After major cuts, Prince George’s County Public Schools seeks county support to stabilize budget 

By Megan Sales
African staff Writer
msayles@afro.com

After cutting nearly $150 million from its current budget, Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) is requesting $50 million in additional funding from the county for fiscal year 2027 to help address the structural budget deficit. This money will be used to stabilize the school system, take corrective steps in special education, and protect reading and math instruction.

PGCPS Interim Superintendent Shawn Joseph explained that the district’s budget challenges stem partly from a legislative change two years ago that has “destabilized” funding. Previously, the telecommunications tax provided a dedicated source of revenue above the mandatory local share. But after the law changed, that money was put into regular county contributions, leaving the school district with no additional funds for the past two years.

“For the last two years, we have received $0 above the maintenance of the effort,” Joseph said. “At the same time, costs have continued to rise.”

Joseph noted that contract negotiations added $102 million annually, progress in filling teacher vacancies outweighed the expected savings from vacant positions, and increases in health care, food, and transportation costs further strained the budget.

Joseph said, “We are spending more than we are bringing in. We have to be responsible and present a balanced budget – making the assumption that there are no additional dollars coming in – and that’s what we did. We made cuts before asking for $100 or $150 million, as many people do.” “We realize we’re not going to spend our way to excellence, and we also recognize that our taxpayers don’t want to even think about raising taxes unless they know for sure we’ve done everything we could to prioritize funding internally. That’s why we have a modest request of $50 million.”

One area of ​​progress that has put pressure on PGCPS is the district’s efforts to reduce teacher vacancies. On Jan. 15, county leaders came together to celebrate a 52 percent reduction in open teacher positions during the 2024 to 2025 school year. This included reducing open positions for special education teachers from 242 to 80 by December 2026.

The gains come at a time when teacher shortages are plaguing most school districts across the country.

“As the state announced an almost 50 percent reduction in teacher vacancies, Prince George’s County also looked at where our numbers are. What we determined is that we are actually leading the state in reducing teacher vacancies in this state,” County Executive Ayesha Braveboy said during a Jan. 15 press conference. “Prince George’s County added over 900 new teachers largely because of the collaborative nature of our superintendent and the efforts between our superintendent and our teachers. Our teachers tell the story of what it means to work in Prince George’s County Public Schools. If your teachers are unhappy, you’re in trouble because they are able to recruit other teachers as well.”

Still, filling those positions is a financial compromise. Joseph said that while competitive salary and benefits packages help attract and retain teachers, keeping classrooms fully staffed also increases overall costs. He stressed that a long-term strategy is needed to deal with rising expenses.

Joseph explained, “We are committed to our employees and the negotiated agreements we sign. We know the costs of doing business are going to increase dramatically every year, and we must remain competitive.” African. “At the moment we are proud of the fact that we have reduced vacancies so much, but we have to make sure that we have a long-term solution to the structural deficit that arose two years ago. Our costs will certainly continue to rise, and we need the revenue sources to match that.”

A $150 million cut from PGCPS’s current budget already represents one of the largest single-year cuts in the school system’s history. Joseph said those cuts include eliminating funding for low-enrollment or low-impact special programs, reducing travel and professional development budgets and cutting discretionary spending on items like school refreshments.

Although these steps helped balance the budget, he emphasized that there are limits to how much can be cut without impacting students and staff.

The $50 million in additional funding that PGCPS is requesting will boost special education services, strengthen math and reading instruction, support artificial intelligence literacy for staff and students, and improve safety measures in schools. Joseph warned that if the funding request was not approved, the district could face significant consequences, including shifting resources from general education to meeting special education needs, reducing teacher training, limiting programs that improve reading and math results, and potentially eliminating staff.

“If we had to cut another $100 million next year, we would be laying off hundreds of people without question,” Joseph said. “You’re seeing that happening now in some jurisdictions across the state because once you run out of discretionary dollars to cut, it’s the people.”