The Ask: We respectfully request $2.5 million in fiscal year 2027 capital funds from the state of Maryland for the development and enhancement of facilities for our LEAP school on our Greenspring Campus.
Why Support is Critical
- Funding is urgently needed to renovate and expand outdated school facilities.
- Kennedy Krieger students are publicly funded and have complex disabilities requiring specialized support.
- Renovations will create sensory-friendly, technology integrated spaces tailored to students’ learning needs.
- Expanding the LEAP building will allow more Maryland children to learn and thrive.
Kennedy Krieger School Programs serves publicly funded school students 5 to 21 years old from across Maryland. Our five schools act as an extension of the public school system, and we do not take private tuition.
This school year, nearly 500 students are attending Kennedy Krieger School Programs from 14 different jurisdictions. Each student has one or more sufficiently severe, designated educational disabilities and has been referred for placement in our schools by their local education agency. Students receive a full suite of clinically related services on their path to a diploma or certificate.
It is important to note that before our schools were established, Maryland students with complex disabilities and learning challenges were often sent out of state to residential facilities, separated from their families—at great expense to Maryland and distress to them and their families.
While autism spectrum disorder is the most common diagnosis for our students across all five of our schools, LEAP specifically serves students with autism who require the most substantial educational and behavioral services and supports. The LEAP building was not designed for students with complex disabilities. The current LEAP space, with relatively undersized classrooms, can be an obstacle to effective instruction and behavioral support. Our high staff member-to-student ratio means each classroom is crowded—with students, teachers, aides and other support professionals—with little additional room to navigate.
Renovating and expanding our LEAP building will give students the school they deserve to learn and grow, and it will make it possible for us to serve more students. New sensory-friendly rooms, customized learning spaces and a greater integration of educational technologies will ensure we can offer our students a well-designed environment that empowers them with more opportunities than ever to achieve and thrive.
The anticipated total cost of the project is $15 million. We deeply appreciate the $3.05 million of capital support from the state over the past three years.