[{"_1":2,"_123":-5,"_124":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100,112],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6344862,"mediaKeyId","2250134-dce23a93f54c4208cfc85f05122ff5c5","parentId",2250134,"title","Parents, community leaders urge more bilingual staff, crossing guards and climate investments at PGCPS public hearing","audioSeconds",263,"startMs",3851000,"endMs",4114000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2250134-dce23a93f54c4208cfc85f05122ff5c5&start=3851&end=4114","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2250134-dce23a93f54c4208cfc85f05122ff5c5/thumbnail_3851000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6344862/Maryland/Parents-community-leaders-urge-more-bilingual-staff-crossing-guards-and-climate-investments-at-PGCPS-public-hearing","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6344862-3ee98a8024cd42317204bf708d8589ac/orig.mp4?Expires=1771157257&Signature=CZjeOXIcTcIhxK6lEl8nlGRBm2vl6RTnJQPUE3zAJvEAQjM5KfcDfTSMJfLKKj9R0ZvAMZHeh~WZXiAWHNnte3VWSWaC6QziKGfOKFNm93Tne-8G4rLVvtjrlwcNz-PGv8W0IhIhs~37Hp5y8jNZ9RDyleBqs73pr4uzUavDD07r1XkMSGzI2sUlm2Uzk11mpqEJ22o8usIJJxS1cKOOu-0rfIRTYDDFMnResZ6xPn5Xluddfkpki1qiBZLsHYG1IjfctPPRwZjbFi2X9Dx~-BsKhmNmHjXa-DxJAaqGneDeeGdM~aSAGJIwK0fyPrXCGAqWP5HmHJEqWe87Yu55lA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Prince George's County Public Schools","date","2025-02-07T15:49:53Z","article","Speakers at the public comment portion of the Feb. 6 work session urged the Board of Education to address a range of operational and equity issues, including more bilingual staff and interpreters at schools, faster responses to teacher vacancies, additional crossing guards and targeted climate and food-service investments.

Why it matters: public testimony raised specific operational gaps that parents and community leaders say affect family engagement, student safety and daily service delivery—areas that board members review during budget decisions.

Monica Casanas, mayor of Colmar Manor, testified that families in her municipality struggle to communicate with teachers and staff at several local schools and asked the district to increase bilingual staffing and strengthen collaboration with municipal leaders. Several Spanish-speaking speakers asked for more interpreters to ensure families can engage with schools and receive timely information.

A representative from Climate Parents of Prince George's County urged continued investment in solar and other energy-saving measures, recommended prioritizing roofs at the end of life for solar installations or solar canopies over parking lots, and asked the district to pursue grants and philanthropic funds to sustain climate work. The speaker also urged hiring and retention of crossing guards and support for composting and scratch-cooking infrastructure to expand healthier and more climate-friendly school meals.

School-level speakers, including an early childhood special educator, described classroom shortages and said multiple pre-K classrooms lacked assigned special-education teachers. Other parents raised concerns about transportation delays and late student arrival times, bathroom privacy and interior school security and fights.

Ending: Board chair Brandon Jackson closed the hearing and administrators said they would include public testimony in budget considerations and follow up in writing where requested.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Board of Education Budget Work Session & Public Hearing February 6, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","At the Feb. 6 PGCPS budget public hearing, parents, municipal leaders and advocates urged the district to increase bilingual staff and interpreters, address crossing-guard and transportation gaps, respond to teacher vacancies, and continue climate-related investments such as solar and composting.","taxTitle","Prince George's County Public Schools, School Boards, Maryland","taxId",14202,"location","Maryland","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6344866,"PGCPS: payroll fully staffed, but teacher vacancies and special-education shortages persist",2013,2346000,4359000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2250134-dce23a93f54c4208cfc85f05122ff5c5&start=2346&end=4359","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2250134-dce23a93f54c4208cfc85f05122ff5c5/thumbnail_2346000.jpg","/articles/6344866/Maryland/PGCPS-payroll-fully-staffed-but-teacher-vacancies-and-special-education-shortages-persist","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6344866-eb46e31028730c50b8d34481a21660b4/orig.mp4?Expires=1771157257&Signature=N5avpIpholP8xLvtWZMCpUP5T12PNHttx-rxQPDW61Fff~6cOqbbXrKWsJ1YA~-TyeLstsOkXtUYY6lk0zjXejExAx1Ok3S58~fpBK2wdLyM~8USjDhrbJk7Ia-4pKq6LRUTuikx2gYv91Utvd~Jw-ZIcQN34vmIj5pWK3WfaSGfwyPmV3udZAtStGoulc1-XIH9BGOT2JC3535kyRDSG~qUF2kkOXpseIC~x2nvz6m4XrUXA6UpXNv0JCf08gTA80GfNyT9gbCAKzb0~SyCw7QyvgqNX4Ec4mGSlH2sY8FgTJ5RJBWunH1azop9QBuTe30itS3gtkB2INrOwtOsfw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Prince George's County Public Schools told the Board of Education on Feb. 6 that the payroll office is fully staffed after a period of vacancies, but human resources and school-level speakers described continuing teacher shortages and unfilled special-education assignments.

