Faced with the prospect of shrinking state school construction budgets this year, Carroll County's commissioners might be willing to foot the entire bill for a new $13.2 million elementary school in Mount Airy until Maryland's coffers catch up with the county's needs.

The three commissioners' preliminary assessment was good news to school officials, who have been anxiously awaiting their first meeting with the new board of commissioners, especially since state school planners announced that the pool of state aid for school construction may be smaller than expected.

"This school is one that is really needed," Commissioner Julia Walsh Gouge said in an interview, "and we need to look at different ways we can fund it."

Although the board has not officially voted to cover the cost of the new school while awaiting state reimbursement, all three commissioners "seemed agreeable that the school was needed" and "that we had to look very seriously at forward-funding," Gouge said.

"In the past, we have forward-funded schools, and if forward-funding is done in this case, it will be done with the idea that the state has already given approval that the school is needed," Gouge said. "The state monies will come at a later point."

The state Board of Public Works awarded Carroll County $8.5 million in school construction money last year in addition to granting planning approval for a second elementary school for Mount Airy, where about 833 pupils attend classes this year in a school built for 666.

Once it has granted planning approval for a project, the state will pay up to 65 percent of total construction costs, excluding furniture, equipment and other items.

State school planners approved $3.5 million for Carroll County school construction and renovation projects this year, including $2.5 million toward a $17.4 million modernization of 46-year-old North Carroll Middle School near Hampstead. But Carroll school officials had requested $17.1 million, and the state's preliminary allocation did not include any money for the new Mount Airy school.

Meetings scheduled for last week at which school administrators could appeal the state's initial decisions were canceled because of uncertainties about exactly how much school construction money will be available.

Although Gov. Parris N. Glendening suggested in August that $150 million might be allocated, more recent budget estimates have put that amount at $78.5 million. Maryland's 24 school systems have requested $305.9 million for construction projects.

County Commissioner Dean L. Minnich said there are a lot of questions to be answered before the board will be ready to take any official action on funding a Mount Airy school.

"We've discussed it, and we are willing to be open about the possibility," he said. "We might find out later on that it's not possible, but at least we're willing to consider it."

The possibility that the Carroll commissioners might pay for a Mount Airy school soothed school officials' fears that what they consider a much-needed project would be jeopardized by the state budget shortfall.

But the chance that the county would put a large amount of money into a Mount Airy school also raises concerns about the fate of other projects, said Stephen Guthrie, assistant superintendent of administration.

"We're cognizant of the fact that they don't have very deep pockets - we've certainly been schooled in that over the years," he said. "But we also know that spending in one area will reduce spending in another.

"The Mount Airy project is important, and it should be high on their priority list, but there are other projects that are important as well."

The commissioners were scheduled to meet for the first time with the new school board last week, but the meeting was canceled because of the ice storm.

The meeting has been rescheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday.