What Should the Capital Priorities be for Harford County Public Schools Next Year and Beyond?

The Harford County Board of Education has announced a special public hearing to discuss the proposed fiscal year 2014 capital program as follows:

“The Board of Education of Harford County will hold a public hearing to discuss the proposed FY 2014 capital improvements program priorities on Monday, August 20, 2012, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the A.A. Roberty Building (102 S. Hickory Avenue, Bel Air). All members of the public are invited to make comments and provide input for the Board of Education to consider as it develops its capital priorities.”

The Harford County Board of Education has thus far put all major capital improvement projects on hold pending the results of a countywide analysis of county facilities, the results of which are not expected for at least a year or more. In the meantime, the school board must vote on a proposed capital budget request for the fiscal year 2014 before October 15th, the submission deadline for capital projects to be considered for state funding.

First presented to the school board in July as a work-in-progress, the $28.5 million capital budget request from both state and local sources for the fiscal year 2014 appears below.

Not on the list are several replacement projects for deteriorated or outdated school facilities that the school board has recently been urged to undertake. Most notably, Harford County Executive David Craig is pushing for a new building for Havre de Grace High School, telling the school board that he plans to start funding the project next year along with a replacement building for Youth’s Benefit Elementary School in Fallston. Fallston parents are pushing for new elementary schools, not only for Youth’s Benefit, but also for William Paca/Old Post Road Elementary School in Abingdon. Before such projects were put on hold, all but Havre de Grace High School appeared on the school board’s list of major capital priorities. The list also included moving the John Archer School to the campus of Bel Air Middle School, with a related replacement project for the nearby Homestead/Wakefield Elementary School, and an addition/modernization for Joppatowne High School.