PGCPS launches 10-year facilities master plan and will pilot assessments at three schools
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Summary
Associate Superintendent Jason Washington outlined a new Educational Facilities Master Plan and updated educational specifications; the district will pilot assessments at one elementary, one middle and one high school, begin community engagement in March–April, and address ADA and evacuation concerns raised by staff and board members.
Associate Superintendent Jason Washington presented the Educational Facilities Master Plan (EFMP) and updated educational specifications to the board’s Operations, Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee on Jan. 28, framing the effort as the district’s 10-year plan for facilities, educational adequacy and priorities.
Washington described two linked initiatives: prototype educational specifications (ed specs) for elementary, middle and high schools and a facilities master plan that re-evaluates condition, adequacy and priorities. He said the ed specs define space types, sizes and adjacencies and that both efforts will guide capital priorities and project scoping.
Nut Graf: The district plans data collection and site-based assessments this year, including a pilot assessment at three schools (one per level) to validate methods. Washington said the pilot will likely include schools with steam plants because those buildings have shown higher rates of failure; utilization and outlier analysis will also inform selection so the pilot scale can be generalized.
Community engagement and process Washington said the district has convened a facility advisory committee of internal chiefs (academics, finance, school leadership, operations) and hired consultants for communications, ad-spec development and site assessments. He said staff plan a comprehensive communications plan and expect community engagement to begin in March and April with sustained outreach, including in-person and virtual meetings across districts and council areas.
Timing and funding constraints Washington noted PGCPS currently has about 208 schools and 18 administrative facilities and that capital delivery depends on local and state capital funds. He said PGCPS has been delivering new schools (22 since 2017 through projected 2028) and that additional projects will be paced by available bond and state-match funding.
ADA and special education issues Vice Chair Brown raised ADA oversight concerns for older and newer schools. Washington said Associate Superintendent Tranel Bowman and the special education and mobility teams will be part of the process; he flagged a recent practice at some new schools of relying on fire-rated corridors for students with wheelchairs instead of an active evacuation plan, which special education staff found concerning and will be addressed in ad-spec work and community discussions.
What happens next Staff will complete pilot assessments, expand site assessments systemwide, circulate ed-spec drafts and run broad community engagement before bringing EFMP iterations to the Board for review and final adoption next year.
