Howard County public hearing draws students, educators and county staff on proposal to use surplus for schools

A proposal to allow the county to use up to $14.5 million in excess surplus revenue to help fund the Howard County Public School System drew broad public testimony during the council's May legislative public hearing.

Students, parents, union leaders and county budget staff described the same immediate problem from different perspectives: classroom cuts, loss of staff and narrowing course offerings on one hand, and limits to sustainable one-time funding on the other.

Supporters said the amendment to the charter and the $14.5 million one-time allocation (filed as Council Bill 45, 2025) would prevent further program and staff reductions while longer-term budget choices are considered. "I'm here to speak in strong support of CB 45 20 25, which would allow access access funds to be used towards our public school system," said Henry Yarmus, a junior at River Hill High School. Student speaker Gavin Falcone said the funding is "more than a budget line. It means hope. It means a chance to hold on to the teachers, classes, and support we need to succeed."

Educators and parent advocates pressed the council to restore the county's historical share of school funding. Kat Carter, vice president of advocacy for the Howard County PTA Council, told the council that the school share of recurring county revenues has declined since FY22 and asked the council to close a multi-million-dollar gap so the school system can maintain same-service levels.

Benjamin Schmidt, president of the Howard County Education Association, urged passage of CB45 and related amendments, saying additional one-time funding "would provide $18,700,000 in additional funding to help HCPSS close the $29,200,000 budget gap" but warned that a remaining shortfall would persist absent further action.

Brook Mammo, deputy director of the county budget office, described the administration's proposal and the budget impacts. "The administration proposes to amend the charter restriction on use of surplus revenues, to support ongoing expenses and provide 1 time additional funding of $14,500,000 to the school system," Mammo said, adding that the change would increase proposed direct county funding to the schools from $800,000,000 to $814,500,000 (described in testimony as a one-time increase affecting FY26). Mammo emphasized the administration view that using one-time funds for recurring costs is not sustainable over multiple years.

Council members and other testifiers debated options raised in public testimony, including use of HCPSS fund balances, health fund balances and budget reallocations elsewhere in county government. Several speakers, including Anthony and Jacqueline Dibella, urged a memorandum of understanding between the county executive and the Board of Education to clarify timelines and shared risk if one-time balances are used.

No final vote on CB45 or related budget bills occurred at the hearing; council staff noted future legislative sessions for final consideration. The council's calendar referenced additional deliberations: a legislative session for final consideration of certain budget legislation was scheduled for May 21 and non-budget legislation for June 2, per the hearing announcements.

Ending: The council took no final action on CB45 during the public hearing; the measure and related budget amendments will return to the council for future legislative consideration.