Open Letter to Howard County Parents

Parents and Families,

Thank you to the many parents and families who have reached out to their child’s educator with shared concern about our contract for next year. During Educator Appreciation Week, although we are extremely disappointed in the Board of Education, we are heartened by the outpouring of support from Howard County families. We’ve also received a number of excellent questions from parents about how we arrived at this point, and what you can do to help. The purpose of this Open Letter is to answer your questions, and suggest ways that you can help to advocate for your child’s educator.

What we need is 4 members of this Board to step up and do the right thing now and agree to a multiyear deal for educators.

What do parents need to know?

What has happened? Last week, we were notified that the Board of Education gave us their “last, best, and final” offer for our contract next year, which was the same amount of money they were offering us in January: one experience step plus 1% cost-of-living adjustment. Veteran educators with the most experience would only receive the 1% cost-of-living adjustment. The average rate of inflation last year was 3.5%, which means that veteran educators would effectively take a 2.5% pay cut.

How did we get here? Our union, HCEA, has been at the negotiating table with the Board of Education’s representatives since November 2023. The Board refused to discuss a financial offer with us until the Superintendent released his budget in January. When they finally released their budget, the Board’s offer to educators and support staff was for an experience step plus 1%. Our union has continually made good-faith proposals to the Board’s negotiating team, yet the Board’s proposal has not changed. Our union filed an Unfair Labor Practice suit with the Public Employee Relations Board last month.

What did the union offer? We made several proposals to the Board’s representatives for salary increases commensurate with surrounding jurisdictions whom we are most likely to compete with for the same pool of certified educators. The Board would not entertain any proposal beyond the Step + 1% they originally offered. Recognizing the budgetary constraints affecting HCPSS in FY25, we offered a 3-year proposal which would have required no overall budgetary change in Year 1 in exchange for higher increases in Years 2 and 3, anticipating higher revenues from the State (under the Blueprint) as well as increased property tax revenues from reassessments.

What will happen if educators do not have a contract by the end of the school year? Our negotiated agreement expires June 30, 2024. 11 and 12-month employees, as well as employees working summer school will be working under expired pay rates beginning July 1. Simultaneously, HCPSS will be trying to hire teachers using a starting salary that is far below that of competing jurisdictions. That means HCPSS will be forced to hire more conditionally-certified teachers who have no classroom experience whatsoever, and will lose out to other jurisdictions for top graduates. Students and families will ultimately be the ones who lose out.

What have neighboring counties agreed to with their educators? Some counties are in the middle of, or nearing the end of a multi-year agreement, while others have finished negotiations with their respective Board of Education. We’ve compiled a table for you below.

What is the County government giving to their own employees? Agencies of Howard County Government, in addition to the Community College and the Howard County Library System are providing on average 4-5% increases to their employees.

How can parents help?

The Board of Education has the power to end this right now by agreeing to a multi-year agreement for educators. We just need 4 members of the Board who are willing to do the right thing. You can help us in two ways 1) by writing to the Board of Education this week during Educator Appreciation Week urging them to agree to a multi-year agreement with HCEA and 2) by showing up in support of educators on Thursday, May 9th at 4p for an Educator Appreciation Rally at the Howard County Board of Education. We have drafted a sample letter that you can customize when writing to the Board. When writing to the Board, please CC us (howard@mseanea.org) so we can make sure to thank you!

Sample Letter to the Board of Education

Customize the letter below to the Board of Education. Send it to boe@hcpss.org and CC howard@mseanea.org.

Board Members,

My name is _______ and I have a child/children at _________(school). I was deeply disappointed to learn that our Teachers and staff do not have a contract for next year, and that the Board’s final offer would leave HCPSS unable to compete for teachers, and provide compensation increases below the rate of inflation. As a taxpayer, our family chose to live in Howard County because of the reputation of its schools, which are excellent because of the high caliber teachers we can afford to hire.

I understand that the Board is facing budgetary challenges, but if we can make multi-year agreements with Zum, and if we can also afford 4-5% increases for other parts of county government, then we can also afford to make multi-year investments in our own educators. It’s my understanding that the union offered a three-year agreement that would have no impact on this year’s budget. If that’s true, I see no reason you should not agree. Just like you, my property taxes will be going up, so I know that the county will be able to afford it.

I need four of you to do the right thing and agree to a multi-year agreement with educators now, during educator appreciation week.