[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-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],{"_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",6091340,"mediaKeyId","2863215-96c4fcf23a9160976b24d7d355cfff68","parentId",2863215,"title","PGCPS warns Senate pause to ‘educational excellence’ funding could cut millions; urges conference‑committee outreach","audioSeconds",1011,"startMs",109000,"endMs",1120000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2863215-96c4fcf23a9160976b24d7d355cfff68&start=109&end=1120","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2863215-96c4fcf23a9160976b24d7d355cfff68/thumbnail_109000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6091340/Maryland/PGCPS-warns-Senate-pause-to-educational-excellence-funding-could-cut-millions-urges-conferencecommittee-outreach","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6091340-3d8012fca64ddab90e5ab2125b6946b4/orig.mp4?Expires=1771186157&Signature=hdYJ~rshS-gP~nz~doZwgTA60hJTfEErfhcf29vyzYFeGEBT5km1LooZN5XtTmxD6WTqwD43tVwDwoCpT2PjMt67xyiXq~6BlbwaSgHevGbn8f7otk3KSyDkKQfboQAUMXJE464Y7YmzCqaULip2zaWZYyIRWssJRzHNaptw1ULEuoKiXy4tG-UyDmIdV4M0Dt6rLIPM7Dsye45vgQrA50rzPvj6CNNZqKE74wfqgn9Q8UBQ0FsWcm2aihU~~U1mh1i9uJfdhRoXDY7UmWbjtddHg63Lft~odhu7IhDU0GhTNc0f3-6nuecCGMU8vW4TzBREaNcazQfhi-joVcGhRA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Prince George's County Public Schools","date","2025-04-03T16:22:14.677Z","article","Prince George’s County Public Schools officials told the district’s Policy & Governance Committee on April 1 that differences between the House and Senate versions of the state’s “educational excellence” bill — House Bill 504 and Senate Bill 429 — will be resolved in a legislative conference committee and could significantly reduce funding for the district.

The committee heard from Ms. Welsh, who delivered the legislative update and said: “we now have the House amendments and we have the Senate amendments,” and that “we'll have to go to conference committee to resolve any of the differences.” She described major differences between the two chambers on per‑pupil funding, teacher collaborative time, and community‑schools rules.

Why it matters: The Senate version pauses funding for teacher collaborative time from school year 2026 through 2029 and reduces projected per‑pupil foundation amounts in later years, changes that district staff say would lower state and local funding. Ms. Welsh told the committee the local share of the Senate pause is $126,506,426 over four years and that, when combined with related county impacts, the total effect would be $214,097,061 over the same period.

Key differences cited by staff included:
- Per‑pupil foundation: The House amendments restore the per‑pupil foundation amount to current law; the Senate reduces that amount for FY2026–FY2037.
- Teacher collaborative time: The House delays implementation by one year with no reduction to the foundation; the Senate pauses collaborative‑time funding through 2029 and proposes “collaborative time innovation demonstration grants” for 2026–2029 instead.
- Community schools: The House requires at least 10 eligible schools and bars use of the new funds for central administrative costs; the Senate retained language allowing some central administration costs and preserved authority to require itemized reporting and to withhold funds if implementation requirements are unmet.
- Evaluation and reporting: The House had required transmission of evaluation reports to the Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB) and MSDE; the Senate's version directs systems to transmit to MSDE and has MSDE produce the statewide summary for the AIB.

Ms. Welsh also described language in the Senate bill that would trigger a freeze on budget increases if a specified economic downturn metric were reached: if state and federal funding combined fell by 5 percent, “there’ll be no budget increases at all,” she said, a contingency she described as “pretty scary” earlier in the update.

Board members pressed staff about advocacy strategy and next steps. Board member Walker asked where the district should focus its outreach once the conference committee members are named; Ms. Welsh said the district had already sent a reminder letter to the delegation reiterating the board’s original positions and that outreach should target individual conference‑committee members when they are identified. Ms. Welsh added she expected lobbyist Ben Barnes to be a member of the conference committee and emphasized continued, coordinated engagement with county legislators.

Several board members stressed the importance of protecting collaborative time, particularly because negotiated agreements with staff include collaborative time provisions. Ms. Welsh noted that about 90 percent of teaching positions in the district are filled but said collaborative time is intended to support newer teachers and improve instruction.

Next steps: Ms. Welsh and board members said PGCPS will monitor who is appointed to the conference committee and will continue targeted outreach. The committee also discussed planning for a district legislative day on Sept. 12 to prepare longer‑term advocacy and public messaging.

