At yesterday’s meeting of the Association of School Business Officers in Ocean City, Anne Arundel County’s Education Officer Amalie Brandenberg and Schools COO Alex Szachnowicz presented “Transparent, Data Driven and Inclusive,” about the county’s Facilities Utilization Master Plan.

Maryland’s counties regularly share the importance of transparency in the area of school construction. Since school boards do not have the ability to tax and raise revenue in Maryland, county governments provide funding for school construction along with the state. Funding decisions can be informed by additional input from school systems regarding the state of their schools and future plans.

As school construction costs have risen sharply over the past fifteen years, partnership between school boards and the counties is helpful in making sure that priority projects are completed to meet student needs.

In Anne Arundel County, the county and school system partnered to provide prioritized 10-year recommendations for facilities capital improvements and building utilization. The plan is the result of a data-driven process that defined a decision making tool and then assessed existing facility needs.

For more information, view the Presentation from Anne Arundel County.