by Nicholas Jones ‘28

After assessing 224 buildings over the summer, MCPS found that it has a growing $3 billion maintenance backlog. Local county officials are placing the blame on years of neglect by MCPS’s leadership over the span of multiple superintendents. This news of the backlog comes after 16 temporary school closures during the 2026 fiscal year, including an incident with bursting water pipes at Sherwood. The main issues that many buildings experienced were plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and even roofing issues. MCPS admits that they will not be able to address much of the backlog in the short-term and will have to prioritize what needs immediate attention.

Superintendent Thomas Taylor has addressed the issue by citing high repair costs and competition over labor with the number of private sector businesses in the area which offer construction jobs that pay more than what MCPS is able to offer. According to Taylor, rising costs have also limited the work that can be done. Money set aside for maintenance and capital improvements has stayed nearly flat for about 15 years, he said. On top of this, MCPS has only received $122.6 million from the county for maintenance-related issues this school year, not even one-fourth of what is needed to make a dent in the backlog. 

The district is working against many challenges now as it tries to cut back on the backlog. They are working against maintenance staff vacancies and hundreds of emergency maintenance orders. “Our biggest competitor right now is data centers, that is pulling the labor industry down… they are paying way over scale,” said James Duffy, director of the facility maintenance department, at a board meeting reported by The Baltimore Banner. At the board meeting, MCPS leaders also placed emphasis on not getting enough funding from the county. Contradicting county executive Marc Elrich who said MCPS officials didn’t request proper funding because they did not think it would be approved.

Elrich is not the only one who is frustrated with how this situation is playing out; MCPS has received criticism from the community and staff. “We were always without AC, no learning happens when kids are drooping,” said a student commenting on the situation as reported by the Baltimore Banner. Some teachers are expressing on social media and other forums that they are fed up with walking into school not knowing what conditions will be. 

MCPS officials are now working on streamlining the maintenance work order system to improve tracking, public access, and detailed information. MCPS also plans to streamline the repair process, switching from temporary fixes to permanent repairs that stop a problem from occurring again. Even with this, Taylor reiterates that to make significant improvements or eliminate the backlog, MCPS will need historic investments which they will likely not see as the county budget remains tight.by Nicholas Jones ‘28