Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget Staffing Cuts topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Students and educators urge board to restore media specialists, science paraeducators in FY27 budget
Summary
During the Jan. 29 public hearing on the FY27 budget, students, teachers and community members warned proposed cuts to high‑school library media specialists and science paraeducators would reduce hands‑on learning, overload teachers, and create safety and equity risks.
Hundreds of residents and dozens of students and staff told the Howard County Board of Education during the Jan. 29 public hearing that proposed cuts to the superintendent’s FY27 operating budget risked student safety, hands‑on learning and access to vital services.
Student leaders and teachers focused on two central proposals in the superintendent’s plan: eliminating one certified library media specialist at every high school (replacing the position with a paraeducator focused on digital education) and cutting all 14 high‑school science paraeducator positions. At the hearing, students described clubs, research lessons and competitions that depend on two media specialists per high school; teachers said paraeducators and media specialists are integral to lab safety, curriculum delivery and daily technology support.
“We will lose the video production class and millions of dollars of equipment,” said Daniell e Dunn, a parent who testified earlier during public forum, describing how a reduction from two media specialists to one would force teachers to cover media center duties. At the public hearing, high‑school students said cuts would narrow leadership and extracurricular opportunities and worsen inequities: “Our students deserve a safe school to learn and grow,” Charlotte Ward, a freshman at Oakland Mills, told the board while urging renovation funding be prioritized alongside staffing.
Science instructors and paraeducators stressed that laboratory work requires continuous, certified support. “At Centennial alone, I prepare and properly clean up about 100 different lab experiments each year,” said Centennial science educator Jessica Stockholm, who warned that centralizing or fragmenting chemical inventory and waste disposal would increase safety and compliance risk. Witnesses cited potential regulatory penalties and argued that the modest short‑term savings the cuts propose would be outweighed by lost instructional time and possible fines.
The superintendent’s presentation for the evening’s budget included the proposed reallocation of $78,088 in student‑council transportation funding to hire additional assistant principals; student speakers and HCASC representatives strongly urged the board to reconsider reductions that limit travel and representative student participation.
Board members asked staff for clarifying data. Caroline Walker, chief equity and innovation officer, said the system would provide a detailed breakdown of National Board‑certified teacher counts and the cost components for pro‑rated incentives, and that materials behind the safety and cost calculations would be shared in writing. On personnel and implementation details, many speakers requested the board explain how paraeducator roles and digital education staffing would replicate certified librarians’ instructional and technology roles.
The hearing produced no immediate budget vote; the evening’s public testimony will be included in the record as the board continues deliberations. Staff indicated they will return with supporting data on NBCT costs, the budgetary impact of staffing scenarios, and further detail about implementation plans for replacing certified positions with paraeducators.
