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

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.