Renovation of an educational facility in Berlin, Maryland. Conceptual plans call for the renovation of a educational facility.

UPDATE : https://www.co.worcester.md.us/sites/default/files/CIP_2025_2029.pdf.pdf Buckingham Elementary Replacement School Project is in Worcester County-capital budget fy 2025-2029 CIP 4 _________________________________________________________________________________ https://www.co.worcester.md.us/sites/default/files/2024-02/02-22-24%20Agenda%20-%20Special%20Session.pdf 1:00 PM Special Session in the first floor board room with the Interagency Committee on School Construction (IAC) and the Board of Education to discuss school construction funding for Buckingham Elementary School, as well as school construction and maintenance as a whole. ______________________________________________________________________ https://www.wmdt.com/2023/12/worcester-county-council-approves-buckingham-elementary-rejects-new-boe-building-in-cip/ Worcester County Council approves Buckingham Elementary, rejects new BOE building in CIP SNOW HILL, Md. – The Worcester County Council has approved $50 million in funding for the construction of the Buckingham Elementary School, as part of the 2025-2029 Capital Improvement Plan. Commissioners say the next step in the project will be a draft and design phase from the Worcester County Board of Education (WCBOE). However, that cannot move forward until state dollars for the project are confirmed; something they won’t know the answer to until next year. “The state is being requested to fund about $5.8 million, we don’t know yet if they’re going to approve that and we won’t know probably until the first part of next year, and once we have their decision, we can move forward on the project,” said Commissioner Chip Bertino. As part of that same CIP, the commissioners also voted to remove an item for a $37 million project for the construction of a new Board of Education building. Worcester County Commissioner Eric Fiori says there were more pressing educational capital projects to attend to first. He says the project was unlikely to be built in the next five years, even before it was removed from the CIP. “We believe that there are so many more pressing issues as far as our teachers being significantly underpaid, as well as their support staff as well. And, you know, to allocate $37 million for a new administration building for a five-year plan, I just have to disagree with it, and I needed that to be struck off the CIP so we can move some of these funds over to getting our teachers that pay they deserve,” Fiori said. 47 ABC WMDT reached out to the WCBOE for comment on the rejection of the project, and did not hear back. __________________________________________________________ https://mdcoastdispatch.com/2023/11/23/thoughts-from-the-publishers-desk-november-24-2023/ Thoughts From The Publisher’s Desk - November 24, 2023 Revising the county’s five-year school capital improvement plan to include Buckingham Elementary was a procedural step needed before officially asking the state to reconsider denial of funding support for a new school. The state’s decision-making body will now meet next month to take another look at the recent decision to not allocate state funds to the project. The fact the Interagency Commission for School Construction (IAC) was willing to reconsider the status of the project is viewed as encouraging by local officials. The reconsideration and request to revise the capital improvement plan came after a meeting between the IAC and Senator Mary Beth Carozza in October. It appears the key point in the Buckingham Elementary School’s controversy is whether Berlin Intermediate School should be considered an “adjacent school.” In his letter to Commission President Chip Bertino, Superintendent of schools Lou Taylor wrote, “The IAC is going to review and re-consider the status of Berlin Intermediate School as a Buckingham Elementary “adjacent school.” Should the IAC determine that Berlin Intermediate is not a Buckingham adjacent school, state funding would be available for the Buckingham project.” It’s an interesting situation. Berlin Intermediate School (BIS) is home to fifth and sixth graders currently, serving as a collection point for elementary students for Buckingham, Showell and Ocean City elementary schools. The school is a mile away from Buckingham, but that should not qualify it as an adjacent school. For many years, BIS hosted fourth graders from Showell Elementary due to overcrowding at the old building. It was not an ideal arrangement and resulted in BIS being overcrowded. The message BIS should not host one school’s fourth grade must be articulated to the state. Transferring the fourth grade from Buckingham to Berlin Intermediate is not a long-range solution and it’s not best for the students. As an aside, this week’s commissioners meeting packet included 10-year enrollment projections for the entire school system. Total enrollment for the school system is projected to grow by 4% from 6,933 this year to 7,185 in 2032. For Buckingham alone, the growth is more dramatic, projecting to expand enrollment by 18% from 516 in fiscal year 2024 to 610 in 2032. As has been the case recently, the night meetings of the Worcester County Board of Education continue to draw many public comments. This week’s meeting featured praise and support for schools and educators as well as general concerns, such as the need for summer academies to continue. Many speakers focused their specific and organized comments on books they deem as inappropriate in school libraries. The books seemingly being targeted deal specifically with LGBTIQA+ issues. While it’s one thing to express concerns over inappropriate reading materials, there were many scathing comments alleging “indoctrination” of students by educators pushing liberal messages about general and alternative lifestyles. The comments struck a nerve with Treston Melvin, a Board of Education student representative of Pocomoke High School. In asking the address the board as the last public commenter, Melvin became emotional showing support for openness and acceptance in public schools. “I would like to say as a student I am appalled by the things I have heard tonight. I am hurt and I can say every student over there is hurt too. If we as a community are focused on education, why aren’t we listening to the students who are hurting, who are crying over what you guys are saying. I am sick and tired of you talking about indoctrination just because people want to live freely. I am sick and I am tired,” Melvin said. “I can see why some of you want evening meetings because these people will be here. Because you get the people who hate. I am a student. I am a human. I was sexually assaulted at 15 years old and “All Boys Aren’t Blue’, that book to someone who was like me that saved my life. … you need to listen to the students. Do you see how hurt and appalled we are? Please look at the people, look at the students who are in front of you. You have to see that we are in pain because the people we have to fight are the people who say they love us and are here for us. I want to encourage you as the Board of Education to please fight for us because what they want is not what is best for us. I promise you I would not come here and be in tears … do you know how embarrassing this is? I am embarrassed to be this vulnerable right now., I don’t do this, but I am embarrassed. We need to be heard.” Bluewater Advertorial After all the public comments and later in the meeting, Board of Education member Dr. Jon Andes, former county school superintendent, made a suggestion on the book ban conversation. He suggested the school system consider creating “an adjustment to the policy” to have media specialists create an older teen collection for the “cringe factor” books. The collection would only be available to students who have parental permission. “Parents would have the final choice,” he said. This is a suggestion worthy of consideration, representing an expansion of what the school system currently provides as far as parents being able to prohibit their kids from checking out specific books. The issue there is parents do not know all the books in the respective libraries. It’s the concept of opting out vs. opting in. Placing the books that have been identified as concerning in their own location and requiring permission to view may be a suitable effort to address the book concerns, which are being heard across the country these days. ________________________________________ https://mdcoastdispatch.com/2023/11/21/countys-updated-capital-plan-includes-buckingham-project/ The Worcester County Commissioners on Tuesday approved the school system’s updated capital improvement program (CIP) that includes construction of a new Buckingham Elementary. The updated plan was requested by state officials as they review a prior decision regarding funding for the facility. _____________________________________________________________________________________ https://www.wmdt.com/2023/11/worcester-co-board-of-education-approves-buckingham-elementary-school-capital-improvement-plan/ Worcester Co. board of education approves Buckingham Elementary School capital improvement plan WORCESTER COUNTY, Md.- The Worcester County Board of Education taking a big step in the future of Buckingham Elementary School, voting to approve a revised Capital Improvement Plan, (CIP.) The board has been going through the appeals process, to gain money back from the state. That money was lost because of capacity issues at adjacent schools. With today’s vote, we’re told that the process of building a new school can continue. Parent Tony Weeg calling the unanimous vote a big step in the right direction. “I feel Like we just got through one of many steps, that’s going to lead us to the county government in two weeks,” Weeg said. Weeg adds he hopes everyone who showed up to the Buckingham march also shows up for the commissioners’ meeting. __________________________ Worcester BOE approves $142.5 million CIP plan The Worcester County Board of Education unanimously approved several capital improvements projects last week, along with a $142.5 million capital improvement plan (CIP) for FY24. The CIP is a six-year strategic plan that identifies capital improvement needs across the district, while attaching to each project a timeline and a budget. The district's CIP includes planning and designing requests for Buckingham Elementary School and a design funding request to replace the roof at Snow Hill Middle School/Cedar Chapel Special School. The plan does not include any construction funding requests. The district in January finished work on a new roof at Pocomoke Middle School and is now in the process of constructing a 24,800 square foot addition at Stephen Decatur Middle School. According to district officials, work is proceeding on time and on budget for a December completion. Looking down the road, the district is looking to replace the roof at Worcester Technical High School and Pocomoke Elementary School, along with renovating or replacing Snow Hill Elementary School. The big project down the road, though, will be either renovating or replacing Buckingham Elementary School. The school was built in 1978 and serves students from pre-k to fourth grade. No renovations or additions have been made to the building in the school's 44 years of existence, and last year, the school operated at 120 percent. This year, the school is using five portable classrooms to accommodate students and classes. Officials also said additional space is needed for existing and future programs, the cafeteria, media center, and for support needs. A feasibility study that began in July will be completed in December. The district expects to spend $75 million on the project, with $58 million coming from local funds and $17 million from the state. The roof at the Snow Hill Middle School was last replaced in 1994. Just six years earlier, the Cedar Chapel School was added to the middle school, and today, both roofs have exceeded their life expectancy, according to district officials. The cost to replace the nearly 107,175-square-foot roof is estimated to be $4 million, comprising $2 million from local funds, and nearly $2 million from state funding. The Pocomoke Elementary School roof is expected to cost $2 million, and the Worcester Technical High School roof is expected to cost $5.5 million. Like Buckingham Elementary School, Snow Hill Elementary School is being looked at for renovations, additions, or complete replacement. A feasibility study is planned for 2026 to investigate the its current circumstances and site conditions, as well as construction options. The projected costs for Snow Hill Elementary are expected to exceed $56 million. The Board of Education unanimously approved the CIP, which will now be submitted to the Maryland Interagency Commission on School Construction, as required annually.