Tag: PGCPS

Weekly News Roundup: Fraud Indictment, Credit Cards, Football

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Board of Education member Lyn Mundey was indicted Tuesday on charges of illegally obtaining reduced-price school meals for her child. Mundey is one of five employees of the Government Accountability Office charged with falsifying documents in order to quality for reduced-price meals. The GAO had been conducting a study last year of possible beneficiary fraud within the school lunch program, when it found that some of its own employees were abusing the system. Mundey was already scheduled to leave the Board this month so that she could pursue a doctorate. She had been appointed by County Executive Baker to fill the position left by Carletta Fellows, who had resigned after being censured for misuse of a Board-issued credit card. (Washington Post, WUSA 9)

In January of this year, the Prince George’s County Board of Education voted to eliminate their Board-issued credit cards, which had been used for meals and hotels — sometimes within minutes of their homes — at taxpayer expense. But the Board voted to delay cancellation of the credit cards until April 1, and some Board members continued to use their credit cards months after the January vote. (NBC Washington)

County Executive Baker released a statement on Friday in support of the Purple Line. (County Executive) Later the same day, the County Council praised the County Executive’s decision to increase the Purple Line funding contribution by $20 million. (Prince George’s County Council) Read the Washington Post’s story on the decision to increase funding here.

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Is Smaller Really Better? School Size, Graduation Rate, and Test Scores in PGCPS

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by Genevieve Demos Kelley

The recently released report on school size commissioned by the Maryland State Department of Education has suggested enrollment limits set at 1,700 students for high schools, 900 students for middle schools, and 700 students for elementary schools.

Ten of PGCPS’s high schools have enrollments exceeding 1,700 students. How do these high schools perform, compared with the system’s smaller schools? Is smaller really better?

In the table below, I compare key data on PGCPS high schools from the 2014 Maryland Report Card: 1) size of enrollment, 2) the percentage of 12th graders who have passed the state assessments*, 3) the graduation rate**, 4) the mean (average) composite SAT score for 12th graders, and 5) the percentage of students qualifying for free and reduced meals (FARMs).

All data is from 2014, the most recent year available, and I have excluded alternative, vocational, and evening schools. Schools are listed in descending order by size of enrollment, and those above the dotted red line have enrollments greater than the suggested limit.

SchoolSize_Table *The number here represents the percentage of 12th graders who took all state assessments and passed all tests or met the requirement by using the combined score option. More information here.

** The graduation rate given here is the rate for the 4-year adjusted cohort.

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Weekly News Roundup: Immunizations and Backpacks on Aug. 15, Hogan’s Charter School Plans

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Prince George’s County’s Transforming Neighborhoods Initiative is sponsoring a “Back-to-School Jam” at the Langley Park Community Center on August 15, from 10 am to 1 pm. Free immunizations, backpacks, and school supplies will be offered to children present at the event. (Click here for the flier. Read more about immunizations at PGCPS’s immunizations webpage.)

Thousands of students and parents attended PGCPS’s Back-to-School Fair, held in Upper Marlboro on Saturday, August 8. Attendees were offered free immunizations and school supplies. (Read More: Washington Post, WTOP)

Principals, assistant principals, and new teachers of PGCPS are participating in summer programs. The two Summer Leadership Institutes (SLI) for principals and assistant principals, respectively, are themed, “Striving For Academic Excellence Through a Lens on Literacy.” The Professional Educator Induction Program (PEIP) provides pre-service training for new teachers. (Read More: PGCPS)

The Baltimore City Paper explores how Governor Hogan’s plan to bring new charter schools to Maryland and change charter school laws might impact kids. (Read More: Baltimore City Paper)

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Classrooms Too Hot or Too Cold? Here Are the PGCPS Thermostat Settings Regulations

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by Genevieve Demos Kelley

We have heard from teachers, parents, and students from across the county who are concerned about 20150515_104837the classroom temperatures at their schools. One teacher at a county middle school writes:

On Friday May 15th, [2015] my classroom was 64 degrees F. On Tuesday May 19th, my classroom was 81 degrees F. Despite continual emails to the school administration asking about the cooling system’s condition, there was no response.

The next day, on May 20th, I took my class outside, to the front courtyard, because my room was just as hot and humid as the day before. Ironically, another teacher from down the hall took her students outside to the rear courtyard because her classroom was so cold.  Another teacher brought in gloves, a scarf, and hat because she said her classroom temperature dropped below 60 degrees F.

So, how hot or cold are classrooms supposed to be? How about bathrooms, health rooms, and hallways? The Building Services Department has answers on its website. The “PGPCPS Seasonal Temperature Standards” are designated as Energy Conservation/ Bulletins S-46-96 and S-90-93, regulating thermostat settings for facilities in the school system.

