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Students and staff urge board to preserve media specialists and science paraeducators amid FY27 budget talks
Summary
Dozens of students, teachers and parents told the Howard County Board of Education on Jan. 29 that proposed FY27 cuts — including eliminating high‑school science paraeducators and reducing media specialists from two to one per high school — would harm hands‑on learning, library access and student safety; the board heard repeated pleas to prioritize Oakland Mills renovations.
Dozens of students, parents and staff urged the Howard County Board of Education on Jan. 29 to reverse proposed budget cuts that would reduce high‑school media staffing and eliminate secondary science paraeducators.
Danielle Dunn, who spoke during the public forum, warned that the superintendent's proposed budget would remove a high‑school library media paraeducator and reduce media center staffing to a single certified librarian. “Without a second library media specialist in high schools, students will not have access to expert support to effectively access online media center resources,” Dunn said, arguing that the change would limit instruction in research skills, digital citizenship and AI ethics.
Students from multiple high schools gave similar accounts. Charlotte Ward, a freshman…
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