Howard County budget shifts staff to expand special‑education, multilingual and pre‑K supports while trimming some secondary media roles

The Howard County Board of Education spent the bulk of its Jan. 22 work session on the superintendent's proposed fiscal 2027 operating budget, with staff arguing the plan repurposes resources to better serve students with the greatest needs while board members pressed for more detail on costs and implementation.

Jennifer Webster, the system's chief academic officer, told the board the proposal includes a $4,000,000 investment intended to expand the district's program continuum for students receiving special education services and to reduce reliance on non‑public placements. "There will be FTEs associated with it," Webster said, but she and budget staff said they are finalizing the specific positions and counts and will present a fuller breakdown at the February strategic plan update.

Webster said 471 students are currently in non‑public placements and the budget increases non‑public tuition funding to $32,200,000 for FY27, a $500,000 rise over the current year. Brian Hall, the district's chief financial officer, cautioned that the governor's proposal to freeze non‑public tuition rates could change the local picture but that the local impact is not yet known. "We don't know if that will actually impact Howard County's budget at this point in time," Hall said, noting the district would revisit its assumptions after the legislature acts.

The presentation also described position conversions the administration said carry no immediate net cost: staff proposed converting 20 multilingual paraeducator roles into about 11 licensed multilingual teacher positions to increase classroom expertise for multilingual learners. "Because this is a conversion of existing positions, there is no added budget cost," Webster said, adding that the change aligns with Blueprint for Maryland's Future expectations that funding follow students with greatest needs.

At the high school level, staff said some buildings that currently have two certificated media specialists would move to a model with one certificated media specialist supported by a paraeducator. The Operating Budget Review Committee had earlier recommended preserving two certificated media specialists in large high schools, but administration said the proposed shift preserves certified leadership while redirecting dollars toward prioritized instructional investments.

Board members repeatedly pressed staff for clarity on the number of FTEs and the true dollar impact of the plans. Dr. Chen asked whether the $4,000,000 placeholder had FTEs attached and whether the district risks undercounting staffing needs. "There will be FTEs associated with that $4,000,000 investment," Webster replied, but added the final program design—and therefore the exact headcount—would be shown in February.

Members also raised operational concerns. Miss Watts questioned how the district will provide sufficient training without added workshop wages as roles shift; Webster said the district plans to leverage existing professional learning days and staggered coverage, beginning with work on Feb. 4 and phased rollouts thereafter. Several board members pressed for assurances that science lab safety, media center access during lunches and digital‑education supervision would be maintained under the new staffing configurations; staff said they are examining kit‑based lab models, staggered training and student self‑checkout to reduce disruption.

Darren Conforti, executive director of budget, provided background on mid‑year staffing added in FY26: a $1.75 million placeholder included in last year's approved budget helped create 43.1 positions mid‑year; converting those into permanent budgeted FTEs yields an annualized cost staff estimated at roughly $5.3 million, which they are reconciling. Conforti said the budget book will show the program pages and corresponding FTE changes when the BOE requested budget is advanced to the county.

The administration emphasized that several proposals are intended to be budget‑neutral reallocations rather than outright new spending: some positions are being reclassified or shifted from general education allocations to specialized programming to better align staff to student needs.

The board took no votes on changes; staff will bring specific FTE counts and program‑level details in the February update and at upcoming public hearings. The budget schedule includes a public hearing next Thursday and a follow‑up work session on Feb. 5.