* WARNING: THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL, INTRODUCTORY COPY OF THE BILL.
THE OFFICIAL COPY CONSIDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE FIRST READER COPY.
INTRODUCTORY*
CITY OF BALTIMORE
COUNCIL BILL R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: President Young
A RESOLUTION ENTITLED
A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
title
Promoting Educational Success through a Continued Partnership and Oversight
FOR the purpose of acknowledging the historical revitalization poised to occur within the Baltimore City Public Schools system; marking the establishment of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU); encouraging the creation of an enhanced learning environment for Baltimore City youth; calling for overall enhanced coordination between schools and communities in the utilization of Baltimore City Public Schools properties; and calling upon the InterAgency Committee on School Construction to make annual reports to the Baltimore City Council detailing progress in the Baltimore City Schools 10-Year Plan.
body
Recitals
For many years parents and students have raised concerns about the state of Baltimore City schools: heating and cooling systems did not work properly, leaving students cold in the winter and hot in the summer; roofs leaked leaving classrooms uninhabitable; school campuses sometimes resembled correctional facilities rather than beacons of hope and intellectual stimulation.
After a dynamic advocacy effort supported by the Baltimore City state delegation, the Baltimore City Council, the Mayor, and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), parents and children were given hope for a renaissance of Baltimore City schools. House Bill 860, The Baltimore City Public Schools Construction and Revitalization Act of 2013 (the "Act"), was adopted by the state legislature and signed into law on May 16, 2013.
While setting the stage for a momentous revitalization of Baltimore City Schools, the Act authorizes the Maryland Stadium Authority to finance the renovation and replacement of school buildings through the issuance of revenue bonds in an amount not to exceed $1,100,000,000 and to carry out those renovation and replacement projects in accordance with Baltimore City Public Schools'10 Year Plan approved by the School Board on January 8, 2013 (the "10-Year Plan"). Under the plan, all Baltimore City Public Schools students will learn in buildings that embody 21st-century standards of excellence within 10 years.
To facilitate that goal, the Act required the Maryland Stadium Authority, the City of Baltimore, the Baltimore City School Commissioners, and the InterAgency Committee on School Construction to enter into an MOU for the purpose of the establishing the method through which construction, revitalization, relocation, and closure of certain Baltimore City public school buildings would occur.
This MOU was adopted by the Board of School Commissioners on September 24, 2013, the Board of Estimates on September 25, 2013, the Maryland Stadium Authority on October 1, 2013, and was finalized with its adoption by the Maryland Board of Public Works on October 16, 2013.
The Baltimore City Council acknowledges the tremendous opportunity afforded to Baltimore City Public Schools through this unique financing arrangement and seeks to ensure careful, efficient use of these resources. To that end, the City Council calls upon the Maryland Stadium Authority and the InterAgency Committee on School Construction to make annual reports to the Baltimore City Council detailing their progress in completing the Baltimore City Schools 10 Year Plan starting on or about May 1, 2014.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE, That the Council acknowledges the historical revitalization poised to occur within the Baltimore City Public Schools system; marks the establishment of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU); encourages the creation of an enhanced learning environment for Baltimore City youth; calls for overall enhanced coordination between schools and communities in the utilization of Baltimore City Public Schools properties; and calls upon the InterAgency Committee on School Construction to make annual reports to the Baltimore City Council detailing progress in the Baltimore City Schools 10-Year Plan.
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the Mayor, the Interim CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools, the Executive Director of the InterAgency Committee on School Construction, the Executive Director of the Maryland Stadium Authority, and the Mayor's Legislative Liaison to the City Council.
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