Prince George's County Public Schools details operating needs and school construction plans as federal grant questions persist

Prince George's County Public Schools officials briefed the council on April 29 about operating and capital priorities, saying the district is monitoring federal funding rule changes and advancing several major construction projects even as state and permitting issues affect costs and timelines.

Superintendent Millard House said the district is watching changes at the federal level affecting ESSER 3 and related reimbursements. He said the district is engaged in the state appeal process after being told some reimbursements may not be paid at the state level; district staff said they are working to avoid classroom disruptions while the situation evolves.

Dr. Shrozka Coleman, chief operating officer, and other system staff answered council questions about key CIP items: High Point High School, New Northern (often called Northern Area) High School, Suitland High School, unspent prior‑year allocations and a portfolio of older projects. Coleman said the district has decoupled High Point and New Northern in planning after site and regulatory constraints affected the original sequencing. Officials said geotechnical concerns at High Point’s stadium site and stream‑buffer rules affecting New Northern required redesign work; new engineering and foundation concepts gave the district confidence to move High Point earlier in the schedule pending board approval and a public hearing as part of a master‑plan amendment.

On capacity, Coleman said the concept under review for High Point is a 2,000‑student building with a 600‑student alternate; district staff said they hope to secure board approval to drop the alternate and plan for at least 2,600 seats. Officials noted current enrollment figures are higher and that planning must balance facility size, funding rules and state contribution calculations. Council members and district staff discussed the tradeoffs of building larger regional schools versus separate schools to secure state matching funds.

The district reported progress on closing old CIP allocations. Staff said some previously appropriated funds were tied up on purchase orders or encumbrances and that teams are closing out older projects to free funds. The presentation cited older unspent appropriations dating back to 2009; officials said substantial progress has been made in reconciling older items.

Suitland High School’s project remains a point of concern. The board’s presentation noted an increase in project costs and a $42.6 million shift from anticipated state funding to county funds after the state did not fully fund the district’s requested amount. The council asked staff to follow up with the State Interagency Commission (IAC) or the state agency for clarification on funding decisions; district staff said the state increased some support previously but did not meet the full requested level, leaving the county to cover the balance.

Council members asked for more detail on vehicle/transportation funding, food service subsidies and health services line items; the district said the chief financial officer would provide written responses to those specific budget questions. On student transportation, district staff described improvements following a transportation audit and said the system has seen better trip utilization, stop consolidation and alignment across bell tiers compared with the prior audit baseline.

The district also described facility disposition and repurposing. Concord Elementary — previously consolidated — will house a program that needs roughly 17 classrooms and will serve as a long‑term relocation for a school with a roof beyond its useful life; district staff said they will make repairs this summer and move the program into Concord for the 2025‑26 school year. The system is evaluating the fate of other training or administrative facilities, including Thomas Claggett, and said it will pursue demolition and a disposition analysis where buildings are unsuitable.

On school safety, the district said it hired two safe‑passage coordinators and is meeting regularly with the Department of Public Works and Transportation to implement immediate, midterm and long‑term pedestrian safety recommendations. Council members said they will support interagency coordination and requested future briefings on safe‑passage progress.

District officials agreed to provide the council with a list of unused buildings and to supply written answers from the CFO on several operating budget line items. No new appropriations were approved at the meeting; the district will present master‑plan amendments and educational specifications to the board and the public in the coming weeks as planning continues.