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PGCPS board moves to initiate revocation process for Friendship Aspire Bowie STEM Public Charter
Summary
Following public pleas from Friendship Aspire representatives and critical board comments about performance, the board adopted items that include a recommendation to start the charter revocation process; administrators described required public notice, a hearing and a final decision by April 30 under COMAR.
The Prince George's County Board of Education on March 26 adopted items that include a recommendation to begin a revocation process for Friendship Aspire Bowie STEM Public Charter, the county’s agenda shows. Board members and the district described the procedural next steps that would follow a yes vote.
Friendship Aspire representatives urged the board to delay revocation and allow time for corrective actions. Kathy Mason, chair of Friendship Aspire Academy of Bowie, said the school had restructured leadership, strengthened governance, and implemented targeted instructional supports since December 2025 and asked the board to reject the recommendation for revocation and permit continued corrective action.
Board member Gladys McCormick and others treated the recommendation as part of a group of items moved to general orders; board member Brown delivered a sharply critical assessment of Friendship Aspire’s performance, saying an independent evaluation found the school met "zero performance standards" and that enrollment had fallen from 189 to 117. Brown said she would vote yes to start revocation proceedings, calling the situation an accountability matter for students and families.
District staff outlined the next steps and statutory timeline. Dr. Marrow (district administration) explained that under COMAR 13A.02.09.01 a yes vote begins a transparent process requiring public notice, a public hearing (the district anticipated scheduling it the week of April 13), and a final decision no later than April 30. Administration said public notice would be issued promptly after the vote and a hearing would be scheduled within the required window.
Friendship Aspire speakers and parents emphasized potential harms from closure, including disruption to families, lost childcare and financial impacts, and asked the board to consider extensions or alternatives such as special lotteries and transfer options for affected students. Administrators said they were exploring options for the 117 currently enrolled students, including a special lottery, transfers and transportation to boundary schools.
The board adopted items 18.1–18.5 (which included the revocation recommendation) "without objection" as indicated in the meeting record; the adoption as recorded initiates the formal public-notice and hearing timeline but is not itself the final revocation decision.
