Caroline County commissioners back school system’s FY27 CIP planning request for middle school project

Caroline County Commissioners voted Sept. 23 to draft and send a letter of support for the Caroline County Public Schools (CCPS) FY2027 capital improvement program, a step officials said is needed to secure state planning approval for a proposed middle-school replacement known in presentations as the Lockerman project.

Dr. Derek Simmons, superintendent of Caroline County Public Schools, and Bill Mangle, director of operations for CCPS, briefed commissioners on the FY27 CIP and the school system’s five‑year plan. Mangle said the FY27 request seeks state approval for architectural and engineering (A&E) planning only, estimated in the presentation at $600,082 (transcript figures include typographical noise in the original); CCPS anticipates requesting larger construction appropriations in FY28 and FY29 if the project receives state planning approval.

Mangle said the program has entered its second year and that CCPS recently approved a feasibility study and space summary that led the Board of Education to locate the middle‑school rebuild on county high‑school property. He also said CCPS is negotiating a memorandum of understanding with the Maryland Stadium Authority for technical support on the project.

Projected funding requests described in the presentation (figures as presented by CCPS staff) included roughly $41.1 million in FY28 (state share cited as about $33.0 million, local share about $8.1 million) and about $51.4 million in FY29 (state share about $35.9 million, local share about $15.5 million). Mangle said FY30 was expected to complete construction and—based on the presentation—be covered by state funding with no local share indicated "as of today." He described an updated total estimate of the project between about $100.1 million and $105 million (presenter characterized that as a high-end estimate).

Mangle also told the board about two additional CIP items: replacement or major work on two 1968 wastewater treatment plants tied to the school property, for which a very rough current estimate cited was about $1.3 million for a new plant, and a replacement roof at Denton Elementary estimated in the presentation at about $5 million. Mangle said the state’s Healthy School Facilities Fund previously assisted systemic roofing projects but the program “has sunset,” and CCPS is monitoring the state’s proposed new Priority Funding Program anticipated in 2026.

Commission discussion focused on cost uncertainty, state funding shares and how state formulas treat eligible versus ineligible square footage and furnishings. Dr. David Lieber, a consultant in educational facilities planning who advised CCPS staff in the feasibility work, told commissioners that the Maryland Stadium Authority and competitive bidding would be important to controlling costs but that overall construction pricing remains uncertain.

Action: Commissioner motioned to draft and send a letter in support of the FY27 CIP; the motion was seconded and the board approved the letter by voice vote (recorded as “ayes”). The county will use a template for the letter and return it to CCPS staff.

Why it matters: Commission support is a procedural step toward state planning approval, which the presentation identified as necessary for the project to proceed through state review and toward later construction funding requests that would require additional local decision points.