By Megan Sayles
AFRO Staff Writer
msayles@afro.com
After cutting nearly $150 million from its current budget, Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) is requesting $50 million in additional funding from the county for fiscal year 2027 to help address a structural budget deficit. The money would be used to stabilize the school system, take corrective steps in special education and protect reading and math instruction.
Credit: Photo courtesy of Prince George’s County Public Schools
PGCPS interim Superintendent Shawn Joseph explained that the district’s budget challenges stem in part from a legislative change two years ago that “destabilized” funding.” Previously, a telecommunications tax provided a dedicated source of revenue above the mandated local share. But after the law changed, that money was rolled into the regular county contribution, leaving the school district with no additional funds for the past two years.
“For the past two years, we’ve gotten $0 above the maintenance of effort,” said Joseph. “At the same time, costs have continued to go up.”
Joseph noted that contract negotiations added $102 million annually, strides in filling teacher vacancies reduced the expected savings from unfilled positions and rising health care, food and transportation costs further strained the budget.
“We’re spending more than we’re bringing in. We have to be responsible and present a balanced budget—making the assumption that no additional dollars are coming—and that’s what we did. We cut first before asking for $100 or $150 million like many do,” said Joseph. “We realize we’re not going to spend our way to excellence, and we also recognize that our taxpayers don’t want to even think about increasing taxes until they know for sure that we’ve done everything we could do to prioritize funds internally. That’s why we have a modest $50 million request.”
One area of progress that’s created pressure on PGCPS is the district’s efforts to reduce teacher vacancies. On Jan. 15, county leaders came together to celebrate a 52 percent decrease in open teacher positions during the 2024 to 2025 school year. This included reducing open positions for special education teachers from 242 to 80 as of December 2026.
The gains come at a time when educator shortages are plaguing most school districts across the country.
“As the state announced a nearly 50 percent decrease in teacher vacancies, Prince George’s County also looked at where our numbers are. What we determined is we were really leading the state in the reduction of teacher vacancies in this state,” said County Executive Aisha Braveboy during a Jan. 15 press conference. “Prince George’s County added over 900 new teachers in large part because of the collaborative nature of our superintendent and the efforts between our superintendent and our teachers. Our teachers tell the story about what it means to work in Prince George’s County Public Schools. If your teachers are unhappy, you’re in trouble because they’re able to recruit other teachers too.”
Still, filling those positions has come with a financial trade-off. Joseph said that while competitive salaries and benefits packages helped attract and retain teachers, keeping classrooms fully staffed also increases overall costs. He emphasized that a long-term strategy is needed to keep up with rising expenses.
“We’re committed to our employees and the negotiated agreements we signed. We know that the cost of business each year is going to dramatically increase, and we must stay competitive,” Joseph told the AFRO. “Right now we’re proud of the fact that we reduced vacancies so greatly, but we have to ensure we have a long-term solution to the structural deficit that was created two years ago. Our costs are definitely going to continue to rise, and we need revenue sources to match.”
PGCPS’ $150 million trim from its current budget already represents one of the largest single-year reductions in the school system’s history. Joseph said those cuts included eliminating funding for low-enrolled or low-impact speciality programs, scaling back travel and professional development budgets and cutting discretionary spending on items like school refreshments.
While these moves helped balance the budget, he emphasized that there is a limit to how much can be cut without affecting students and staff.
The $50 million in additional funding PGCPS is requesting would shore up special education services, strengthen math and reading education, support artificial intelligence literacy for staff and students and improve safety measures in schools. Joseph warned that if the funding request is not approved, the district could face significant consequences, including shifting resources from general education to cover special education needs, reducing teacher training, limiting programs that improve reading and math outcomes and potentially terminating staff.
“If we have to cut another $100 million next year, without question we will be laying off hundreds of people,” said Joseph. “You see that happening around the state now in some jurisdictions because once you run out of discretionary dollars to cut, it’s people.”