Anne Arundel County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Mark Bedell presented a $228.1 million capital budget recommendation for fiscal year 2028 to the Board of Education this week, funding construction, design, or renovation work at 11 major school projects and a new school bus facility.
While the recommendation’s dollar figures are led by big-ticket construction items, its actual top priority, according to district officials, is a recurring $2 million Health and Safety project — a detail that sits ahead of the larger capital projects in the recommendation’s true priority order. Those larger projects still account for the bulk of the spending: more than 65%, or $149.4 million, goes to a dozen major efforts including the School Bus Facility/Lot ($22.5 million), Old Mill High School construction ($30.6 million), Old Mill Middle School North construction ($15.2 million), and systemic renovations at Southern High School ($22.1 million) and Northeast Middle School ($15.9 million). Design funding is included for the Ruth Parker Eason School, Arundel Middle School, a Glendale Elementary School addition, Riviera Beach Elementary School, and Van Bokkelen Elementary School, along with a feasibility study and design funding for Maryland City Elementary School and a standalone feasibility study for a Performing Arts High School.
Beyond those named projects, the recommendation includes $35 million for building systems renovations, $9 million to reduce a maintenance backlog, $8 million for roof replacements, $6 million for prekindergarten expansion, and $5 million for athletic stadium improvements. Dr. Bedell also submitted a six-year Capital Improvement Plan outlining requested funding through fiscal year 2033.
This year’s request is a modest step down from last year’s: Bedell’s initial FY2027 capital recommendation came in at $230.2 million and grew to $231.7 million by the time it was formally presented, before the Board ultimately adopted a $196.5 million capital budget for that fiscal year. The FY2026 capital budget, by comparison, was adopted at $204.7 million.
Bedell has led Anne Arundel County Public Schools, Maryland’s fourth-largest school district, since July 2022, arriving from Kansas City Public Schools, where he guided that district to full accreditation for the first time in more than two decades. He was named the 2023 Joseph E. Hill Superintendent of the Year by the National Alliance of Black School Educators.
The Board will hold a public workshop on the recommendation at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14, in the Board Room at the Parham Building, 2644 Riva Road in Annapolis; no public testimony will be taken at that session. Testimony will instead be heard at a public hearing ahead of the Board’s initial adoption vote at its next regular meeting, Sept. 16. If approved, the plan moves to the state for funding consideration and becomes part of the district’s broader FY2028 budget request, forwarded to the County Executive in February 2027 after additional public hearings. The County Council will review and adopt a final capital budget for the school system by June 2027.
