Howard County’s school budget fight turned raw and very public Thursday night, as the Board of Education approved its fiscal 2027 spending plan in a contentious 5-2 vote and families from Oakland Mills High School walked out of the meeting in protest. Parents and students say the plan again leaves long-promised renovations on the cutting-room floor and does little to fix chronic problems inside their building. The showdown followed months of public testimony and an earlier student walkout over mold, temperature swings, and other maintenance failures, and community leaders say they are not backing off as the budget heads to the county level.
Board Backs FY2027 Budget As Oakland Mills Families Walk Out
The Board adopted its FY2027 operating and capital plan by a 5-2 margin while Oakland Mills families pressed, once more, for a renovation they say has been kicked down the road for years. The package includes about $71 million in new allocations, but none of that money will go toward any high school renovation projects, according to CBS Baltimore. The decision prompted some parents to walk out of the meeting in frustration and reignited demands for the district to reshuffle its capital priority list.
Board Chair Jennifer Mallo told the room the budget "tackles what I think are the highest-ranked priorities" and warned that renovating even one high school would consume an enormous chunk of resources. "A high school right now, we're looking at 140 to 180 million. That takes up everything," Mallo said, per CBS Baltimore. Parents and PTA leaders pushed back. PTA president Shana Shropshire said students feel "not seen, not heard, not valued," and parent Jen Hayashi told reporters the decision made it feel like the district did not care about their kids.
Years Of Complaints About The Building
Students and staff have reported mold, lead in water fountains, asbestos in HVAC units, and heating and cooling systems that cut in and out, problems that community members say have dragged on for years. Local reporting has highlighted black slime in the school’s TV studio and even sinks hanging off walls, according to WBALTV. Supporters argue that the formula the Board uses to rank capital projects has pushed Oakland Mills down the list and that patchwork repairs will not fix what they describe as systemic issues with the building.
Next Stops: County Executive And Council
The Board’s adopted request now moves into the county budget process. The Board submits its request to the County Executive, who then makes recommendations to the County Council, and the council ultimately sets county funding, according to HCPSS. That schedule plays out through March and April, with county budget actions usually finalized in May. That leaves a relatively short window for families to press Howard County Executive Calvin Ball and council members to restore what they see as high-need projects. Advocates say they plan to ramp up pressure at upcoming hearings and watch closely for any changes to how capital dollars are prioritized.
For now, Oakland Mills families say the vote reinforced long-running frustrations about equity and urgency in school maintenance. Organizers are urging residents to pack county budget hearings and keep testifying until the school is back on the renovation list. Officials at HCPSS and in the County Executive’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
