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Teachers, parents and students press Howard County school leaders to keep librarians, strengthen mentorships and fund renovations
Summary
During public forum and board testimony, a Mount Hebron librarian urged the district to preserve high‑school library media specialist positions; HCEA presented proposals to expand teacher mentoring; student speakers and community members called for immediate renovations at Oakland Mills High School and questioned the capital prioritization process.
Multiple speakers used the Nov. 20 public forum and organized testimony to press the Howard County Board of Education on staffing, mentorships and school building conditions.
Michelle Brown, a library media specialist at Mount Hebron High School, told the board she was "advocating for the continued funding of our positions," and described nearly 4,000 student interactions, 902 book checkouts and 60 class visits during the first quarter at her school. "Now is not the time to cut high school library positions or school librarians at any level," Brown said, arguing certified library media specialists support information literacy in an "AI‑augmented world."
Multilingual family leaders also praised the Multilingual Parent Leadership Program, which Min Woo (Multilingual Family Services supervisor) said graduated 23 parents representing six countries and six languages in the 26th cohort; several parents described how the program increased their ability to use Canvas, understand school processes and support their children.
The Howard County Education Association presented data and policy recommendations on retention and mentorship. The union speaker described MSDE guidance and recommended strategies including differentiated professional development, reduced instructional loads for new teachers and at least three hours of mentoring per month for mentees. The presentation urged district collaboration and budget support to expand mentorship capacity.
Students and community members urged the board to revisit capital‑budget choices. Rosemarie Kamalu and Marion McGillivray Stubbs, students from Oakland Mills High School, said their building has chronic maintenance issues and petitioned the board and county to restore the school's renovation priority. PTSA leaders and teachers also described broken classroom furniture, leaking ceilings and cancelled student field trips. Rachel Skinner, a fifth‑grade teacher at Phelps Luck Elementary, objected to replacing in‑person elementary‑to‑middle school visits with virtual alternatives, saying in‑person visits ease transition anxiety for fifth graders.
Board members acknowledged concerns and staff said the district will continue communications; staff also reminded members that some capital funding sources (including Build to Learn allocations) require timely decisions to preserve planning and funding eligibility.
The public testimony and union presentation highlighted three crosscutting themes: (1) preserving front‑line staff who support instruction (librarians and mentors); (2) ensuring families and multilingual communities receive access and outreach; and (3) the urgency and community impact of capital‑budget prioritization and school conditions.
