Task Force To Gauge Prince George's County School Board Structure's Effectiveness

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — A task force has been formed to study the governance structure of the county's public school system. The task force consists of representatives with backgrounds in education, business and finance, along with representatives of the faith community, unions and community partners.

“Over the last several decades, our board of education has continued to switch between an all-elected board, an all-appointed board and the current hybrid model, along with increasing in size, without achieving the intended outcome of having a board that functions collectively with the best interests of students, teachers and our entire school system at the forefront of all they do,” Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said. “The purpose of this task force is to study best practices regionally and nationally and deliver recommendations to county leadership that will guide us in creating a board structure that facilitates collaboration and helps us continue to move our school system forward.”

The group will hold an introductory meeting Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. All group meetings will be virtual and open to the public to view on the county’s YouTube channel. The first meeting can be viewed at this link. At least one meeting will be for members of the public to provide comment on their thoughts regarding the structure of the board of education. The group is expected to provide a report with recommendations to the county executive no later than Jan. 14, 2022.

Members of the group are:

• Bishop Kevin V. Gresham Sr., Senior Pastor, Greater St. John Cathedral

• Amity Pope, Citizen Representative

• Nakisha Yates, Former PGCPS Teacher, Current PGCPS Parent

• Dr. Donna Christy, President, Prince George’s County Educators Association

• Dr. Sean T. Coleman, Associate Professor, Bowie State University, Department of Education Studies and Leadership

• Christian Rhodes, Chief of Staff, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education

• Verjeana McCotter-Jacobs, Chief Transformation Officer, National School Boards Association

• David Harrington, President and CEO, Prince George’s Chamber of Commerce

• Melanie Gamble, President, Prince George’s County Association of Realtors

• Pokuaa Owusu-Acheaw, Managing Director of Legislative Affairs, Maryland State Education Association

• Linda Thornton Thomas, Prince George’s County Branch, NAACP

• Sue Livera, Retired Educator, Citizen Representative

• Doris Reed, Executive Director of the Association of Supervisory and Administrative Personnel
• Dr. Rosa Delia Smith, Director, Prince George’s Community College at University Town Center