Why it matters: payroll and human-resources capacity affect employee pay and retention; teacher vacancies affect classroom instruction and student services. Administrators said they are balancing recruitment travel and staffing investments with overall budget constraints.

Chief Financial Officer Lisa Howe and Payroll Director Delphita Waite said the payroll operation has been rebuilt after last year's staffing losses and that the office now has sufficient staff to handle inquiries for about 22,000 employees; the payroll office processes roughly 25,000 payroll checks each pay cycle, staff said. Waite said the office is training new staff and has reorganized to improve service.

Kristi Baldwin, chief human resources officer, described a division with roughly 180 employees and five departments: operations and staffing, professional learning and leadership, employee performance, equity/diversity/belonging, and employee/labor relations. Baldwin said the division is prioritizing recruitment for hard-to-fill positions, including special education, and noted that some recruitment costs were realigned internally rather than requested as new recurring funds.

At least one classroom-level speaker raised immediate service gaps. Michelle Clark, an early childhood special educator, told the board that three pre-K classrooms in her building currently have no special-education teacher and that the shortage is forcing staff to stretch services. Board members asked how budgeted but unfilled positions are handled; staff said dollars budgeted for vacant positions are often realigned to pay for substitutes, overtime or temporary staff to cover the needed work during the year.

Baldwin and administrators said recruitment includes non-local travel to college fairs and overseas programs and that recruitment budgets were adjusted to respond to a return to in-person recruiting. Board members asked whether current recruitment allocations are sufficient; Baldwin said the district tries to be efficient and to target expenditures to markets that yield candidates but acknowledged there is rarely 'enough' funding for recruitment.

Ending: Administration said it will continue to prioritize recruitment and retention strategies, provide updates on vacancy mitigation, and preserve classroom services when making budget decisions.","District leaders told the Board of Education that the payroll office has returned to full staffing after recent vacancies, but educators and administrators said teacher shortages—particularly in special education and some early childhood classrooms—remain a pressing operational issue.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6344872,"PGCPS officials: Title I funding allocated centrally; grants team small but productive",424,476000,900000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2250134-dce23a93f54c4208cfc85f05122ff5c5&start=476&end=900","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2250134-dce23a93f54c4208cfc85f05122ff5c5/thumbnail_476000.jpg","/articles/6344872/Maryland/PGCPS-officials-Title-I-funding-allocated-centrally-grants-team-small-but-productive","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6344872-190e6ae75411ae79a4bac6925f80b039/orig.mp4?Expires=1771157257&Signature=a91IuBMxdhVIqYC9t2rRREiGnHylU6CFYnVK1yHbBgH4Zss4ttWq7i6Y~RfzHSGOltn2awXLykopRd8XyAFa6LqEm1FicKflvNrsd3Lz~4ewj6wg6X7XQW9y46fdlxIqWMP~-807gHPb0aln7HkQbQsPW2BY~-MEgmO3Ch1JlmJ-dray~wpUDX99-61J5kjs0LpvVCsEaq4SnX8N0LeJqDz5Y7p0H6~AAH2S8D90ZoazX3ipB2uIkl2d0zaEa21BNgJoV9XCP5nGzBjdBeIr3fyyWYlkNzvbnWCPfkoTcbIgZkOB29fqJ1rWdKTHGSWArdHqdAJY~Rf7shpq4NlAtA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Prince George's County Public Schools officials told the Board of Education on Feb. 6 that Title I federal funds are allocated through state and district procedures and that the district manages program funds centrally rather than disbursing most grants directly to charter operators.

Why it matters: charter leaders and board members asked whether charter schools receive the same access to federal Title funding as traditional schools. Administrators said eligibility and use differ by program and that students in charter schools can benefit from centrally managed programs, but that most grant funds are administered by the district.

Doug Schroeder, chief of accountability, described the district's public data dashboards for absenteeism and academic metrics and explained that a separate strategic initiatives line in the budget contains $1.7 million earmarked to manage the Transforming Neighborhood Schools partnership. Schroeder said that as contracts for participating organizations expire, some services may be moved under the community schools initiative.

