Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget Staffing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
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 at Oakland Mills High School, described persistent building problems: “Instead of refilling their water bottles at school, my friends stay thirsty until they get home because they are afraid of lead poisoning,” she said, pressing the board to keep Oakland Mills on the renovation schedule. Senior class leaders and SGA officers from Oakland Mills and other schools warned that postponed renovations have produced repeated disruptions and health concerns.
Teachers, science instructional team leaders and science paraeducators told the board that the proposed elimination of 14 science paraeducator positions would curtail lab-based instruction and create safety risks. Jessica Stockham, a Centennial High School paraeducator, said she routinely prepares and cleans more than 100 lab experiments each year and warned that spreading those duties across teachers would degrade both safety and the curriculum. “Science paraeducators are not optional support staff. We are essential safety professionals who protect students, staff, facilities, and HCPSS’s investment in science education,” Stockham said.
School library staff also described day‑to‑day functions that would be lost if positions are cut. Reservoir High School media specialist Lisa Tipton said replacing a certified media specialist with a paraeducator would leave media centers unable to maintain technology, run research lessons and support literacy. Librarians cited data on circulation and database use to illustrate the scale of library services that would be harder to sustain.
Superintendent Barnes presented the proposed FY27 operating and capital budgets earlier in the meeting and noted the administration's competing priorities, including new assistant principal positions and operational constraints tied to state requirements. Board members asked staff to provide additional detail about funding tradeoffs, and the public was reminded to submit full testimony by email for the record.
What happens next: The public hearing portion of the budget review will continue in subsequent sessions; the board did not adopt the superintendent's full budget tonight. Several board members said they wanted additional financial detail before agreeing to restore positions. The meeting concluded with procedural business and an announced dinner recess; the board reconvened for the evening public budget hearing later the same day.
