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 school system staff looked at the state facilities condition index (FCI), local maintenance work-order records and the size and scope of projects to identify requests that would best leverage the new state funds. Brown said the school system selected two roof replacements (Forest Ridge Elementary and Howard High), an elevator replacement at Atholton Elementary (later clarified as Appleton/Appleton/Appleton Elementary in the meeting record), and two high-school gym air-conditioning projects (Oakland Mills High and Reservoir High). "Forest Ridge and Howard High are the ninth and tenth worst roofing system that we currently have," Brown said, noting the roofs and the other projects were chosen because they fit the available state/local match and the IAC eligibility rules.

Dan Lubley, executive director of capital planning and construction for HCPSS, clarified that EGRC stands for Enrollment, Growth and Relocatable Classrooms and that EGRC funds have different eligibility requirements than Built to Learn and other state programs. He said Howard County qualified for EGRC based on prior enrollment-growth measures and a five-year average; FY2024 was the last year the county qualified on that basis.

Questions from the council: Council members pressed for more transparency about how the five projects were prioritized, where they fell on the states FCI lists and why some projects on the boards long-range systemic renovation list were not selected. Several members asked for the state FCI ranking and the locally used maintenance records that supported the choices; Brown and Lubley said they would provide the facilities-condition data and meet with council members to walk through the underlying records. Brown told the council the school system would produce additional, more comprehensive evaluations in the future that would incorporate space-efficiency and program needs along with facility condition.

Process and timing: Brown and Fachine said the Board of Education approved the amended project list at its Feb. 27 meeting and that the county executives office supported matching the state funds. Chair Walsh said a majority of the council had earlier voted to call a special legislative session so the council could act before the IAC deadline; county officials said the IAC was accepting supplemental requests for additional funding but that the timing required a quick turnaround.

Pushback and next steps: Several council members, including Miss Rigby and Miss Young, said they were surprised by the late notice and asked for better public documentation earlier in the process. The school system and the administration committed to produce the state FCI ranking, maintenance work-order evidence and a clearer, written justification of the selection process for the five projects. HCPSS officials also said the district plans to separate state-eligible projects from locally funded projects in future briefings to avoid confusion.

What this does and doesn't do: If the amendment is accepted by the IAC, the county would provide local matching funds to unlock about $4.5 million in state EGRC money and would add the five projects to the FY26 CIP. School and county staff said the change does not represent the full capital needs of the district; it is a supplemental amendment meant to take advantage of an identified state allocation.

Sources and provenance: county administration (Felix Fachine), Howard County Public School System (Cornell Brown, Dan Lubley) and Board of Education actions (approved Feb. 27).