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Weekly News Roundup: Drop-Out Age Increases to 17 in Md., PG Real Estate Market Improves

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Maryland has increased its legal drop-out age from 16 years to 17 years, a result of legislation (SB 362) that was passed in 2012 but did not go into effect until July 1, 2015. Under the same legislation, the drop-out age will increase again in 2017, to 18 years. (WMDT)

Two PGCPS graduates have received National Merit Scholarships. Kristen Ramsey and Charles Bond, both 2015 graduates of Eleanor Roosevelt High School, have received college-sponsored merit scholarships from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. (PGCPS)

On August 3rd, Congresswoman Donna Edwards and USDA Deputy Under Secretary Katie Wilson will participate in a tour of William Hall Academy to highlight the Team Up for School Nutrition Success Initiative. (PGCPS)

The real estate market’s health is steadily improving in both Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties, and several communities in Prince George’s are making dramatic gains. Greenbelt, Oxon Hill, and Glenn Dale have seen big increases in home sale prices. Clinton, Mount Rainier, and Capitol Heights had big drops in median days on market. (Washington Post)

A 14-year-old resident of Oxon Hill is being charged as an adult in the fatal stabbing of an 18-year-old man. (WTOP)

The back-to-school information page on PGCPS’s website has this advice for parents registering their child at a PGCPS school: “Registrations completed after August 8 will result in students receiving a temporary grade level schedule with selected general classes until August 30, 2015. Early registration is advised to ensure an “official’ schedule for the 1st day of school!” (PGCPS)

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Ten Things We Love About PGCPS

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arby Genevieve Demos Kelley

IMG_6342There are plenty of things to appreciate about Prince George’s County Public Schools. Here are ten of them:

1. Dedicated Staff

We have benefited from some truly remarkable, inspiring teachers and visionary, hard-working principals who really are making a difference. One parent writes, “If I go to our school at 7 am, there is staff there (school starts at 9:15). When I go there at 7 pm, there is staff there. Lots of staff are leading many extracurricular activities, there is always something going on at the school.”

2. Strong Instrumental Music Programs

Beginning in grade four, elementary school students may learn to play a string, woodwind, or brass instrument in twice-weekly classes. Instrumental music is also offered to middle and high schoolers. Here is a lovely YouTube video of the PGCPS Honor Band and Middle School Honor Chorus.

3. Career Academies and Specialty Programs

The list of career academies offered in PGCPS high schools was recently expanded in the 2014-2015 school year. It’s an impressive list! PGCPS also offers Creative and Performing Arts and STEM magnet programs.

4. Dual Enrollment

Students may enroll at any public college or university in Maryland while still enrolled in high school and have their tuition paid for by PGCPS. Read more here.

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Weekly News Roundup: Teacher Recruitment Fair, New Hosptial Approved, County Seat May Move, Board of Ed. Applicants

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County Executive Baker is making a controversial push to move the county seat from Upper Marlboro to Largo. (Washington Post)

The Sentinel writes that as of July 22, eight people had applied to fill the vacancy in the Board of Education left by at-large appointed member Dan Kauffman. County Executive Baker’s office declined to disclose the names of the applicants to the Sentinel. (Sentinel)

The plan for a new regional hospital to open at Largo Towne Center has been approved by the county. (Washington Post)

“The area surounding five Prince George’s County metro stations is about to undergo a major transformation. County leaders are trying to lure more millennials and big businesses away from Northern Virginia and D.C.” (CBS DC)

Board of Education member Lyn Mundey is under criminal investigation for falsifying documents qualifying her child for free and reduced meals. (ABC 7)

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Smaller is Better: Maryland State Department of Education Publishes School Size Study, PG High School Sizes Vary Widely

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by Genevieve Demos Kelley

The Maryland State Department of Education has released a report on school size and its impact on education. The study finds that after school enrollment reaches a point where economies of IMG_6335scale no longer decrease operating costs, smaller schools are usually better.

The research team recommends that enrollment limits be set according to school level (i.e. elementary, middle, high) with a maximum of 700 students per elementary school, 900 students per middle school, and 1,700 students per high school. The report clarifies that these are recommended maximum limits, not necessarily optimal enrollment numbers.

Prince George’s County high schools have an enormous variation in size of enrollment, with some high schools more than three times as large as some others. According to data from the  Maryland Report Card, Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Prince George’s County had an enrollment of 2,445 students in 2014, while Bowie High School was even larger, with 2,573 students. As of 2014, ten high schools in the county had more than 1,700 students, the enrollment limit recommended in the report. But, as the study points out, Prince George’s County has the largest range in high school enrollments of all Maryland counties. Several high schools in the county have fewer than 900 students. At 775 students, Surrattsville High’s enrollment is one of the lowest in the county.

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Board of Education Member Under Investigation for Falsifying Free Lunch Documentation

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From ABC7 News, July 20, 2015. To read the full story and watch the news broadcast, go here.

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (WJLA) – When Lyn Mundey was named by county executive Rushern Baker to fill a vacancy on the Prince George’s County school board in 2013 she was called “an advocate for public education.”
Now ABC 7 News has learned Mundey is the subject of a criminal investigation by the Prince George’s County state’s attorney into whether or not she lied about her income to qualify for free school lunch for her child. A prospect which doesn’t sit well with her constituents.

Continue reading at ABC7.

Weekly News Roundup: NCLB Rewrite, Higher Meal Prices, 11 New Principals, Legislation on Gaming Revenue

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The United States Senate passed a bipartisan rewrite of No Child Left Behind that, among other provisions, weakens the federal role in overseeing school performance. The new bill still requires annual testing in reading and math for grades 3 through 8 and once in high school, but it lets states decide how to identify and turn around struggling schools. The House and Senate must now draft a final version to send to the President. (Washington Post) Read the NEA’s take on it here. Read Valerie Strauss’s article about the debate surrounding the bill here.

Cafeteria meal prices in Prince George’s County Schools will be slightly higher this year. (Sentinel)

Montgomery County has eliminated final exams in middle school and is considering a proposal to get rid of final exams in high school as well. Loudon County is also changing its final exam requirements, moving toward an emphasis on project-based assessment. (Washington Post)

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