Through the 21st Century Schools Initiative, the Baltimore City Public School System, State of Maryland, and Baltimore City are investing nearly one billion dollars to renovate or replace 28 public schools. These modernized schools will help transform student opportunities and achievement, provide resources to families, and help revitalize neighborhoods.
To leverage this investment, and to enhance the connection between the schools and the surrounding neighborhood, the Department of Planning launched a program called INSPIRE (Investing in Neighborhoods and Schools to Promote Improvement, Revitalization, and Excellence). This program focuses on the neighborhoods immediately surrounding each of the modernized schools that are part of the 21st Century program, specifically the quarter-mile surrounding each school. The INSPIRE processes are facilitated by the Department of Planning and created and implemented through many City agencies and community partners.