New Report Reveals Decline In Harford County Schools Maintenance Standards

HARFORD COUNTY - A recent report from the Interagency Commission on School Construction (IAC) points to a significant drop in maintenance standards for Harford County schools. According to the IAC's 2023 report, Harford County's score dropped by 8.99% compared to the previous year.

Harford County's Maintenance-Effectiveness Assessment (MEA) performance earned it a "Not Adequate" rating for fiscal year 2023. The county's score of 67.42% positioned it as the fifth lowest among Maryland counties, only outdone by Carroll, Prince George's, St. Mary's, and Somerset counties.

Harford County is responsible for 52 active school facilities, with an average age of 31.9 years. With over 6 million square feet of educational space under its purview, the county ranks 8th in terms of square footage among Maryland's Local Education Agencies (LEAs).

The 2023 assessment examined six schools in the district: North Harford Middle, Harford Tech High, Fountain Green Elementary, Roye-Williams Elementary, Southampton Middle, and George D. Lisby Elementary. While no major deficiencies were identified in these schools, the IAC flagged a total of 17 minor deficiencies.

Among the issues highlighted were inconsistencies in monthly fire extinguisher inspection tags at three schools and non-operational emergency lights at one facility. According to the report, all the surveyed schools had preventative maintenance (PM) schedules missing critical assets like fire and safety systems, boilers, backflow preventers, and conveyances.

Leaking faucets were spotted in five schools, and none had backflow preventers listed in their PM schedules. Five schools missed inspection tags for these preventers, with one even reporting a leak. Three schools also had issues with vegetative growth obstructing walkways, while cracked parking lots were a concern across all six.

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