The writer is Chief Executive Officer of Prince George’s County Public Schools Dr. Monica Goldson.
Dear Editor,
In response to the June 27 op-ed (Prince George’s County Needs to Address the School Staffing Crisis – Now), I would like to address some inaccuracies about our work to recruit and retain educators in Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS).
I agree with the Prince George’s County Educators Association that the status quo is unacceptable, which is why my administration and the Prince George’s County Board of Education have offered unprecedented employee raises this year and essentially overhauled the current PGCEA contract by agreeing to more than 80 new terms.
In pointing to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future as an untapped source for teacher pay increases, it is important to understand the full context of this legislation. The Blueprint funds, approximately $40.5 million, will cover a 2.8 percent cost of living adjustment for all PGCPS employees. Meanwhile, the school system has already agreed to use our own fund balance to give employees significantly more — higher salaries, a larger cost of living adjustment and numerous other contract improvements.
While our school system, the second-largest in Maryland, is often portrayed as having a revolving door of teachers, our data tell a much different story. Consistently, PGCPS retention rates remain above 80 percent, which is on par with national averages of voluntary teacher resignations and retirements. When comparing the number of vacancies relative to the total number of teacher positions (approximately 10,000), PGCPS ranks fifth among all Maryland school systems.