Advocacy
News from our PTA Council of Howard County delegates
Cindy LaFollette and Karen McCaulley (ptachc.rep@clespta.org)
December 2025 PTACHC News
Capital Improvement
On 11/6, the board voted to use Built-to-Learn Funds to:
Construct ES#43 in the Southeast corridor
Renovate Patapsco MS
Install a new HVAC at Atholton ES.
Budget
First Residents' Budget Hearing for Fiscal Year 2027 at 6 PM on Dec. 18, 2025
Sign up to testify at the upcoming HoCo Budget Hearing, and ask the County Executive to put HCPSS first and fully fund our schools! We need investment in both operating and capital needs. You can sign up to testify in-person, virtually, or write in.
https://www.howardcountymd.gov/budget/first-residents-budget-hearing-fiscal-year-2027
Legislation
Howard County Delegation Local Bill Hearing Signup - 2026 Legislation December 16th at 6pm
Please fill out and submit this form to support/oppose local billing legislation, or to testify at the Howard County Delegation Local Bill Hearing. You can also send in written testimony. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf_KpK1skKe_ewZbyjV_HsUEmqfUTqfnG9VXB8mNl-nka40aw/viewform
Bills that affect HCPSS include:
Minimum funding
Transfer Tax Use
Mandatory School Holidays
Increasing Board Student Member Voting to include restricted items such as budget, capital improvements, and redistricting,
Lowering the voting age for electing BOE members
School scheduling options
Redistricting: HCPSS Boundary Review Process for the 2026-2027 School Year
On December 4, 2025, the Board of Education approved their redistricting plan.
The approved plan redistricts approximately 120 students from Bryant Woods Elementary School to Longfellow, Running Brook and Swansfield elementary schools, and approximately 40 students from Harper’s Choice Middle School to Wilde Lake Middle School, to strengthen the feed from Longfellow Elementary School to Wilde Lake Middle School.
Centennial Lane redistricting is deferred to 2029 to align with middle school rebalancing.
Get Involved!
Join an HCPSS Academic Advisory Council
Interested in improving education in Howard County? Academic and Community Advisory Committees offer opportunities for involvement and are comprised of parents, community members, students, and staff with a desire to work collaboratively to advise the Board of Education.
More information here: https://www.hcpss.org/parents/academic-advisory-committees/
Current CLES advisory council members:
Shirley Zhao SECAC (Special Education Citizens Advisory Council)
Cindy LaFollette CAC (Community Advisory Council)
Open CLES advisory council members:
Elementary Curricular (ECAC)
Fine Arts
GT/Advanced Programs
Early Childhood
Instructional Tech and Library Media
Mathematics (MAC)
School Health
Science (SAC)
Secondary Language Arts
Social Studies
World Language (WLAC)
Participate in Advocacy for Our Schools
The PTA receives questions like:
Why are all our fifth graders in portables this year?
How can we get a new playground and more green space for children to play outdoors in the shade?
Why isn’t Centennial Lane Elementary School on master plan for capital funding in Howard County?
How can we share our thoughts about student cell phone policies?
Renovations are needed for the high school our children are districted to attend in a few years; these have been pushed back until 2036 when current kindergarteners will be high school seniors. What can we do to advocate for funding for important projects like this to happen sooner?
Whether you’ve asked these questions yourself or have other school-related concerns on your mind, joining the PTA is a great way to stay informed and to work with others to advocate for all students in Howard County.
Starting this school year, we’ll be sending updates at least quarterly to registered PTA members with answers to common questions that families are asking and key points from PTACHC meetings.
The PTA Council of Howard County (PTA-CHC) welcomes our participation on advocacy issues throughout the year. There are usually shortages of community members advocating to fund our school system both at the local (Howard County) and the state level. Multiple issues are raised each year; the PTA-CHC cannot tackle all of them. School PTAs can pursue their own advocacy efforts. Individuals are also encouraged to advocate as needs/concerns arise.
Please contact our PTACHC representatives (ptachc.rep@clespta.org) for any advocacy related ideas or concerns. They can work with you on advocacy issues or bring them up with PTA-CHC. You are also welcome to join a PTACHC meeting at anytime. They are open to the public and the schedule can be found here.
All school community members are welcome to register to speak in person or virtually at school board meetings that are usually held twice monthly. You can register to speak up to 3 minutes at each meeting on almost any topic that you have concerns about. There are also opportunities to speak to the Howard County Council and state legislature. All are welcome.
Contact us.
Cindy LaFollette & Karen McCaulley
CLES PTA representatives to the PTA Council of Howard County