By Dr. Donna Christy, Benjamin Pryor, Martin Diggs and William Sellman
The writers are, respectively, president of the Prince George’s County Education Association; president of the Association of Supervisory and Administrative School Personnel; president of the Association of Classified Employees-AFSCME Local 2250; and president of SEIU Local 400
As Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) embarks on a new chapter with the appointment of a new superintendent, we believe this is a turning point — an opportunity to transform into a world class education system. We, the Prince George’s County Educators’ Association (PGCEA), the Association of Supervisory and Administrative School Personnel (ASASP), the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 2250 (ACE-AFSCME Local 2250), and the Service Employees International Union 400 (SEIU 400), stand together with a focus on positive change and solutions.
We believe our new superintendent must address three pressing issues: recruitment and retention, student behavior, and unsafe working conditions.
One of our top concerns is recruitment and retention. PGCPS faces over 2,000 vacancies in critical positions such as classroom teachers, special education staff, administrators, supervisors, bus drivers, and food service workers. This has resulted in larger class sizes and insufficient support for students with individualized education plans. To ensure PGCPS compensates our members for covering these vacancies according to our negotiated agreements we have had to take the system to arbitration.
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