[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-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],{"_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",6252601,"mediaKeyId","3187333-81fd30700b1851562b662ed52db710f6","parentId",3187333,"title","PGCPS details FY26 school-based budgeting, per-pupil allocations and timeline as charter funding questions persist","audioSeconds",439,"startMs",123000,"endMs",562000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3187333-81fd30700b1851562b662ed52db710f6&start=123&end=562","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3187333-81fd30700b1851562b662ed52db710f6/thumbnail_123000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6252601/Maryland/PGCPS-details-FY26-school-based-budgeting-per-pupil-allocations-and-timeline-as-charter-funding-questions-persist","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6252601-e363c6ca571eced4498fb3ece965ca2e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771031219&Signature=OqlU8yvJTGPFPB0FE1p2X2xrwHQKMWlmfAMSfIJbrB2CfPuzEkXefDslyhF~eaayOgYxRO~9ok5YEQVWsec60FZdhP6DDQqR~oBZpU3RPIiJmv8UktlEEBWRQ6figvy4Ub4oz7K1BNQ5jW7P5pNxXWA8juUeYeJVtul96RETh6OaF3rvtMbyU1LLzO5NCsxOGRWwwpzgYqFbeRCy0ctIjzKdc2Zm-qqXmyCsMatPHJ5Cr4dL2q-M9Zbx9AUE-LQJnu0COwmeHyIWW-iVUEgNXRwbP-nVGcROyEJ1ZyWx2aNjhilESBSbw99BNa~XPBEpgIACNf7WY8UY1tynwITn-g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Prince George's County Public Schools","date","2025-05-03T20:10:38.947Z","article","Shavonn Smith, Director of Budget and Management Services for Prince George's County Public Schools, told the Operations, Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee on March 19 that the board-requested FY26 budget has been transmitted to the county and the district is finalizing the school budget book and school-based budgeting (SBB) allocations.

The district will allocate funds to each school using minimum school funding calculations, school-based locked allocations and centrally managed locked allocations, Smith said. “Now that we finalized the Board of Education requested budget for FY 'twenty 6, we've transmitted it to the county,” she said.

Smith described three staffing categories under SBB: unlocked positions that schools may purchase with allocated SBB funds; locked positions funded and staffed by central office for roles with special requirements; and “locked plus” positions, which central office funds but schools may supplement with SBB dollars. She used the example of special-education staff as centrally provided locked positions and described a central 0.5 library media specialist allocation that a school could purchase an additional 0.5 to get to a full position.

The district defines PPA as the per-pupil amount required by the Blueprint legislation and stated the minimum distribution rules are set by that law rather than by the local board. “PPA is our per pupil amount,” Smith said. She explained the PPA is multiplied by eligible enrollment for each program (foundation, compensatory education, English learners, special education, etc.) to determine school allocations.

Smith said principals will receive revenue and staffing information through the Apex budgeting tool. SBB “clinics” to train principals on the tool start at the end of March; the tool’s go-live date is April 7, when principals can begin formulating budgets in Apex, she said. The budget office will enter a reconciliation phase in May and early June to finalize staffing, incorporate final state aid and county approvals, and present a balanced FY26 budget to the board in June for transmission and state certification.

On charter-school funding, board members raised concerns that some charters may receive less under the new Blueprint formula. Smith said the district is still sorting through charter impacts and has scheduled further meetings; she said Office of the General Counsel (OGC) will be involved to interpret Blueprint rules for charters. “There are certain nuances to charter schools versus our non charter schools,” Smith said. She added that whether a charter's allocation is higher or lower will depend on the characteristics of its students and statutory rules in the Blueprint legislation.

Board members asked about the 2% administrative fee historically charged to charter schools and whether that fee or a potential 5% fee remains relevant under Blueprint; Smith said charter operators are concerned that at least 75% of PPA must be allocated to schools and that centrally managed supports could be misconstrued as a “withhold.” She noted some centrally managed services directly support charter schools and that charter operators can opt out of some services if they wish to increase their net allocation.

Committee members pressed the budget office for timing so principals and charter operators can plan hires and staffing. Smith reiterated the April 7 go-live date for the Apex tool, that staffing snapshots and reconciliations are ongoing, and that reconciliation in May/early June will address final enrollment and revenue adjustments.

The committee adopted the meeting agenda and approved the 02/19/2025 minutes by unanimous consent earlier in the session; no roll-call tallies were provided in the transcript for those procedural approvals.

Why it matters: The SBB allocations, per-pupil amounts set by Blueprint, and the district’s reconciliation timeline determine how much money individual schools and charter operators will receive and when principals can begin hiring. Several board members pressed staff for clarity so they can respond to constituent concerns about charter funding and staffing timelines.

