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In a shift from last year's debate over school construction priorities, Prince George's County school and government officials are in almost perfect agreement on their current funding request from the state.

At a meeting Nov. 10 with the County Council, officials representing County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) said the county will ask state officials for $54.7 million in construction funding in next year's state budget, about $1 million more than the Prince George's school board has recommended.

Last year, Johnson and the council slashed the school board's $137 million funding request by $49 million, saying education officials were not being realistic about priorities given the struggling economy. In addition to the council-school board disagreement, state leaders complained last year that the list of schools left out those most in need of funding. The board added the schools to the request soon after Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller (D-Dist. 27) of Chesapeake Beach chastised the board in a Dec. 11 letter, stating members "need to go back and make the plea on the basis of merit not on politics."

County officials said the new request better reflects the state's limited money.

"Obviously, the state has their own issues on whether they are able to pay," said Jonathan Seeman, county budget director.

Every year, the county and school board send a letter to the Maryland Interagency Committee on School Construction seeking money for new school construction, repairs and planning approval for future schools.

The state usually only provides a portion of the county's annual requests. Last year, the state gave Prince George's $28 million, about one-third of what was requested.

This year's request includes $22 million for repairs to existing schools. Top priorities are $16.4 million for buildings that have already been approved for planning by the state, including $7.6 million for the Greenbelt Middle School replacement, $2.7 million for renovations at Doswell E. Brooks Elementary School in Capitol Heights, and about $5 million toward replacing Oxon Hill High School, Avalon Elementary School in Fort Washington and Henry G. Ferguson Elementary School in Accokeek.

Officials are also seeking planning approval and about $1 million each to pay for architects and studies for five future schools, including a new Hyattsville-area elementary school and replacements for Fairmont Heights High School, Samuel Chase elementary in Temple Hills, Clinton Grove elementary and Tulip Grove elementary in Bowie.

Diverging from the school board recommendations, the county has asked for an additional $1 million for the Samuel Chase school planning.

The county is also asking the state to refund about $12.5 million that Prince George's spent on building schools without state help in past years, Seeman said. The county is seeking to recoup a portion of the money it spent building Rosa Parks, Mary Harris Mother Jones, Lake Arbor, Suitland and Dodge Park elementary schools.

Seeman did not include estimates on what the county's share of school construction costs is expected be next fiscal year.

The school construction committee will make funding recommendations to Gov. Martin O'Malley (D), who will decide what is included in the state budget unveiled in February.