Latest news with #HCPSS
CBS News
3 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Howard County schools superintendent says special education audit affirms progress
A highly anticipated audit on special education in Howard County public schools highlighted some longstanding issues staff and parents have raised for years. Ahead of a presentation on the audit on Thursday at a Board of Education meeting, Howard County Public School System Superintendent Bill Barnes called the audit affirming. Barnes said the audit shows the school district is working toward fixing the right issues in special education. Some Board of Education members, though, felt the audit wasn't productive. For Barnes, undertaking this audit means the school district is responding to the concerns raised for some time. "We're not sitting still. We're moving. We're moving forward now with them," Barnes said. Barnes said the audit gives HCPSS a good picture. It was conducted by the nonprofit Research Triangle Institute, or RTI, from December 2024 to June 2025. The audit highlighted some longstanding concerns, including increasing caseloads with fewer staff and providers, not enough professional learning for staff, a lack of supports for students and their IEPs, and families feeling they can't effectively communicate concerns. One parent who was surveyed for the audit said, "It's always a fight. Every single time." "We know that we have to do better in helping families," Barnes said. "It's our goal to ensure that families feel as if they are true partners in the process. Not every family is feeling that, so we have work to do." Some of RTI's recommendations include developing supports to better monitor students' progress, including families more in the process, and reviewing staffing formulas. At the Board of Education meeting, board members questioned how actionable the recommendations are. Some board members went as far as to question the whole audit process, feeling it didn't go far enough. "I was hoping that the report would actually include a recommendation for what Howard County should use. This is a summary of things we already know," said Board of Education member Antonia Watts. Earlier this month, HCPSS unveiled dozens of new and repurposed special education positions to ease teachers' workloads. Barnes said moving forward, the audit will be influencing the creation of a strategic plan that's set to be released early August. "There are no quick fixes; we didn't get here in one day," Barnes said. "We're not gonna get out of here in one day. The improvements are gonna take some time."
CBS News
03-07-2025
- General
- CBS News
Howard County parents on board with school district's special education changes, but want more done
Howard County Public Schools (HCPSS) is making big changes in special education that will address some longstanding issues that families and educators have been sounding the alarm on for years. HCPSS announced dozens of new and repurposed positions as part of a redesign effort of the school district's special education program. Parents with children who have Individualized Education Programs, or IEPs, say the announcement is a step in the right direction. Breaking down the plan For years, many have said HCPSS's special education program is overwhelmed, and staff have been stretched too thin. In a step to address the issue, 36 new and repurposed positions have been announced that will aim to "allow special educators to focus more on instruction and student support, rather than emergencies and compliance," according to the announcement. The positions are coordinators, instructional team leaders, elementary quick response staff, itinerant assessment team members, behavior analysts, behavior technicians, program assistants, autism specialists, and special education classroom staff. The goal is to have all these positions established and filled by the start of the 2025-2026 school year. Parents react to the plan Lizz Hammon and Cat Carter say special education in HCPSS has been hit or miss. Hammon's younger child has had an IEP for the last six years. "She has certainly not gotten everything that she's needed, at different points in time," Hammon said. "We got extremely lucky this past school year where she was just in the right place, at the right time, with the right people." Four of Carter's five kids have had IEPs, though two of them have been able to get off these plans. "The staff really care, but I think the bandwidth wasn't there. The boots on the ground weren't there," Carter said. Hammon, who is involved in a number of HCPSS initiatives and groups, said these changes show the school district is listening to the concerns. "It looked like there's an appetite for shaking things up and doing some changes," Hammon said. "This is not the panacea that's gonna fix everything, but it is definitely like breathing fresh air into a situation." Carter, who has recently been elected as the president of the PTA Council of Howard County, or PTACHC, is also a fan of the plan. But, she'd like to see more money invested, especially with hiring. "As a small business owner, I have to recruit the best. The way I recruit the best is through paying them," Carter said. HCPSS is currently in the middle of an audit of its special education program. The results of that audit are set to be revealed this month.
