SNOW HILL – County officials approved a capital improvement program that includes a new Buckingham Elementary School this week.
The Worcester County Commissioners on Tuesday approved the school system’s updated capital improvement program (CIP) that includes construction of a new Buckingham Elementary. The updated plan was requested by state officials as they review a prior decision regarding funding for the facility.
“We are grateful they are going to reexamine that,” Superintendent Lou Taylor said.
Though planning for a new Buckingham has been in the works for years, news that the state would not be providing funding for the project was shared this fall. In the month and a half since that news was shared, local officials have been asking state officials for reconsideration.
“As you are aware, we have been working through Buckingham Elementary state funding issues with the Interagency Committee on School Construction (IAC),” Taylor wrote in a memo to the commissioners. “Following a meeting with the IAC and State Senator Mary Beth Carozza on Oct. 23, the IAC requested that we revise our FY25 CIP to include the Buckingham requests.”
IAC officials previously advised the board that because there was space in adjacent schools such as Berlin Intermediate School and Ocean City Elementary School, a new facility wasn’t needed in Berlin.
“The IAC is going to review and re-consider the status of Berlin Intermediate School as a Buckingham Elementary ‘adjacent school,’” Taylor’s memo reads. “Should the IAC determine that Berlin Intermediate is not a Buckingham adjacent school, state funding would be available for the Buckingham project.”
Taylor presented the commissioners this week with the updated CIP that includes construction of a new Buckingham. The commissioners voted unanimously to approve the updated CIP.
Taylor told them that the updated plan had to be to the state by Nov. 30 and that the IAC would be meeting Dec. 14.
Taylor expects a funding decision from the state shortly after that meeting.
“We anticipate information regarding state funding within two weeks of that hearing,” he said. “As soon as I get that information you will get that information from me.”
Tom Simon, one of several parents and community members who attended the meeting to show support for the project, said he was happy to see unanimous support from the commissioners.
“We have more work to do, we are looking to the IAC decision next,” Simon said. “The outpouring of community support has been incredible.”
