PGC School Board Member Working For Missouri District Since January: Report

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — Recently resigned school board member David Murray had been splitting his time between Maryland and Missouri where he accepted a new job as the chief academic officer for the Ferguson-Florissant School District in the St. Louis area, which was announced in December.

It wasn't until a complaint was filed with the Maryland State Board of Education that a light was shone on Murray's absences at Prince George's County Board of Education meetings as the 2023-2024 school year wrapped up, Maryland Matters has disclosed.

Members of the school board earn an $18,000 annual stipend for their work.

Murray started his new job in Missouri in January 2024, but didn't resign from his Prince George's position with the county board of education until recently. A complaint about his split duties also was filed around that same time with the Maryland State Board of Education. A spokeswoman for the Missouri school district told Maryland Matters that Murray started working for the school system on Jan. 4 and he attended a school board for that school district Jan. 10.

The Missouri school district’s spokeswoman confirmed to WTOP that Murray’s position requires living near the district full-time, that Murray was a resident of St. Louis and had not missed a single meeting for the Missouri school. His attendance at Prince George's County Board of Education meetings declined since he accepted the job in Missouri, it was reported.

Murray told WTOP in a phone call that he had been dividing his time between Missouri and Maryland. He disclosed that he had resigned from his seat last week. Murray had filed to run for reelection to the Prince George’s County school board one day after his hiring by the Missouri school district was announced, finishing in second place in the May primary, WTOP stated.

“While I am a homeowner, taxpayer and have domicile in District 1, my secondary residence is now out of state. I attempted to juggle all of these responsibilities simultaneously initially, trying to fulfill all of my commitments through the end of the school year. I made the decision that it would be in the best interest for me to retire from the Board of Education,” Murray told WTOP.