Oakland Mills Sharply Responds to Renovation Delays

For four early and cold mornings, Oakland Mills staff members were not in their classes, but were outside in front of Oakland Mills, making a case for renovating our 50-year-old building. This movement garnered participation from staff, students, and families. This came after the Howard County Public School System’s Board of Education voted to abandon the Superintendent’s proposed Oakland Mills High renovation project, which was slated to begin in 2027. The only board member to vote against the measure was the Board’s Chair, Ms. Jolene Mosley.

The Board of Education instead adopted a measure to build a new elementary school, renovate Patapsco Middle School, overhaul the Atholton Elementary HVAC Unit, and finish the Oakland Mills Middle renovation project.

The reversal of the initial project to renovate OMHS sparked outrage throughout the OM community. Since 2008, the HCPSS Board of Education has recognized the need to renovate the 52-year-old building, which received some renovations plus an addition back in 1991, 1998, and 2004. That was over 21 years ago, and it’s become obvious that the building has experienced significant wear and tear, especially in recent years. 

The Board of Education has reported around $111 million worth of deferred maintenance costs for Oakland Mills alone, according to Oakland Mills United. This is a trend in the area, however. Local schools like Jeffers Hill Elementary, Lake Elkhorn Middle, and Oakland Mills Middle all make up nearly 30% of the county’s total deferred maintenance costs. 

Despite not being on the Board’s list for renovations for 2027,  the county has previously stated, “…the system is old, obsolete, and continues to be problematic. We are unable to provide a conducive learning environment for both the students and staff,” according to Oakland Mills United.

The Board of Education looks at a number of factors when it makes decisions about who gets priority. Some of these factors include capacity, student impact, the physical building, its quality, and the overall costliness of the project. The project to renovate Oakland Mills would cost around $143 million, according to the County Executive Calvin Ball’s office. This project was promoted by the County Executive for over a year.

The BOE further recognized that if they moved forward with a project for a high school, they would have had to choose to either renovate Oakland Mills or Centennial High due to the similarities in the needs of both buildings. Though both schools have strong arguments, the county can only move forward with one high school at a time due to financial limitations. 

It was expressed by Board Member Jacky McCoy, however, that the BOE has historically taken this approach, putting Oakland Mills on the back burner for years in favor of smaller, less costly projects. 

Recently, members of communities in Dunloggin and Patapsco sharply criticized renovating Oakland Mills. Many have asserted that Oakland Mills High is “jumping the line” and is seeking to skip over other schools also in need, and that the county should go with the prioritization list that places Oakland Mills 40th in the county, below both Wilde Lake and Marriotts Ridge High. 

Many in the OM community have responded by saying that The Mill has been up for renovations for some time, but has been deferred for years now. Mrs. Florida, one of our OM media specialists, has pointed out that during her 20-year career at OM, the school’s renovation needs have continuously been pushed aside by the county.

  Mr. Berry, Social Studies teacher and one of the staff organizers of the protest, stated that, “People in the other communities have accused us of trying to ‘jump in line,’ accuse us of being cherry picked, or being like the favored child…they’ve accused us of having a lot of advantages in this situation or in this process that other schools haven’t had. I think that’s nonsense.”

On December 4th, hundreds of OM students participated in a walkout protesting the Board’s decision. This walkout garnered much attention from the press and the Howard County community. Local CBS and WBAL stations reported on the matter, as well.

When student organizers initially requested approval to get a walkout from the Central Office, their request was granted and later denied. Central Office justified its decision by saying the walkout would cause busing issues for ARL students. A page dedicated to the OM renovation issue on Instagram wrote, “Protests shouldn’t be comfortable,” arguing that the Central Office denied the request to attempt to make the Board look good ahead of their Board meeting, which was the same day as the proposed walkout date. Students rallied on the day they set despite not having approval. Mr. Williams, the OM principal, commended the students for their participation.

Following the protest, OM community members went to the Board of Education meeting to testify once again and protest to the Board, despite the Capital Improvement not being on the agenda. They also rallied outside the Board’s office as members entered for the meeting.

With the current proposal in mind, Oakland Mills would face two hurdles if the Board waits to renovate the school. First, the building must be able to withstand approximately another ten years, and second, when that time is up, there will still be questions about whether to renovate Centennial High School first. It is unclear if the county will be inclined to give the extra money to fund both projects.

If the board renovates Centennial first, OM will have to wait another cycle of renovations. This means the school could be looking at well over 20 years before ever seeing shovels on the ground. According to the prioritization list, it could be even longer. 

But will all of these efforts have an impact on the board’s decision? “I think it’s a real question. My answer to them [students] was, the worst thing that could happen is they don’t renovate our school. The worst has happened. For years,” said Mr. Berry. 

It is currently unclear what path the Board of Education is going to take with Oakland Mills, but since the November 20th meeting, Ms. Jacky McCoy, an at-large  Board member, has expressed her regret for her decision to vote against the funding. McCoy, along with some other board members, stated that they wish to revisit the issue.

Around early December, a document circulated about the history of the building of Oakland Mills, which came up with some of the following findings: the original HVAC unit installed in the school in 1973 is still in use to this day, with a life expectancy of approximately 25 years. The unit is now 52 years old. The document also reveals that the original Oakland Mills building was never renovated despite the two additions made to the school in 1992 and 2003. In 2008, the Gilbert Architects assessed the OMHS building and found: HVAC hazards due to the fact that it was intended for open-classroom concepts, and was not modified when Oakland Mills became a closed-classroom concept school after its initial additions. Further, they found there were no seminar or small classroom spaces available for courses. Though it was argued that the back of the auditorium could be used, Gilbert Architects stated that the accordion walls are in such bad shape that constant usage of them would not be safe. They also found issues with the small corridors in the school, which cause physical delays when the entire population must move at the same time. In 2008, the student population was 1,100. It is now approximately 1,500 students. 

From 2017-2018, HCPSS documents revealed deferred maintenance subjects from 2009 to 2017. These included, but were not limited to, a major HVAC renovation, which was deferred back in 2009, electrical repairs, replacement of doors, frames, and hardware, the gymnasium floors, and interior finishes. Almost none of these identified issues have been addressed, amassing the current maintenance fee of well over $111 million. Many of these items identified have only deteriorated in recent years. 

The possibility of the Board changing its decision by the January due date is growing dim, but community members are continuously showing up with the hope of seeing Oakland Mills higher on the prioritization list.