this allows water to flow down the
siding and the wood to rot more quickly. In
addition, the relocatables appear positioned
too close together—approximately 1-3 inches
apart—allowing the elements to enter the
space which will slowly rot out the siding and
cause other potential issues, but also be
inaccessible to maintenance personnel unless
the walls are removed from the inside. This will
eventually become costly to repair and require
funding repairs that could and should have
been prevented.

http://iac.maryland.gov/Reports/FY%202019%20Maintenance%20Survey%20Report.pdf?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

State To Hold Counties Harmless for School Construction Funding

Last year, the authority to grant funding for public school construction projects switched from the Board of Public Works (made up of the Governor, Comptroller, and Treasurer) to the IAC through the 21st Century School Facilities Act, which passed through the Maryland General Assembly in 2018. During the IAC’s September 12 meeting, the major topic was adoption of Fiscal Year 2021 and Fiscal Year 2022 State Cost Shares. The Commission discussed the table of comparisons for state cost share and there was agreement that this was not the appropriate time to be cutting funding for local LEAs. Maryland State Superintendent of Schools Karen Salmon suggested holding counties harmless and this motion was adopted by the Commission...

...The graphic above  was given to Commission in advance for their consideration. By holding counties harmless, the counties that would have had a negative “difference” (Carroll, Frederick, Harford, and Queen Anne’s) will retain their FY 2019/FY 2020 calculations of funding. Baltimore City was treated separately. While the City was not held harmless from a reduction in it’s state share, the Commission approved a motion to revise the State Cost Share formula to be consistent with the statutory change defining Tier 1 counties, to include a 24-month grace period to factor unemployment rate and income level. As a result of this motion, Baltimore City’s state share percent will actually increase by 3% over the prior year. Counties that were calculated to receive increased funding will still receive the allocated amount of new funding.

The IAC also adopted a common definition of pay-as-you-go funding as required by HB 1738. The need for this common definition is because some counties use sources of local revenue other than General Obligation bonds or traditional PAYGO, such as specific revenues from dedicated sources. To most effectively capture these various funding mechanisms, the IAC issued a letter to the LEAs with the following definition:...

https://conduitstreet.mdcounties.org/2019/09/12/state-to-hold-counties-harmless-for-school-construction-funding/

BCC High School Plastic Grass Stadium Cost Overrun of $295,000 in Capital Budget Funds. Bad News for Other Capital Budget Needs.

BCC High School plastic field installation.

MEMORANDUM 
To: Members of the Board of Education 
From: Jack R. Smith, Superintendent of Schools 

While the building addition at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School was completed and opened in September 2018, the site work aspects of the project are continuing. This site work includes the installation of an artificial turf stadium field. This summer, the progress of the site work was paused when a concealed, preexisting stormwater management condition was discovered in the area of installation of the new stadium field.

This condition presented an unanticipated obstacle to be addressed. Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) staff worked with the project contractor and officials with the Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services to design an acceptable resolution that would allow the project to move forward. At this juncture, work is proceeding on the designated approach for this project. There is not an anticipated impact to the opening of school, but minor work may continue into the school year. The unanticipated additional requirements for the site work have increased the cost of the project and will require an additional $295,000 to complete.

Due to favorable bid experience, this amount of funding is available as unexpended funds in the addition project for North Bethesda Middle School. I recommend that the Board request a transfer of $295,000 from the North Bethesda Middle School Addition project to the Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School Addition project in the Fiscal Year 2020 Capital Budget. This will allow MCPS to address the needed site work at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School through a budget-neutral approach.

 https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/BF8PCC5E768C/$file/FY2020%20Cap%20Bdgt%20Amend%20FY2019-2024%20CIP%20Trans%20Funds%20190829.pdf

The largest public high school in the state of Maryland is currently taking shape at an estimated cost of more than $150 million. The four-story building will cover approximately 440,000 sq. ft. and will serve as the new Seneca Valley High School in Germantown, Montgomery County.

