TIME SENSITIVE: Tomorrow morning 8:00 AM Rally in front of the George Howard Building
For those who have not heard yet: Unfortunately, elementary GT and orchestra teachers are back on the chopping block this year. Unless there is change, 39 elementary GT teachers and 12 elementary orchestra teachers across Howard County will be cut when the final HCPSS operating budget is voted on June 12th next week.
Please join others showing up tomorrow morning, Friday, June 6th in front of the George Howard Building for a rally to save teachers and school-based staff being cut. The more people we gather, the more likely we can promote change together.
See details in the below press release.
PRESS RELEASE
June 5th, 2025
RESIDENTS PROTEST HOWARD COUNTY TEACHER, STAFF, PROGRAM CUTS
Children, parents, and community members rally to save their teachers and school staff
[ELLICOTT CITY, MD, June 5] – Thousands of children and their families will be harmed by cuts to teachers and staff in schools across Howard County this year if no change is made by June 12th to the recently advanced school operating budget. The Board of Education voted 6-1 on Wednesday, June 4th to advance a budget proposal that cuts 51 teachers and 70+ school-based staff members across Howard County. Tomorrow morning, Friday, June 6th at 8:00 AM, dozens of community members from across the county including children with their musical instruments will be protesting the cuts outside the George Howard Building at 3430 Court House Dr #100, Ellicott City, MD 21043.
The County Executive did not fully fund next year’s Howard County Public School System’s (HCPSS) proposed operating budget, and the County Council’s proposed legislation to give additional funding was voted down 2-3. With available funds, the Board of Education has added new positions that do not directly work with students during the school day while cutting teachers and staff that work directly with students each day. Advocates are asking for the County Executive and the Board of Education to work together to find a solution to fund teachers and school-based staff that are currently in line for cuts before the final HCPSS operating budget is passed on June 12th.
Teachers being cut include 39 elementary GT teachers and 12 elementary orchestra teachers. Cuts to these teachers will increase class sizes across all elementary schools in Howard County, particularly in 4th and 5thgrade math classes. Whenever students get pulled out to attend orchestra and GT classes, core classes including math and English Language Arts shrink. Over 70 other school-based staff cuts include paraeducators and health aides that directly work with students. As schools lose staff members, they will also lose access to adults that can help students as needs arise over the course of school days and that can cover for teachers in cases of unexpected absences or illnesses.
Analysis of publicly available data indicates that the percentage of Howard County’s revenue that is spent on HCPSS is decreasing over time. Local school advocates have come together noting that sufficient revenue exists in the county to maintain current school staffing by reallocating some of those funds back to HCPSS. In recent years, Howard County has run significant budget surpluses due to increased investment income generated by the County’s Investment Fund. Changing the way these projections are calculated can free up funds for the HCPSS operating budget to maintain existing levels of staffing and services. This is one place where significant funding can be found that would not divert funds from other currently budgeted initiatives.
Data Analysis: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11lnqafK285rZbL7RQbR6_kKVc9Icqtcy/view