Howard County board weighs alternatives for FY27 capital budget as parents press for Centennial renovation

Dozens of parents, students and community groups urged the Howard County Board of Education on Oct. 23 to follow the district—s data-driven facilities prioritization and use a portion of state Build to Learn funding to renovate Centennial High School rather than the Oakland Mills project included in the superintendent—s FY27 proposal.

At the start of a public hearing on the FY27 Capital Improvement Program, student speakers from Centennial and Oakland Mills described mold, HVAC failures, overcrowded hallways and broken portables. "In 2022, the renovation completion date changed from 2031 to 2033, and in 2023, went from 2033 to 2036," said Sylvia Johnson, a Centennial student, summarizing what she said were repeated delays in the school—s schedule.

Why it matters: The district has a constrained local capital envelope and a one-time state Build to Learn allocation that must be assigned to eligible large projects by the state. How the board and superintendent apply the board-approved prioritization criteria and newly commissioned programmatic data will affect which schools receive major construction funding over the next decade.

What staff presented: Superintendent Michael Barnes told the board that the FY27 proposed local…