Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz said today he will accelerate the timeline for installing air conditioning in public schools. The announcement came a week after Gov. Larry Hogan and Comptroller Peter Franchot said the state would withhold money from the county if their demand to install portable AC units in schools by the start of the next school year was not met.
[pullquote]Governor Hogan withheld $10 million of State funds as ransom so that we would capitulate and install window units.[/pullquote]”Our students and teachers deserve a climate controlled and energy efficient central air conditioning system, and not window units from Home Depot, as suggested by the Governor and Comptroller. Despite the fiscally irresponsible suggestion by Governor Hogan that Baltimore County waste money on temporary window air conditioning units, we insist on installing central air systems,” Kamenetz said in a statement. “Last week, Governor Hogan withheld $10 million of State funds as ransom so that we would capitulate and install window units. It’s ridiculous that we have to advance the State’s share of funding to do the job right the first time.”
Kamentez said today that all elementary and middle schools will have central AC by the fall of 2017, and high schools would have it by 2018. That only applies, however, to schools that are “not otherwise slated for replacement or major renovation.”
The county’s statement said:
Under the current program, for every one State dollar received for school construction, Baltimore County has invested two County tax dollars, more than the one-to-one customary match. In the proposed FY17 budget, the County included $121.8 million to forward-fund a majority of the State’s share of the school construction program. The cost of the remaining air conditioning upgrades is $83 million, with $45 million due from the State and $39 million due from the County, after accounting for past County payments of $15 million.
Now, the County proposes to further advance the State’s share of the remaining $45 million expense to complete by 2017 central air upgrade projects in every county school that is not otherwise slated for replacement or major renovation. Due to the size of the high school facilities, those projects will be completed by August 2018. Therefore, the County will be forward-funding $166.4 million on behalf of the State, and will seek timely reimbursement.
The Baltimore Sun has a very comprehensive article on this issue, which you can find here.