State Funding Per-Pupil
The state’s per-pupil funding for Howard County Public Schools increased 35.9% between fiscal 2019 and fiscal 2024. That’s the 12th smallest increase among all 24 Maryland public school districts.
Per-pupil funding is based on a formula that utilizes the district’s total enrollment and the characteristics of its students. It’s too soon to know what the per-pupil funding level will be in the later years of the Blueprint.
Here’s the district’s initial Blueprint Implementation Plan. And here’s what the state Accountability and Implementation Board – which oversees the Blueprint – had to say about Howard County Public Schools’ Blueprint Implementation Plan:
Strengths:
- “Howard has model programs to advance teacher preparation in the state.” For example, Howard County has teamed up with local colleges and universities to create a pathway for teacher certification.
- The district has expanded its teacher academy and “Grow Your Own” educator programs.
- The district’s English Language Learner program is strong, and the district’s communication with the program’s families is “notably varied and substantial.”
- Howard County has strong support for its teacher certification program, including the ability to provide credentials to qualify teachers for dual enrollment on-site at high schools.
- Howard County’s college and career readiness program allows students to remain in high school for a fifth year if needed for students to become college-and-career-ready. Other districts in the state are considering this strategy, making Howard County a front-runner in the state.
- The district's strategy of bringing Howard Community College staff to high schools to help enroll students in dual enrollment courses aids underserved populations.
- The county’s eighth-grade career exploration course allows students to start academy programs in time for an apprentice year.
- The district has good programs to ensure the “equity of access and success” in the AP courses.
Needs improvement:
- Howard County did not engage enough with the community in developing its plan. The district “acknowledged this and plans to engage the community and partners as it moves forward.”
- Like other districts, Howard needs outside help in developing career ladders that go beyond a focus on salary incentives and National Board Certification.
- The district has not updated its math strategy since 2016 and it is not clear if its new update, which includes more than 20 new tools and materials, will fit together in a well-organized approach to math.
- Howard County’s plan does not expand upon its current college and career readiness initiatives, even though the Blueprint calls for robust improvements in this area.
- The district has significant enrollment in advanced placement courses, dual enrollment and technical education, but it is not clear how they will be organized into clear pathways for students.
– Eddy Calkins