News

The 2025 electronic W-2s are now available in Workday for those who elected to receive electronic copies only. Instructions on how to view or print W-2s are available in Canvas and attached.

For staff who elected to receive both electronic and paper copies, electronic W-2s will be available January 30. Paper copies of the W-2s will be mailed via USPS and postmarked no later than Jan. 31. If you would like access to your 2025 electronic copy sooner, please make the electronic only election. Once this selection is made, you will have immediate access.

HCPSS employees planning to retire under the Maryland State Retirement Agency (MSRA) within the next two years are invited to attend an upcoming virtual information session. Attendees will receive information about retiree healthcare and life insurance eligibility and coverage. A timeline and steps of the retirement process will be reviewed, as well as information about unused sick leave, years of service, and the earnings limitation. There will also be a Q&A section during the seminar.

Complete details available online.

The Benefits Office is aware of an issue that employees have been experiencing regarding their Flexible Spending Account (FSA) cards. Employees have not been able to use their cards to pay for Health Care and Dependent Care Expenses. 

As of January 1, 2026, the FSA vendor changed from Navia to Flexible Benefit Administrators. The Benefits Office began receiving calls this week from employees who were unable to use their FSA cards. Upon review, an update to the banking information shared between HCPSS and Flexible Benefit Administrators needed to be completed so that claims could be paid out correctly. We are working through this solution with our bank; however, the process takes several days to rectify.  We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.

We anticipate the problem to be resolved on or before Wednesday, January 14. Please note, in the meantime, if you are signed up for a 2026 FSA, you are still actively enrolled in the benefit and there has been no change to your eligibility.  Additionally, employees who need to make FSA eligible purchases prior to the resolution date can pay for the service, obtain a receipt, and submit a manual reimbursement claim form. Forms can be found below:

• FSA Medical Reimbursement Claim Form
• FSA Dependent Care Reimbursement Claim Form

Additionally, the complete Flexible Benefit Plan Employee Guide can be found here 2026 FSA Employee Guide, which addresses most questions about the FSA benefit.

Again, our apologies for any inconvenience this has caused. We are committed to resolving this issue as quickly as possible, and will update HCPSS staff as soon as the resolution is complete and staff are able to use their FSA cards again.

Questions can be directed to the Benefits Office at benefits@hcpss.org, or by calling 410-313-7333.

Per Article 15.E. of the HCPSS/HCEA Master Agreement, "Any unit member who retires or resigns effective July 1 of any year and who files the necessary documents committing to such intent no later than March 1 of that year will receive termination pay matching the greater of the following two options:

1. $500 or
2. Pay equal to two percent (2%) of accumulated unused sick leave as of the date of retirement or resignation, up to a maximum of $1,200.”

Certificated instructional staff (teachers, counselors, etc.) who are planning on retiring effective July 1 should complete the Intent to Retire form and submit the completed MSRA/HCPSS retirement paperwork to their Retirement Specialist by March 1 in order to receive the additional pay listed above upon their retirement.

If after March 1, you choose to rescind your retirement, your current position and work location for the following school year cannot be guaranteed and may change based on staffing needs. 

The HCPSS Intent to Retire form and the MSRA/HCPSS retirement paperwork can be found on the Staff Hub > Services > Employee Resources > Retirement.

Certificated instructional staff (teachers, counselors, etc.) who are planning on resigning effective July 1 should enter their resignation into Workday by March 1 in order to receive the additional pay listed above upon resignation. Resignation instructions and additional information about resignation can be found on the Staff Hub > Services > Employee Resources > Resignation.

Please note! This notification incentive is for HCEA certificated staff only and does not apply to non-certificated staff (paraeducators, secretaries, student assistants, custodians, etc.), or supervisory staff (principals, assistant principals, directors, coordinators, etc.).

The offices of Human Resources and Leadership, Organizational, and Cultural Development will offer two optional seminars to support individuals considering applying for HCPSS Principal, Assistant Principal, and Athletics Activities Manager positions for the 2026–2027 school year. 

• Application Seminar - This seminar will be virtual on Monday, January 12 from 4:30 - 6:00. The seminar will cover the application and interview timeline, resume format and filling out the application.
• Interview Preparation Seminar - This seminar will be in person on Wednesday, February 4 from 4:00 - 6:30 in the Boardroom at central office. This seminar will cover the Principal, Assistant Principal, and Athletics Activities Manager interview process, including how to prepare, interview tips, and an opportunity to practice different portions of the interview process. 

Registration Information: Staff who wish to participate should register in Frontline with the following directions:

1. From the Staff Hub, select the Frontline button
2. Log in if prompted and select Professional Growth
3. From the left navigation panel, select Activity Catalog > Catalog.
4. In the Search Term(s) field, type Aspiring Administrator Seminar and click the Search button.
5. Click on the blue title of the Aspiring Administrator Seminar you wish to attend.
6. Select the Sign Up Now button. 

Registration questions may be emailed to Carol Feeser.

