The vast majority of Maryland school facilities need repairs or are “functionally unreliable” amid skyrocketing construction costs, a report from the state’s comptroller asserts.
The Baltimore Sun reports that more than 1,000 of the state’s 1,361 schools require repairs, renovation or replacement, Comptroller Brooke Lierman's office said.
An assessment by the Interagency Commission on School Construction found 80% of the state's school buildings need repairs or are “functionally unreliable,” and 20% are in “like new,” “good” or “satisfactory” condition.
Meanwhile, the costs of construction have skyrocketed in the past five years — up 42% since 2019, according to the comptroller. It costs an average of $1 million to construct a new classroom, or around $600 per new square foot, compared with $392 per new square foot in 2020.
"For Maryland to maintain its position as a top-rated state for public school education and for the state to retain and attract middle class families that value affordability and quality public schools, the state and [districts] must improve the physical conditions of schools," the comptroller's report concluded.
Lierman noted that state funding for the Capital Improvement Program, around $300 million per year, has failed to keep up with inflation and other rising costs.
