The morning after Superintendent Sydney Cousin presented a $125 million capital spending plan to the Board of Education, school officials turned to county and state lawmakers for help.

Cousin's proposed building plan for fiscal 2010 includes a major renovation of Mt. Hebron High School, an addition at Northfield Elementary School, systemic renovations and roofing projects at multiple schools and a new maintenance facility.

At a meeting Sept. 5, Cousin and board members gave state and county lawmakers an overview of the construction plan, along with highlights of instructional efforts inside the classroom.

"I think we all realize these are hard times," Cousin told the representatives at the meeting. "We need your help."

The system expects to grow by roughly 3,000 students in the next decade -- a growth rate that has slowed significantly. But development along Route 1 and in downtown Columbia are variables, Cousin said, adding that renovation projects to maintain school facilities are critical.

"The real issue is trying to find a sustainable way of funding capital projects," he said, adding that he is loathe to defer projects. "We can do this for a little while, but you can't do it over time and expect to keep up with the needs of the school system."

Although the board's funding requests have varied between $87.4 million and $113.8 million over the past four years, the level of funding the board received has stayed in the $80 million range.

Supplementing state funding and county bonds have been revenues from the county's transfer and excise taxes. The excise tax, a temporary tax on new construction that is dedicated to schools, generated $12.1 million in the schools' current capital budget. But it is expected to be fully exhausted this year, according to officials, who don't anticipate getting any excise tax money.

Lawmakers pessimistic

In an interview after the meeting, Sen. Edward Kasemeyer, an Ellicott City Democrat, said he wasn't surprised by the schools' funding worries, given the economic outlook.

Still, he was not optimistic about the chances of more funding.

"The alternative of more taxation is very limited and probably nonexistent," he said. "So, you get down to cutting a budget."

Del. Guy Guzzone, a Columbia Democrat, said he also did not see a tax increase in the immediate future.

He also said the county might suffer from lofty expectations.

"As a society, in one of the wealthiest counties in the nation, the level of expectation has risen to a great degree," he said. County residents, he added, should have "expectations within reason because the costs are enormous."

Greg Fox, the lone Republican on the County Council, said the county, as a whole, overspent in the past two years.

"Everyone is finally coming to the recognition of the financial situation both countywide and statewide that's been building for the past two years," he said.

Fox said that in coming months he plans to examine the county's annual spending affordability report and the school system's facility assessments in order to get a better handle on priorities in the schools' budget request.

"We're going to be looking to (the school board) to tell us what their true needs are," he said.

School board chairman Frank Aquino said the building and renovation proposal likely will require compromises.

"Like every year, it's going to be a challenge," Aquino said.

Cousin's proposed capital plan must be approved by the school board and the County Council. Fiscal 2010 begins July 1, 2009.

The school board will hold a public hearing on the capital proposal Sept. 18 at 7:30 p.m. The board meets at the Department of Education, at 10910 Route 108, in Ellicott City.

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