At the MACo Winter Conference, county leaders and education finance experts examined the widening gap between school construction costs and available funding across Maryland. The discussion focused on how inflation, material and labor pressures, and the phaseout of temporary funding sources have left counties carrying more risk as they work to deliver safe, modern classrooms.
Queen Anne’s County Commissioner and 2025 MACo President Jack Wilson moderated the session and guided a focused discussion during “The Cost of Classrooms: Maryland’s School Construction Funding Gap.”
A full room at #MACoCon as counties dig into one of #Maryland’s most formidable challenges: school construction costs rising far faster than the funding meant to cover them.
Temporary streams like Built to Learn are ending — the needs aren’t.#MDCounties #localgov pic.twitter.com/ffb3G8Z0Bi
— Kevin Kinnally (@KKinnally_MACo) December 11, 2025
Panel speakers included:
- Alex Donahue, Executive Director, Interagency Commission on School Construction
- Shuchita Warner, Director of Planning and Construction, Calvert County Public Schools
- Robbie Sandlass, Treasurer, Harford County
Alex Donahue opened the session with a statewide view of the school construction pipeline. He outlined the scale of aging facilities, growing backlogs, and rising project costs, noting that Maryland’s funding framework has struggled to keep pace with the realities of modern school construction.
Shuchita Warner followed with an on-the-ground perspective from Calvert County. She described the challenges school systems face in managing tight project schedules, volatile bid pricing, enrollment shifts, and escalating construction costs, all while meeting educational needs and facility standards.
Robbie Sandlass closed with the county finance perspective, explaining how rising cost estimates, delays in State funding, and broader budget uncertainty complicate local planning. He emphasized the difficulty counties face in committing local dollars to projects without precise alignment between State approvals, timing, and actual construction costs.
Commissioner Wilson concluded the discussion by emphasizing that counties across Maryland face similar pressures, regardless of size or location. Panelists agreed that better alignment between State funding commitments, local fiscal realities, and the actual cost of construction will remain central to keeping essential school projects moving.
The session took place on Thursday, December 11, 2025, at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Hotel in Cambridge, Maryland.
More about MACo’s Winter Conference:
