The Montgomery County Board of Education unanimously approved a $1.83 billion six-year Capital Improvements Program (CIP) request for Montgomery County Public Schools that will help ease overcrowding caused by years of rapid enrollment growth and address aging facilities. The CIP includes 30 new capacity projects.

For the 2017-2018 school year, enrollment is 161,546 students, a one-year increase of 2,536 students. Enrollment has increased by approximately 24,000 students over the last 10 years.

Read the Board of Education’s FY 2019 Capital Budget and the FY 2019–2024 Capital Improvements Program

Elementary School Level Projects

The six-year CIP request includes three new elementary schools and four new elementary addition projects (Cresthaven, DuFief, Ronald McNair and Roscoe R. Nix elementary schools). Of the proposed new schools, two would be in the Clarksburg Cluster and one in the Richard Montgomery Cluster. These projects are in addition to 11 previously approved addition projects.

Middle School Level Projects

At the middle school level, the recommended CIP includes four previously approved and two new addition projects. The new additions would be at Parkland Middle School and Silver Spring International Middle School, both of which are overutilized. Silver Spring International has additional challenges that will be addressed as part of this project, including gymnasiums and locker rooms that are located in a separate building and down a steep hill, which impacts accessibility. Additionally, construction of the Purple Line will impact the school site and outdoor programmatic spaces at Silver Spring International. The request also includes expanding the scope of the addition project at Col. E. Brooke Lee Middle School.

High School Level Projects

At the high school level, the request includes two previously approved and two new addition projects. The new additions would be an expansion of Northwood High School to accommodate 2,700 students (a 1,200-seat increase) and an expansion at John F. Kennedy High School.

The request also proposes the reopening of the former Charles W. Woodward High School to address the overutilization in both the Downcounty Consortium and the Walter Johnson Cluster. The request also includes funding for a project to construct a new high school on the Crown site located in the City of Gaithersburg. This project will proactively address increasing space deficits at multiple mid-county high schools.

Countywide Projects

The Requested FY 2019 Capital Budget and the FY 2019-2024 Capital Improvements Program will address systemwide needs by increasing our systemic projects, such as Roof Replacement and Planned Life-cycle Asset Replacement. Specifically, the request includes a substantial increase of funds for upgrades and/or replacements of Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems that are beyond their expected service life. There is a significant backlog of HVAC projects that directly affect students, teachers and administrators each school day.

The Montgomery County Board of Education unanimously approved a $1.83 billion six-year Capital Improvements Program (CIP) request for Montgomery County Public Schools that will help ease overcrowding caused by years of rapid enrollment growth and address aging facilities. The CIP includes 30 new capacity projects.

For the 2017-2018 school year, enrollment is 161,546 students, a one-year increase of 2,536 students. Enrollment has increased by approximately 24,000 students over the last 10 years.

Read the Board of Education’s FY 2019 Capital Budget and the FY 2019–2024 Capital Improvements Program

Elementary School Level Projects

The six-year CIP request includes three new elementary schools and four new elementary addition projects (Cresthaven, DuFief, Ronald McNair and Roscoe R. Nix elementary schools). Of the proposed new schools, two would be in the Clarksburg Cluster and one in the Richard Montgomery Cluster. These projects are in addition to 11 previously approved addition projects.

Middle School Level Projects

At the middle school level, the recommended CIP includes four previously approved and two new addition projects. The new additions would be at Parkland Middle School and Silver Spring International Middle School, both of which are overutilized. Silver Spring International has additional challenges that will be addressed as part of this project, including gymnasiums and locker rooms that are located in a separate building and down a steep hill, which impacts accessibility. Additionally, construction of the Purple Line will impact the school site and outdoor programmatic spaces at Silver Spring International. The request also includes expanding the scope of the addition project at Col. E. Brooke Lee Middle School.

High School Level Projects

At the high school level, the request includes two previously approved and two new addition projects. The new additions would be an expansion of Northwood High School to accommodate 2,700 students (a 1,200-seat increase) and an expansion at John F. Kennedy High School.

The request also proposes the reopening of the former Charles W. Woodward High School to address the overutilization in both the Downcounty Consortium and the Walter Johnson Cluster. The request also includes funding for a project to construct a new high school on the Crown site located in the City of Gaithersburg. This project will proactively address increasing space deficits at multiple mid-county high schools.

Countywide Projects

The Requested FY 2019 Capital Budget and the FY 2019-2024 Capital Improvements Program will address systemwide needs by increasing our systemic projects, such as Roof Replacement and Planned Life-cycle Asset Replacement. Specifically, the request includes a substantial increase of funds for upgrades and/or replacements of Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems that are beyond their expected service life. There is a significant backlog of HVAC projects that directly affect students, teachers and administrators each school day.

The Board of Education held work sessions on Nov. 2 and Nov. 14 to discuss the Capital Budget and CIP recommendations. Additionally, public hearings were held on Nov. 6, Nov. 8 and Nov. 16