County Must Submit New School Construction Request

Maryland's Interagency Committee on School Construction asked the Prince George's County government and school system Tuesday to submit a new school construction request that takes into account several schools in poor condition.

The letter amounted to a rejection of the county's $137.5 million school construction proposal, which drew the ire of one of the most powerful politicians in Maryland: Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr.

Miller (D-Calvert) wrote a letter to the state committee last week, calling the county's proposal "political pandering" and saying it "ignores the true needs [of] our children" because it doesn't take into account an independent engineering study. That study, by Parsons 3D/International, identified eight schools as being most in need of rebuilding, the majority in the southern part of the county. Only one of the schools in the rejected Prince George's construction plan is on the study's list of schools in the worst condition, Miller said.

The committee, headed by State Superintendent of Schools Nancy S. Grasmick, essentially said it agreed with Miller's "important point."

"A truly balanced [capital improvement program] should incorporate at least some of the projects identified through the engineering study as well as projects that are needed for other purposes," the letter said. "The deficiencies in schools identified in the Parsons 3D/I project raise serious concerns about the health and safety of their occupants."

The commission invited county leaders to submit a supplemental request, extending the deadline for an amendment from Dec. 1 to Feb. 1. And if local leaders are thinking of sticking to their proposal, the committee wrote that it could counter such an act by denying them the construction money.

"While the IAC has historically deferred to local jurisdictions in setting funding priorities, the State has an obligation to insure that its significant investment in public school construction is directed toward those students who have the most significant needs," the committee's letter said. "In fact, the IAC will not recommend funding or planning approval for projects that do not meet the State criteria, even if they are prioritized by the local board and government."

System Glitch Stalls Election Workers' Pay

About 245 people who worked in support roles on Election Day have not been paid by the Prince George's County Board of Elections.

County officials said the problem is merely a glitch, and the checks should be mailed in a couple of weeks.

Alisha Alexander, the county elections administrator, said Prince George's has paid $831,600 to 4,296 election judges, and about $66,000 is owed to 245 people who operated telephones and others who provided technical support.

"We had some issues with the new payroll system for them," Alexander said.

One worker, David Taylor, said he called about his money and was told that the checks would not be cut until next year.