PGCPS Chief Executive Officer Monica Goldson Announces Retirement

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — For the past 32 years, Prince George's County Public Schools Chief Executive Officer Monica Goldson has led the district. She announced Thursday that she will be retiring at the end of the current school year.

Goldson began her career as a Suitland High School mathematics teacher and eventually became a principal, associate superintendent, deputy superintendent and chief operating officer prior to her appointment as CEO.

Goldson made a public statement about her retirement in an online post titled My Next Journey. A video message can be viewed online.

“After careful thought, prayer, and discussions with my family, I have decided to move to my next journey in life, retirement, at the end of this school year. Since 1991, I have truly enjoyed serving the students and families of Prince George’s County Public Schools. From a mathematics teacher and cheerleading coach to chief executive officer, my career has taken me to heights I never dreamed possible when I walked across the stage in 1986 as a Potomac High School graduate. The children of this community are among the brightest and most innovative in the country. It has been an absolute honor to lead over 131,000 students in the place I call home.

“When I was appointed into an interim role by former County Executive Rushern Baker and selected as the permanent chief executive officer by County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, I made it clear that my focus would always be, without any hesitation, on students.

“At present, there is a clear divide of philosophical beliefs on the Prince George’s County Board of Education about how we should move forward as a school district. To be clear, the current acrimony is not about one board chair. It is another example of the board’s inability to work together in the best interest of our students. The continued political infighting among certain board members demonstrates a misalignment in the vision for the children of this county.

“Nevertheless, I am still immensely proud of how the PGCPS community rallied around our students and families during the pandemic. With the county executive’s overall support, there is no doubt that we changed the perception of this county, in the state and region, by leading through the pandemic and garnering national attention for our efforts. If there is a lesson we all can take from the pandemic, it is that PGCPS can make the impossible happen when we focus on what truly matters.

“I am also proud of our progress on seemingly intractable problems:

• We restored the pay for every employee impacted by the 2009 recession and recently provided the most significant pay increase for educators and staff in a generation.
• We executed one of the most critical capital investments in the county’s history, yielding a minimum of 10 new schools in four years and saving maintenance costs for the school system over the long term.
• We instituted mental health services to our students through school-based practitioners and our new telehealth program and enhanced our ability to communicate with parents and staff.
• We created a nationally-recognized Climate Change Action Plan that will reduce our carbon footprint, resulting in healthier buildings and transportation, cleaner air, more nutritious food, and less waste.
• We increased early childhood opportunities, making all of our pre-kindergarten programs full-day.
• We extended our award-winning Language Immersion Program to middle schools, and our Career and Technical Education program offers 188 certifications with the support of over 208 business partnerships.

“I believe Prince George’s County Public Schools can lead the nation in what academic success looks like if we continue to focus on what students need and provide the support they deserve. Again, thank you for 32 incredible years. There is no place better than Prince George’s County Public Schools, and I will always be #PGCPSProud.”