Parents and students urge PGCPS to preserve immersion and IB pathways after budget proposals

Dozens of parents, students and elected officials told the Prince George's County Board of Education on Feb. 19 that proposed FY27 budget changes would weaken or dismantle established language immersion and IB program pathways.

"The Chinese immersion program is not just an elective. It is a rigorous academic pathway," Fazil Kabir, mayor of College Park, said in public comment. "Before we close the door, I urge you to explore alternatives that preserve this opportunity for students." Kabir asked the board to pause any discontinuation at Paint Branch Elementary.

Interim Superintendent Doctor Joseph and program lead Doctor White presented an adjusted plan (called Option B) for Paint Branch and Capital Heights that would convert the neighborhood immersion models to application-based, in-school lottery immersion tracks with 25 seats per grade. Doctor White said the change is intended to reduce staffing inefficiencies at schools where enrollment patterns (midyear inflows) increased the number of language teachers required. "So it becomes an in school lottery immersion program... we would have 25 seats per grade," White said.

Parents, teachers and students disputed that the Option B model is an adequate replacement. A former immersion student, Nicholas Vero, described the program as "excellence and equity presented by both teachers and students at its very best" and said his family moved to the area specifically for the Paint Branch program. Multiple speakers from Maya Angelou French Immersion IB World School and Cesar Chavez immersion programs said phasing out high-school immersion pathways or removing IB designation would harm college and career readiness.

Several public commenters also opposed proposed investments in AI surveillance and AI-driven classroom tools, arguing that the district lacks oversight capacity and that surveillance could harm student privacy and development. "I am opposed to the investment in AI surveillance," a parent said during public comments, adding the district should not expand collection of sensitive student data.

Doctor Joseph provided clarifications in response to public concerns: he said no special education program reductions have been made and that the administration is seeking additional funding for special education. He also said district high-school IB diploma programs would not be eliminated as part of the current proposal. The board did not immediately adopt any final change to immersion programming on Feb. 19; the Option B proposal and the county funding amendment will be considered further.

What happens next: the administration and board members committed to follow-up data requests (for example, school-specific staffing and cost comparisons) and to continued community engagement before final votes. Several parents urged a phase-out that would allow current students to complete programs rather than an immediate termination.