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O'Malley Announces $336M for School Construction

Governor's announcement at Overlea High School includes $325 million for school construction and $25 million for air conditioning in schools.

Gov. Martin O'Malley announced Monday a plan to spend $336 million on school construction and facilities improvements in the coming budget year.

The governor made the announcement during Jan. 7 news conference at Overlea High School.

The proposal, which will be part of his Fiscal Year 2014 budget sent to state lawmakers later this month, will include $325 million for school construction and renovation, $25 million for air conditioning schools and $6.1 million for the aging schools program.

O'Malley said that the proposed budget was unusual because of the funds earmarked for air conditioning.

"This is the first time an allocation of state capital that large has been made for a specific purpose," he said.

The governor also highlighted the importance of efforts made by local elected officials to secure the air conditioning money.

"It's really because of your delegates, supported by County Executive Kamenetz that we're able to make this announcement," O'Malley said.

Overlea High School was the perfect place to make the announcement because of the school's age and the large number of unairconditioned schools in Baltimore County, said County Executive Kevin Kamenetz.

Overlea High School was built in 1961 and lacks air conditioned classrooms.

"Overlea is an older school; 80 percent of schools in the county are more than 40 years old," Kamenetz said. He explained the school is representative of the "typical challenges" faced by county schools.

Of the state's 180 schools without air conditioning, about 65 are in Baltimore County, according to Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown.

If adopted, O'Malley said that the proposed budget would support 8,199 jobs.

"That's moms and dads swinging hammers, installing air conditioning, and doing roofing," he said.

The Maryland General Assembly begins its 90-day session on Jan. 9.

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Mike January 9, 2013 at 09:27 pm
Ahh, the old "Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics."
What FIFA neglects to mention about "deaths from guns" is that well over half of them are SUICIDES. And a huge chunk are deaths by willful participants in the drug war. Go on and on through the different types of "deaths from guns" (a hopelessly misleading statistic, given how different are the nature of these deaths), eliminating police shootings of suspects, self-defense by citizens, etc? You get VERY different numbers than the inflated nonsense people scare you with. They talk about Sandy Hook and throw 30,000 "gun deaths" per year at you. The number killed in mass shootings (4 or more by FBI classification) of innocent strangers is on the order of 40-60 annually. And per that bastion of right-wing propaganda, the LA Times, the number doesn't appear to be seriously increasing, over time, despite a spate of recent headlines. Anyone who considers "gun deaths" as one category is a fool or a charlatan trying to mislead others. A suicide is very different from a police shooting of a suspect is very different from a Sandy Hook. BTW, for some context on risk, year over year, the number killed annually in mass shootings runs on the order of 1/10th of the number hit by lightning.
Sanchez January 9, 2013 at 09:32 pm
Mike is the next Fifi target since he makes sense. They are the Patch Vulture victims.
So right about suicides and I personally do not include them in my firearm crime discussions. I do not look at suicide as gun crime since the only one true victim.
Sanchez January 9, 2013 at 09:36 pm
Mike brings up an important issue.
ANYONE who is serious about discussing gun crime should study the FBI UCR on homicide first, at least as far as their intellect allows as we know so many anti rights people have so little of that. They are here. http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2011/crime-in-the-u.s.-2011/offenses-known-to-law-enforcement/expanded-offense-data
FIFA January 9, 2013 at 09:42 pm
Mike, the fatality rate from suicide attempts by gun is much higher than any other method attempted. As you state, damn lies, etc.....
Mike January 9, 2013 at 09:56 pm
FIFA said: "the fatality rate from suicide attempts by gun is much higher than any other method attempted. As you state, damn lies, etc....."
FIFA, what relevance is that supposed to have to anything, other than to dissuade some poor despondent schlep from the frustration and agony of trying to kill himself with a fork? The discussion had to do with risks of murder, and potential security measures. And thus your stat about "guns deaths" compared evenly with vehicular fatalities is nonsense. Right off the bat, more than half of the stat you cited had NOTHING to do with measures to secure innocents from murderers wielding guns. NOTHING. Unless you are thinking maybe everyone needs guards to protect himself from killing himself. And if so, will those be armed guards? And what of them if they choose to kill themselves? The nonsense is never-ending.
FIFA January 9, 2013 at 10:02 pm
Your nonsense is an obscenity MIke. Guns are designed for many things, but the main purpose is to kill humans, whether by suicide or murder. Guns are very efficient killing tools. We in the USA kill more of our adults and children by guns than any other developed society not at war with itself. Do you not understand that? Why do you think that is? Moron.
FIFA January 9, 2013 at 10:14 pm
Evets, you will find the following near the top of the thread:
Mike 4:27 pm on Wednesday, January 9, 2013 Ahh, the old "Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics." What FIFA neglects to mention about "deaths from guns" is that well over half of them are SUICIDES. And a huge chunk are deaths by willful participants in the drug war. Go on and on through the different types of "deaths from guns" (a hopelessly misleading statistic, given how different are the nature of these deaths), eliminating police shootings of suspects, self-defense by citizens, etc? You get VERY different numbers than the inflated nonsense people scare you with. They talk about Sandy Hook and throw 30,000 "gun deaths" per year at you. The number killed in mass shootings (4 or more by FBI classification) of innocent strangers is on the order of 40-60 annually. And per that bastion of right-wing propaganda, the LA Times, the number doesn't appear to be seriously increasing, over time, despite a spate of recent headlines.
Chris W January 9, 2013 at 10:27 pm
Yes Sanchez, but that does not look as good on a bumbler sticker as "Bush lied and people died"
Mike January 9, 2013 at 10:37 pm
Again, FIFA, what is your point? Sorry, but when discussing how best people can be secure in their persons from would-be murderers, suicide stats are not part of the math.
If you think you can really stop suicides by taking guns away you're living on planet Soccerball. If all the guns vanished, would SOME people live longer because they used a poorer tool to attempt suicide? Sure. So what? When talking about school security and armed guards and other measures to stop MURDERERS, suicide numbers are as irrelevant as balloon accidents. BTW, if you are simply concerned about protecting human lives from others, end drug prohibition. It is just like alcohol prohibition. And if you want to seriously curtail suicides, you'd better attack the motivation instead of the tools. Suicidal people will ALWAYS have the means, the motive and the opportunity. There will ALWAYS be means, gun or otherwise. There will ALWAYS be opportunity. That leaves motive as the only real inroad. Last, if there is ONE thing in this world that is INARGUABLY yours, it is your body. Your meat. You. Everyone OWNS himself. If someone truly wants to kill himself, it's his option. And good luck stopping him. No one but a fool thinks suicides are anything besides useful fodder to gun-grabbers. Suicidal people don't kill many others. And large magazines don't matter in suicides. The first bullet is the only one that counts.
Mike January 9, 2013 at 10:50 pm
FIFA wrote: "Your nonsense is an obscenity MIke. Guns are designed for many things, but the main purpose is to kill humans, whether by suicide or murder. Guns are very efficient killing tools. We in the USA kill more of our adults and children by guns than any other developed society not at war with itself. Do you not understand that? Why do you think that is? Moron."
"We in the US" don't kill more of our adults and children by guns than any other developed society. INDIVIDUALS in the US do. And examined by anyone who is not a fool or a deliberate deceiver, such killings fall into lots of categories and situations. Consider that your concern for human life, based on your presentation of stats, indiscriminately counts a lethal shooting by a serial rapist to eliminate the witness the same as it counts a shooting by a would-be rape victim, killing her assailant. THAT'S what obscene nonsense really looks like.
Buck Harmon January 9, 2013 at 11:10 pm
From government controlled schools to guns...
The government has caused the death of more human beings by guns, and other weapons than all other gun related deaths combined...history easily proves this... Why should any government hold the monopoly on violence and death...?
Mike January 9, 2013 at 11:11 pm
Evets, as you can see, I absolutely did discuss these topics, but only to refute the nonsense that was being hurled about.
Regards, Mike
Buck Harmon January 9, 2013 at 11:16 pm
“There will come a time when the gun owners of America, the law-abiding gun owners of America, will be the Rosa Parks and we will sit down on the front seat of the bus, case closed.”
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2013/01/ted-nugent-gun-owners-the-next-rosa-parks/#MG5jslJPkoZh1omC.99
Buck Harmon January 10, 2013 at 12:01 am
The beginning of another Frank surrender...why waste your time if it always must end in surrender Frank?
Buck Harmon January 10, 2013 at 12:47 am
Ok Frank....I accept your surrender to this topic...you are done..once again...
jag January 10, 2013 at 04:12 am
Mike, MoCo spends the most per pupil (completely destroying your nonsensical theory); sorry to disappoint your racist self. Not sure about the rest of your rant - seems to be just a bunch of tangential junk thrown against the wall that's similarly devoid of basic reasoning.
jag January 10, 2013 at 04:15 am
Good grief.
Buck Harmon January 10, 2013 at 04:21 am
Was that an answer to my question here jag..?..or are you just providing some good grief here..?
Mike January 10, 2013 at 04:29 am
Jag: racist?! Really? Care to support that? Last I'd checked, Baltimore City had the highest per pupil costs. MoCo was up there too.
On my first search, it looks like we're both wrong. http://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2010/10/mcps-2nd-in-per-pupil-spending-in.html Except I said I "suspect" Baltimore City is highest in cost, you claim MoCo is. But more important, where on Earth do you get 'racist' from? Sounds like you are wearing racism glasses, seeing it anywhere you don't like. Not the first person to do so, but still utterly despicable.
Mike January 10, 2013 at 04:33 am
jag said: "Mike, MoCo spends the most per pupil (completely destroying your nonsensical theory); "
Further, Balt. City shows up as 4th on the list, closely behind 1-3. And my theory in no way relies on first place, the point is the expenditures are very high and the results are very low. Nothing racist about it, and nothing incorrect about it.
FIFA January 10, 2013 at 04:37 am
Emilie Parker, 1st grader at Sandy Hook, cause of death. Multiple, yes multiple, gunshot wounds from .223 AR15 look alike. Case closed.
FIFA January 10, 2013 at 04:38 am
Apparently and sadly Evets deleted another post from this thread.
Mike January 10, 2013 at 04:41 am
jag and Frank, I think you miss Buck's point. I think. I read his point as a sardonic but accurate commentary on how governments centralize power and, correspondingly, centralize control over violence and death. Whereas, it is FAR better for all when power is distributed throughout the people, rather than centrally held in governments, which history shows ALWAYS become corrupt.
Anyhow, that was my take on his point. I don't claim to speak for him, but that's what it sounded like from here.
Buck Harmon January 10, 2013 at 04:43 am
Frank..you have surrendered to this topic..nothing that you say at this point is valid..
You're done..
Buck Harmon January 10, 2013 at 04:50 am
That was my point Mike..I keep forgetting that there are some lacking IQ issues that seem to go with the turf of these Patch threads....thanks for spelling it out..
Chris W January 10, 2013 at 11:19 am
Oh the topic has switched to race. Frank must have commented.
What a pathetic little man. Everything is always the fault of "old white men". You have a serious problem with race Frank.
1ke January 10, 2013 at 01:02 pm
Chris W, when is the time to talk about race? If not in connection with Ted Nugent, then, what about when the Latino serviceman was shot by police in Dundalk? No? Well, what about when there is a beating in the parking lot of one of Bel Air's bars? No?
Well, just say the word, Chris W, and we can start to talk about race and how it floods into our lives all day every day. Thanks, buddy.
Buck Harmon January 10, 2013 at 02:53 pm
This topic is beyond your comprehension Frank...you surrendered.. it's the IQ that you lack...it leads you to this regular surrender syndrome...you can't help it..
Buck Harmon January 10, 2013 at 03:43 pm
Good luck Frank..
Shannon February 14, 2013 at 04:54 pm
It was all a lie to get the Casinos. Not one penny has gone to the schools, and it never will. People need to vote with logic, but instead they voted for their own selfish greed.
Note Article
Just a short thought to get the word out quickly about anything in your neighborhood.
Share something with your neighbors. Write a new post... What's up? Make an announcement, speak your mind, or sell something
Kathleen Williams June 9, 2013 at 02:46 pm
How did YOU GUYS get to be the plural of YOU. I guess the same way NO PROBLEM replaced YOU'RERead More WELCOME.
Sanchez June 10, 2013 at 04:13 pm
It's "yuz guys" hon. Like "see yuz guys at the bowin ally."
Ruth Schaefer May 17, 2013 at 08:14 pm
This 30-foot, 7-ton holly tree was removed to make room for the extension and will be replanted toRead More live on in the yard of a happy Towson family.