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Parents and civic groups press council to account for pre-K as board delivers school capacity chart
Summary
Howard County Public School System submitted its annual APFO school capacity chart; civic groups and the PTA Council urged the council to delay or revise the chart to better account for pre-K and APFO exemptions that they say contribute to redistricting and overcrowding.
The Howard County Public School System submitted the annual Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) school capacity chart for council consideration, and several community groups urged the council during the June public hearing to reconsider how pre-K and recent APFO exemptions are reflected.
Tim Rogers, manager of school planning for HCPSS, presented the chart (CR113-2025) that the Board of Education approved for submittal. Rogers said the chart shows nine elementary schools and three middle schools meeting criteria for closure (test year 2028-29) under the chart's methodology and that the chart follows the board's established practice. He said pre-K is accounted for in capacity calculations by subtracting rooms in use for pre-K from capacity and subtracting pre-K enrollment from the enrollment total, but he noted that many pre-K programs are regional and students do not always attend the pre-K located in their home attendance area.
Ryan Powers, representing the Howard County Citizens Association, and Kat (Kat Carter) of the PTA Council of Howard County urged the council to delay or seek revisions to the chart to better reflect pre-K capacity needs and to clarify how recent APFO exemptions (including CB18-2025) affect school capacity and future redistricting. Powers said APFO exemptions can undermine the chart's purpose by allowing growth where schools are already impacted; he asked the council to clarify how CB18 will affect school capacity, noting the APFO review committee will also discuss the resolution on June 25.
PTAC's Carter told the council that pre-K expansion is producing classroom and playground space impacts that the chart does not capture and urged a stronger APFO to fund and protect public education. Councilmembers asked HCPSS staff clarifying questions about whether pre-K classrooms are sized differently from K-5 classrooms and whether any schools are identified as closing based solely on the addition of pre-K; school staff said no schools meet closure criteria solely because of pre-K placements.
Next steps: the chart was presented for public hearing; the APFO review committee will consider CR113 on June 25, and councilmembers discussed a possible work session to examine the underlying assumptions and effects of APFO exemptions.
