From Policy to Progress: What’s Next for School Construction With Alex Donahue

Recorded live at MACo’s 2025 Winter Conference, this episode features an in-depth, candid conversation with Alex Donahue, Executive Director of the Interagency Commission on School Construction (IAC), on one of the most pressing challenges facing Maryland counties: school construction. Joined by MACo Executive Director Michael Sanderson, Donahue breaks down why school construction costs have risen dramatically, how inflation and funding constraints are straining both state and local budgets, and what the growing backlog of projects means for students, counties, and communities across Maryland. The discussion explores the realities behind capital funding, the limits of existing state programs, the increasing pressure on counties to forward-fund projects, and why collaboration between counties, school systems, and the state is more critical than ever. Donahue also outlines emerging strategies, from energy efficiency and total cost of ownership to flexible facility planning, that can help counties navigate today’s challenges while planning responsibly for the future. This live Winter MACoCon session offers valuable insight for county leaders, policymakers, and anyone invested in the long-term sustainability of Maryland’s public-school infrastructure.

You can listen to From Policy to Progress: What’s Next for School Construction With Alex Donahue online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

From Policy to Progress: What’s Next for School Construction With Alex Donahue is an episode from Conduit Street Podcast by Maryland Association of Counties.

This episode is 58:01 long.

This episode was published on Dec 19, 2025.

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