Comptroller tours Barbara Ingram School for the Arts

HAGERSTOWN — Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot was in Hagerstown on Friday to take a tour of the Barbara Ingram School for the Arts.

 

“I love the fact that Washington County is so forward-thinking, putting together this type of school,” Franchot said. “... Washington County is definitely showing the rest of the state how to do it.”

 

Franchot is visiting schools across Maryland to make an assessment of current needs, as well as long-term plans for future renovations.

 

About $772 million has been requested from 21 school districts throughout the state, a press release from Franchot’s office said. Washington County has requested $15 million.

 

Franchot said the state has done an excellent job of maintaining funding to public schools at a time when other areas of the budget are being cut.

 

“Let’s be honest,” he said, “the Maryland economy is terrible.”

 

Boyd Michael, deputy superintendent of Washington County Public Schools, said the state is offering school systems financial aid to help make annual lease payments over the next two years.

 

Of the $15 million that Washington County requested, he said $620,000 would be used to pay one year of the arts school’s lease.

 

Michael said the school system would have no problem paying the lease if the state doesn’t award the request.

 

“It’s going to be helpful in tough financial times,” Michael said. “(But) we’re fully set up to pay our capital leases.”

 

Chris South, chief financial officer of Washington County Public Schools, said the school system will own the building when the lease is paid off in 20 years. The Hagerstown Neighborhood Development Partnership will own the building until then, he said, because the school system needed a nonprofit organization to accept ownership of the building to qualify for tax credits in the amount of about $1 million.

 

The Hagerstown Neighborhood Development Partnership exists to create and encourage development in the city.

 

The Barbara Ingram School for the Arts at 7-11 S. Potomac St. offers high school students college preparatory courses in academics and the arts. Students had to audition for the opportunity to attend the school, which opened in August, and were chosen based on their talent in music, theater, dance or visual arts.

 

Construction began in December 2007 and was completed in April 2009. The total cost of the school was about $10 million.

 

The building was donated by Hagerstown businessman Vincent Groh in honor of his late wife.

 

Principal Michael Thorsen said the school is designed to hold about 300 students. Although only 150 students are enrolled at the school now, officials say 225 students will attend next year. Thorsen said he anticipates 300 students will be enrolled at the school in two years.