PGCPS Adapts To Capacity Issues As Student Body Grows

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — Prince George's County has a school capacity problem. Some schools have too many students. Others have too few. Either way, Prince George's County Public Schools may not be using its buildings as efficiently as possible.

PGCPS is the nation's 20th-largest school district. With 136,500 students, 22,000 employees and 208 schools, logistics are everything for the rapidly-growing system.

About 11,000 net students have joined PGCPS since 2014. Another 7,000 are expected by 2024. This expansion has put a strain on some of the county's most packed schools.

Altogether, 23 elementary schools, 10 middle schools and two high schools are operating at 115 percent capacity. Even more hover around 100 percent capacity.

The growing population does not affect all schools in the same way. The overcrowding centers around Beltsville, College Park, Glen Dale, Greenbelt and Hyattsville.

Schools in the northern part of the county are more likely to be overutilized. Buildings further south tend to be underutilized.

"Prince George’s County is a diverse area, which includes both densely populated communities within the Beltway, and rural areas," PGCPS said on its redistricting website. "As enrollment has grown, the geographic distribution of the student body has shifted toward the north."

Officials shoot for capacities in the 80 to 95 percent range, but few schools meet the goal. About 27 percent of elementary and K-8 schools, 33 percent of middle schools and 19 percent of high schools fall within this range.

Forty-seven schools are overpopulated, and 74 are underpopulated. The stuffed buildings have crowded classrooms and parking lots. The sparse schools have more vacant rooms and higher per-capita operating costs.

"Both of these conditions present challenges to individual schools and students, and to the system as a whole," the website said. "It is important to balance utilization across schools to ensure there is equity in class sizes, program capacity, and school funding."

These issues suggest that the school system may have some work to do. That's why PGCPS is launching the School Boundary Initiative, an effort to reclaim control over school capacities. The project has two prongs: construction and restricting.

The construction side will bring several new schools to the county through a public-private partnership, also known as P3 or Alternative Construction Finance. The project will use a $900 million loan from private investors to build new facilities in Adelphi, Capitol Heights, Hyattsville and Landover.

P3 will replace six schools that are all 47 to 82 years old. More than half of the system's buildings are older than 50, which is the target lifespan of schools.

"We have to do better than that," PGCPS CEO Monica Goldson said in October, announcing the P3 deal. "While we can't modernize every building, this is a start."

PGCPS also plans to construct additions on several other schools. Together, P3 and the expansions will add 9,000 seats by the 2026 to 2027 school year. This will accommodate the enrollment boom expected by 2024.

The upcoming redistricting will round out the School Boundary Initiative. PGCPS will examine 165 neighborhoods.

The process may shift students from older and overcrowded buildings to newer and more spacious facilities. County leaders haven't conducted a study like this since 2008.

School officials are still in the early phases of outreach. Those living in central county can voice their opinions Tuesday. North county residents can chime in at a virtual meeting Wednesday.

Spanish speakers can listen to a simultaneous interpretation of these events or tune into a Spanish-only discussion on Jan. 27. Residents can register for the roundtables, which last from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at this link.

PGCPS already hosted conversations with south county and other Spanish-speaking families. A survey is still open for those who missed their local forum.

PGCPS hopes to use this feedback and begin drafting three redistricting options by March. Officials will once again seek public comment on the potentials.

The school system CEO will then recommend a plan to the Prince George's County Board of Education by December. If the board adopts the measure, the new boundaries would take effect ahead of the 2022 to 2023 school year.

More information about the School Boundary Initiative is available here.

RELATED:

• Take Sneak Peak At New Schools To Be Built In Prince George's
• PGCPS Will Build 6 New Schools With $900M Of Private Money
• PGCPS May Replace 6 Schools, Leaders Make Final Push Before Vote
• Prince George's School Construction P3 Plan Draws Backlash Before Board Vote

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