Proposed Capital Improvement Program Includes New Schools, Renovations

Leave a comment

by Genevieve Demos Kelley
IMG_6326The proposed Fiscal Year 2017-2022 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) master list of projects comes with a hefty price tag. The six-year funding request is more than $2.4 billion, with $1.5 billion requested from the county and $0.9 billion requested from the state.

Here are just a few of the projects on the master list. (Estimated cost given is the total cost over the six-year period from FY 2017 through FY 2022):

  • A new International School at Langley Park (estimated cost: $34,071,762)
  • Two new Northern Area middle schools (estimated cost: $76,300,733 each)
  • A new high school in Planning Area 38, which includes Bladensburg, DuVal, Eleanor Roosevelt, High Point, Laurel, Northwestern, and Parkdale High Schools
    (estimated cost: $133,645,361)

Continue reading →

Weekly News Roundup: Errors in Bus Drop-offs, SAT Scores Declining, “Less Testing, More Learning” Campaign

Leave a comment

A seven-year-old student riding the bus was dropped off four miles from his home on Tuesday, according to his mother. This is just one of several troubling bus transportation incidents involving Prince George’s County students during the first week of school (NBC4 and WTOP). PGCPS later apologized for the error and released a video statement addressing concerns (NBC4).

Maryland SAT scores for graduating high school seniors have declined for the third year in a row. The average composite score for Maryland students (1552) is 28 points lower than the national average. ACT scores, on the other hand, increased for the third straight year. (Baltimore Sun)

The Maryland State Education Association has begun a campaign called, “Less Testing, More Learning” (MSEA). An MSEA-sponsored forum addressed concerns about the overuse of standardized testing in Maryland schools (Maryland Reporter).

Continue reading →

List of 72 Potential Cell Tower Locations at Prince George’s County Schools

Leave a comment

Prince George’s County Advocates for Better Schools takes no official position on the controversial issue of cell tower construction on school property. The purpose of this post is solely informational.

Screen Shot 2015-08-03 at 10.05.32 PM

Photo Credit: Theodora Scarato

The wireless tower developer Milestone Communications has an agreement with PGCPS that allows the company to build cell towers on school grounds in exchange for financial compensation. Below is the list of 72 Prince George’s County school sites approved for wireless towers. Information is gathered from Milestone Communications’s website.

Most of the locations are listed as “Rawland sites,” meaning that they are approved as possible future locations for wireless towers, but do not have an existing structure on site. For more information, go to Milestone Communications’s website to view the interactive map or download the list of sites.

Sites with Existing Structures

Carroll Middle School, New Carrollton
Flowers High School , Upper Marlboro
Green Valley Academy, Temple Hills
Kenmoor Middle School, Landover
Oxon Hill Middle School, Ft. Washington

Continue reading →

The Best Thing About the First Week of School . . .

Leave a comment

Ten Prince George’s County parents have shared with us something that a teacher, principal, or other staff member did to make the first day or week of school successful.

  • 100_3395crMy son’s teacher sent home a letter on the first day of school introducing herself and briefly telling us what to expect in the coming school year. The letter was full of warmth and enthusiasm, and I immediately felt that she was drawing me in as a participant in the class.
  • I was very happy our school organized a back-to-school event before the school year started. It is a great way to take care of some practical issues and ask questions before the often chaotic first day of school. I feel like everyone is more prepared for the year from day one.
  • My son attends a school for kids with severe disabilities that is very far from our neighborhood school. One of the children on his bus has a very hard time on the bus. The second day of the trip, I noticed the aide on his bus had brought a soft blanket with her to help the other girl feel more comfortable when she got on the bus. How sweet is that?
  • It’s so nice to walk into school in the morning and see all of the teachers at their classroom doors, smiling and greeting students! We appreciate the warm welcome.
  • My son’s second grade teacher put together a binder with tabs to keep all paperwork organized. It’s very straight forward. We also signed up for text messages from the teacher.
  • Our first day of school started off on a very positive note thanks to our children’s new bus driver. He greeted us and our children with a smile and seemed genuinely happy to be seeing children off to their first day of school. It set the tone for the rest of the day. Bus drivers are often seen as nothing more than chauffeurs, but a good bus driver can make a huge difference for kids. Continue reading →

Weekly News Roundup: State Superintendent Resigns, Comptroller Questions Contract with Pearson

Leave a comment

State Superintendent Resigns: Lillian Lowery announced on Friday that she is resigning from her job as Maryland schools superintendent. She will take a job as CEO of an education non-profit in Columbus, Ohio. Deputy Superintendent Jack Smith will complete her term, which ends next July. The twelve-member State Board of Education is responsible for hiring a new superintendent. (Baltimore Sun)

Teen Murder Suspect: Police have taken 17-year-old Chet Markland Jarrett, Jr. into custody and charged him with the murder of Jajuan McCrae (WTOP). McCrae, also 17, was a rising senior at DuVal High School. McCrae wanted to study business in college and was described by his aunt as “well-mannered, always happy” (Washington Post).

