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Prince George’s County students, parents and educators unveil bold vision to boost student outcomes, retain skilled educators

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2 years ago

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On Tuesday, a coalition of educators, families, and community members of Prince George’s County united to have their voices heard by district leaders. Alongside Prince George’s Educators Association, the coalition addressed needs such as additional social and emotional support for students in schools, the reduction of class sizes and crushing educator workloads, and the importance of safe and healthy learning environments for all.
Highlighting these critical needs to better serve PGCPS students, the coalition also addressed the need for a restoration of educator dignity. To recruit and retain more educators, the district should tap additional funds outlined in the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future to raise pay and standards across the board. Unfortunately, such steps have not been taken by the district.
PGCEA has made all unsuccessful bargaining sessions and proposals available for public viewing at https://pgcea.org/promise/.
“Our students deserve a world-class education, but the challenging working conditions our educators face directly shape our students’ learning conditions,” said PGCEA President Donna Christy. “Our educators are speaking out. They want to deliver on their commitment to our kids, and that means the county needs to invest in the resources and supports that improve academic success and student well-being. The time for business-as-usual thinking has passed.”
The lack of resources can be seen in real-time by families within the district, who are also the first to see the toll it takes on their children. At Bradbury Heights Elementary, parents and staff recently saw an invaluable Saturday School extracurricular program cut from the budget after just one year.
“During these trying times, we must be expanding on the resources provided to our children through the school system. As we try to rebuild the connection between schools and their students, there should be no scenario where such resources are continually taken away from them,” said PGCPS parent Jay Howard-Brock.
Earlier this year, the Prince George’s County Educators Association (PGCEA) released a package of proposals and priorities related to the next labor agreement that will be signed between its members and Prince George’s County Public Schools. The upcoming agreement will cover more than 10,000 active teachers and other professionals who work in the Prince George’s County public schools. The educators see the upcoming agreement as an opportunity to advance key safety and equity issues and to advocate for the needs of their more than 135,000 students post-pandemic and beyond.
Educators, parents, and students are asking the district and county decision-makers to join them in reimagining education in Prince George’s County. Continuing to brush off the need for these resources means setting our children even further behind. They are the future of our County, and our communities can no longer afford this lack of investment in our collective futures.
PGCEA welcomes all community members to become a part of this coalition seeking investments in our schools, and encourages them to unite in advocacy at https://pgcea.org/promise/.
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Abu Sillah is Business Owner from Prince George's County, MD. He serves as the CEO of The DMV Daily and Marketing Manager of The Wig Cafe. Outside of business and media, Abu is a middle school teacher and Promotions Assistant for RadioOne DC. He has a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and an M.A. from Bowie State University. Abu is very passionate about 3 things: media, working with kids and uplifting others,

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