Urgent: Join Our Letter-Writing Campaign to Fully Fund Our Schools

As we navigate through the budget discussions for our schools, it has become increasingly clear that the narrative pushed by the County Executive in his recent communication to the Board of Education is not only misleading but dangerously flawed.

HAVE YOU SIGNED THE LETTER TO THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE?

The claim that Howard County is surpassing the Maintenance of Effort (MOE) funding levels required by the state is a smokescreen. MOE calculations, focusing narrowly on enrollment figures, fail to address the comprehensive needs of our schools, from staffing to program funding. This narrow focus does not account for the actual costs of maintaining, let alone improving, the quality of education.

Alarmingly, the County Executive’s letter overlooks significant budget cuts affecting vital programs and staffing, suggesting a looming decline in service quality and educational standards. The narrative on vacancies is particularly disingenuous, hinting at a broader issue: our inability to offer competitive salaries and incentives, making it difficult to attract and retain educators in a county known for its high cost of living.

This approach signals a reluctance to fully fund our educational system, pushing us towards a future where our schools’ needs are continuously unmet. Accountability is being sidestepped, with the County Executive, who has been in elected county office for nearly two decades, deflecting responsibility. Instead of investing in lucrative deals for corporations like Howard Hughes Corporation, our focus should be on robustly funding our schools.

In one of the wealthiest counties in the nation, it is unacceptable to face such educational and financial turmoil. The Board of Education has already failed to restore essential services, cutting deeply into special education, summer school programs, and critical support services, totaling millions in lost funding.

We cannot stand by as our schools face these preventable challenges. I urge you to join our letter-writing campaign, demanding the full funding our schools desperately need to provide high-quality education and support for every student. Your voice is crucial in holding our leaders accountable and ensuring our children’s future is not compromised.

Let's make our collective voices heard and advocate for the necessary investment in our educational infrastructure.