To access the Lightspeed Parent Portal, parents/guardians must first sign up to receive Lightspeed email notifications. At the bottom of the Sunday email notification is a Log In or Register link. Parents can use this link to set up their account and access the Lightspeed Parent Portal. During the account set up process, a verification email will be sent to the email address listed on HCPSS Connect.
Signing up to receive the parent/guardian email notification is done online via HCPSS Connect Synergy.Your parent/guardian username is the email address on file with the school system. If you do not remember your password:
To receive email notifications:
The Superintendent’s FY 2025 Proposed Operating Budget proposes increasing the class-size by two across all levels. The proposed changes for the 2024-2025 school year would increase the upper range for class sizes at the elementary level and increase the student to staff ratio for middle and high school. The table below shows the current (2023-24) and proposed (2024-25) class-size ratios and upper ranges.
Throughout the budget book and during work sessions, there have been references to school-based and non-school-based employees. The following definitions will help stakeholders understand the difference.
School-based refers to employees who work in schools each school day and directly contribute to school instruction and operations.
While Central Office can refer specifically to the Board of Education building as a location, it also refers to non-school based employees and services that support students, staff and the operation of schools. HCPSS has several buildings and offices in Howard County for employees and services that are considered part of Central Office. Examples of central office buildings that are home to several HCPSS offices include the Logistics Center, Staff Development Center, the Old Cedar Lane school and the Old Bushy Park school, among others.
The Howard County Government already funds HCPSS above the required Maintenance of Effort and has for many years. As such, it is unrealistic to expect the County to fully fund the $103.8 million gap faced by the school system.
In years past, the budget put forth by the Superintendent and the Board of Education included a large ask of the County. When the County approved budget amounts in May and provided a lower amount of funding than was requested by the Board, the Board would then have to make budget reductions towards the end of the process to align with available funding.
Throughout the budget process, additional reductions may be discussed and/or adopted that could impact additional non-mandated services and existing positions associated with those services, particularly as revenues shift and if additional expenditures are added to the budget.
The Superintendent’s FY 2025 Proposed Operating Budget includes $46.6 million in reductions to existing services and a reduction of 347.85 existing positions. Part of these reductions are categorized as Programmatic Non-School-Based reductions, which impact Central Office services and systemwide costs that support students, staff, and the operation of schools and total approximately $22.0 million and 102.05 existing positions.
The Superintendent’s FY 2025 Proposed Operating Budget includes $46.6 million in reductions to existing services and a reduction of 347.85 existing positions. These proposed reductions help offset some of the cost increases related to the budget additions and put forward a County funding request that is consistent with last year’s new funding amount of $47 million. The reductions fall into two major areas:
