Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Special Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Educators urge board to reject outsourcing as special education vacancies push district into MSDE corrective action
Summary
Prince George's County educators told the board that long-running special education staffing shortages prompted a corrective-action finding by the Maryland State Department of Education, and they urged the board to use incentives and caseload relief rather than contract outsourcing to fill vacancies.
Members of the Prince George's County Educators Association and classroom staff told the Board of Education on Sept. 25 that the district's special education vacancy trend predates the current administration and requires urgent corrective measures beyond outsourcing.
Donna Christie, speaking for the Prince George's County Educators Association, told the board that "years, not months" of leadership inaction let vacancies worsen and that the district is now under corrective action from the Maryland State Department of Education. Christie argued that outsourcing special-education positions "is not a solution, it's a surrender," citing concerns about hidden costs, buyout provisions, vendor accountability and noncompete clauses that could leave schools with less local control.
Classroom teachers amplified the concern with concrete staffing examples. A special-education teacher at Kenmore Early Childhood Center described self-contained four-year-old classes with 10 students and two adults, including multiple children in wheelchairs and two students with seizure disorders, and called such staffing levels unsafe in an emergency. Another speaker, citing classroom caseload and workload, said incentives and manageable caseloads could bring certified teachers back and that outsourcing risks further disruption.
Board members did not vote on a motion during public comment, but the testimony put outsourcing proposals and the district's response to an MSDE corrective action squarely before the board. Speakers requested concrete alternatives: recruitment and retention incentives, caseload relief, targeted support from Human Resources and district leadership, and accountability from the special-education office.
Officials referenced MSDE oversight and bargaining discussions; transcript remarks said the district had offered "no incentives, no workload relief" at the bargaining table, according to testimony. No formal board action to approve or reject contracting was recorded in the meeting minutes provided during public comment.
