[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-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",[32,75,87],{"_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":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6574998,"mediaKeyId","3153536-4061e09cff45ecdadcc14d7e4b4adbe4","parentId",3153536,"title","Prince George's County Public Schools details operating needs and school construction plans as federal grant questions persist","audioSeconds",2417,"startMs",3378000,"endMs",5795000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3153536-4061e09cff45ecdadcc14d7e4b4adbe4&start=3378&end=5795","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3153536-4061e09cff45ecdadcc14d7e4b4adbe4/thumbnail_3378000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6574998/Prince-Georges-County/Maryland/Prince-Georges-County-Public-Schools-details-operating-needs-and-school-construction-plans-as-federal-grant-questions-persist","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6574998-f66d81e6bc566c4cc6d33bb192fb54f2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771147745&Signature=fBrBsxx8psFmtfe7lPhngSQRSTWhiG3JiQLd0aRyA3D02oOFJS7s~ocHci5OJ~J3QZ7QCD0MB7e~S5SYSBniCoCCkwE2KYaIGKOrKkru5hjNd7uvo5wTLUFNTtbgNNjASz~0hUrKwzmGzA~8m6hYlSD94I30~-1uI7mq3k0A7ceQWbMPlZQp-GoLtpOMaAyHz2hT9Bdjs7pRWx1vB6-nQEDQnNLsJUOkjuT-kVayttJ2CsR-GxjxBvpey1-Vr2cRWRvvP3K5t6-gP9d2mmpCjKmzp2ZnD25wCiSxx3ZdbjbScVHfHDiw74itG24IurJ-pyy7jywus21d8ILdIK3Mfg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Prince George","date","2025-04-29T00:00:00Z","article","Prince George's County Public Schools officials briefed the council on April 29 about operating and capital priorities, saying the district is monitoring federal funding rule changes and advancing several major construction projects even as state and permitting issues affect costs and timelines.

Superintendent Millard House said the district is watching changes at the federal level affecting ESSER 3 and related reimbursements. He said the district is engaged in the state appeal process after being told some reimbursements may not be paid at the state level; district staff said they are working to avoid classroom disruptions while the situation evolves.

Dr. Shrozka Coleman, chief operating officer, and other system staff answered council questions about key CIP items: High Point High School, New Northern (often called Northern Area) High School, Suitland High School, unspent prior‑year allocations and a portfolio of older projects. Coleman said the district has decoupled High Point and New Northern in planning after site and regulatory constraints affected the original sequencing. Officials said geotechnical concerns at High Point’s stadium site and stream‑buffer rules affecting New Northern required redesign work; new engineering and foundation concepts gave the district confidence to move High Point earlier in the schedule pending board approval and a public hearing as part of a master‑plan amendment.

On capacity, Coleman said the concept under review for High Point is a 2,000‑student building with a 600‑student alternate; district staff said they hope to secure board approval to drop the alternate and plan for at least 2,600 seats. Officials noted current enrollment figures are higher and that planning must balance facility size, funding rules and state contribution calculations. Council members and district staff discussed the tradeoffs of building larger regional schools versus separate schools to secure state matching funds.

The district reported progress on closing old CIP allocations. Staff said some previously appropriated funds were tied up on purchase orders or encumbrances and that teams are closing out older projects to free funds. The presentation cited older unspent appropriations dating back to 2009; officials said substantial progress has been made in reconciling older items.

Suitland High School’s project remains a point of concern. The board’s presentation noted an increase in project costs and a $42.6 million shift from anticipated state funding to county funds after the state did not fully fund the district’s requested amount. The council asked staff to follow up with the State Interagency Commission (IAC) or the state agency for clarification on funding decisions; district staff said the state increased some support previously but did not meet the full requested level, leaving the county to cover the balance.

Council members asked for more detail on vehicle/transportation funding, food service subsidies and health services line items; the district said the chief financial officer would provide written responses to those specific budget questions. On student transportation, district staff described improvements following a transportation audit and said the system has seen better trip utilization, stop consolidation and alignment across bell tiers compared with the prior audit baseline.

The district also described facility disposition and repurposing. Concord Elementary — previously consolidated — will house a program that needs roughly 17 classrooms and will serve as a long‑term relocation for a school with a roof beyond its useful life; district staff said they will make repairs this summer and move the program into Concord for the 2025‑26 school year. The system is evaluating the fate of other training or administrative facilities, including Thomas Claggett, and said it will pursue demolition and a disposition analysis where buildings are unsuitable.

On school safety, the district said it hired two safe‑passage coordinators and is meeting regularly with the Department of Public Works and Transportation to implement immediate, midterm and long‑term pedestrian safety recommendations. Council members said they will support interagency coordination and requested future briefings on safe‑passage progress.

