Advocacy
News from our PTA Council of Howard County Delegates
Cindy LaFollette and Karen McCaulley (ptachc@clespta.org)
QUICK LINKS
CHS CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT ADVOCACY NEEDED
BOE HEARING 2/9 or 2/12!
If you (or your student) have time next week, please consider testifying for CHS Capital Improvement on 2/9 or 2/12 at 7pm at the BOE in-person or virtually. CHS is where your kids will attend high school, so staying on top of these important issues matters!
It often boils down to one school being chosen a year so we are gearing up for the next selection that will occur in late summer. Ideally, all schools would be renovated but due to money constraints, we need more advocates to support renovations for CHS.
Email PTACHC@clespta.org and we can put you in touch with local advocates for more information. You can also sign up to testify here: Superintendent's Proposed FY27 Operating/Capital Budgets Public Hearing Registration.
List of neglected items at CHS:
HCPSS continues to push needed renovations:
CHS has been on the Long Range Capital Improvement List for 13 years, pushed back several times
CHSRenovation Date is now slated for 2036 (pushed back from 2024/2028/2030/2031/2032/2036)
CHS has the highest capital improvement needs - shared community with DMS
Student Population
All CLES students feed to CHS
Majority of BMMS students feed to Centennial HS
Majority of DMS students feeding into CHS
CHS is >100% capacity
Building Issues:
Built in 1977
No secured Vestibule; Buzzed into school from exterior doorbell
6 AGED portables that are rotting, some with holes in the floor
Original, 49-yr old HVAC, leaked 3/31/25 into 3 classrooms where carpet, baseboard, ceiling tiles had to be replaced causing disruption and displacement of 3 classrooms
Original bathrooms with rusty doors and broken tiles- 49 years, never had a renovation
MICE
MOLD
Overcrowded classrooms
Overcrowded hallways Poor traffic pattern on a shared campus making bottleneck drop off/ pick up
Temperature variation causing swamp like conditions to freezing temps due to original HVAC system
Lack of windows, minimal natural lighting. Least amount of windows out of any HS. Very bleak atmosphere.
Only ¼ classrooms have updated IT systems; all have Wall mounted TVs hanging in the classrooms
FCAS (cooking/ nutrition) room design has not changed in 49 years
Outdated kitchen/ cafeteria facility
Stadium Concerns:
Outdated Stadium & Seating
Outdated Pressbox
Steep hil
Lack of Storage for sporting equipment
No Bathrooms: Porta Potties are the only bathroom option for sporting events without a hand washing station.
Cases of overflowing Porta-potties and infection control issues.
ROCK THE ROOF! CELEBRATE OUR SCHOOLS!
The central place for updates and information is:
What you can help with:
Stay connected and complete the contact form
Sign up to speak up Storytelling is also an option
FY 27 HCPSS Operating Budget
Superintendent’s Proposed Budget
On Jan. 8, the superintendent presented his proposed operating budget for fiscal year 2026-2027 (FY 2027) to the Board of Education. Documents can be found on the HCPSS website here, including a budget book to help the public understand the reallocations, cuts, and requests being made.
The proposed budget emphasizes maximizing and tactically reallocating certain existing positions and resources, prioritizing critical funding investments in high priority needs aligned to the HCPSS Strategic Plan.
Budget Toolkit
The budget toolkit help to navigate the Superintendent’s FY 2027 Proposed Operating Budget. This documents will be updated as new information and changes occur.
Effective Advocacy for Budget/School Funding
Superintendent Barnes attended the 1/5/2026 PTACHC meeting, with emphasis on priorities laid out in the Stratgic Plan. When asked how we can most effectively advocate for school funding, he recommended asking for dollars that we can use toward interventions and support in math and reading.
Write to council members and the executive. Follow up with phone calls.
Attend public hearings (TBA) or write in testimony at BudgetTestimony@howardcountymd.gov.
Important dates for the HCPSS budget can be found in the School Year 2027 Budget: Important Dates section of this page.
Email your state senators and delegates
Timeline for the Budget Season
The following timeline tracks the budget season, including work sessions, public hearings, and registration.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026 – 4 PM - Presentation of Superintendent's Proposed FY27 Operating Budget
THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 2026 - 1-5 PM – Work Session I – *Supt. Proposed FY 2027 Operating Budget
THURSDAY, JANUARY 22, 2026 - 1-5 PM – Work Session II – *Supt. Proposed FY 2027 Operating/Capital Budgets
THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 2026 – REGULAR BOARD MEETING & PUBLIC HEARING I ON SUPERINTENDENT’S PROPOSED FY27 OPERATING BUDGET/CAPITAL BUDGET
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2026, 1-5 PM –Work Session III – *Supt. Proposed FY 2027 Operating/Capital Budgets
TUESDAY, February 9, 2026 – REGULAR BOARD MEETING & PUBLIC HEARING II ON SUPERINTENDENT’S PROPOSED FY27 OPERATING BUDGET/CAPITAL BUDGET
THURSDAY, February 12, 2026 – REGULAR BOARD MEETING & PUBLIC HEARING II ON SUPERINTENDENT’S PROPOSED FY27 OPERATING BUDGET/CAPITAL BUDGET
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2026, 1 PM - Public Work Session IV - *Supt. Proposed FY27 Operating/Capital Budgets
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2026 - REGULAR BOARD MEETING & BUDGET DELIBERATIONS OF FY27 OPERATING & CAPITAL BUDGETS & FY27-32 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM
TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2026, 4:30 PM – Virtual Adoption of FY27 Operating & Capital Budgets & FY27-32 Capital Improvement Program
County Level Legislative and Community Advocacy
Advocacy Day
February 17, 2026, 8:30am to 4:30pm in Annapolis: 15-minute appointments to discuss topics of interest with your Maryland State legislators. Attendees may also observe state house business, visit legislator's offices, and watch committee hearings. A reception with food and refreshments will follow.
Legislation That Affects School Funding
CB10-2026: Excess surplus revenue from prior years to fund deferred school maintenance needs. PASSED!
CB3-2026: ADUs, passed as ammende. Tied to House Bill 1466.
County Candidate Forums
March 14, 2026, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. at Wilde Lake High School
August: Date TBD
PTACHC - Participate in Advocacy for Our Schools
We need you!
Effective communication is vital to our success. CLES PTA needs a communications officer. Please email any member of the executive board with your interest.
The PTA receives questions like:
How can we share our thoughts on the budget, policies, and county legisltation that affects our schools?
Why did the Board of Education defer redistricting Centennial Lane Elementary School?
What can we do to advocate for funding for important capital projects like CHS renovation?
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.
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@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.
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)
Contact Us
Cindy LaFollette & Karen McCaulley, CLES PTA representatives to the PTA Council of Howard County ptachc@clespta.org