The Office of Teacher and Paraprofessional Development and the Howard County Education Association are pleased to announce the launch of the School-Based Peer Learning Guide Program for the remainder of the 2025–2026 school year.

This program pairs teachers in years 1-3 in HCPSS with an experienced, tenured teacher who provides targeted, collaborative instructional support. Below is more information about how to request the support of, or serve as a Peer Learning Guide. 

Peer Learning Guides (PLGs)

Peer Learning Guides (PLGs) are Highly Effective (rated), tenured HCPSS teachers with a minimum of five years of teaching experience. Each Peer Learning Guide is paired with a teacher in years 1-3 in HCPSS and receives a $500 honorarium as well as Professional Development Points (PDPs) for their participation in required learning activities. To learn more about the responsibilities of a Peer Learning Guide, review the Peer Learning Guide Role sheet.  

Interested teachers must: 

1. Submit this Peer Learning Guide application for first round consideration by Friday, January 16, 2026.  A second round of applications will be accepted on or before Friday, January 30, 2026.
2. Request and ensure submission of two recommendation forms, one from either a school-based administrator or Curriculum Coordinator and one from a professional colleague, both of which must be submitted by January 16, 2026 if you are applying in the first round and by January 30, 2026 if you are applying for the second round. (It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure recommendations have been submitted.) The recommendations should speak to the applicant’s ability to demonstrate deep knowledge of curriculum and instructional strategies, support new teachers with confidence and care, and foster a positive, inclusive learning environment that promotes continuous improvement. Please note that all recommendations remain confidential, and applicants will not have access to the information submitted.  
3. Peer Learning Guides will be expected to complete the Mentoring & Coaching Suite: Reflective Practice & Foundations Course (6-hour, asynchronous Canvas course) before engaging in mentoring a teacher in years 1-3 in HCPSS. If you have already completed the Developing Mentoring and Coaching Suite: Developing your Practice and/or Proficient Mentoring and Coaching Suite: Advanced Coaching for Impact this requirement will be waived.

Novice Teacher Participation

Teachers in years 1–3 in HCPSS are encouraged to complete the Novice Teacher Interest Form no later than January 30, 2026 to be considered for a Peer Learning Guide partnership. We will do our best to match teachers with a Peer Learning Guide in their content area, grade level, and/or school location. 

Peer Learning Guides will work alongside new educators to strengthen instructional effectiveness and understanding of HCPSS systems. Supports may include:

• Navigating and planning with curriculum standards and approved materials.
• Co-planning high-quality lessons with aligned outcomes, assessments, and strategies.
• Supporting culturally responsive and inclusive instructional practices.
• Interpreting assessment data to inform next steps.
• Developing rubrics, success criteria, and student self-assessment tools.
• Connecting novice teachers with relevant school-based or central office supports.
• Modeling collaboration, reflective practice, and a growth mindset.
• Assisting with understanding school procedures, expectations, and routines.
• Offering strategies for managing workload, organization, and maintaining well-being.

Questions about the School-Based Peer Learning Guide Program or how to apply may be emailed to Patricia Otero at patricia_otero@hcpss.org. 

The following information is applicable to the staff listed below. 

Teachers, administrators, school psychologists, school counselors, liaisons, social workers, pupil personnel workers, community school site coordinators, paraeducators, student assistants, and related service providers will participate in the two-hour HCPSS Systemic Professional Learning: Unified By Design (PIP Session) (3 PDPs) (TPD8511) on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. On this day, schools will close three hours early for students with no half-day pre-K/RECC.

Beginning in January 2026, the Howard County Board of Education will implement a new meeting schedule on a trial basis for the first quarter of the year (January-March), shifting to one regular monthly meeting instead of two.

This new meeting schedule will better accommodate additional budget work sessions, and budget and policy public hearings necessary for Board deliberations, and will save the school system approximately $5,500.

Details on the January-March 2026 schedule shift are available online.
 

Do you enjoy singing? Please consider joining the Howard County Employee Chorus - no previous chorus experience necessary, just a love for singing! Please watch the following promotional video for more information, and if interested, please register online using this registration link. The chorus is open to all HCPSS employees, as well as their significant others or adult family members. 

The first rehearsal is Wednesday, Jan. 7 from 7-8:30 p.m. at Howard High School. More information will be sent to those who register. Questions may be emailed to to Caleb Lee at caleb_lee@hcpss.org.

Employees may be entitled to claim an Earned Income Tax Credit on their 2025 federal and Maryland resident income tax returns if both their federal adjusted gross income and their earned income is less than the following:

• $19,104 ($26,214 married filing jointly) with no qualifying children/relatives
• $50,434 ($57,554 married filing jointly) with one qualifying child/relative
• $57,310 ($64,430 married filing jointly) with two qualifying children/relatives
• $61,555 ($68,675 married filing jointly) with three or more qualifying children/relatives

See attached for details. For more information about the Maryland EITC, visit marylandtaxes.gov  and for the federal EITC, visit www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/earned-income-tax-credit-eitc.