School board approves cost increase for next round of P3 schools

State added two additional schools, county covers school system’s portion in FY 2025 budget proposal

Photo by Austin Pacheco on Unsplash

The school board for Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) approved a $70 million maximum first-year payment for the next round of its Blueprint Schools Program on May 9, 2024, an increase from the original $50 million maximum. In Phase II, PGCPS plans to build eight new elementary and K-8 schools through a public-private partnership (P3), also known as alternative construction financing (ACF).

According to January 2024 comments from Jason Washington, who oversees the P3 construction program, staff originally planned for the initial payment to be no more than $50 million for six schools, with $25 million coming from the state, $15 million from the school system operating budget, and $10 million from the county. In March 2023, the state legislature added two new schools to the project, bringing the total number slated for construction to eight, and committed an additional $2 million annually, bringing the state’s contribution to $27 million. The county’s contribution at that point was still capped at $10 million, leaving the school system to cover the remaining costs associated with adding two more schools and any other cost changes. The board then approved increasing the maximum first year payment to $64 million, with the school system putting in $27 million.