Brown-Ulman Campaign’s $450 million “school construction” ploy ignores audit finding “unsanitary conditions” in public schools; Dozens of school inspection reports not filed on time

Audit: “Deficiencies affecting the health and safety of its students and staff at these schools, such as unsanitary conditions, were disclosed.”

Annapolis, MD – Oct. 17, 2014 – In a sign of increased desperation, a reclusive and embattled Lt. Governor Anthony Brown has sent Ken Ulman on the road to try to convince overtaxed Marylanders that Larry Hogan is going to cut school construction funds by $450 million, which is completely false.

At issue, the Hogan campaign highlighted an April 2013 audit of the $450 million Board of Public Works Interagency - Committee on School Construction (IAC), which found the O’Malley-Brown Administration had failed to file 75 percent of required school maintenance reports in a timely manner. More troubling, of the reports that were filed on time, numerous found “Deficiencies affecting the health and safety of its students and staff at these schools, such as unsanitary conditions.”

Instead of addressing the facts in the official state audit (attached) that management and leadership failures that may have placed at risk the health and safety of children and teachers, Anthony Brown is claiming that Hogan opposes the entire program.

According to Hogan spokesman Adam Dubitsky, “Anthony Brown will say anything to distract parents from an official audit which found that our children’s schools were failing maintenance inspections; the Lt. Governor is even trying to convince parents that we oppose the entire $450 million program. As governor, Larry Hogan will make it a job requirement for all agency heads to address outstanding audits within the first 90 days. And when our children and their teacher’s health and safety in schools is at risk because public servants aren’t doing their jobs, those in charge will be held accountable.”

Among the audit’s findings, the IAC had failed to issue reports on 75 percent of the school maintenance inspection it conducted in 2011 and 2012. Of the 57 of 232 reports issued, the condition of numerous schools was deemed “not adequate.”

The audit also found accounting and project management failures in the school construction program. According to Dubitsky, “Every tax dollar wasted through Martin O’Malley and Anthony Brown’s failed leadership and mismanagement in the school construction program is a dollar that didn’t going into making sure our children and educators have modern and safe facilities in which to learn and work.”