When Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman released a sobering report showing that 80% of our public school buildings need repair, renovation, or outright replacement, the headlines focused on price tags and square footage. They should also have focused on responsibility. (Maryland Matters, Sept. 19, 2025)
Marylanders aren’t stingy about education. For years, the state has poured billions into school budgets. Yet according to the comptroller, only about 20% of facilities are in “good or like-new” condition. Roughly a third require significant repairs, while nearly half are classified as “functions unreliable.” The problem isn’t a lack of compassion for kids — it’s a lack of discipline in how our leaders manage the money we already send to Annapolis.
Consider the growth in construction costs. Building a new school in 2020 cost about $392 per square foot; today the average is $600 — a jump of more than 40% in just five years. Inflation plays a role, but so do runaway regulations and “value-engineering” decisions that prioritize trendy amenities over durable basics. Taxpayers should not be asked to fund platinum-level projects when sturdy, cost-effective designs would serve students just as well. (Maryland Matters, 2025)
Local examples underline the stakes. Baltimore City has the highest spending per pupil in the state, yet it also faces some of the worst facility conditions. Why? Its property-tax base is hampered by a high share of tax-exempt land and a reluctance to tackle mismanagement. Kent County, with just five schools and an annual capital budget of $2.7 million, is staring at a $68 million price tag to replace a middle school built in 1950. Frederick County is one of the few jurisdictions to adopt a dedicated revenue stream by adjusting its property tax rate — proof that targeted funding can work if paired with accountability. (Maryland Matters, 2025)
Instead of reflexively demanding new taxes statewide, policymakers should first scrutinize how dollars are spent. Maryland has chased flashy mandates — from energy codes to “net-zero” school requirements — that escalate construction costs while doing little to improve reading or math scores. Republican leaders have long argued for focusing on the fundamentals: safe classrooms, reliable HVAC, and solid roofs before boutique environmental add-ons.
The comptroller’s report also shows that other states have found creative solutions. Massachusetts dedicates a portion of its sales tax to a school building authority, while Iowa increased its sales tax to support school infrastructure and ease property-tax burdens. Those models work because they tie revenue to clear, measurable outcomes — not to vague promises about “investment.” Maryland could learn from them, but only if legislators pair new funding with strict oversight, competitive bidding, and transparent project audits.
Parents and taxpayers deserve to know why, after decades of record education budgets, their children still study in aging classrooms with leaky ceilings. Simply writing another blank check will not solve the systemic neglect that got us here. What’s needed is a culture change: insisting that education dollars reach students instead of evaporating in bureaucratic overhead or endless design revisions.
Maryland’s kids should not have to wait for safe, functional schools. But neither should families be forced to bankroll wasteful projects or politically driven wish lists. By prioritizing repairs over fads, demanding accountability from state and local leaders, and empowering school boards to make cost-effective decisions, we can restore confidence in public education — and give students the learning environments they deserve.
Real reform means setting clear standards, rewarding efficient stewardship, and refusing to let ideology drive the blueprint. That approach will honor taxpayers and children alike — and finally make Maryland’s proud reputation for excellent schools more than a memory.
Carol Hughes is a contributor for Direct Line News. She can be reached at Carol.Hughes@mcgopclub.com
Direct Line News is a Maryland-based free-access publication committed to the Republican reform tradition.
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