District officials agreed to provide the council with a list of unused buildings and to supply written answers from the CFO on several operating budget line items. No new appropriations were approved at the meeting; the district will present master‑plan amendments and educational specifications to the board and the public in the coming weeks as planning continues.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Prince George - Committee of the Whole - Budget Work-session: M-NCPPC (Operating/CIP), Board of Education (Operating/CIP) - Apr 29, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Prince George's County Public Schools officials briefed the council on April 29 about operating and capital priorities, saying the district is monitoring federal funding rule changes and advancing several major construction projects even as state and permitting issues affect costs and timelines.","taxTitle","Prince George's County, Maryland","taxId",3378,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6575003,"Prince George's parks agency outlines FY26 capital plan; council raises concerns about fund balances and procurement equity",2735,47000,2782000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3153536-4061e09cff45ecdadcc14d7e4b4adbe4&start=47&end=2782","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3153536-4061e09cff45ecdadcc14d7e4b4adbe4/thumbnail_47000.jpg","/articles/6575003/Prince-Georges-County/Maryland/Prince-Georges-parks-agency-outlines-FY26-capital-plan-council-raises-concerns-about-fund-balances-and-procurement-equity","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6575003-28d77b13673314d81ef5d1d32a1d2b67/orig.mp4?Expires=1771147745&Signature=En~icb8b4JTvQAi6MXeKzZ0Javr4RZMdRdUtbpIWuITa3qv6OcGdZIp3Lm1SEvI2v9269PkMSPxaSw~C08Xwm2BAdjrNv~n1PGdiKR7se9Biypz1z0FZvfoimth3d1DJ4FrIrp83tObzaqPOCpTrCgRnAkbll5LoBwZXmALNM-ucWkrdwjIu7sBd4x8o91oWWk7-Xdpl7kS8dn9P~VschjRwntRTAcWlk2WwlyjX5Fj6NYjzRhXw4wmmrSGj4oenEK-74zc8qQQCLL9-oSlFcXuXdAP2ZYVfMaKIpWBlVwc8dGPPP2o6hQOO1dY1EaR~NtGnThT8tKszVI4yWlUeLg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission presented its amended fiscal 2026 capital improvement program for the Department of Parks and Recreation on April 29, detailing a larger first‑year capital budget and new cost pressures while council members expressed concern about fund balances and procurement rules.

Peter Shapiro, chair of the Prince George's County Planning Board and Commission, joined Director Tyler and Claire Wurstel, capital budget manager, to outline the department's priorities and funding changes. Wurstel said the amended CIP shows a $1.8 million increase in general obligation bond funding, a $1.45 million increase in state bond funding and a $776,000 increase in state Program Open Space funding, bringing the amended first‑year budget to $129,700,000 and a six‑year expected spend of about $440,000,000.

The presentation emphasized four FY26 priorities: stewarding existing assets, fully funding current projects, growing inventory to meet demographic changes, and equitable distribution of projects. Wurstel said the department is using an asset‑management approach to prioritize playgrounds, athletic fields and trails and cited the county’s adopted 2040 functional master plan and the 2022 Land Preservation, Parks and Recreation Plan as policy guides.

Wurstel also warned of rising material costs and potential tariff impacts, citing a projected $1.8 million cost increase for the Good Luck Community Center if tariffs take effect. She said the commission has increased staffing, contracting capacity and on‑call contractor pools to complete a backlog of previously funded but unfinished projects.

Council members and commission staff discussed procurement requirements for a planned multigenerational center. Council member Wanika Fisher said local contractors told her request for proposals (RFPs) looked so prescriptive that only a single firm could meet them, and raised equity concerns about minority‑ and women‑owned firms being excluded from prime roles. The commission’s division chief for capital development said design‑build teams are not yet selected and confirmed the RFP asks for experience on multiple similar large projects; he said the requirements were developed with the county’s corporate procurement office to ensure teams could manage scope and market risks.

Commission staff said they had increased local disadvantaged business participation requirements and will require design‑build teams to hold opportunity fairs. Peter Shapiro and Director Tyler reiterated a commitment to increase minority business enterprise (MBE) participation as primes as well as subs and agreed to provide procurement procedure briefings and updates on awarded contracts to the council.

Council members pressed commissioners on the longer‑term fiscal picture. Council member Danoga asked about PAYGO versus bonding after staff noted two enterprise funds — the Park Fund and the Recreation Fund — show declining balances in the six‑year forecast. Corporate budget director Terry Bacot Charles and Gavin Cohen, corporate treasurer, told the council the projection used assumptions from several months prior and that the displayed forecasts represented a cautious scenario; Charles said the commission plans to develop a framework that balances PAYGO and bonding and will provide a more detailed long‑term forecast to the spending affordability committee and the council in the next CIP cycle.

Several council members voiced alarm that the recreation fund appeared to run negative in about two years under current projections and asked the county auditor for an independent review. Chair Burrows and other council members tied concern about fund balances to previous capital choices, including earlier appropriations for the Largo Headquarters building. Commission staff said renovation work on Largo Headquarters began in FY25 with a $30 million appropriation and that unspent FY25 funds were carried into FY26 to complete the work.

