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