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Sect ion

01Executive Summary

System-Wide Capital Improvement Plan

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“To provide an opportunity for all school-aged children to receive an academically challenging, quality education that builds character,

equips for leadership and prepares for life, in an environment that is safe

and conducive to learning.”

Charles County Public Schools’ Mission Statement

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ExecutiveSummaryHistorically, Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) has developed an annual Capital Improvement Plan to respond to the failure of critical infrastructure (building systems including mechanical, electrical, and plumbing; roof replacements; and site requirements for school buildings and properties), and to address enrollment trends within specific areas of the school community. The proposed System-wide 10-year Capital Improvement Plan (SCIP) establishes a plan to move from a reactionary mode to a proactive mode with a clear vision of the future. The proposed SCIP takes into account the results of physical assessments of each school building, geographical location, and projected county-wide demographics. It proposes an optimum size and number of schools County-wide. The plan continues to provide an implementation strategy based on established priorities, costs, schedule, and impact to students.

The CIP is a synthesis of physical data retrieval and geospatial analysis. Emerging from a study of the Charles County building stock, this document defines a methodology for providing a 21st-century learning environment for every child in the Charles County Public School System. A modern school must provide a safe, comfortable, and intellectually stimulating experience, and this document prescribes the steps necessary to bring each school into compliance with these goals.

“There is a growing recognition in the United States and other countries that 21st-century knowledge and skills not only build upon core content knowledge, but also include information and communication skills, thinking and problem-solving skills, interpersonal and self-directional skills, and the skills to utilize 21st-century tools, such as information and communication technologies.”

Perlman, Bob. “Designing New Learning Environments to Support 21st Century Skills.” 21st Century Skills: Rethinking How Students Learn. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree, 2010. Pg. 119

William Diggs Elementary School

Theodore Davis Middle School

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SCIP Mission

Phase IPre-Evaluation

The SCIP development process began by establishing the mission and defining the objectives specific to school building capability and functionality. Each school building and site within the County was assessed as to its physical capability to provide a modern educational program. Extensive data regarding each building was collected, organized, and analyzed, in order to determine the capital improvements necessary to enable the facility to both meet the objectives’ criteria and to maintain its long-term ability to provide a quality educational environment. The data points established for each school, which included school capacity/student enrollment scores, physical assessment scores, Principal and Building Service Manager survey scores, building systems’ conditions, and site characteristics, were weighted according to importance, and then combined to form a total priority score. The priority scores were then ranked to establish the order ranking of each project within the SCIP.

There are three factors that inform the strategy of creating quality seats for every Charles County student, which are:

1. Capacity relief, which continues to be the top priority of the long term plan. In the SCIP, projects that improve conditions and create seats are given priority over projects that improve existing conditions only.

2. Resolving severe deficiencies in a building’s capability to support a modern educational program, including open-space classrooms, underperforming building systems, and undersized essential spaces.

3. Consolidations of student and staff population into fewer, centralized locations, while respecting the ideal total capacity numbers for each school level. This allows CCPS to more efficiently manage their buildings and save operating costs.

While Charles County is undergoing sustained growth, specifically in northern areas of the County, some schools are not equipped with an ideal number of seats. These low-capacity schools are often in a less than satisfactory condition, and the immediate areas would benefit from the construction of consolidated, higher capacity modern schools. “Fewer administrators and specialists are needed when strategies of consolidation are pursued, and the district can realize cost savings. An economy of scale is demonstrated within schools or school districts when larger organizations can derive a lower cost per student due to the ability to distribute the expenses for fixed costs over more students”1

1 Zoda, Pamela, Julie P. Combs, and John R. Slate. “Elementary School Size and Student Performance: A Conceptual Analysis.” International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation 6.4 (2011): Pg 3.

To provide Charles County Public Schools’ facilities with a full 21st-century instructional capability that incorporates future flexibility, fully supports the highest performance of students and staff while accommodating enrollment projections and provides safety, comfort and well-being for every student.

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County Background

Charles County occupies roughly 500 square miles in southern Maryland, 20 miles south of the nation’s capital. Many residents commute to and from Washington D.C., and dramatic growth is being experienced in those northern regions closest to the capital. “In general, it would appear that most of Charles County’s growth in the near future can be expected to occur in its northern portions, especially those most accessible from Indian Head Highway and Route 301.”1 Growth management policies and land prices in the immediate D.C. suburbs have restricted the influx of population to those areas, and this growth has been pushed into exurban areas, such as Charles County.

Many of the 37 schools within the county are concentrated in the growing areas of Waldorf and St. Charles, while others are distributed in other major areas such as La Plata and Indian Head. High schools and middle schools are clustered in these higher density regions, while elementary schools are distributed throughout the county. School building sites within the county are often heavily forested and flat, and because much of the county rests 200 ft or less above sea level, site drainage issues are a common consideration. Populated areas of the county are served by public utilities, while rural areas maintain septic and well systems.

1 Educational Facilities Master Plan FY 2014. Charles County Public Schools. La Plata, Maryland. June 2013.

“Many factors affect the distribution of population within Charles County. Among these are the designation of a development district with water and sewer availability, changes in community age structure, job opportunities, and land values.” ~CCPS FY 2014 EFMP pg. 172

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Glossary of Terms

ADAAmericans With Disabilities Act; a federal standard for providing accessibility for people with physical disabilities, including in buildings.

Alternative Education FacilityA school that offers a variety of high-quality academic and behavioral instructional programs and services for students and their families. The student-centered, family-driven, community-based, and culturally sensitive programs are better suited to meet individual student’s needs.

ARCHArchitectural.

ConsolidationSchools whose populations may be reassigned to new school facilities through the established CCPS Redistricting Process, or, school populations that may receive additional students from the CCPS Redistricting Process.

Educational SpecificationCCPS-adopted standards for spaces within a school building. Usually defined by square footage measurements.

Essential SpaceA core educational space (Cafeteria, Gym, Media Center, eg).

Feasibility StudyA preliminary project development exercise. It is intended to determine a project’s technical, budgetary, legal, operational, and scheduling viability, as well as a potential scope of work.

FTEState calculation representing the number of full time equivalent students occupying a school building.

MEPMechanical, Electrical and Plumbing.

ReplacementDemolition of the existing school building and replacement with an entirely new school building.

RepurposeReassignment of the property to a swing school or another CCPS or Charles County purpose. For costing purposes only, building demolition is assumed. Feasibility studies are required to be prepared prior to any further action upon recommendations.

SCIP/CIPSystem-wide Capital Improvement Plan. The annualized, prioritized plan and budget for significant construction work related to school buildings.

SRCState Rated Capacity. State calculation representing the number of students that an individual school has the physical capacity to enroll.

Swing SchoolAs part of a consolidation or replacement effort, an existing school scheduled to be repurposed may be used as a temporary learning environment while more permanent accomodations are being constructed for students elsewhere in the county.

Systemic RenovationProjects that address aging school building components and infrastructure, such as mechanical, electrical and plumbing system improvements.