Senators Ben Cardin, Chris Van Hollen, along with Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD) and Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman announced a $113.7 million federal grant to modernize and construct new facilities at Meade High School. Anne Arundel County is contributing $28.5 million in matching grant funding for a total investment of $142.2 million.
The federal funding, provided by the Department of Defense’ Office of Economic Adjustment and awarded to the Anne Arundel County Board of Education, is part of a larger effort to address capacity and facility condition deficiencies at public schools located on military installations. Once completed, up to 2,538 students will be supported at Meade High, which serves both students living on-base at Fort Meade as well as the surrounding communities.
Opened in 1977, the school was last renovated in 2008 and is expected to be overcrowded by 2024 due to growth on-base in nearby. Nearly 17 percent of all Meade High students are military-connected with one or both parents in the military. In addition, Meade High serves a high percentage of low-income students and has one of the highest transient populations of students in Anne Arundel County, with many students attending but not finishing due to parental military transfers or moves to other schools within Anne Arundel County.
“Meade High School is in desperate need of renovation, and these federal resources will go a long way to improving the facilities and ensuring a better learning experience for its students. This funding is not only an investment in the school’s infrastructure but will ultimately strengthen the Fort Meade and NSA communities and provide more opportunity to the students in surrounding areas. I will continue working to make sure Maryland schools have the tools they need to support our students’ success,” said Senator Van Hollen.
“The Meade High School community is grateful to receive this much needed federal funding,” said Maryland Senator Pam Beidle, District 32. “We have been advocating for these federal renovation dollars for over a decade. The beautiful design plans have already been approved by our Board of Education.”