The Prince George’s County school board is moving forward with a $1.24 billion public-private plan to build new schools.
The school board passed the plan to replace six aging middle schools.
Dubbed the P3 Plan, the partnership will use private money to build the schools within the next three years. Payments will be made on the cost over the next 33 years.
Some questioned the higher building costs. Others were concerned about the mix of public and private dollars, particularly after a public-private partnership for Maryland’s Purple Line collapsed.
But leaders say it’s the best path to get students in more modern school buildings as the district faces a backlog of over $8.5 billion in school construction needs.
“It’s time for people to say, ‘Well, why don’t we have [schools] like Prince George’s County?’” Schools CEO Monica Goldson said.
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Prince George's County would be the first district in the country to use a private-public partnership to build schools, said Jeremy Mohler of Within the Public Interest.
