Worcester County Board of Education presents renderings of new Buckingham Elementary at Commissioners meeting

WORCESTER COUNTY, Md. – The Worcester County Commissioners held a meeting Tuesday morning, discussing several topics, including the construction of the new Buckingham Elementary School.

The project has already been approved by the County Commissioners, but this time the Board of Education attended the meeting to present model renderings of the new facility.

They were joined by members of the Becker Morgan Group, who helped display the models. Worcester County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Lou Taylor said the presentation offered an opportunity to be candid about the design.

“The schematic design of the school, and so that we want to be very transparent. So just brought it in, to walk them through the building itself to see how it was laid out – that was our purpose,” he said.

This transparency wasn’t always the case. The county had previously faced difficulties securing state funding. Commissioner Caryn Abbott said following the state’s recommendations, opened the door for progress.

“The state told us about the two school solutions that they wanted. The two schools that they picked were Buckingham and the intermediate school,” Abbott said.

She added that Pocomoke and Snow Hill elementary schools likely need replacements as well, but she suggested that without state funding, the Buckingham project could have ultimately fallen through.

At the meeting, officials presented floor plans, structural designs and a budget review. The current plan is for the facility to break ground in May 2027. Dr. Taylor thanked county and state officials for emphasizing the importance of better education.

“The county had committed to $50 million in their part, and due to additional state funding, we were able to knock down a little over $5 million that the county does not have to supply,” he said.