Cell Towers: Milestone Communications continues to construct cell towers on school grounds, and some parents are concerned about potential health risks. (Sentinel)

First Day of School:  English learners at Prince George’s County’s new International Schools are excited about the new opportunity (WUSA 9). CEO Kevin Maxwell talks about a smooth first day, but admits that bus schedules can sometimes be a problem at the beginning of the year. The increase in enrollment — now more than 129,000 students — is a good sign for the school system (WTOP). All schools were ready to open on the first day except Thomas Stone Elementary, which was closed due to a water main break (WJLA).

Continue reading →

Math, Reading, and Writing SAT Scores Listed by School

Leave a comment

by Genevieve Demos Kelley

How well did county students do on the 2014 SAT? In the table below, each PGCPS high school’s average (mean) SAT subscores in critical reading, mathematics, and writing are given below, along with the mean composite score. According to the 2014 Maryland Report Card, these are the mean scores for college bound seniors. The maximum score for each subtest (i.e. reading, math, writing) is 800, and the maximum composite score is 2400. Data for the 2015 SAT scores is not yet available. (Update: Find 2015 SAT scores here.)

SAT

Data source is the 2014 Maryland Report Card. Table by Amelia Colarco and Genevieve Kelley.

The Prince George’s County mean composite score of 1199 is significantly lower than the national average (1497) and Maryland state average (1439). Eleanor Roosevelt, which has a science and technology specialty program, was the only school whose average SAT score was higher than the Maryland or national average.

To put PGCPS’s SAT performance into perspective, it is useful to compare the county’s scores with those of other test-takers in the total group (i.e. students across the U.S. and Canada) of 2014 college-bound seniors.  The College Board has published a table with the 2014 percentile ranks for the reading, mathematics, and writing SAT subscores.

Continue reading →

Sound Off: School Bus Troubles

11 Comments

by Amy Alford

IMG_6355My kindergartener’s buses have been astonishingly late during this first week of school. We drove him to Robert Goddard the first morning (Tuesday), but he rode the school bus home that afternoon. His bus was scheduled to arrive at the stop at 4:27, and it actually arrived at 5:15. His school day had officially ended at 3:55, one hour and 20 minutes before he arrived home.

When the bus had not appeared at 5:05, I called the school and was told that it had only arrived at the school to pick up students 10 minutes earlier. That leaves the school scrambling to provide supervision for students for an indefinite period. The second day (Wednesday), we arrived at the bus stop with ten minutes to spare (as PGCPS requests) before the scheduled pick up time of 8:39. The bus finally arrived to pick up my son at 9:30, a full 15 minutes after the school day is scheduled to begin.

Both mornings I tried calling the transportation department’s phone bank, as suggested on bus route letters to parents and on the PGCPS website. Wednesday morning, I called at 9:10 and waited on hold until the bus arrived at 9:30. I tried again at 11:30 am on Thursday, once it seemed reasonable to assume that all students had made it to school.  After 20 minutes on hold, I finally got through. The gentleman who answered was polite and efficient, and looked up the bus lot supervisor in charge of my son’s routes. He gave me a name and phone number and let me know that the lot supervisor is responsible for both the drivers and buses and is the person to call about both specific issues with buses and lost items left on school buses.

Continue reading →

Weekly News Roundup: Back to School Edition

Leave a comment

What’s New in PGCPS:  Immunization requirements, new school lunch prices, first day of classes, orientation dates, and more.  (PGCPS)

Donations Help Students and Teachers:  Donations of school supplies from local businesses help over 12,000 PGCPS students and teachers. (PGCPS)

PGCPS Gets Ready: Prince George’s County schools get ready for the new school year with plenty of changes and new opportunities.  (The Sentinel)

Continue reading →

FY 2016 Approved Operating Budget Released

Leave a comment

by Genevieve Demos Kelley

The Approved Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2016 is now available online, and the full document may be downloaded here or at the Budget and Management Services website.

Though the $1.833 billion budget approved by the County Council is significantly smaller than the budget requested by the Board of Education in February, it represents a $37.8 million increase over the previous year’s $1.795 billion operating budget. But the number of students enrolled in the school system is also growing: The projected K-12 enrollment for the coming school year is 124,842, an increase of about 3,000 students compared with last year. The calculated K-12 “Cost Per Pupil” will actually slightly decline compared with last year, from $14,019 to $13,883 (see p. 36 of the full budget document)

Several budget categories will see increases or decreases in spending, when compared with the esimated expenditures from FY 2015(see p. 46 of the budget). Of all categoires, Instructional Salaries will see the greatest increase (about $29 million). The Textbooks and Instructional Materials category will see the greatest drop in spending ($10.4 million), followed by Administration ($6.7 million).

The Board of Education’s Citizens Letter, dated July 1, touted this list of new and expanded programs for PGCPS students:

Continue reading →