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Parents, students and teachers urge board to keep science paraeducators as FY27 cuts loom
Summary
Dozens of students, teachers and science paraeducators told the Howard County Board of Education on Feb. 9 that eliminating secondary science paraeducator positions would endanger safety, violate lab requirements for AP courses, and substantially reduce hands‑on STEM learning across the county.
Dozens of students, teachers and staff testified at a Feb. 9 public hearing that eliminating the district's 14 high‑school science paraeducator positions as proposed in the superintendent's FY27 budget would harm safety and curriculum.
"Without them, the upkeep required to ensure student safety is simply not feasible," Dr. Katherine Yinger, a secondary science teacher, told the board, saying the district stores "over 500 different chemicals" and that paraeducators maintain chemical inventories and safety equipment. Jessica Stockham, a Centennial High School science paraeducator,…
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