Prince George’s County Schools are in trouble. It’s been bad. From burning buses and kids left behind at schools, to sexual assaults on preschool-age special needs kids by a bus aide – which was not disclosed to parents involved until several months later, and a suspended principal. Then there is the loss of the Head Start money due to abuses by instructors that went unpunished. This is just the tip of the iceberg.
Prince George’s County parents are mad. Rightfully so. During the Head Start issue, we learned that the County Executive’s appointed people, including his former Brother-in-law Segun Eubanks, have been making decisions for the entire board without informing the elected portion of the board. Parents have begun to call for Eubanks’s resignation, along with PGCPS CEO Maxwell, and many are now even calling for Rushern himself to step down. There will be an advocacy meeting held by PGCABS on Sept 21. Board members Jacobs and Epps will be at the Bowie City Hall at 6:30pm, and all are welcome to attend. Former board member Rosalind Johnson has organized a protest, to take place at 11 am on September 26th. Ms. Johnson and others will be protesting the 2013 HB1107 bill that allowed CE Baker to effectively take over the school board. This protest at the County Administration Building is only the first step in a long process according to Ms. Johnson:
The Rally at the CAB IS ONLY THE FIRST OF SEVERAL STEPS.
The rally is to show that the citizens ALSO hold BAKER ACCOUNTABLE! BAKER cannot try to run away from his responsibility, although his latest comments on Channel 4 NEWS, clearly show that he is trying to shift the blame for the failures in PGCPS to Maxwell, the Chairman of the Board and the entire Board.
THE NEXT STEP is to demonstrate against all of the PG Delegation. BUILDING SUPPORT to repeal HB 1107, means that citizens of this County are infuriated and they want their electoral rights back.. How many failures and poor decisions must we take in SILENCE? ISN’T THE LOSS OF HEAD START FUNDING ENOUGH? ISN’T THE ABUSE OF CHILDREN ENOUGH? ISN’T THE HUGE INCREASE IN MAXWELL’S SENIOR STAFF ENOUGH? ALL OF THE TROUBLES BEGAN WITH BAKER’S PUSH FOR HB 1107!
I urge you to join the rally. It will be the first salvo in the war to take back our school system.
On another note, PGC residents need to made aware of Question D on our ballot this November. CE Baker is attempting to do to the County Council what he did to School Board. Question D will create two new council at-large positions. The Council likes this idea because those who are term limited can run for these new at-large seats after their district terms are up. The County Executive would love to have two seats not beholden to any one district, to help him push his agenda of moving the county seat to Largo, among other things. The good folks over at Vote No On Question D have more information about the millions of dollars this will cost us, and so much more.
All of Maryland needs to take notice of what is happening in Prince George’s County right now. It’s fairly common knowledge out here that CE Rushern Baker has his eyes on the Governor’s Mansion. If this is how he runs a county, what will he do to the state?