Teachers, nurses and CCAC urge district to address PD, nursing staffing and special‑education data gaps

At the Dec. 4 meeting the Howard County Board of Education heard sustained testimony from teachers, school nurses, union representatives and members of the Citizens’ Committee on Special Education (CCAC) about operational pressures in the district.

Representatives of the Howard County Education Association and individual teachers said systemwide professional development (PD) sessions had replaced parts of staff wellness time and were often not differentiated for specific roles. Melissa Pilcher, a special educator, called the sessions “professional punishment” when the content fails to address classroom realities. HCEA leaders urged differentiated, teacher‑led PD and recommended examining recent staffing decisions that reduced central PD capacity.

Cluster nurses and school health staff told the board that a reduction of 11 health assistant positions last year has increased risk to students and created untenable workloads in some schools. Diana Rocha and Laura Kutz described a rise in chronic medical needs, an increase in one‑to‑one care (including tube feedings in some schools) and frequent unscheduled visits; they asked the board to reconsider staffing and provide targeted professional learning for nurses and health assistants.

CCAC speakers presented a sustained critique of special‑education program oversight, saying key program data and longitudinal outcome measures are missing. CCAC requested the district produce program‑level metrics — for example, whether regional programs return students to their home schools — and urged the board to require documented deliverables and accountability for special‑education leadership. “If there is no evidence of impact, then we must ask, do we have the right people in the right rows doing the right work?” one CCAC representative said.

Board members encouraged CCAC to submit a specific list of data requests to Dr. Brunson (executive director of special education) and noted that new district leadership is conducting school visits and reviews.

What’s next: The board asked CCAC to forward a list of requested data to district special‑education leadership; HCEA and nurse representatives said they will continue to work with the superintendent’s office on PD and staffing issues.