For the first time, Carroll County school officials are evaluating all facilities to show how they determine which projects are funded.
The assessments “will make it a data-driven discussion [for funding], not necessarily an emotional discussion,” said Ray Prokop, director of facilities, referring to determining funding priorities.
School Board members had not pursued the idea of a systemwide assessment because of the cost, he said.
The assessment, which started about three weeks ago, is expected to be completed in December.
The debate over funding priorities has heated up because parents and community leaders raised concerns about the sub-par facilities at South Carroll High School. A proposed fine arts addition and modernization plans, which include electrical work and plumbing, have been pushed back for several years.
The South Carroll addition dropped from No. 2 to No. 3 in funding priorities in the budget for capital projects approved Wednesday. Just a few weeks ago, the $18.6 million project, which includes a new auditorium and renovations to arts classrooms, jumped from No. 7 to No. 2.
The new Northeastern Area High School bumped the fine arts project, because the county now has funding and plans to move forward with the new school.
The modernization plans for South Carroll might not see financial backing until fiscal 2013. School system administrators can revisit the South Carroll High needs once the assessment is complete, said Superintendent Charles Ecker.
Before the administration develops construction plans next spring, the public should be able to provide feedback on the results of the assessment, said Thomas Hiltz, School Board president. “We need to look at improving how we communicate our decision making with the community,” he said.
