It was not exactly a lion’s den that Johndel Jones-Brown walked into on the evening of August 3, but if there is one subject about which the city council historically takes on the nature of a big momma cat defending its cubs, it’s the time-honored understanding the city has had with the county that Greenbelt children will be eligible to attend neighborhood schools within the city. At a council meeting with Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) CEO Kevin Maxwell in February, Councilmember Leta Mach reported that children living in the still-developing area of Greenbelt Station would be assigned to Berwyn Heights Elementary School, Greenbelt Middle School and Parkdale High School. In response to councilmembers’ objections to the elementary and high school assignments, Maxwell replied that as a county system, PGCPS cannot always place students at schools within their municipality. That statement appears to stand in contradiction to action taken by the Prince George’s County Council in May 2004, when county bill CB-33-2004 included assurance to both the City of Greenbelt and the City of Bowie that the county school system would do exactly that. Maxwell offered to arrange a meeting with representatives of the PGCPS Office of Pupil Accounting and School Boundaries to explain how boundaries are established. Jones-Brown, who is the director of that office, attended last week’s meeting to continue the discussion. More information in the paper. Click Here.
