Advocacy & Legislation 2025-2026
Legislation spans across many realms that you may or may not be familiar with. These typically are countywide education related initiatives from the County Administration, County Council and even county related items originating from the state delegation. The Board of Education is separate, yet has legislative interests as well. Almost all have some overlap with the education budget.
PTACHC regularly advocates for legislative items and frequently creates official positions supported by the PTACHC delegation that meets monthly.
Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance UPDATE AUGUST 2025 – Link to APFO committee recommendations report : final-apfo-review-committee-report
The latest APFO recommendations came out on August 22, 2025. There are 23 recommendations which may have a positive benefit to education in Howard County or a negative impact to students, teachers and families. The report will be read by the county council and legislation will follow to implement the recommendations or amend recommendations. This will occur at an yet unspecified date. It is critical to understand these APFO changes which occur once a decade and communicate to your elected officials which provisions should be furthered, which should be added and which should be repealed. APFO regulations directly affect allowable levels of school overcrowding, funding for school capacity and redistricting pressure. PTACHC will have future motions. Many of the core provisions of the latest APFO recommendations include mechanisms to eliminate school overcrowding protections and create a new mitigation fee structure that is insufficient to meet adequacy standards. This is in opposition to long standing PTACHC positions that no school should be intentionally overcrowded or insufficiently mitigated to accommodate additional households.
Contact the county executive at
howardcountymd.gov/county-executive
Contact the county council at
Councilmail@howardcountymd.gov
Advocacy 101
If you missed the Advocacy 101 Virtual Training where experienced members of the PTACHC Board of Directors spoke on how to effectively advocate for your child within the Howard County Public Schools system don’t fret. Click here to view the Training Session.
Event highlights included: How PTAs and Individuals Can Advocate at All Levels, How to Understand the Budget Process & Key Players, and a Q & A Session with Experienced PTACHC Members.
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Legislative Committee
Email: legislative@ptachc.org
Chair: Brent Loveless
Purpose: To interact with and advocate before elected legislative bodies at the county, state, and federal level on issues related to the mission of PTA and the priorities of the PTA Council of Howard County
Needs: We are a strong voice in our community because we have informed parents who can impact decisions and polices which will affect our children. USE YOUR VOICE TODAY to make a difference on these and other issues that shapes the future of our county!
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FY2025 HCPSS Operating Budget Process
How To Advocate For the HCPSS Budget
Howard County Council Budget Calendar for Fiscal Year 2025
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Legislative Reports 2025-2026
PTACHC Legislative April 2026
March 26, 2026 – Legislative Report – Board of Education
PTACHC Legislative February 2026
PTACHC Legislative January 2026
Legislative Reports 2024-2025
PTACHC Legislative Report May 2025
PTACHC Legislative Materials December 2, 2024
2025 MD State Delegation Bills (All topics)
December Memorandum on School Surveys totaling 2.5 million
Housing Affordability Recommendations to APFO Committee (Intro)
Housing Affordability Recommendations to APFO Committee (Detailed List)
For PTA advocates to review & propose alternatives
PTACHC Legislative Report November 4, 2024 – APFO 101
PTACHC Legislative Report October 7, 2024
PTACHC Legislative Report September 3, 2024
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Join the PTA Takes Action Network Today
Sign-up for PTA Takes Action Network to stay informed on the latest happenings on Capitol Hill and to learn more about legislative issues affecting families, schools, and communities.
By joining the PTA Takes Action Network you will receive:
•PTA’s monthly federal policy e-newsletter and;
•Action alerts that provide you the opportunity to weigh in on key federal policy issues with your Members of Congress.
CLICK HERE to join the millions of child advocates that support and speak up for children.
National PTA has created an online advocacy toolkit to help child advocates speak up for the health and well-being of all children.
From writing your legislators to scheduling Capitol Hill visits, these step-by-step directions and examples will help you reach out to policy makers and the media.