Tag: PGCABS

18 Ways to Be an Involved Parent

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IMG_6326As a parent of a child in Prince George’s County Public Schools, how can you become more involved in the school system? How can you make a difference, both in your neighborhood school and in the system at large? Members of Prince George’s County Advocates for Better Schools came up with this list of ideas:

1. Communicate regularly with your child’s teacher. Be sure to include specific expressions of gratitude and appreciation. Contact the teacher first, before going to the principal or supervisor, if you have concerns about what’s going on in the classroom. You may eventually need to work with your school’s guidance counselor or principal for additional assistance.

2. Get to know PGCPS’s new Ombudsman Office. The ombudsman serves as a neutral party to resolve school-related concerns. The ombudsman office should not be your first point of contact, however. Here is PGCPS’s official “Guide to Addressing Questions and Concerns.”

3. Participate in PGCPS’s online surveys and feedback forms. During the 2015-2016 school year, parent feedback was solicited on several topics, including the school systems’ operating budget, proposed new grading policies, and student safety, for example. Watch for these opportunities on the pgcps.org home page.

4. Sign up for email updates. Go here to sign up for email and text updates. Once you submit your email address, you will be given the option to subscribe to a variety of updates. Besides school closings and delays, you may choose announcements from Board of Education members, monthly newsletters from PGCPS, college and career information, lunch menus, and more.
5. Keep track of grades and assignments through SchoolMAX, and communicate with your child’s teacher if you have questions.

6. Get to know other parents and talk with them about their experiences and ideas. Whether they have found frustration or success as they have advocated for their children, you will learn from their stories, and you may be able to work together for a common cause. You might join one of several Facebook groups for PGCPS parents: PGCPS Education Forum, Parents and PGCPS, and PG Parents for Education are good options.

7. Know who your Board of Education representative is and communicate with them about issues that are important to you. (See this map if you’re not sure which Board District you are in.) Most BOE representatives hold forums, community meetings, or morning coffees at several points during the year. Try to attend one for your district. Even if you don’t have a specific concern to bring up, you’ll learn much by meeting the Board member who represents you and listening to what other parents have to say.

8.  Several times each year, PGCPS holds community meetings on various topics. Attending these meetings gives you a chance to talk to PGCPS officials, meet other parents, and give feedback about the school system.

9. If you really want to know more about how the Board of Education works, attend one of its monthly meetings, or watch online.

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Journey to Kindergarten, Part 4

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This is the fourth part of a series documenting the steps one family is taking to prepare for their son’s entrance into kindergarten next year. Read Part 1 here, Part 2 here, and Part 3 here.

by Gail Z.

IMG_6404In my last post, I told the story of my unreturned calls to our neighborhood school. I had wanted to tour the school but was unable to get in touch with anyone who could help. I was, however, able to make an appointment to visit the school on the other side of the neighborhood, the school where a number of children who “graduated” from my son’s preschool attend. We are hoping that this school—a TAG school—will be an option for us.

On the day of the visit, we were running a few minutes late. Though I called ahead to let the front office staff know, I was a little nervous. I thought, What if we can get into this school, but our tardiness hurts our chances? I quickly brushed that off and instead turned my thoughts to the questions I needed to ask about the school, the schedule, and our chances of getting in.

When we arrived, we were greeted by the school counselor, who would be our tour guide. I thought it was nice that they had a designated person to do this for parents interested in the school.

We walked through the halls, peeking into classrooms along the way. I thought to myself, These children are working and focused, but not stressed or overwhelmed. At one point, we passed students walking through the halls with their teacher. My former-teacher self praised them, in a whisper to my husband, “Look at how on-task they are!” I was giddy, both as a parent and as a former teacher. Maybe it was the sheer excitement of checking out a school for my first-born and imagining the possibilities he’d have there. They offer World Languages at this school, and notebook laptop computers. There’s also a computer lab available so that teachers can bring an entire class at a time! I was pleased. My husband and I were both pleased.

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Gardening at School: How We Made It Work

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by Ingrid Cowan Hass
IMG_6547A few years ago parents of the PTA at our neighborhood elementary school started talking about adding some landscaping to the school grounds. The principal liked the idea of a pollinator garden in front of the school. There was also an abandoned courtyard garden that had been started with a grant by a teacher who was no longer at the school. We wondered if that could be revived.

The project began with just a few parents weeding over a period of time. Then, last spring, we created two garden beds out of the mound of grass and weeds surrounding the flagpoles in front of the school. We communicated with the school building manager about our plans. His schedule didn’t allow him to do more than mow the grass, so he was thrilled to have the extra help. We met with the principal, talked about the placement, and got approval to put up cedar edging to hold the earth and mulch. I weeded the existing raised beds in the courtyard and collaborated with a teacher about planting some lettuce and kale with her classes. We uncovered strawberries that we replanted with new compost. With the extra care, the strawberries produced a bumper crop!

IMG_8235I started taking a small bucket and gloves to school every day and weeding during drop-off and pick-up for 10 minutes. This generated conversation, awareness, and new volunteers among the other parents. We asked for parents to bring in flowering perennials from their gardens to plant in the new bed. Some dads brought mulch in their trucks. We visited a few other schools that had gardens to learn about what they were doing.

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Journey to Kindergarten, Part 3

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This is the third part of a series documenting the steps one family is taking to prepare for their son’s entrance into kindergarten next year. Read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

by Gail Z.

20160406_080252Since my last post, there have been some new developments in our family’s journey to kindergarten.

Back in early March, I made a call to our neighborhood school. Since, as far as I knew, this school did not schedule open houses or group tours for prospective parents, I wanted to set up an appointment to tour the school. I briefly explained to the secretary who answered the phone that I’d be registering my child for kindergarten and would like to come in for a visit. She didn’t sound at all surprised, which actually surprised me, and gave me the feeling that school visits (even to one’s neighborhood school) are a normal thing. She said the principal would call me back (which was also surprising—I would have direct access to the principal?), but that it might be a couple of days. “No problem,” I said. Having taught elementary school, I know how it is.

I figured I’d get a call back that next morning, but it didn’t happen. Each day that passed, I got excited about seeing my son’s potential school, and held out hope that I was somewhere on the principal’s priority list. But apparently, I wasn’t.

After a week had passed, I thought to myself, I’ll give it more time. But almost in the same moment, I thought, she’s not going to call me back.

So I decided to try again.

I spoke to a secretary—the same one, I’m pretty sure—and she said they had been very busy, and that state testing was in progress. In fact, that was the reason that I hadn’t heard anything. The secretary assured me that she would pass along my name and number again. The call ended with my saying, “I understand. Thank you.”

But something didn’t sit right with me when I hung up. I thought about it for a bit, and it occurred to me that maybe I could enroll my son at his neighborhood school (as required by PGCPS) and potentially submit a transfer request before the school year even begins in August. And if that transfer request is accepted, maybe I could send him to that other school— the same one that his classmates from preschool attend—if that’s what we choose.

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Elections 2016: Ahmed, Landis, Burroughs, and Hinton Prevail in Districts 5 and 8

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Residents of Prince George’s County Board of Education Districts 5 and 8 had the opportunity to vote for a school board candidate in the Maryland primary election on Tuesday. The two candidates with the most votes will go on to the general election in November.

Here are the Maryland State Board of Elections‘s unofficial results for the two school board races:

District 5:

*Raaheela Ahmed, 36.5%

*Cheryl Landis, 30.6%

Jeana Jacobs, 22.8%

Robert Johnson, 10.1%

District 8:

*Edward Burroughs, III, 59.9%

*Stephanie Hinton, 25.3%

Carlton C. Carter, 14.8%

(*) Candidates will appear on the ballot in the general election.

In all, there will be five school board races in the general election this November. Candidates from Board of Education Districts 1, 4, and 7 did not participate in the primary election, because there are only two candidates vying for each seat in those districts. See the candidate listing on the State Board of Elections site for the full list of candidates for each district.

School board seats in Districts 2, 3, 6, and 9 will be up for election in 2018. For a map of the Board of Education districts, click here.

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Join Effort to Keep School Board Elections Nonpartisan

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by Tommi Makila

The views expressed are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Prince George’s County Advocates for Better Schools.

By law, Maryland school boards are to be nonpartisan. With the reorganization of the Prince George’s County Public Schools governance structure in 2013, the Board of Education was stripped of much of its power. However, this takeover of the school system has not been enough for the political establishment. Our partisan elected officials are shamelessly meddling in the school board elections through their endorsements and slates, making these elections “nonpartisan” in name only.

Politicization of the school system and the school board is not in the best interest of our students. In a well-governed school system, decision-makers feel more accountable to voters than to the political establishment and its agenda. But party endorsements of school board candidates undermine this principle, shifting the balance of power away from the voter and toward the party establishment.

To combat this corrosive influence, a group of concerned citizens is launching an effort: the “Alliance for Nonpartisan School Board Elections.” Our goal is to educate residents about the issue and mobilize advocacy efforts. We call for political parties to keep school board elections nonpartisan by refraining from endorsing Board of Education candidates or putting them on party slates and sample ballots. As the first step for the Alliance, we have established a Facebook group as a way of connecting interested individuals with each other. If this is an issue you care about, please join the group! You can find it through this link or by searching for “Alliance for Nonpartisan School Board Elections” on Facebook.

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Q & A with K. Alexander Wallace, District 7 Board of Education Candidate

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img_0010_0This is part of a series of interviews with PGCPS Board of Education candidates. K. Alexander Wallace was appointed to the Board of Education in November 2015 and is one of two candidates from District 7 (see district map here) whose names will be on the ballot in the general election. Mr. Wallace answered questions generated by members of Prince George’s County Advocates for Better Schools. 

Prince George’s County Advocates for Better Schools does not endorse or oppose Board of Education candidates.

Tell us about your background and why you are running for the Board of Education.

In the spring of 2015, I went to the Board of Elections and filed for my candidacy to run for the District 7 seat on the Board of Education for Prince George’s County, a county that I was born and raised in. In November of 2015, the County Executive appointed me to represent District 7 and the County Council voted to affirm my confirmation, 9-0. I am proud to say that I currently represent District 7, a district where I was born and a district where I graduated.

I am running to remain on the Board of Education because I have the necessary experience it takes to fulfill the duties of a Board member. The Board is required to increase academic achievement, engage the families and communities, approve educational policies and procedures, and to oversee the nearly $2 billion budget. Throughout my nearly 15 years of combined education policy, community engagement, and grassroots advocacy experience, I have had the honor of working in the Maryland General Assembly and on Capitol Hill where I helped advocate for better educational polices and equitable funding and resources for children of color and children living in poverty – many of whom live in District 7.

I am a product of the county school system, K-12 (Patuxent Elementary, Gwynn Park Middle, Frederick Douglass High, Dr. Henry A. Wise, Jr. High). I furthered my education at Towson University (Undergraduate) and the University of Baltimore (Graduate) where I spent countless years working with the University System of Maryland, the Maryland Higher Education Commission, and the Maryland Youth Advisory Council to advocate for pathways to higher education for Maryland’s youth by making sure education was affordable, accessible, and of high quality.

What are your top three goals for PGCPS, and how do you plan to accomplish them if elected?

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Q & A with Carlton Carter, District 8 Board of Education Candidate

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pictureThis is part of a series of interviews with PGCPS Board of Education candidates. Carlton Carter is one of three candidates from District 8 (see district map here) whose names will be on the ballot in the April 26th primary election. Mr. Carter answered questions generated by members of Prince George’s County Advocates for Better Schools. 

Prince George’s County Advocates for Better Schools does not endorse or oppose any candidate for the Board of Education.

Tell us about your background and why you are running for the Board of Education.

Over 25 years of proven education experience as Senior Turnaround Consultant, High School and Middle School Principal; Assistant Principal and Teacher.

I am running for School Board because Prince Georges County is consistently one of the lowest academic performing in the State of Maryland, and they need someone such as me with a proven track record of successfully improving schools.

M.A. Bowie State University: Major: Administration/Supervision

Ed.D NorthCentral University: Major: Educational Leadership B.S.- University of Maryland

Eastern Shore: Major: Technology Education

What are your top three goals for PGCPS, and how do you plan to accomplish them if elected?

Top 3 priorities are the following:

1. Raise the capacity of District, Leaders, Principals, and Teachers to increase academic rigor in all classrooms.

2. Create District wide programs to provide enrichment and Remediation to prepare students for college and careers.

3. Build partnerships with families to boost parental involvement in all schools.

What experience do you have working with parents or parent organizations, and how will you increase parent engagement with the system?

I have extensive experience working with parents. As principal of Ernest Just Middle School, the PTSA and I created a Saturday School focusing on strengthening students’ Math skills. The Saturday School had an enrollment of 500 students and was so popular that other parents from other communities wanted to participate.

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Q & A with Robert Johnson, District 5 Board of Education Candidate

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p11893ta105407_5Robert Johnson is one of four candidates from District 5 (see district map here) whose names will be on the ballot in the April 26th primary election. Mr. Johnson answered questions generated by members of Prince George’s County Advocates for Better Schools. 

Prince George’s County Advocates for Better Schools does not endorse or oppose any candidate for the Board of Education.

Tell us about your background and why you are running for the Board of Education.

I have been a resident of Prince George’s County since 1994. I live in the city of Bowie with my wife and two daughters. Currently I serve as Campus Director at ITT Technical College in Springfield, VA. Previously I have served as a classroom teacher in Prince George’s county, administrator, principal, and various leadership positions in higher education for over 16 years. I have earned a certificate of completion of SUPES Academy Chicago with a focus on Urban School Leadership, Education Policy and Administration. I hold an advanced Graduate certificate in Educational Leadership and Supervision from the University of the District of Columbia, Masters of Education degree in Special Education at Bowie State University, and a Bachelors of Arts degree at State University of New York at Albany. However even with all my degrees in education, I realize it is now time to serve the community of which I have been a long time resident. I truly believe Prince Georges County Public Schools can accomplish great things in education with the right type of leadership. I am a new candidate, with new ideas, new direction and strong leadership.

What are your top three goals for PGCPS, and how do you plan to accomplish them if elected?

As candidate for District 5 School Board Member I am looking to accomplish many goals, however my top three goals are:

  1. Reduce classroom size
  2. Make our schools safer
  3. Improve college acceptance rates for all students

What experience do you have working with parents or parent organizations, and how will you increase parent engagement with the system? 

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Q & A with Cheryl Landis, District 5 Board of Education Candidate

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image_cherylLandisThis is part of a series of interviews with PGCPS Board of Education candidates. Cheryl Landis is one of four candidates from District 5 (see district map here) whose names will be on the ballot in the April 26th primary election. Ms. Landis answered questions generated by members of Prince George’s County Advocates for Better Schools. 

Prince George’s County Advocates for Better Schools does not endorse or oppose any candidate for the Board of Education.

Tell us about your background and why you are running for the Board of Education.

I made the decision over ten years ago that upon my retirement from Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS), I would transition to an elected member of the Board of Education. On November 1, 2016, I will retire from PGCPS with 27-years of uninterrupted service. Why am I running for the Board of Education? It is my PASSION and my PURPOSE. Each and every step that I have taken since my initial employment with PGCPS in 1989 has successfully prepared me for the position I seek as an elected member of the Board of Education. I am prepared and committed to serving and supporting outstanding educational outcomes for our students.

37 years 1979-present Prince George’s County volunteer, community organizer, activist, servant leader
27 yrs

  • 17 yrs
  • 10 yrs
  • 06 yrs
 1989-present

  • 1989-2006
  • 2006-present
  • 2010-present
 Prince George’s County Public Schools’ Employee

  • Executive Administrative Officer, Board of Education
  • Strategic Business Partnerships Specialist
  • Administrator, Excellence in Education Foundation for PGCPS, Inc.
10 years 2006-present Member, Prince George’s County Democratic Central Committee, Chair (2014-present)
10 years 2014-present Chair, Education/Workforce Development Committee, Prince George’s Chamber of Commerce

What are your top three goals for PGCPS, and how do you plan to accomplish them, if elected?

I have worked for 37 years as a servant leader committed to improving the quality of life for all Prince Georgians. The past 27 years has been in public education, working with numerous boards of education, both elected and appointed. For 17 years (1989-2006), I was the Executive Administrative Officer to the very same Board of Education to which I seek election. And, for the past 10 years (2006-present), I serve as the school system’s Strategic Business Partnerships Specialist. My entire tenure with PGCPS is unique in and of itself as I have worked in only two (2) critical positions, both of which have successfully prepared me to serve as an elected member of the Board of Education. Because of my many years of service, I have developed the intellectual capacity that is needed to be an “effective” Board Member. I understand the critical importance of being collaborative and developing relationships with all stakeholders. This has given me a very unique lens through which I will serve the students, parents, and families.

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