The state's preliminary rejection of funding for a new middle school on Oklahoma Road in Sykesville is a setback for Carroll County's plans to pre-fund construction of the badly needed facility.
But the defeat is not a fatal one, and county officials should fully pursue the appeals process to secure the requested $3 million from the state so the school can open in the fall of 1996.
The county commissioners agreed in October to guarantee local money until the state reimbursement is received, in order to push forward with construction of the $12.5 million project that is planned to serve some 750 students. Carroll has used forward-funding twice in recent years, to open Piney Ridge Elementary in 1991 and to reopen renovated Sandymount Elementary last year.
The rejection of Oklahoma Road funds by the state Interagency Committee on School Construction is particularly disappointing because Sykesville Middle, the only other middle school in growing South Carroll, is more than 200 pupils above the 850-student capacity.
The state agency has turned down Carroll's application three times, claiming that Sykesville's enrollment figures were not high enough to justify building a new school.
But this time the county may have more clout in its appeal. Del. Richard Dixon, of the Fifth Legislative District in Carroll County, is expected to chair the House of Delegates' capital budget subcommittee, the panel that oversees the allocation of funds for construction throughout Maryland. He has repeatedly urged the county to proceed with funding the project and to solicit construction bids.
Funds for starting construction will be borrowed from the budgets of other county departments, so that the contract can be awarded in February. Meantime, county school officials have appealed the Interagency Committee's decision and expect a decision by the end of next month.
With $84 million for 24 jurisdictions, the state must carefully restrict funding to schools with the worst crowding in Maryland. But its decisions should not disadvantage counties such as Carroll that have committed their own money to meet serious needs, banking on state reimbursement later. We hope Mr. Dixon can bring the light of reason to bear on this state decision.