Nearly $40 million coming to fix Howard County public schools

Tens of millions of dollars are being allocated to help pay for deferred maintenance at Howard County public schools, thanks to a bill the county council passed in April.

That bill modified the restriction on excess surplus funds from the county's budget to go toward the Howard County Public School System's (HCPSS) deferred school capital projects for fiscal year 2027.

No one knew what that amount was going to be until a recent audit revealed it would be $37.99 million.

The need for more funding

HCPSS's capital budget, which handles school maintenance and construction, has been getting a lot of attention over the last couple of months, due to the reprioritization of some projects.

Some of the funds could be used for, namely, renovations at Oakland Mills High School, which the school's community has long said are overdue. However, some extra funding could shift the conversation again.

County councilwoman Liz Walsh sent a letter Monday to HCPSS superintendent Bill Barnes and the Board of Education, notifying them of the $37.99 million that can be available for deferred school maintenance.

"$198 million in deferred maintenance is a lot, but so is $40 million," Walsh said. "So, if we can start chipping away at that in big chunks like that, then maybe this is a different universe [where] these are different buildings we send our kids and teachers into in four or five years."

The Board of Education deferred Oakland Mills High's renovations at its Nov. 6 meeting, following an updated facilities prioritization list from the school district.

The decision has made the Oakland Mills High community protest and speak out whenever and wherever they can.

"Over the past decade, I've known that [Oakland Mills] continues to get overlooked for renovations, but I've never found it more hurtful than now," said OMHS special ed teacher Erika Goldsmith at the board's Dec. 4 meeting. "Our school is falling apart, classrooms are being flooded, mold is in our locker rooms...and our water, I just don't drink."

Oakland Mills High School social studies teacher Niklas Berry also testified on Dec. 4, saying, "We're asking if you're truly using data to make your decision, use the reliable data, which has shown you since 2009 that Oakland Mills is in desperate need of your help."

Handling the new funding

A Howard County schools spokesman said school district leaders will be discussing the new funding internally soon, but HCPSS and the Board of Education have been anticipating these funds for some time.

In a statement, Board of Education chair Jen Mallo said the board will look to "ask for all available funds to pare down deferred maintenance."

Board member Jolene Mosley was the only one to vote against the new capital projects list that deferred renovations at Oakland Mills High School.

Mosley, in a statement, said she hopes the county will be able to increase its allocation toward the school district's capital budget in the upcoming cycle, but is also grateful for the newly revealed funding.

"The passing of [the bill] is productive and realizes the deep capital funding needs the school system has," Mosley's statement partly reads.

Walsh just hopes it makes a difference.

"In the end, this is the issue that I think everyone cares about, which is how we can do better for those schools," she said.

Discussions on the capital budget will resume in January; we're still months away from a formal budget request to Howard County Executive Calvin Ball's office.