Director Flood (Title I office) told the board that Title I, Part A responsibilities fall to her office and that PGCPS currently has 107 Title I schools. She said the district determines participation via a ranking process that looks at direct services such as families receiving state benefits; this year one charter school is participating as a Title I school.

Chief Financial Officer Lisa Howe said the district's Grants and Financial Management Office supports grant life-cycle financial management and currently has 14 members; the grants director position is vacant and CFO responsibilities temporarily cover that oversight. The Office of Strategic Planning and Resource Management (SPRM) also houses grants specialists; staff described a grants workflow that includes subject-matter experts at program offices and two SPRM specialists who provide development and management support.

Board members asked how the district can better surface grant opportunities to schools and communities; Schroeder and others said awareness and board support for certification or support letters help with tight application timelines. The district also pointed to a tracker for grant opportunities and internal processes for routing proposals.

Ending: Officials said they will provide written follow-ups on detailed grant lists and formulas and continue discussions about how and when services managed centrally might be realigned to community-school models.","District officials told the board that federal Title I funds are allocated to schools via state and district formulas and generally managed centrally rather than paid directly to charter schools. Staff also outlined grants staffing and a $1.7 million pass-through for the Transforming Neighborhood Schools initiative.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6344877,"PGCPS to move ESSER-funded digital tools into operating budget; seeks multi-year ERP upgrade",403,4781000,5184000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2250134-dce23a93f54c4208cfc85f05122ff5c5&start=4781&end=5184","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2250134-dce23a93f54c4208cfc85f05122ff5c5/thumbnail_4781000.jpg","/articles/6344877/Maryland/PGCPS-to-move-ESSER-funded-digital-tools-into-operating-budget-seeks-multi-year-ERP-upgrade","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6344877-05ae4a2eb0ee4465c77a219dbf64d8f3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771157257&Signature=Lx9hwDTCyiZ07OI5Ch6ye65Oqnt1ZB~g1hK09AbgI4620JfzDTkcYvL75M3LPNwW1PTXxgpavxfDiXypLOgHn3NQCsB~0pKfXuQLec08J7t7HkMYozza6-mBV6KvgQOuJSCZl6gGGc1ipBrivuAiBe3VtpvuTC7sVhJiIb3dFGuIzSUnMGnUkexI85WEA6itHvbre1mkRfVxfHAtXbBGfj~d0kIpGxYK2H9Q2EGnMwZKlUG3xYbr956AAXGP-bwvO9EepLHPuYClAauL-kPCDQ~2Q0CCkFflFjl~S5egQEuSAff0vC8Ifk~y8Z2pJs07MTDwh0oyzrfc23Gafu5U9A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Prince George's County Public Schools' chief information officer told the Board of Education on Feb. 6 that the district must fold several ESSER-funded systems and licenses into the FY 2026 operating budget and that the business information system requires a multiyear upgrade.

Why it matters: the changes affect recurring operating costs for student information, digital classroom tools and the district's finance and HR backbone. The district also flagged cybersecurity and long-term sustainability of its one-to-one device program as ongoing priorities.

Chief Information Officer Andy Zuckerman summarized the technology request as three principal items: the ERP (enterprise resource planning) modernization for the district's finance, payroll and HR systems; Synergy, the student information system; and a set of recurring digital-tool licenses that had been paid with federal ESSER funds through September 2024.

Zuckerman said the ERP implementation requires an external implementer and several years of work; the rough implementation price cited was about $8.9 million for a one-year implementation engagement and additional implementation expense in follow-up years. He said the district currently pays about $2.2 million annually for the on-premises Oracle system and that cloud-based migration would add a modest annual license increase but carries sizeable one-time implementation costs.

On the student information system, Zuckerman said the district moved from an older, on-premises system to Synergy and that the new annual licensing is higher (about $2.7 million) and was previously paid via ESSER; now the district must include that recurring cost in the operating budget. Several other digital tools—Google for Education, classroom management and remote meeting tools, and other platform licenses—also transition from ESSER into operating spending.

Zuckerman and other administrators said the ESSER expiration (federal funds expired Sept. 30, 2024) created an unavoidable fiscal shift into the operating budget. They also described steps taken to reduce device breakage and sustain a one-to-one Chromebook program, including moving devices into school carts in many buildings and shifting to a lease-purchase approach for hardware replacement.

Administrators said cybersecurity investments are embedded across technology budgets—endpoint protection, multifactor authentication, web filtering and firewall protection—and that detailed cybersecurity configuration and controls are handled in restricted briefings because specifics can be sensitive.

