Several Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) maintenance and construction projects — including a $500,000-plus change order for Rockville’s Charles W. Woodward High School and the replacement of Burtonsville Elementary School building — will be moving forward now that the county school board approved contracts for four projects on Dec. 5.
Woodward High change order
On Dec. 5, the school board approved a $569,804 change in the contract for the Woodward reopening project to shift the completion of the school’s unfinished black box theater into the phase one portion of the project due to an issue with wage discrepancies, according to school board documents.
Woodward, which is under construction on Old Georgetown Road in Rockville, is serving as the home for Northwood High School students until August 2027 while the Silver Spring school is demolished and rebuilt. The project is occurring in two phases and has experienced delays due to budget shortfalls, supply chain issues and increases in material costs, according to a school board resolution. The building is in phase two of construction.
The Woodward project is also facing a $39.3 million shortfall in funding after the school district found errors in its state aid calculation that also impacted other projects, MCPS Superintendent Thomas Taylor announced at the end of October.
In phase two of the project, construction of the auditorium and other spaces continues as students attend classes. The black box theater, which was expected to be finished in phase one of the project, also remains unfinished.
According to school board documents, phase two of the project utilized prevailing wage, or “the average wage paid to similarly employed workers in a specific occupation,” according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Phase one of the project didn’t use prevailing wage due to “funding shortfalls,” according to school board documents.
According to the documents, the black box project was originally included in phase one. “Due to the timing of the completion of the design of the black box” theater, however, the documents said the pricing of the black box was “inadvertently included” in phase two contract.
The school board approved re-allocating the black box project into phase one, which would shift $569,804 from the phase one contract and give a $569,804 credit to the phase two contract. According to the documents, the change order won’t shift the overall cost of the project.
Burtonsville Elementary replacement project
The board also approved a contract totaling more than $57 million with Massachusetts-based Consigli Construction Co. for the replacement of Burtonsville Elementary.
The school board unanimously approved plans for the Burtonsville Elementary project in December 2023. The building will replace the one at 15516 Old Columbia Pike, which opened in 1952 and was last renovated in 1993.
The new building will be at 14709 Saddle Creek Drive, about 2 miles from the current school. The relocation will move the building closer to neighborhoods and bring it within walking distance for many students. The two-story building will feature an interior courtyard, solar panels, basketball courts, athletic fields and upgraded playgrounds, according to a Dec. 5, 2023, school board meeting.
According to the MCPS fiscal year 2026 capital budget, the scheduled completion date for the project is August 2026.
Gaithersburg Middle HVAC replacement
The school board also approved a contract of more than $5.7 million for the second phase of replacing the Gaithersburg Middle School heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.
According to school board documents, the district received bids from five companies ranging from $5.7 to $6.5 million. The board approved awarding a $5,750,500 contract to Paramount Mechanical Corp. of Manassas, Virginia.
Westover Elementary reroofing
A $1.75 million contract was awarded to the Gaithersburg-based Interstate Corp. for the reroofing of Westover Elementary School in Silver Spring. The district received six bids from companies ranging from $1.75 million to roughly $2.03 million.
