County Executive Rushern Baker held his biennial meeting with the city council September 19. He discussed the possibility of the FBI Headquarters moving to Greenbelt, economic development and challenges facing county schools. County Councilmember Todd Turner also attended.
The city council expressed concern over the recent controversies surrounding the Prince George’s County Public Schools’ Head Start program. The program has been under intense scrutiny after several incidents raised questions about the standards of care for children and whether disciplinary issues with teachers were being appropriately addressed. The federal government ultimately decided to suspend the school system’s $6.4 million Head Start grant. A third-party group is currently running the program.
Baker committed to addressing the school system’s woes. He noted that despite the Head Start controversy, there have been positive developments for the county’s schools. Test scores are going up; Eleanor Roosevelt High School students in particular are performing well against other students in the state. There are also more specialty programs attracting parents back into the school system.
Concerns continue over why students living in Greenbelt Station are not going to Greenbelt schools. Councilmember Leta Mach noted that Greenbelt Station students are being sent to Berwyn Heights Elementary and Parkdale High School because of overcrowding in Greenbelt schools, even though Berwyn Heights and Parkdale are also overcrowded. This decision impacts a small number of students, but reflects worries about breakdowns in communication between municipalities and the school system.
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