I was pleased to see the commentary by David Lever in the June 10 Sunpaper regarding the debate over the funding amount and distribution for school construction and renovation in the State of Maryland ("School facilities' foundation of fairness"). I was also pleased to see the support of the IAC (Interagency Committee on School Construction). As an entity, this committee has been in place for almost 40 years. In my past positions in three metro area counties, I have worked with them for 25 years, asking for state support for projects in those counties.

Mr. Lever and the staff that works with and for him take the facts about the 24 jurisdictions asking for money from the state and carefully weigh dozens of factors, from the age of the facility to the ability of the county or city to fund their share, a share already predetermined by the relative wealth of the jurisdiction. It is a lengthy, serious and weighty decision process that is handled with care and civility. Having been on the receiving end of those decisions for many years, I can say that I may have been unhappy with the decision but never was my county not given sufficient justification for it. When the need surpasses the size of the pie, you often do not get the slice you want.

It is time to admit that our aging infrastructure needs to be addressed: roads, utilities and yes, schools. Public education is the backbone of our society. We need to look at alternative methods for funding these needs, including partnerships, lease-leaseback contracts and performance contracting to name a few. Our legislature needs to facilitate this by simplifying process, not adding more regulations to an already complicated and tangled set of dates, forms and laws. Fewer people empowered to problem solve and build. Will I see it? Probably not, but this writer knows that this complicated process is served well by the partnership with the IAC. And what could be a better job than building schools for kids?

Kathleen Sanner, Upperco