WCPS prioritizes its school infrastructure and its associated facility planning in Wicomico County in conjunction with Wicomico County Government. Both groups recognize the critical role schools provide in supporting and maintaining a strong public educational system. Our schools also serve the needs of the surrounding community in many different ways. The state and the county continue to support WCPS efforts in maintaining these important assets by assisting with either new or renovated school facilities through various funding sources. As in years past, the needs of our schools continue to increase and have grown beyond the funds currently available. Although funding is limited due to fiscal constraints, WCPS continues to make a concerted effort to improve its school facilities. Two main questions regarding the adequacy of public schools are as follows: • How do schools support the instructional needs of public education and community use requirements? • How do schools meet the minimum standards required to maintain a healthy, safe learning environment for students and staff? These questions represent the overall guiding concepts of what WCPS addresses in our facility plans. WCPS buildings continue to age and student enrollments are projected to remain steady while funding for facility improvements remains limited. In spite of these difficulties,WCPS is committed to developing andmaintaining a long-range comprehensive plan that addresses these questions and other issues currently confronting WCPS schools. In order to address how we support instructional needs and community development in conjunction with various policies, it is necessary to clearly identify the issues affecting our school facilities. It is important to understand the current situation and even more critical to understand where things are headed in the next five to ten years. EFMP PURPOSE 1.2 13
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