Ending: The committee did not take a formal vote on the state bills; staff said the immediate priority is outreach to conference‑committee members once they are named and ongoing coordination with county delegates and senators.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Board of Education Special Policy & Governance Committee Meeting, Apr 1, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Prince George’s County Public Schools officials told the district’s Policy & Governance Committee on April 1 that differences between the House and Senate versions of the state’s “educational excellence” bill — House Bill 504 and Senate Bill 429 — will be resolved in a legislative conference committee and could significantly reduce funding for the district.","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},6091334,"PGCPS committee summaries bills on special education reporting, threats and phones; recommends six policies to full board",661,2093000,2754000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2863215-96c4fcf23a9160976b24d7d355cfff68&start=2093&end=2754","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2863215-96c4fcf23a9160976b24d7d355cfff68/thumbnail_2093000.jpg","/articles/6091334/Maryland/PGCPS-committee-summaries-bills-on-special-education-reporting-threats-and-phones-recommends-six-policies-to-full-board","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6091334-fd7f240f25154d1b85868434a56c3383/orig.mp4?Expires=1771186157&Signature=Ft95VncvY72L-t6LjOiQEY2tVeZN4sfXReQyj-GkxPzPgSgR8e1KrUVmTByhy7~wVqw2rAmr-1isiqDBS22ZiLibxXX0OKQls~ZlpzzSw391tJMukvPv5UFm6C-4t3IKMd0gF~ECLKHD6thsWf52aQiouhtZB5qwicswEuVG018YUytKAmwp~RDSbEI-t0qYTlBZubaJGnOGD8K8fDfffncM0rt1bFriiL8U1FPWzFTYtXoyisNO4S88O35g1xHU7wNgMcLfUluOGNsxKIV2mKctACwLheE8uEqjonFdxpxxlUVkDqEa--5emZzc7EdtLDRVEjWWq5XrKrElKAHjuA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Prince George’s County Public Schools’ Policy & Governance Committee on April 1 received administrative summaries of several state education bills that reached crossover and recommended six district policies to the full Board of Education for consideration.

Ms. Welsh briefed the committee on a range of bills. She said the district supports a bill requiring publication of special‑education service‑delivery models because “we already do that. So of course we're very much in favor of it.” That bill would require school systems to post all delivery models on their websites so parents — including those with parentally placed private school students — can access them.

Other bills staff summarized included:
- House Bill 1265 — revisions to reportable offenses: the bill removes a list of multiple offenses from the statutory list but adds two offenses, including making a threat of mass violence. The bill requires the state's attorney to notify the superintendent and principal and, in some cases, the school security officer. Ms. Welsh said the change responds to incidents in which students found guilty of reportable offenses moved between counties without receiving‑county notification.
- House Bill 102 / Senate Bill 225 — family and medical leave insurance (FMLI): staff said the start of required contributions was moved to Jan. 1, 2027, delaying employer and employee contributions previously scheduled earlier.
- Senate Bill 130 / House Bill 147 — student technology use/cell‑phone policy: Ways & Means accepted House amendments and the combined language requires boards of education to adopt a cell‑phone policy that limits use during instructional time; systems with existing equivalent policies are exempt.
- Senate Bill 451 / House Bill 325 — GED language: legislation would allow some GED sections to be taken in a test‑taker’s preferred language (English or Spanish), aligning with a platform request described by staff.
- House Bill 935 — venue‑specific emergency action plans for high‑school football games: the bill as revised requires an athletic trainer, licensed EMS provider, licensed nurse or physician, or a volunteer meeting those qualifications to be present (giving districts greater flexibility than earlier drafts).
- House Bill 1127 — water‑safety instructional content: the bill removes a strict swimming‑competency requirement but requires elementary, middle and high school curriculum to include water‑safety content.

Committee action: The committee considered six district policies (agenda items 6.1–6.6: policy 3,100 investments; policy 3,160 transfer of funds; policy 41‑13 community involvement in principal selection; policy 51‑11 legal age of admission; policy 52‑06 rescind yearbook photograph policy; policy 9,366 order of business and parliamentary procedures). No public comments were received on these items. The committee voted to recommend the policies to the full board for consideration; the roll call recorded 4 in the affirmative: Doctor Felton Moss (Aye), Mr. Bridal (Aye), Miss Willis Schroeder (Aye), Miss Walker (Aye). The transcript records the outcome as “The policies under agenda item 6.1 through 6.6 will be recommended to the full board for public comment consideration.”

Ending: Staff and board members said they will produce a post‑session recap and continue planning for the district legislative day on Sept. 12; the committee’s next virtual meeting was announced for April 9.","Prince George’s County Public Schools’ Policy & Governance Committee on April 1 received administrative summaries of several state education bills that reached crossover and voted to recommend six district policies to the full Board of Education.","actionData","errors"]

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PGCPS warns Senate pause to ‘educational excellence’ funding could cut millions; urges conference‑committee outreach

PGCPS committee summaries bills on special education reporting, threats and phones; recommends six policies to full board