Commission staff also reviewed equity metrics, saying roughly 60% of proposed CIP projects by count and 56% by dollar value are in areas categorized as low or medium‑low equity based on factors including income, age, racial demographics, transit access, English proficiency and proximity to parkland. Per‑capita spending is roughly $1,293 in the county’s North and $1,115 in the South; staff said one additional large project in the South would approximately equalize per‑capita spending.

The commission and the council agreed on next steps: commission staff will provide additional procurement procedure information and updates on MBE participation for forthcoming awards; staff will develop a PAYGO/bonding framework and a more detailed multi‑year fund forecast; and the county auditor was asked to provide an independent assessment of the recreation and park fund projections. No ordinance or appropriation was enacted during the presentation itself; several later agenda items received committee recommendations for favorable action.

The discussion underscored two tensions for the FY26 CIP: immediate cost pressures from materials and tariffs that may require supplemental funds for planned projects, and the need to reconcile equity goals with limited fund balances and statutory bonding limits.","The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission presented its amended fiscal 2026 capital improvement program for the Department of Parks and Recreation on April 29, detailing a larger first‑year capital budget and new cost pressures while council members expressed concern about fund balances and procurement rules.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6574993,"Committee approves multiple resolutions and appropriations motions unanimously; roll calls recorded as 8‑0",514,2788000,3302000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3153536-4061e09cff45ecdadcc14d7e4b4adbe4&start=2788&end=3302","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3153536-4061e09cff45ecdadcc14d7e4b4adbe4/thumbnail_2788000.jpg","/articles/6574993/Prince-Georges-County/Maryland/Committee-approves-multiple-resolutions-and-appropriations-motions-unanimously-roll-calls-recorded-as-80","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6574993-e23ff3bad690b16349244f16c48c534b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771147745&Signature=BW-1dMRPy3aGmktomOScu9zqI69kBca4lfyurBoDJ5MW15-PjyfkMhibc0KH73R575RHFNMqkbMBuYQCaC4uZRq7dsgdsI7u9UBvEJYix4zGKFEk7RdwawCghScHbH1qzpgPWGgCBa79Qu2bgPtAjAMthp465cByiLFQ1niMln7YcQ6OXJeWzUZf58tuGSWZNt0hwczIspKe5HQUn2XQ34uIMiVz~Rgr6I0cieatcOYVYn3APoSr1Uze8gFz~9c4aU2Pqex5zI3NVraZs6lIlTyNN4ebAih4HUzS2B6j-GmenGUXP-cGJFtnffG3AAvJtRksuB5bMvuWaXI00rGV8w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Committee of the Whole took committee‑level actions on multiple resolutions and supplemental appropriation items during the April 29 session. Clerk roll calls recorded unanimous committee recommendations (8‑0) on the following items.

Votes at a glance

- CR 52‑2025: Resolution concerning Maryland‑National Capital Park and Planning Commission project charge reallocation to approve transfers within the FY25 operating budget (rec fund). Motion for a favorable committee recommendation by Chair Burrows; seconded by Vice Chair Orieta. Roll call result: motion carries 8‑0.

- CR 35‑2025: Resolution to adopt Prince George's County FY26–30 consolidated plan for housing and community development (amendments included). Motion to include amendments moved by Vice Chair Orieta; seconded by Council member Fisher. Roll call result: motion carries 8‑0.

- CR 33‑2025: Resolution concerning FY26–30 analysis of impediments to fair housing choice (amendments included). Motion to adopt amendments moved and seconded; roll call result: motion carries 8‑0.

- CR 32‑2025: Resolution concerning FY26 annual action plan for housing and community development (amendments included). Motion for committee recommendation moved and seconded; roll call result: motion carries 8‑0.

- CR 47‑2025: Resolution authorizing FY26 federal and state transportation grant applications (wide range of federal and state grant programs named in the resolution). Motion moved by Council member De Noga; seconded by Council member Leggay. Roll call result: motion carries 8‑0.

- PR 46 (listed in transcript): Resolution concerning supplemental appropriations of federal, state and other funds, totaling $15,061,198, for multiple county departments including police, fire & EMS, social services and others. Motion for favorable committee recommendation moved by Council member Fisher; seconded by Council member De Noga. Roll call result: motion carries 8‑0.

All listed roll calls were recorded on the transcript as present and voting 'Aye' from the same eight council members. The committee did not provide final enactment language at the meeting; favorable committee recommendations were recorded and will proceed according to council rules for final consideration.","During the Committee of the Whole on April 29 the council moved favorable recommendations on several resolutions and supplemental appropriations. All recorded votes in the transcript were unanimous (8‑0).","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Prince George's County Public Schools details operating needs and school construction plans as federal grant questions persist

Prince George's parks agency outlines FY26 capital plan; council raises concerns about fund balances and procurement equity

Committee approves multiple resolutions and appropriations motions unanimously; roll calls recorded as 8‑0