Advocating for Oakland Mills
Learn about the core issues Oakland Mills United is addressing and the issues impacting our community. Become an active member and participate in our discussions, ask questions, meet with local leaders, voice your concerns, participate in workshops, and work with other community organizations. Demand real change by testifying at the Board of Education, have discussions with local leaders, hold our leaders accountable, and demand change for the OM community.
Educate
News and Information
Learn more about the issues we have right here in Howard County that is impacting our community and its students. Click here to view a google doc with additional files, news, and reports regarding redistricting, equity, and important HCPSS policies. A huge thank you to Ella Harris, for compiling and sharing this information with us!
Learn about the history of our cOMmunity! Watch this video presentation Some of the Amazing People Who Made History at OMHS of Vincent James, former OMHS teacher and founder of Alpha Achievers and Delta Scholars. This video is from Oakland Mills Online, one of our Community Partners.
Read the HCPSS Report of the Inequities and Read about the Financial Inequities in our Schools
Opportunity Gaps in our Schools
Watch the Oakland Mills Village Board Meeting with Board of Education Members Antonia Watts (D2) , Jolene Mosley (D3), and Jen Mallo (OM cluster rep.) on the condition of Oakland Mills schools.
Empower
Community Forums
We are all in this together! We all love our Oakland Mills community and want to see it thrive. We plan to have community discussions to allow for this conversation to continue, while also allowing everyone to voice their opinions and concerns.
Past Community Forums
Join us on Thursday, January 28th from 7-8 PM via Zoom for our first community forum of 20201: Advocate for OM Schools. Learn about the Superintendents Proposed FY2022 Operating Budget, the condition of OM schools, the inequities our schools face, and what YOU can do about it. This is open to ALL age groups and we encourage students, alumni, community members, staff members, and parents to attend.
This session is broken up into two parts:
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Educate: Learn about the Superintendents Proposed FY2022 Operating Budget, the condition of OM schools, the inequities within our schools.
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Empower and Demand Change: Use YOUR voice, get change for our schools, and make your voices heard. Learn how to write your testimony to the Board of Education with the help of Oakland Mills United.
View the presentation from the community forum here
Demand Real Change
Testify
Join us as we testify to the Board of Education as an entire coalition. This will allow for all of us to use our voices and demand change. We will sign up to testify as individuals and go to the Board of Education to make sure that members of the Board of Education listen to our opinions and concerns about our schools.
To send in WRITTEN TESTIMONY 48 hours before each Public Hearing with a copy of you testimony. Find more information at https://www.hcpss.org/board/meeting-participation/
Speakers are requested to provide an electronic version of their testimony for distribution to Board members and staff at the hearing. Submitting testimony in advance if you plan on testifying during the public hearing is recommended. You are only required to REGISTER IN ADVANCE. Written testimony will be posted to the appropriate part of the online agenda following the meeting as it is part of the public record maintained by the Board Office. Testimony will not be edited before posting online—no personal information will be removed. It is recommended that written testimony submitted at the public hearing only include the constituent’s name.
Talk to Local Leaders
Join us in our virtual sessions where we plan to have current HCPSS Board of Education members and members of the Howard County Council present separately in a "Town Hall" format. You can ask any questions you may have, address an issue, and voice your opinions and concerns to our local leaders.
We plan to host virtual forums in the future. Please check the calendar on the "Home" page for upcoming sessions. This section will also be updated when these sessions are scheduled to occur. Due to the current situation, these sessions will be hosted virtually.
Demand Accountability and Change
The Board of Education is an elected position. Therefore, as a resident of Howard County, YOU have the power to decide who sits on the Board of Education. We can demand Board of Education members be accountable for our schools to make sure that the issues impacting are schools are addressed and demand for the Board of Education to change policies that negatively impact our schools. We can do this by sending formal letters to the Board of Education and testifying at the Board of Education, a few options of what we can do.