Dear Supporters,

The Howard County Council and Board of Education have scheduled a meeting on Monday June 9th at 9:45am to discuss the upcoming redistricting among other topics. 

The Alliance of Neighborhood Schools is calling all supporters to seize this opportunity to send the county and school leaders an email urging them to thoroughly consider relocating pre-K at the two overcrowded elementary schools to schools that have capacity, as a real, legitimate alternative to redistricting K-12 students across 11 schools. 

Please write your own email or use the email template below to advocate for your students(s) and have your voice heard! To maximize the impact of your message, please send the email by midnight June 8th.

Send email to: CouncilMail@howardcountymd.gov, boe@hcpss.org, Bill_Barnes@hcpss.org, hcpss_pk@hcpss.org

Subject line: Conveying the voice of the public on redistricting 

Dear Howard County Board of Education and County Council members,

We would like to bring to your attention what is top of mind for Howard County residents: redistricting. Specifically, parents are seeking to mitigate the disruption to the lives of hundreds of students and families that can be caused by large-scale redistricting.  

We are calling for thoroughly considering relocating pre-K at the two overcrowded elementary schools to nearby schools that have capacity, as a real, legitimate alternative to redistricting students across 11 schools. 

The public has spoken:

• A recent petition by the Alliance for Neighborhood Schools (ANS) has nearly 820 signatures in support of a sensible and fiscally responsible alternative to redistricting K-12 students, namely relocating pre-K programs to nearby schools with available capacity.
• There was overwhelming community attendance at the ANS presentation at the Centennial Lane Elementary School (CLES) PTA meeting, with over 65 parents in attendance, thankful to explore an alternative to redistricting.
• A recent Baltimore Banner article contained misleading quotes from our HCPSS leaders, showing a lack of understanding and accountability for their actions. This is unacceptable.

The public, especially the youngest citizens of Howard County—our children—must not bear the burden of inefficiencies, misunderstandings, systemic failures, and lack of creative solutions from our county leaders. We urge the BOE and the County Council to pursue alternative solutions to address school overcrowding—especially when viable options are clearly available. 

Thank you for listening.

Warm regards,

[First name] [ last name]