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MCPS request looms over CIP as Built to Learn funding fades
Summary
County staff told the committee that the Board of Education requested a roughly $1 billion CIP increase; the executive accommodated only part of that request and staff warned the state'earmarked Built to Learn program is winding down, reducing state school construction aid available over the next six years.
Committee members were told the Board of Education proposed a very large increase to the MCPS portion of the CIP, and that the County Executive's recommendation does not fully match that request. "The Board of Education proposed CIP was a huge increase from the amended CIP. It was about 1000000000 dollar increase. Here you're seeing the executive was able to accommodate about" one portion of that request, Mr. Lechenco said during the presentation.
Staff also explained state school construction aid mechanics, including the traditional state aid process and the separate Built to Learn program, which provided earmarked resources to large counties including Montgomery County but is "winding down." "That built program is winding down," staff said, and the six'year projection for state aid is lower as a result. Committee members were reminded the Education & Culture Committee will hold a dedicated overview of the MCPS CIP the next day with MCPS staff and the superintendent.
Councilmember Katz questioned enrollment assumptions, citing a projected decline in students and noting how eligibility rules can reduce state aid for capacity projects even when long'term needs exist. "Maybe we'll have 2,500 less students in Montgomery County each year for the next couple of years," Katz said, and staff answered that enrollment forecasts are typically most accurate in the near term and more uncertain farther out.
