Board approves 2025–2034 education facility master plan; state funding for two additions could be affected

The Carroll County Board of Education approved its 2025–2034 Education Facility Master Plan on Wednesday, a required annual document the district uses to prioritize capital-improvement projects and to request state support for school modernizations.

The plan update includes new enrollment projections showing less growth than earlier estimates, a change district staff said could affect whether the state awards funding for planned additions at Freedom Elementary and Sykesville Middle School. "The new enrollment projections expect less enrollment growth than the previous 2 sets of projections," Superintendent Dr. McCabe said during the board discussion.

Why it matters: The state evaluates projected enrollment and local capacity when deciding whether to provide construction funding; lower enrollment forecasts can reduce the chance that projects will qualify for state grants. Lisa Maisano of the Carroll Education Coalition told the board that modernizing aging buildings remains a county priority and warned that delaying capital work risks reaching a crisis point. "We need prudent planning to properly maintain and modernize our school buildings, so we don't keep falling farther behind," Maisano said.

The plan describes methodology changes driving the revised projections. Staff said they applied two-year average cohort-succession ratios rather than a four- or five-year average because of "record low permits in FY24 and '25 and a significant drop in population gains from net migration"; those choices reduced short-term growth forecasts in the master plan. The superintendent noted that staffing changes required under the state Blueprint compliance process add complexity: even if enrollment remains the same, staffing adjustments can change school capacity and class-size calculations.

The board heard a brief defense of the district's ongoing facilities work. Board President Tyra Battaglia and board members pointed to the Facilities Condition Index (FCI) and other facility-assessment tools the district uses to prioritize maintenance and capital projects. Board member Mr. Whisler urged residents to review section 6 of the EFMP to understand how staff prioritize work: "Section 6, especially page 7 ... gives you a good idea of at least where the staff is keying their interest on what schools we should modernize and fix before others," he said.

Action and next steps: The board voted to adopt the EFMP and staff will submit it as required to the state agency. Board members emphasized that the plan is a multi-year prioritization tool and that actual work depends on funding from the county and the state. Dr. McCabe said the district will continue coordinating with the state authority and the county as the capital request is prepared for the October CIP submittal.

Community reaction and context: During public participation, the Carroll Education Coalition and other speakers urged the board and county to accelerate modernization schedules and to identify local revenue if state funding is not available. The coalition cited a county planning staff estimate that, with a notional school life of 80 years, the county would need to address roughly one school every other year to maintain the inventory.

The plan was adopted unanimously. The board will return to the EFMP if further changes are needed once the state review or county budget decisions are complete.