Facts about the 2016-2017 School Year
HCPSS comprises 76 Schools, including 41 elementary schools, 20 middle schools, 12 high schools and 3 education centers.
School begins
Monday, August 29, 2016. The first day for teachers was Monday, August 22.
Enrollment
Projected HCPSS enrollment for the 2016–2017 academic year is expected to exceed 54,500 students, an increase of nearly 1,000 students over last year’s enrollment, which was 53,637. Official enrollment is reported at the end of September annually.
New teachers
The school system has hired 194 new teachers to accommodate enrollment growth.
Construction
New Middle School
Construction of a new Wilde Lake Middle School is on target to open after winter break. The school will be the first net-zero energy school in Maryland.
Renovations and additions
Major addition and renovation projects at Deep Run Elementary and Patuxent Valley Middle School are nearly complete, and students and staff will enjoy many improvements when school begins next week. An addition/renovation project at Swansfield Elementary School is well underway. All three schools will be open while construction is completed.
High-Quality School Environments
Diversity and Inclusion
The system is implementing a new “Student Voice for Inclusion and Equity” model for the current school year. The model builds on initiatives launched during the previous school year and is among comprehensive recommendations recently presented by the HCPSS Committee for Diversity and Inclusion to promote positive behavior, respect for all cultures and diversity throughout the school system. Fifty-two recommendations for new and expanded programs were presented in priority order, encompassing the areas of student voice, curriculum, workforce diversity, and professional learning.
Indoor Environmental Quality
HCPSS is implementing new Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) protocols, in accordance with recommendations from the school system’s IEQ Committee. Information and resources are available on the new HCPSS Indoor Environmental Quality web page and on each school website, where users can report and track concerns and find documentation on existing environmental assessments.
Community race
The 3rd annual HCPSS Let’s Go HoCo 5K Community Race and 1-mile Fun Run will be held Sunday morning, October 16th on Columbia Gateway Drive. Last year’s event drew more than 3,300 participants, and this year promises to be even bigger and better. Let’s Go HoCo supports our system’s continued commitment to wellness – for healthy staff, healthy families and healthy kids. Registration is open at www.hcpss5k.com.
Teachers for Tomorrow (T4T)
The first T4T cohort begins classes at McDaniel College next week. T4T is an innovative program to lift students out of poverty, create a sustainable and diverse, highly effective workforce, and improve academic achievement for growing ranks of Howard County students. Offered in partnership with McDaniel College, T4T gives a pathway to college and HCPSS employment for up to 12 HCPSS graduates each year who show academic promise, represent racial/ethnic minorities and are impacted by poverty.
Calendar highlights
Three additional school closings were added for the new academic year for cultural observances on Lunar New Year Eve (observed by many people of Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese heritage), the Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Adha, and the Hindu holiday of Diwali. Professional learning and/or workdays for teachers were scheduled on these dates. Schools and offices will also be closed on mandated state holidays, Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah.