Committee advances resolution to create Prince George’s County literacy commission

The Education, Workforce and Development Committee on Sept. 9 advanced a resolution (CR-88-2025) to create a Prince George’s County literacy commission that would convene school systems, higher-education institutions, libraries, nonprofits, civic and faith representatives and other stakeholders to assess and improve literacy rates.

The commission would include representatives from Prince George’s County Public Schools, Bowie State University, the University of Maryland, the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System, the county state delegation, Employ Prince George’s, Prince George’s Community College, literacy-focused nonprofits, a faith-based community leader, a parent-teacher association representative and a civic association representative. Preliminary recommendations were due in the draft resolution on Jan. 27, 2026, with final recommendations due June 2, 2026; committee members agreed to amend the schedule to allow more time for the commission’s first report so its recommendations could better align with budget negotiations.

Sponsor and origin: Council member Chris Doretta, chair of the committee and sponsor of the resolution, said the proposal grew from a school-board concept and called literacy “a huge issue and concern” that will require a long-term, multi-stakeholder approach. School board member Dr. Felton Moss, who brought the concept to the council, told the committee that a countywide commission could address literacy “from birth all the way to adulthood.” Moss also cited national adult literacy gaps, saying there are “42,000,000 adults in this country that are ... functionally illiterate.”

Legal and fiscal review: County staff said the resolution was introduced and referred to the committee on 09/09/2025. Policy analyst David Noto reviewed the proposal and concluded it would not have an adverse fiscal impact on county finances. County counsel found the resolution to be legally sufficient and without legal impediments to enactment.

Amendments and membership changes: Committee counsel reviewed a set of technical edits (capitalization and punctuation) and substantive amendments. Members added a designated representative from the school board and one from the county council to the commission’s membership, and removed language giving the vice chair a particular appointment role so that appointments will follow the traditional chair-driven process. Committee staff also proposed — and members approved — moving the commission’s first report deadline later (from the January date in draft 2 to a later month) to allow the commission time to meet and to permit consideration of its recommendations during budget discussions.

Committee action: Committee Chair Chris Doretta moved favorable action on the amendments and on the resolution as amended. The motion to move the resolution favorable as amended carried on a 4-0 vote. Council members recorded as voting “aye” were Council member Chris Doretta (chair), Council member Adam Stafford, Council member Olson and Council member Watson.

Why it matters: Committee members and invited participants framed the commission as a countywide mechanism to coordinate existing efforts — including school-district initiatives and community partners — and to produce regular, actionable recommendations rather than a single final report. Members specifically discussed ensuring representation from dyslexia advocates and pre-K-focused nonprofit partners.

Next steps: The committee advanced CR-88-2025 as amended to the full council for further consideration and final action.