Ending: District technology leaders said they will provide further cost detail and implementation timelines for the ERP project and requested board backing to include the recurring license costs and implementation deposits in the FY 2026 plan.","District technology officials told the board that ESSER grant dollars that paid for student and staff digital tools have expired and must be transitioned into the operating budget. The administration also proposed a multi-year enterprise resource planning (ERP) modernization with an estimated implementation cost of about $8.9 million.",{"_33":113,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":114,"_41":115,"_43":116,"_45":116,"_47":117,"_49":118,"_51":119,"_53":120,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":121,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":122,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6344882,"PGCPS officials warn $37.3 million budget gap; state \"blueprint\" delay will add $22 million in 2026",0,5515000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2250134-dce23a93f54c4208cfc85f05122ff5c5&start=5515&end=5515","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2250134-dce23a93f54c4208cfc85f05122ff5c5/thumbnail_5515000.jpg","/articles/6344882/Maryland/PGCPS-officials-warn-373-million-budget-gap-state-blueprint-delay-will-add-22-million-in-2026","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6344882-c51c06e67c8fffb946bfd9e26930cf95/orig.mp4?Expires=1771157257&Signature=oeZOdPQDO0aG2NEVdt3f2gh9n6F91i90-~S5T0WNGXjZVw5tbVhMtDpFRrvDrF1qpZL7BlI2TvGmGBog90i0nRdLiLTeIxH739mWeeu934UhdIUW9nswcWs5C0~a5XTPrIfE72HurX3sVT0Uw5TkcNbYIU6czoNSuc-3L7KVbca7HJJZgVm5PYdGlK9142Fkt5MN~zdzqhtksDwIvZuEju2vJHgMHRH3iNQxkDKhtLZlmeRirFGTF~Iyoekp52JWJvOllS2NXSMoJEkLiI6lFQrpg-oRciWPERs6wa8wf5kJJ1dE0wrapuKR6p9NAfvNbOnNcsNFHvSowonwbg5Jtg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Prince George's County Public Schools officials told the Board of Education on Feb. 6 that the district still faces a roughly $37.3 million operating shortfall for the FY 2026 budget and that a recently proposed delay to a portion of the state's Blueprint funding will materially increase that pressure.

Why it matters: the district's foundational funding covers core operations — teacher pay, building maintenance, behavioral supports and other schoolhouse needs — and officials said the Blueprint delay will reduce that funding stream for collaborative planning beginning in 2026. Chief Financial Officer Lisa Howe and Superintendent House described ongoing efforts to close the gap while minimizing impacts on classrooms.

At the Board's budget work session and public hearing, Howe said the proposed FY 2026 operating book includes measures to align spending across divisions but cautioned that the statewide change to Blueprint funding is not budget neutral. In her presentation she said the component of collaborative planning that was scheduled to start in 2026 was being paused, producing an estimated $22 million shortfall for the district in the 2026 fiscal year and a cumulative estimated reduction of about $1 billion over the next eight years.

Board members and the superintendent described a two-track response: (1) continuing internal budget realignments and reviews to identify savings and priorities, and (2) sustained legislative outreach in Annapolis to seek restoration or mitigation of the lost state funding. Superintendent House said the district and the board were working together with delegates and county officials to explain the district's needs and to press for funding.

Administrators emphasized they were trying to preserve classroom services and avoid layoffs or cuts that directly affect students. Lisa Howe noted that foundational funding is already strained and that the delayed Blueprint component disproportionately impacts the funds available to schools because roughly 75 percent of that foundation goes directly to the schoolhouse.

Howe and other staff said portions of the overall projected shortfall will be addressed by detailed reviews of division budgets, reassigning nonrecurring expenses, and by negotiating with partners and the county on certain mandated cost shifts. The county's budget office (OMB) has met with district leaders and, according to administrators, is largely aligned on the scope of changes being discussed.

Next steps: the administration will provide updated reconciliations to the board as budget work continues, and board members said they will continue legislative outreach. The board scheduled additional internal reviews and asked administration for a clearer item-by-item accounting of proposals to close the $37.3 million gap.

Ending: The board recessed the work session to reconvene for public comment; administrators said they will return with further detail as the FY 2026 approval timeline advances.","Prince George's County Public Schools administrators told the Board of Education on Feb. 6 that a $37.3 million operating shortfall remains to be closed and that a state delay to a portion of the Blueprint funding will hit the district for about $22 million in FY 2026 and roughly $1 billion over eight years unless lawmakers act.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Parents, community leaders urge more bilingual staff, crossing guards and climate investments at PGCPS public hearing

PGCPS: payroll fully staffed, but teacher vacancies and special-education shortages persist

PGCPS officials: Title I funding allocated centrally; grants team small but productive

PGCPS to move ESSER-funded digital tools into operating budget; seeks multi-year ERP upgrade

PGCPS officials warn $37.3 million budget gap; state "blueprint" delay will add $22 million in 2026