Anne Arundel schools present 10‑year facilities plan; officials warn of $45M annual capital shortfall

Anne Arundel County Public Schools on Tuesday presented a draft 10‑year long‑range facilities plan that ranks school needs by capacity, condition, age and energy performance and warns the district faces a roughly $45,000,000 annual funding gap to reach recommended capital‑renewal targets.

The plan, presented at a Board of Education workshop by Bill Heiser, AACPS chief operating officer, and Kyle Roof, director of facilities, describes districtwide data including 136 facilities, an average modified building age of about 30 years, a replacement value of about $8.2 billion and nearly 85,000 students. Heiser said, “We would need to allocate an additional $45,000,000,” to reach the International Association of Physical Plant Administrators’ recommended annual investment of about 3.5% of current replacement value.

The workshop was informational; no board vote was requested. “This is not an action item for the board to vote on, but it is informational only,” Heiser told board members. The district is taking public comment on the draft at www.aacps.org/facilitiesplan through June 2025 and plans a final report in August with a board presentation in September and a subsequent presentation to the County Council in the fall.

Why it matters: the plan will guide capital requests, redistricting and priorities for renovations and replacements across Anne Arundel County for the next decade. Presenters said reliable long‑term funding is required to avoid increased deferred maintenance and rising ownership costs from new buildings and additions.

Key findings and funding context - The plan ranks schools by utilization, educational adequacy, facility condition and energy use intensity. Schools under 70% utilization are labeled underutilized; those over 100% are overutilized. The district used 10‑year enrollment projections and a state funding factor that accounts for adjacent‑school capacity when estimating future needs. - Facility condition assessments examined structure, roofing, HVAC, plumbing, fire protection, electrical and site systems and used a Facility Condition Index (FCI) where under 10% is “excellent” and above 60% is “deficient.” Millersville Transportation was cited as an example with a high FCI; several schools were listed as poor or deficient in systems condition. - Energy performance rankings showed recently replaced or renovated schools scoring best; the district uses EUI (energy use intensity) targets and aims for LEED Silver on replacement projects.

Funding pressures described during the workshop included rising construction costs, supply‑chain and labor constraints, evolving codes and sustainability requirements, and shifting state and federal programs. Presenters said state Interagency Committee for School Construction (IAC) funding has not kept pace with inflation: AACPS requested $41.8 million in IAC funding for FY26 but received $31.8 million. The district also received $46 million from the Built to Learn (BTL) program administered by the Maryland Stadium Authority for Old Mill High School; presenters said BTL funding is ending.

Board members pressed presenters on specifics: Dr. Tobin asked whether the plan would focus intentionally on middle schools; Dr. Bedell (staff member) stressed middle‑school needs and urged community input. “I’ve been very clear about the need for us to have this focus on middle schools,” Dr. Bedell said. Several board members warned that the County Executive’s six‑year capital plan shows capital funding dropping from roughly $200 million annually to about $33 million in coming years, which would limit new projects and increase reliance on state or alternative funding.

Process, public input and next steps - The district retained Perkins Eastman to produce the plan; consultants toured facilities in summer 2024 and the district surveyed instructional staff (about 2,200 responses) to weight educational adequacy subcategories such as safety, classroom space and environmental quality. - The web tool for community feedback mirrors the redistricting tool and provides school‑level heat maps. Presenters said they will update the long‑range data after the 2026 Educational Facilities Master Plan and phase‑2 redistricting results. - Staff said the final long‑range facilities report will be issued in August, presented to the board in September, and used to inform FY27 capital budget priorities; continued advocacy to county and state partners was urged by multiple board members.

What was not decided No formal decisions or votes were taken at the workshop. The board received the informational briefing and asked staff to continue data refinement and public outreach; the final prioritization and any budget or project approvals will come later through the capital budget and board action process.

How to comment and follow up AACPS is accepting public comments on the draft long‑range facilities plan through June 2025 at www.aacps.org/facilitiesplan. The district will publish a final report in August and present recommended capital priorities to the board in September and to the County Council later in the year.