St. Mary’s County Board Of Education Approves $1.25M Modular Classroom Purchase For Chopticon High School Renovation

LEONARDTOWN, Md. — The St. Mary’s County Board of Education has approved the purchase of a modular eight-classroom unit for Chopticon High School as part of that facility’s phased renovation project.

The board voted unanimously to award a contract to Modular Genius Inc. for $1,245,981, with an additional $100,000 in contingency, for the purchase of a modular building with eight classrooms and two restrooms. The unit will be placed on the east end of campus near the courtyard to serve as temporary “swing space” during construction.

Director of Design and Construction Paila Lanio said the modular classrooms are necessary to allow renovation work to continue while school remains in session, as construction at Chopticon will extend beyond summer months.

“It’s a swing space to provide alternative facility housing for classrooms,” Lanio said during a Feb. 3 Board of Education meeting. “This is a project that cannot be done only in summer.”

The modular structure will include eight classrooms assembled from nine transported units. It will also include restrooms, LED lighting, HVAC systems, fire suppression and ADA access. Fabrication is expected to take approximately 25 weeks, with delivery planned for the end of May 2026. Installation and utility connections will occur over the summer, with occupancy targeted for August 2026, ahead of the 2026-2027 school year.

Lanio said that the school system evaluated renting modular classrooms but determined purchasing was more cost-effective over the projected three-year construction timeline.

“You might think 1.2 million, it’s a lot of money, but I can tell you that we did the due diligence of how much it will cost us to rent modular classrooms,” Lanio said. She added that once renovations are complete, the building can be relocated and repurposed elsewhere in the district.

St. Mary’s County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Scott Smith noted that all three county high schools are projected to operate above 100% of their state-rated capacity, adding that the modular unit could provide flexibility for future instructional programming and ongoing renovation projects in the district.

“Having the ability to actually put together an eight-unit quad gives you great instructional programming options,” Smith said. “You really can move a whole department out together.”

The modular classrooms are being purchased through a cooperative purchasing agreement with Baltimore County Public Schools, which previously bid the contract for relocatable classroom units. Lanio said the district has worked with Modular Genius on prior projects.

Construction on the broader Chopticon renovation is expected to proceed in phases over approximately three years, with targeted work areas scheduled to minimize disruption while students remain in the building.

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