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PGCPS reports progress on special-education corrective action: complaints and vacancies trending downward
Summary
District leaders told the board they have reduced special-education vacancies, met several corrective-action KPIs and are reviewing 3,500 students for educational impact; administrators outlined compensatory services and verification procedures for contracted providers.
Prince George's County Public Schools told the Board of Education on March 26 that it has made measurable progress on the special-education corrective action plan required by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE).
Presenters said the district has received 65 state complaints in the current school year with 52 still open, and that monthly state-complaint averages have fallen from 11 per month last year to seven per month this year. For due-process complaints (Office of Administrative Hearings filings), speakers said 29 cases have been settled or closed and five remain pending.
District presenters said recruitment efforts reduced special-education classroom vacancies from roughly 150 a year ago to about 50 today, and showed improvements in paraprofessional and speech-pathologist fill rates. The district reported meeting multiple KPI targets: for example, the module on specially designed instruction met a target at 93.73%, the accommodations module at 94.6% and Maryland online IEP update system completion at 95.5%.
Dr. White and Ms. Bowman described system changes including targeted professional development, two-I E P monitoring per school (a random sample with interrater reliability checks), and the creation of an MSDE technical-assistance team. Dr. Tracy Malone explained recruitment steps: a dedicated recruiter, targeted hiring events, increased offers and marketing to build candidate pipelines.
Board members asked how families of students who missed services would be supported. Administration said data reviews identify students potentially harmed by vacancies; if an IEP team determines educational impact, compensatory services are awarded and the district offers options to make up services in summer, during the school year, or through family-hired providers. Contracted providers are expected to maintain service logs in Maryland online systems and the district verifies those logs as part of oversight.
Presenters said five of 57 special-education separations this year were due to dissatisfaction; retirement and relocation remained the largest reasons for separations. The district said one corrective-action position (instructional supervisor for related services) remains open and will be filled pending interviews.