CBS News
27-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Howard County's public schools look into staff cuts, class increases to balance budget
The Howard County Board of Education is working to balance the public schools' budget, after it was given less than what it requested from the county. The Howard County Council adopted the county's FY2026 operating and capital budgets last Wednesday. The final allocation for the Howard County Public School System ended up being $816 million. It's more than what was initially proposed by County Executive Calvin Ball, but it's millions less than what school district leaders, staff, and families wanted. The Howard County Board of Education can make final adjustments until its June 4 work session. The budget will be adopted on June 12. What will be cut? The seven-member Board of Education held its first work session Tuesday morning since the county budget was adopted. HCPSS Superintendent Bill Barnes started the work session off with a presentation, which showed the school district officially faces a shortfall of around $15.3 million. To fill the gap, Barnes recommended eliminating what's been deemed as other budget priorities, which include security assistants and some human resources positions. Barnes also advised potentially leveraging some school system funds, which, per his recommendations, would bring the shortfall to just under $9 million. To balance the budget, Barnes presented two scenarios, both of which eliminated more than 100 positions. One of the scenarios also increased class sizes in middle schools and high schools. Several board members expressed concerns about the recommendations. "I am really concerned about cutting special education service levels, knowing already are not meeting all the needs of students," said board chair Jolene Mosley. Board member Antonia Watts expressed frustration, feeling like Barnes and the central office were withholding information until Tuesday's work session. "I don't understand why we're having this work session when we don't have the information that board members have requested to show our priorities in a scenario being built out," Watts said. Cat Carter, a member of the PTA Council of Howard County and a mother of five, has advocated for more funding for years. She was disappointed with this year's budget season and plans to run for the Howard County Council next year. David Yungmann, who has represented District 5 on the county council since 2018, doesn't plan to run for re-election in 2026. "We wouldn't be in this situation if the county council did the right thing, because our county has a spending problem and a priority problem," Carter said. Educators' contract at risk During the work session, board member Jacky McCoy suggested cuts could be coming for teachers. "If we care about our children, if we care about their education, every single one of us is going to have to sacrifice," McCoy said. "Even our teachers." The Howard County Education Association, or HCEA, just recently ratified a multi-year agreement for salary. "It went out to a membership vote, it was passed off by the Board of Education before it went out to a membership vote," HCEA president Benjamin Schmitt said. "It's been passed."
CBS News
21-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Howard County's school district will face a budget shortfall despite last-ditch efforts
The Howard County Public School System is still facing a budget shortfall after the county's fiscal year 2026 budget was approved on Wednesday. The county council voted to approve more than $2.7 billion in operating and capital funds after tense debates, primarily about funding for public schools. The school district received more than what was originally proposed, however, it's still not enough to fill the school district's gap to balance its budget. Overall, the county's FY26 operating budget is $2.35 billion, while the capital budget is $365 million. The final totals Before approving the budget, some county councilmembers tried some last-ditch efforts to increase HCPSS's allocation in the county operating budget. Initially, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball allotted around $800 million to the school district. Ball then filed emergency legislation to increase the share by $14.5 million from surplus funds. It came after hours of public testimony asking for the county to increase school district funding, and after HCPSS said it needed a minimum of $29.2 million more to pay for existing services and employee compensation, and benefits. Overall, HCPSS is slated to get $816 million in the budget, which means the school district is anticipated to make at least $13 million in cuts for the next school year. Howard County Councilwoman Deb Jung tried to increase HCPSS's share by more than a million, but the amendment failed to pass. Council chair Liz Walsh also said she tried to find $8 million to give to public schools. "I worked very hard to make sure that every cut I did make to our county budget was surgical; it would not hurt any of the departments," Jung said. Council vice chair Opel Jones and councilwoman Christiana Rigby consistently voted down attempts to increase public school funding. Jones noted that if the school district got more money, there would have to be cuts made elsewhere. "Any red cent that we come up with, we're pulling from somewhere else," Jones said. Rigby said she recognizes the need to increase public schools' funding, but adds there have been other factors, like federal funding uncertainty and the state deficit, to consider this cycle. "It's been very challenging because the local conversation is not taking into account what is happening outside of it," Rigby said. Overall, even though the approved HCPSS funding is higher than what the county's legally obligated to give, Walsh still isn't pleased. "I feel like this budget, as proposed and passed today by the majority of my colleagues, is a grave disservice to the Howard County Public School System," Walsh said in her closing remarks.
CBS News
13-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
$14.5 million in emergency school funding proposed to address Howard County budget shortfall
Howard County Executive Calvin Ball proposed emergency legislation for the County Council to allocate an additional $14.5 million to the Howard County Public School System's 2026 budget. The one-time payment would come from the county's policy reserve, boosting the $800 million already allocated to HCPSS in Ball's original budget proposal. The move comes after school officials determined around $29.2 million in additional cash is required to continue basic programs without cuts. Why is the county calling for more funding? Despite already dedicating $45.7 million, 64% of all new revenue growth, to the school system in the proposed budget, Ball says HCPSS faces additional financial challenges. "While approximately 64 percent of all new revenue growth in our proposed budget is already directed toward HCPSS, we recognize that the school system is facing additional fiscal challenges in the year ahead," Ball said. The emergency legislation would allow the use of one-time funds for recurring expenses, requiring approval from four of five Council members. Emergency funding was also invoked during the COVID-19 pandemic. What happens next? Ball's original FY26 proposal reached $800 million for HCPSS, part of a $1.2 billion total school budget, representing a 5.1% increase of $39 million in new recurring county funding. This exceeded state-mandated requirements by approximately $39.3 million. Ball also directed $6.7 million for educator pension costs newly transferred from the state. Council Bill 45-2025 has been pre-filed, with Ball requesting introduction by May 14, a public hearing on May 19, and a vote on May 21. The emergency funding, combined with HCPSS internal savings, aims to help meet the $29.2 million threshold needed to avoid staffing and program reductions.
