The Prince George’s County Board of Education faced criticism at a virtual meeting Feb. 5, the first of two public hearings, from citizens concerned over proposed academic budget cuts totaling $12 million.
The board, led by Brandon Jackson, chairman of the PGC’s Board of Education, discussed a $150 million budget hole and a plan to close it through a proposed budget of $3 billion, the FY 2027 Interim Superintendent Proposed Operating Budget.
Stakeholders, including parents and teachers, were critical of Chief Academic Officer Judith White’s proposal to cut $12 million from the Division of Academics’ central funds.
“You are managing to devastate all three of my children’s lives,” said community member Danielle Rose in response to a proposed elimination of the Chinese immersion program. “There are several ways to improve the program, and I think a full-scale cut is not the way.”
The proposed reductions will also affect career and technical education, curriculum and instruction, early learning and the arts, according to White’s presentation.
Cuts will eliminate boundary-based immersion programs and international baccalaureate preparatory programs for elementary and middle school students.
According to White, her budget will maintain the integrity of interventions across reading and mathematics.
“We are going to continue executing reading and mathematics literacy plans, we will have a focus on special education and multilingual learners [and] we will offer professional development that is aimed at enhancing differentiation,” said White.
“We cut $12 million, but it has not impacted how we want to approach children.”
However, resident Alicia Renee said the proposed budget directly affects students with disabilities. “IDEA [Individuals with Disabilities Education Act] and COMAR [Code of Maryland Regulations] are not optional. FAPE [Free Appropriate Public Education] is not a goal or an aspiration. It is a legal obligation,” Renee said.
“That level of spending reflects a failure to build and sustain industry capacity to serve students with disabilities in their home schools in alignment with least restrictive environment requirements,” Renee said. “This is not the cost of doing business. That is the cost of weak operational controls and years of unresolved compliance issues.”
Longtime resident Gina Bowler flagged the proposal to conclude international baccalaureate programs as concerning and surprising.
Other proposals by the board included a $13 million reduction in building services, presented by Chief Operating Officer Shiraska Coleman. About $10 million of that reduction will be backfilled by the existing capital budget. These funds will primarily be used for critical building repairs, such as boilers. Despite the cut, building services will continue to prioritize safety emergencies, like snow and ice removal.
“We were able to achieve the targeted budget reductions while protecting the jobs of our staff,” said Coleman.
Transportation services spending is being lowered by reducing overtime and contracting fewer services. This change is driven by improving staff, not removing them, according to Coleman.
County schools are proposing a net increase of $4.35 million in funding for safety and security. The proposed investments are set to focus on increasing security through modern technology, like artificial intelligence security cameras in high schools with facial recognition.
The board announced another public hearing on Feb. 12 for the proposed budget, as well as a final vote scheduled for Feb. 26.