Parents who attended a listening session with the interim Prince George’s County school superintendent questioned why the system is diverting funds from traditional public schools to charter schools.
One parent said she worries the focus on charter schools, which accept some students through a lottery, may widen the gap between students.
“I understand they’re designed to help talented students,” the parent, whose child attends Berwyn Heights Elementary School, said. “But how does that impact other students who are not selected? It widens achievement gaps, right?”
The discussion came after a presentation by Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) Interim Superintendent Shawn Joseph outlined his priorities at Dora Kennedy French Immersion School in his final in-person Parent & Community Advisory Session on Oct. 14.
Those priorities included chronic absenteeism, increased support for special education and multilingual students, renewed focus on proficiency in math and literacy, and expanding both dual enrollment in colleges, and internship opportunities for students in the district. He said these priorities will help the district combat misleading or reductive narratives about the county.
“We have to be better at telling our own story,” Joseph said.
“We’re really looking at how we strengthen and ensure that all of our schools, particularly our regular comprehensive schools, have quality programming and strong academic plans,” Joseph said in response to questions about the charter schools.
Joseph and other PGCPS administrators also responded to community members who criticized their children’s school bus routes.
Parent Darryl Jacobs, whose child goes to William Wirt Middle School, expressed frustration about a bus that used to run up 63rd Avenue but now goes up the narrower 63rd Place.
“It’s an easy fix,” Jacobs added.
PGCPS Chief Operations Officer Charoscar Coleman said he will look into it.
Despite the audience’s concerns, Joseph said he is optimistic about the future of the county’s schools.
“I think we’ve got one of the best boards [of education] in the country,” said Joseph, who was deputy superintendent for teaching and learning for PGCPS from 2014 to 2016.