MD Public School Construction

About the IAC

The IAC Mission

The mission of the Interagency Commission on School Construction is to achieve a safe, healthy, and educationally sufficient learning environment for every child attending a public school in Maryland. Our vision is a fiscally sustainable statewide portfolio of K-12 school facilities that will remain educationally sufficient for current and future generations of students and teachers.

A Message From the IAC Chair

The Interagency Commission on School Construction (IAC) is dedicated to ensuring that every child in every school in Maryland has a sufficient place to learn. By serving as a resource for best practices and as a statewide expert in facilities operations and management, the Commission supports Local Education Agencies of every size and in every unique situation. Together, we strive to meet the facilities needs of approximately 1,400 school facilities that serve around nine hundred thousand students in our state.

The IAC and its staff are working diligently to implement new programs, such as the Built to Learn Act, and to provide critical information for decision makers, including facility condition and educational sufficiency data collected through the Statewide Facilities Assessment. And at the heart of it all, the IAC keeps its eye on the Total Cost of Ownership to ensure that all of Maryland’s students have a healthy, safe, and educationally sufficient learning environment today and in the future.

Photo of Edward Kasemeyer

Edward Kasemeyer
IAC Chair

Interagency Commission on School Construction

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

2 Appointees of the Governor

2 Appointees of the Senate

2 Appointees of the House

State Superintendent

Secretary of Planning

Secretary of General Services

9 IAC Members

IAC Chair is jointly appointed by the Governor, Speaker of the House, and President of the Senate.
reported to by

MD Dept. of Education

Woman 2

Designee of the State Superintendent

  • Review Ed Specs for alignment with LEA goals
  • Review Feasibility Studies
  • Review design submissions for alignment with Ed Specs
  • Provide technical assistance and advice on school facilities architecture

MD Dept. of Planning

Man 2

Designee of the Secretary of Planning

  • Develop annual enrollment projections
  • Review Educational Facility Master Plans
  • Site reviews and recommendations
  • Planning advice to the IAC and LEAs

MD Dept. of General Services

Man 1

Designee of the Secretary of General Services

  • Review design development and construction documents
  • Review eligibility of items
  • Technical advice to the IAC and LEAs

Interagency Commission

Woman 1

Executive Director and Staff

  • Manage programs and fiscal records
  • Maintain facilities inventory database
  • Facility and maintenance assessments
  • Share best practices and provide technical support
  • Recommend contract awards
  • Approve Ed Specs

Statutory Requirements

The Interagency Commission on School Construction (IAC) is established in Title 5, Subtitle 3 of the Education Article, Annotated Code of Maryland. The IAC is subject to the Open Meetings Act and other State agencies are empowered to lend employees to serve as staff to the IAC. Currently, the Maryland Department of General Services, the Maryland Department of Planning, and the Maryland State Department of Education each lend employees to serve as staff to the IAC. Among other responsibilities, the IAC is tasked with: 

  • Approving sites and plans for new or improved school facilities;
  • Establishing a State and local cost-share for school construction projects for each County; 
  • Adopting requirements for and reviewing Educational Facility Master Plans;
  • Reviewing and approving Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Grant Allocation Requests; 
  • Adopting requirements for and reviewing Comprehensive Maintenance Plans submitted by local school systems; 
  • Reviewing and approving school property transfers or dispositions; 
  • Preparing projections of school construction needs for the Capital Debt Affordability Committee; 
  • Being a central repository for information on school facility design and construction best practices; 
  • Administering approximately ten active school construction grant programs;
  • Conducting a statewide school facilities assessment and conducting ongoing assessments at each school at least once every four years; 
  • And more as required by statute

IAC Bylaws

The IAC adopted Bylaws on May 11, 2022. Revisions were approved on December 14, 2023.