Howard County moves to amend school capital request to capture $4.5 million in state EGRC funds

County and school officials told the Howard County Council on Wednesday that they intend to amend the countys Interagency Committee (IAC) capital request to capture an additional $4.5 million in state Enrollment, Growth and Relocatable Classrooms (EGRC) funds and to provide local matching money, a change that would raise the Howard County Public School Systems Fiscal Year 2026 capital improvement plan by roughly $9.1 million.

Felix Fachine, representing the county administration, said the state told the county there was set-aside funding available that was not reflected in the countys previously submitted request. "Earlier this year, we met with the IAC ... and learned about 4 and a half million dollars in state funding ... that is available to us," Fachine said. "Working with the school system, we supported a request to amend that so that the county could provide matching funds to fully realize that 4 and a half million in state dollars." That change is reflected in what Fachine said was about a $9.1 million increase to the FY26 CIP.

How projects were chosen: Cornell Brown, chief operating officer for the Howard County Public School System, told the council…