The City of Baltimore recently unveiled a ten-year plan to renovate and replace buildings in its school system. The Plan, 21st-Century Buildings for Our Kids, aims to bring the district’s decrepit school buildings up to its standards over 10 years. According to the press release,
In 2012 the Board set a vision for City Schools: In 10 years, all City Schools students will learn in buildings that embody 21-century standards of excellence. The plan the district released today realizes that vision by:
- Renovating or replacing 136 school buildings
- Vacating 26 school buildings over 10 years
- Reducing the size of the district’s school buildings portfolio from 163 to 137 school campuses 2
- Increasing City Schools’ building utilization rate from 65 percent to 77 percent
The plan was commended by the Baltimore Education Coalition and the Baltimore Building & Construction Trades Council,
“In 2010, the Baltimore Education Coalition (BEC) took up the campaign to fully renovate school facilities because we believe that all children in Baltimore deserve great school buildings—buildings that are safe, modern and can provide for a 21st-century education,” said Jimmy Stuart, BEC co-chair. “This is the single greatest investment in children in Baltimore’s history, and the 10-year plan is a key step toward making this vision a reality.”
“This building program can provide a path to real careers in the building and construction trades for graduates of City Schools and thousands of jobs for city residents. It’s time for action,” said Rod Easter, president of the Baltimore Building & Construction Trades Council.
New ideas in school design will be a topic of discussion at MACo’s upcoming Winter Conference where a representative from the U.S. Green Building Council, Maryland Chapter will share innovations in design for K-12 schools. For more information, see MACo’s registration brochure.
