How do I know if my child is eligible for transportation services?
To be eligible for bus service, your child’s home address must be outside of a school’s walk zones. Verify address eligibility by:
When do we register for bus transportation?
Parents/guardians whose children are eligible for bus transportation are asked to register to receive bus service each year. Families whose students have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or a Section 504 plan that includes transportation do not need to register.
For the 2024-2025 school year, bus registration for all students is now closed.
Please note, per Howard County Board of Education Policy 5200 Student Transportation Implementation Procedures:
How does the proposed class-size ratio increase affect the number of students in each classroom?
The Board of Education’s FY 2025 Requested Operating Budget proposes increasing the class-size by one at the middle and high school levels, with no changes at the elementary level. The proposed changes for the 2024-2025 school year would 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.
When will we know the final funding levels for HCPSS?
Once the County Council adopts the County budget in May, HCPSS will know the final funding allocation from the County. See What are the steps in the FY 2025 Operating Budget Process? for more information.
What budget funds the 2024 summer programs?
Because HCPSS’s fiscal year begins on July 1 and ends on June 30 each year, summer program funding falls across two fiscal years. Any summer programming that takes place before June 30 is part of the current fiscal year while programming after July 1 is funded by the next fiscal year’s budget. For example, Summer 2025 programming before June 30 is funded by the 2024-2025 (Fiscal Year 2025) budget while programming after July 1 would be funded by the 2025-2026 (Fiscal Year 2026) budget.
What happens now that the Board adopted their budget?
Please refer to What are the steps in the FY 2025 Operating Budget Process? for more information.
Are the positions and programs restored in the Board’s budget final or could they still be reduced or eliminated?
No. Decisions will not be final until May when the Board receives final funding allocation from the County Council and passes a final FY 2025 Operating Budget.
How much money is being requested from the County?
The Board’s FY 2025 Requested Operating Budget requests a total of $769,779,818 from the County, which is $55,755,331 above Maintenance of Effort and $8,156,651 above the Superintendent’s FY 2025 Proposed Operating Budget.
What programs and positions did the Board restore that were proposed to be reduced or eliminated in the Superintendent’s proposed budget?
The budget the Board will advance to the County restores several proposed reductions that were part of the Superintendent’s Proposed Operating Budget, including: