Howard County Spends $21,512 Per Student. Why Do Our Schools Still Need Emergency Legislation?

We fund our schools at among the highest levels in Maryland, mostly from local property taxpayers. No one is required to publish how much of each dollar…

$21,512 Per Student Per Year Howard County spends $21,512 per student per year — the fourth highest in Maryland. That is a verified figure from the Maryland Department of Legislative Services, Per Pupil Revenues for Public Schools, Fiscal 2025. Of that $21,512, $13,700 comes directly from local Howard County taxpayers — the third highest local per pupil contribution in the entire state. Only 36.3% comes from state and federal sources. We are carrying this system ourselves. The Hard Questions So why, in the 2025 to 2026 school year, did HCPSS need emergency legislation to avoid deeper classroom cuts, after 127 positions were eliminated in the FY26 budget? Where is the money going? Who is answering for it? Why do we need emergency patches every year despite record spending? This is not a funding problem. This is an accountability problem. And no one in Annapolis is demanding answers. What I Will Fight For Demand transparent, line by line accounting for every education dollar before asking taxpayers for more Support teachers with stable, predictable funding — not annual crisis budgets Align curriculum with real world skills, career pathways, and modern technology End the cycle of emergency legislation that signals systemic financial mismanagement I have been fighting for better education in Howard County since 2018. That fight does not stop. Valuing education and demanding accountability for how dollars are spent are not opposites — they go together. Our children deserve both excellent schools and a representative who asks hard questions on their behalf. TWO DELEGATES GO TO ANNAPOLIS FROM HERE. SEND ONE WHO ANSWERS ONLY TO YOU. Source: Per Pupil Revenues for Public Schools, Fiscal 2025, Maryland Department of Legislative Services. Howard County: $7,811 state + $13,700…