Board reviews facilities master plan, CIP timeline and funding shortfalls; Fruitland Primary needs forward funding

The board received an overview of the Educational Facilities Master Plan (EFMP) and the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), and staff warned that state and county funding cycles and reduced IAC participation create cash-flow challenges that may require forward funding for major projects such as Fruitland Primary replacement.

Facilities staff said the district’s portfolio is about 2,200,000 square feet (excluding relocatables) and that the EFMP—required by COMAR—provides utilization, condition and educational sufficiency data. The CIP ties those needs to multi-year cash-flow schedules and funding requests to the county and the Interagency Commission on School Construction (IAC).

Why it matters: capital projects take multiple years from planning to construction because county and state funding cycles differ and allocations often fall short of requested amounts. Staff said the district has received, on average, about 48 percent of state funding requests and 44 percent of county requests in recent years.

Key items presented: - The IAC is moving to a formulaic approach that combines facility-condition indices with educational sufficiency standards; Wicomico’s eligible state participation was described as changing from 98 percent to 95 percent of what IAC defines as eligible in the district’s characterization. - FY2026 state and county allocations were lower than requested; Fruitland Primary’s construction cash flow does not require county funds until FY2027, but staff said the project would exhaust current allocations in July 2026 if…