Students, parents and teachers urged officials at the Howard County Board of Education to revive plans for renovations at a high school.
The group gathered Thursday night to vouch for Oakland Mills High School, even though the proposal was not formally on the meeting agenda.
Still, several community members planned to speak during the public comment period to demand action.
Protesters said the condition of the building, which was constructed in 1973, has worsened to the point of being unsafe.
“It’s only right that our taxpayer dollars give them water they can drink, air they can breathe and classrooms that are climate-controlled enough that they can focus,” said Amy Brooks, a teacher at Oakland Mills who has been advocating for improvements.
“We have lead in the water that I drank for years,” said Nik Berry, another teacher. “We have asbestos in our HVAC unit. We have black slime that comes into our TV studio. We have mold in our media center books. This is not a health or safe environment.”
Jake Favero, the school’s Student Government Association president, said he buys bottled water every day.
“Our water fountains have so much lead in them,” Favero said.
The Board of Education initially planned to include Oakland Mills in the 2027 budget, but then the board voted 6-1 against moving forward with the high school in November. The board instead opted to fund a greater number of smaller construction projects.
“I say, ‘What changed?’ Because the new formula they’re using doesn’t have us next in line. It has us 40th in line,” Berry said.
Community members said the deteriorating building doesn’t reflect the strong, vibrant school community inside. They hope board members will reconsider their decision, but said they will continue pushing regardless of the outcome.
“I think it’s important for us to continue to advocate as we have for decades,” Brooks said. “We’re not going to stop because, ultimately, the building is getting worse. With only one working boys’ bathroom right now, we know it’s not sustainable.”
Two board members, Jolene Mosely and Andrea Chamblee, released statements acknowledging the community’s concerns and the broader funding challenges facing school infrastructure.
“Unfortunately, funding for public school facilities has not kept pace with the high levels of need and rising construction costs,” the two wrote.
They added that they will continue advocating for increased funding.
“We hope that through the remainder of the process, the county will be able to increase their portion of capital funding to pair with the limited state funding we receive so we may be able to begin high-need projects such as Oakland Mills High School.”