What’s next: The budget office will complete school-level staffing and the SBB roll-out in April, reconcile revenue and staffing in May/June as state and county funding figures finalize, and present the FY26 balanced budget to the board in June for transmission to the county and certification with the state.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Board of Education Operations, Budget, and Fiscal Affairs Committee Meeting March 19, 2025,","oneSentenceSummary","Shavonn Smith, Director of Budget and Management Services for Prince George's County Public Schools, told the committee the FY26 board-requested budget has been transmitted to the county and the district is moving into school-based budget allocations and staff-level reconciliations.","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},6252596,"PGCPS to pilot ‘hub stops’ with Parks & Rec, seeks new bus-tracking app as parent complaints continue",1714,1469000,3183000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3187333-81fd30700b1851562b662ed52db710f6&start=1469&end=3183","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3187333-81fd30700b1851562b662ed52db710f6/thumbnail_1469000.jpg","/articles/6252596/Maryland/PGCPS-to-pilot-hub-stops-with-Parks-Rec-seeks-new-bus-tracking-app-as-parent-complaints-continue","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6252596-af69421f6b5e4506bb490c10036ea4b1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771031219&Signature=juI2xCUi4wxww0E-oDvvatK7oAluwCCB2D4MCyUtGVkyuW2kFUCCnRrRvjyxy~rCseljWIoAeI5q3zk~E6uu986VE595W~0n85WIDlWDw6kxKqOusz68mewdfyjCxhVxNOjfSjkh9jak15AttUIra3ZBAYi-hspUgqDh7cA90Y~GpWdn8ZCKP6TXMfjUCfQPxNFCSD1uPQIe3k1P5zd7X3IGMv9YDgUKBiU~N-9JmJBRAHB4MU7n0Jb8WmMBRn1rmVLJKVcUxD-LW-S9TFNHtCg1rgMXQoQuSK-6CpCkOAc20eDT82J9QpXrjiaAiqXt-gDQe4sMLXVBuWRKErkBYg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Kiva Baldwin, Director of Transportation at Central Garage, told the committee the district is implementing operational changes to reduce long student commute times and improve bus-driver utilization, beginning with a pilot to establish hub stops in partnership with Prince George's County Parks and Recreation and a search for a more reliable parent bus-tracking app.

Chief Operations Officer Dr. Coleman introduced the transportation update by noting the district completed a third-party transportation audit and began implementing five priority recommendations this school year. Baldwin said many students in specialty programs have long ride times; some students board as early as 7 a.m. for a 9:30 a.m. start. He said drivers for those runs are underutilized because long routes produce fewer trips per driver.

To address long rides and improve utilization, Baldwin proposed centralizing some pickup locations at Parks and Recreation facilities. He said the benefits would include improved efficiency, reduced ride times, increased driver utilization and enhanced accessibility for parents. The district plans a pilot focused on specialty programs with large boundaries—examples mentioned include immersion programs at Phyllis E. Williams and others—and will evaluate expansion if the pilot succeeds.

On the parent app, Baldwin acknowledged problems with the current Stop Finder system and said PGCPS is actively researching routing and parent-app vendors that can handle system complexity, including substitutions, splitting trips and combining runs—scenarios that currently reduce tracking accuracy. The district will conduct a parent survey and build a prototype, then test and train staff; Baldwin said training for drivers and continuous improvement will be part of implementation.

Board members asked whether other districts’ systems had been reviewed and whether the app procurement would avoid “reinventing the wheel.” Baldwin and Dr. Coleman said the district is researching vendors used by comparable large districts and will choose a system that integrates with routing and covers operational realities such as split trips and driver substitutions.

The district said the pilot and app implementation are tentatively scheduled to begin in the 2025–26 school year, with parent notifications planned before the end of the 2024–25 year. Cost discussions are ongoing; Baldwin said current routing/GPS costs are bundled with bus-camera system costs and the district is still determining budget implications for a new app. The district and Parks and Rec are discussing use of facilities as supervised “safe havens” where children could wait indoors; initial proposals said there would be no cost to families for standard pickup/dropoff at hub stops, though extended before/after care could carry fees if families requested it.

Why it matters: Long bus rides and unreliable tracking directly affect students’ readiness to learn and parents’ ability to plan, and the district said the hub-stop approach could cut ride times significantly in initial routing exercises.

What’s next: PGCPS will run a pilot in select specialty-program routes in 2025–26, survey parents, prototype and test a new parent-app integration with routing, and return to the board with timelines, budget implications and pilot evaluation results.