The school is expected to be ready for the start of the 2020/2021 school year and will have the capacity for more than 3,000 students. Ground was broken in September 2017 and completion is set for August 2020. The following year, the current facility will be demolished and the grounds will be completed.

Construction of the new building is taking place on the school's old athletic fields. Upon completion of the new building, the new athletic fields will be built where the current building stands today...

...The capacity of the school will increase from 1,374 students to 2,423 students with a core capacity for 2,400 students. The increased capacity to Seneca Valley High School provides the opportunity to address projected overutilization of nearby Clarksburg and Northwest high schools through student reassignments in the future...

...Onsite staging areas will be included for 30 buses, 439 parking spaces, and onsite student drop-off queuing for 30 cars...

https://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/marylands-150m-seneca-valley-hs-is-taking-shape/44390

@ABC7News FLOODING AT WHEATON HIGH SCHOOL: A sprinkler burst for what is believed to be weather-related reasons Tuesday morning in a stairwell at Wheaton High School in Silver Spring, forcing the building to be evacuated.

FLOODING AT WHEATON HIGH SCHOOL: A sprinkler burst for what is believed to be weather-related reasons Tuesday morning in a stairwell at Wheaton High School in Silver Spring, forcing the building to be evacuated.

(📹: @__chris_torres) pic.twitter.com/ZcNnaV5SOI

— ABC 7 News - WJLA (@ABC7News) January 22, 2019

 https://wjla.com/news/local/wheaton-high-school-sprinkler-head-burst?fbclid=IwAR12qZ7uBJrgRJg6Hji1RymCTNN1FyW8Op7BIUPaO0uQXtuokEhdzF16gb8

School construction funding fight is part of ongoing drive to strip power from the governor

Maryland’s governor has long been considered one of the most powerful in the country, mainly because of his control over spending and appointments.

The Maryland General Assembly has for decades sought to chip away at any governor’s power, mainly through spending mandates and other legal restraints.

Last week’s action in the Senate and House to pass a new mandate on school construction and take the governor out of the decisions on what schools should be funded is just another chapter in that ongoing drive to shift the balance of power.

Removing the Board of Public Works from doling out the school construction money was ostensibly based on Comptroller Peter Franchot’s persistent cajoling of local public officials about hot classrooms, cold kids and crumbling buildings.

The legislators are certainly ticked at Franchot, but the real target is Gov. Larry Hogan, who often joined Franchot in lambasting superintendents, executives and even bureaucrats who worked directly for them...

http://marylandreporter.com/2018/04/01/school-construction-funding-fight-is-part-of-ongoing-drive-to-strip-power-from-the-governor/

A representative from the school system was not present when Council member George Leventhal inquired if anyone from MCPS wanted to provide input to the council before the vote.

The Montgomery County Council voted unanimously Tuesday for guidelines that cut bond issuances by $40 million incrementally over a period of four years.

The move by the council is a step toward limiting growing debt-service payments the county is paying on the current $3.5 billion in bonds that fund capital projects such as school construction and new government buildings in the county.

The county pays about $394 million in debt service each year, which is more than the county pays for all but two departments using the county’s $5.4 billion annual operating budget...

http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/2017/County-Council-Votes-to-Cut-Spending-Guidelines-for-Bonds/

October 4th Board of Maryland Public Works Agenda

The October 4, 2017 Board of Public Works Agenda is available.

For Agenda updates, please visit our website regularly. 

_________________________________________________

Hogan Demands School Officials Appear Before Board

State lawmakers return to Annapolis one week from today for their 90-day session, and the battle lines are being drawn over school construction money.
It is not the amount of money that puts Gov. Larry Hogan at odds with Democrats, it is who has the final authority to approve the spending.
Lawmakers last year added language to the capital budget to take away the final spending authority from the Board of Public Works, which is chaired by the governor.
Hogan criticized the move at today’s Board of Public Works meeting.
“Final approval of the expenditure of school construction funds rests solely with this Board of Public Works, and anyone who thinks that they can take away that authority on a whim, is gravely mistaken,” Hogan said Wednesday...

http://www.wbal.com/article/212052