The Cost of Classrooms: Maryland’s School Construction Funding Gap

School construction costs are climbing faster than funding can keep pace — leaving counties to bridge the gap while ensuring every student learns in a safe, modern classroom.

Maryland’s long-term framework for funding school construction faces new challenges as temporary funding streams, such as Built to Learn, phase out.

At the same time, inflation, material shortages, and changing enrollment patterns have driven costs higher, forcing counties to stretch local dollars further than ever before.

At this year’s MACo Winter Conference, an expert panel will examine Maryland’s growing classroom funding gap — and explore solutions to keep essential projects moving despite constrained budgets.

Panelists will discuss how multiple funding formulas, overlapping programs, and rising construction costs intersect to create fiscal and procedural hurdles for county governments and local school systems. Attendees will gain insight into how counties and State partners can better align resources, streamline project delivery, and maintain equitable access to modern learning environments across Maryland.

MACo Winter Conference Session: The Cost of Classrooms: Maryland’s School Construction Funding Gap

Maryland’s framework for funding school construction has grown more complex as needs outpace available resources. With the end of temporary initiatives like Built to Learn, counties now face rising fiscal pressure as multiple overlapping programs, new funding formulas, and inflation-driven construction costs collide. This session breaks down the cost pressures, competing priorities, and policy complexities that shape school facility funding. Speakers will examine the fiscal and procedural hurdles facing county governments and discuss practical solutions to keep essential projects moving while ensuring every student learns in a safe, modern classroom.

Speakers:

Alex Donahue, Executive Director, Interagency Commission on School Construction (IAC)
Robbie Sandlass, Treasurer, Harford County
Shuchita Warner, Director, Planning and Construction, Calvert County Public Schools
Industry Representative (invited)

Moderator: The Honorable Brooke Lierman, Maryland Comptroller (invited)

Date/Time: Thursday, December 11, 2025; 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm

MACo’s Winter Conference, “Local Leadership, Lasting Impact: Shaping What’s Next,” will be held at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Hotel in Cambridge, MD, on December 10-12, 2025.