The “minority bloc” (as labeled in the press) achieved one of its goals of getting rid of the current CEO. Since the goal of overturning the governance structure was not achieved during the last legislative session, minority bloc members presumably will continue to have that as their primary focus. Past strategies have included what the outgoing CEO referred to as “distractions,” such as continually bringing in the media and also the governor who, while popular, has made a number of moves that seem contrary to the interest of public education. As there is no reason to believe that some elected board members will cease verbal attacks on persons who are appointed to board positions, how can you as one person contribute to having the board move forward functionally on issues of primary interest to District 3?

Let's celebrate the positive things that happen every day in our schools!

We have had a school board representative for the last 4 years who has not been a participant in the community and has not communicated or responded to constituents.

When a teacher has to be on leave for an extended period of time and teaches a speciality class, like orchestra, chorus, etc., students are generally just given a free period and receive no instruction. Current county policies don't encourage long-term substitution either (i.e., must be in the class for 16 consecutive days for the same teacher before the higher rate of pay kicks in).

The northern part of the county faces severe overcrowding so new school construction is a necessity, plus both Hyattsville ES and Hyattsville MS have been identified in the top tier of replacement.

PGCPS will now have an interim CEO appointed until the next county executive can select the next CEO (for a total of ten CEOs in 20 years). Likely, most top administrators will also be replaced. In the past, capital improvements were delayed/overlapped/duplicated with superintendent change. Practices (such as training all personnel on mandated reporting) which had been been in place prior to 2000 were "lost" along the way and had to be re-initiated. Curriculum (such as elementary school guidance lessons on keeping your body safe from inappropriate touching) was abandoned as guidance administration changed over time. How to avoid this now?

After court-ordered busing ended, PGCPS continued its magnet schools, but increasingly magnets became stand-alone specialty schools instead of small programs located within comprehensive schools. At the same time we are offering increasing opportunities for educationally advantaged families, we are depriving other students from receiving a comprehensive basic education that prepares for later life choices. We are also becoming increasingly segregated by whether the majority of families in schools have educational affluence or not. But mostly we are requiring educational specialty choices for students who have not yet received the basics of education.

A school board member representing District 3 must have an understanding of the difference between the operating budget and the capital improvements budget; the mechanism by which capital improvements are funded and which governmental entities are responsible; current concerns & efforts of the Hyattsville community regarding the two-year setback in funding, the rapidly disappearing possible schools sites, & the possibility that improvements will already be outdated (especially in capacity due to local growth) by the time they are constructed; and should be up-to-date on any recent State legislative events that would affect any of the preceding.

District 3 parents frequently lament that, while their work colleagues from Virginia and the Maryland surrounding counties admire their "cute neighborhoods" and affordable homes, the District 3 parents are openly criticized for enrolling their children in PGCPS neighborhood schools. Some have commented that their colleagues from other places almost equate it as child abuse to be part of PGCPS schools. Although part of this is the continuing stigma of the way Prince George's County continues to viewed by the DMV community and beyond and likely ongoing racial attitudes in our country, there are probably ways to accentuate our positives and solve our own problems without allowing our system to become a political football.

Certain life experience may enable a board member to make better decisions: training & credentialing to become an educator, actual work experience in a school setting, supervising other educators, having been a student in PGCPS and thus having the knowledge/awareness of PGCPS history that otherwise may elude due to age, having been a parent of a child in PGCPS, having volunteered within schools, having been a District 3 community/school activist and thus aware of the particular concerns of District 3 residents which may or may not be the same as the rest of the County, having had direct experience which would help one understand the diverse population in District 3 schools, etc.