School System Adds $4.3 M to Capital Budget

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=130 BGCOLOR="#66CCCC" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="04000820ezvthe.png"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#CCFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Clare Whitbeck's Web Site</B></FONT><B>   |  </B><B> </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Clare Whitbecks Web Site"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Charter School Gets Better Grade"><U>Charter School Gets Better Grade</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id53.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Great Mills High Gets Once Over"><U>Great Mills High Gets Once Over</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id54.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dysons Bill Clears Committee"><U>Dyson's Bill Clears Committee</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id40.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="School System Gets a Cart, But No Horse "><U>School System Gets a Cart, But No Horse Yet</U></A>   |   <B>School System Adds $4.3 M to Capital Budget</B>   |   <A HREF="id50.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dysons Bill Clears Committee"><U>Dyson's Bill Clears Committee</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id34.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Charter School Gets E for Effort"><U>Charter School Gets E for Effort</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Charter School to Appeal"><U>Charter School to Appeal</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id35.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Leonardtown Approves Subdivision With Sc"><U>Leonardtown Approves Subdivision With School Site</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id42.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Superintendent Candidates Announced"><U>Superintendent Candidates Announced</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id39.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Allen Must Recuse Herself Says Ethics Co"><U>Allen Must Recuse Herself Says Ethics Commission</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id73.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Almost Superintendent"><U>Almost Superintendent</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id74.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hiring Hold"><U>Hiring Hold</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id76.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="05 Test Scores"><U>'05 Test Scores</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id77.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Start Times"><U>Start Times</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Board Defends Its Computer Funding Decis"><U>Board Defends Its Computer Funding Decisions</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id75.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="School Sites"><U>School Sites</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id81.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Test Scores Improve in 05"><U>Test Scores Improve in '05</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id82.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Start Times for 05"><U>Start Times for '05</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id83.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Superintendent Announces School Sites"><U>Superintendent Announces School Sites</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id84.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hiring Hold"><U>Hiring Hold</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id85.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cramer Named to Academic Support"><U>Cramer Named to Academic Support</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id86.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Charter School Gets Grant 10/9/05"><U>Charter School Gets Grant 10/9/05</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#66CCCC" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="041c8212ezvthe.png"> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News Articles"><U>News Articles</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=350 BGCOLOR="#66CCCC" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> School System Adds $4.3 M to Capital Budget</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> School System Adds $4.3 Million More to ‘06 and ‘07 Capital Budget</div> <div> By Clare Whitbeck</div> <bR> <div> LEONARDTOWN -The St. Mary’s County Board of Education held a special meeting on March 24 to approve a realignment of the capital budget. The realignment results from building three 70,830 square foot buildings, each with a capacity of 646 students, instead of the previously planned four 60,645 square foot buildings with a capacity of 501 students. These are in addition to the 613 student renovation of Leonardtown which will produce 195 new seats.</div> <div> St. Mary’s Public Schools Chief Administrative Office Brad Clements said that if the specifications and design can be completed by September they can still go for money in September and could get design funding next fall. Clements continued that if there is planning money, then according to the County Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance development could resume in the Leonardtown school district. He indicated that perhaps the Board of County Commissioners could provide the planning money for the new school next year, even if the State didn’t fund it.</div> <div> Capital Planning Coordinator Kimberly Howe noted that if five relocatable classrooms (100 students) are added to a 645 student school, its local capacity (591 + 100 = 691) will still be below the 720 student target which was established by the Educational Specifications Committee. The Committee was established by the school system December of 2004 to examine school size issues, and Howe and Clements have been saying for the last 6 months or so that relocatable classrooms are simply part of the school scene when a community is growing as rapidly as St. Mary’s County is growing. The new Lexington Park Elementary School is an example of how schools are crowded until relocatables come. Lexington Park would have relocatables if they were available, but they were not funded for Lexington Park until next year. Students there have their regular classes in rooms that were designed as space for science and art, and did not have real desks until after Christmas break this year .</div> <div> The School system will meet with the Board of County Commissioners on Monday, March 28, to present the new Capital program. The new program will result in expenditures of $8,286,000 less from 2006 - 2011, although in ‘06 and ‘07 the new program will add $4.3 million to the previously planned capital expenditures.</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>