With the second oldest school facilities in Maryland, Prince George’s County Public Schools were often associated with outdated infrastructure amid growing enrollment.
However, with the scheduled launch of eight new school facilities by 2028 that include six elementary schools and two PK-8 academies, all of this is going to change.
A news release from the school earlier this year announced the school system was to begin its design-build phase of the Blueprint Schools Phase II project, in partnership with Progressive Education Partners (PEP), a Plenary Americas -led consortium that will also be responsible for maintenance and rehabilitation of each school throughout a 30-year operating term.
“Over the next four years, the second phase of Blueprint Schools will create more than 8,000 seats in [eight] schools across the [county],” says Prince George’s County Board of Education Chair Lolita E. Walker, in the news release.
By September, Phase I of the project had delivered two new schools for students, which a student reporter for PGCPS’ Kidz News described as “big and bright, with green features throughout the environment.”
And after Phase II’s launch, PGCPS broke ground on four more this fall—Templeton, Margaret Brent and Robert Frost elementary schools and Robert Frost K-8.
The schools will be net zero—a method of reducing emissions and absorbing carbon dioxide to negate the greenhouse gas output—in line with PGCPS’ Climate Change Action Plan, and include pre-K classrooms.
Prince George’s County Executive, and U.S. Senator-elect, Angela Alsobrooks says in a news release that the Phase II project accelerates the construction of modern, state-of-the-art schools in a way that’s fiscally responsible, maximizing the benefits of public-private partnerships.
The project includes a state match, with $228 million in public funding during construction and long-term financing of $650 million in taxable municipal bonds. Private funding will be repaid through availability payments, which are dependent on facility performance.
Superintendent Millard House II says that one standout factor in this project was how it came together.
“Blueprint Schools Phase II is an unprecedented demonstration of true collaboration across all levels of government: the Board of Education, County, County Council and the state legislature,” she says in the release.
Prince George’s County Council Chair Jolene Ivey agrees it’s a collective achievement.
“It’s a win for everyone and will have a transformative impact on the County for generations to come,” she says.
