Just days after receiving news that the Commissioners were underfunding CCPS by $1.5 million... News only miles from home: The $530.4 million in county funding requested by the Howard County Board of Education in its FY 2015 operating budget proposal has been fully funded in the operating budget request released yesterday by Howard County Executive Ken Ulman. The request represents an increase of 6.6 percent over the prior year in funding received from the county, the largest amount ever allocated to the Howard County Public School System. The most significant line item is a placeholder of $21.4 million for employee salary increases, an amount that allows for a salary increase of up to 5 percent for all employee groups. The exact amount of the increase will be determined through the negotiation process, which is ongoing. Board members and the Superintendent have pledged their commitment to investing in employees, considered the system's greatest asset.