School Construction - Local Cost-Share - Alterations

HB 736 adjusts Maryland's school construction funding by reducing the local cost-share (the portion a county pays) for certain school projects under specific conditions. It directly affects school districts in counties meeting one of three criteria: (1) having the state's lowest median household income (bottom quartile) with a current 50/50 state-local split, (2) having over the statewide average of students eligible for free/reduced meals with all schools in community eligibility, or (3) having projects at schools with high poverty concentration (80%+ or 55-80%) or meeting specific facility standards. The bill reduces the local share to match adjacent counties or a county average, while increasing the state's share by the same percentage. For example, a school in a county with 80%+ poverty concentration would get a 10-point increase in state funding, and net-zero school projects would get a 5-point increase.