(Procedural items: the committee adopted the March agenda and approved the prior meeting minutes earlier in the session by unanimous consent; no roll-call tallies were provided in the transcript.)","PGCPS plans a hub-stop pilot with Prince George's County Parks and Recreation to shorten long specialty-program bus rides and is researching a replacement for the Stop Finder parent app, with a tentative start in the 2025–26 school year.",{"_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},6252591,"PGCPS outlines EFMP refresh timeline as capital needs outpace available funding",1305,3193000,4498000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3187333-81fd30700b1851562b662ed52db710f6&start=3193&end=4498","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3187333-81fd30700b1851562b662ed52db710f6/thumbnail_3193000.jpg","/articles/6252591/Maryland/PGCPS-outlines-EFMP-refresh-timeline-as-capital-needs-outpace-available-funding","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6252591-6dc4a9fd0ffa8076285362d018f2088c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771031219&Signature=ULLdwYqpwpnrAWpdrnRhALOjCsPtd9XCrBE1-Mq~ARMYRukifddOXlG-4o8Nb3injWUzjAicvBvVa8MUTH7WNiWV4Vtwt6NuChTPDlzsHvVXSXr3Jg~q8LH9gmSLN9Zqb~xNzeanEPp8ahSREfZEwoLl7L~zoOB6gWOSo4F1YnkZdZoW-S6nn8brmJa4gatkZPSfUvHSkOHc4NRfnfeW-dYTv94HfvdPjkyUxnXsxM79diyl2H5UPehld1GEnU7JC94X8q2fNVQyEJrmD4I7J1QP2agnGhzYO~VicxrZ5YI9idnDkIfO025wcNxajVm5ST-T08Injphd3qJPS-LA3g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Director Veil Jackson of the Department of Capital Programs told the committee the district is beginning work to replace its FY17 EFMP, calling the current plan “old” and noting facility-condition data are up to 15 years out of date. The district will launch updated condition assessments and master educational specification work and said it expects raw data presentations to the board by January 2026, priority recommendations by August 2026, and adoption of the next EFMP by June 2027.

Jackson described the FY17 EFMP as founded on facility condition, educational adequacy and utilization and said the FY27 EFMP will add pillars such as Blueprint implementation (universal pre-K), career and technical education (CTE) expansion, sustainability and evolving security standards. The master educational specifications (ed specs) will define system standards for building program spaces and square footage so architects and state reviewers can hold projects to those system expectations.

Jackson and staff outlined cost and capacity constraints: modernizing to FY17 standards would require roughly $570 million per year in current dollars; the district’s average approved capital over 2015–2025 was about $174 million per year, with recent actuals closer to $128 million. In prior cycles the district requested more than it received: the FY23 CIP request was $266 million and the county approved roughly $205 million; in that year 66% of approved funds went to new schools/additions/modernizations and $33 million went to major repairs. In the most recent year presented, the district requested $215 million and received about $135 million; approximately $107 million of that approved amount went to new schools, $14 million to system upgrades and $3.6 million to major repairs.

Jackson said some Cycle 1 projects paused by earlier board votes must be revisited (she cited the Southern elementary consolidation and a funding shortfall for the William Schmidt/New International High School project). She emphasized the need to standardize educational specifications so the system can prioritize capital projects and advocate for consistent funding.

Board members asked how capital funding requests are generated and where capital and operating budgets intersect. Jackson and other staff explained the CIP request process: the Office of Management and Budget produces preliminary recommendations for available bond funding; the board’s CIP request lists priorities derived from the EFMP; council hearings and state matching decisions then determine final appropriations. Staff said capital funding is largely debt-financed through bond sales and is constrained by county capacity and credit rating considerations.

Why it matters: PGCPS faces a sizable capital funding gap; new EFMP priorities and standardized ed specs will guide where limited capital dollars are invested across new schools, modernizations, system upgrades and major repairs.

What’s next: The district will present raw condition and utilization data to the board in early 2026, return with prioritized recommendations in mid-to-late 2026, and seek board adoption of the new EFMP by June 2027 while continuing annual EFMP amendments in the interim.","District capital staff presented an Educational Facilities Master Plan (EFMP) timeline that starts condition assessments and data reporting in 2025–26, aims for priority recommendations by August 2026 and adoption of a new EFMP by June 2027; staff warned the system’s modernization needs far exceed recent capital allocations.","actionData","errors"]

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PGCPS details FY26 school-based budgeting, per-pupil allocations and timeline as charter funding questions persist

PGCPS to pilot ‘hub stops’ with Parks & Rec, seeks new bus-tracking app as parent complaints continue

PGCPS outlines EFMP refresh timeline as capital needs outpace available funding