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Record of Proceedings

Prince George's County Council Committee of the Whole Meeting - 2026-05-04

County Council & Boards — Monday, May 4, 2026
BodyPrince Georges County, Maryland
SessionCounty Council & Boards
DateMonday, May 4, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:02

Good afternoon.

0:04

This is the County Council of Prince Jordan's County, Maryland, sitting as committee of the whole.

0:09

Today is Monday, May 4th, 2026.

0:13

Madam Clerk, can I please have a roll call?

0:16

Good afternoon, Chair Oyeha.

0:18

Here, Mr.

0:19

Adams.

0:20

Here.

0:21

Ms.

0:21

Fisher.

0:24

Miss Adam Stafford.

0:25

Here.

0:26

Mr.

0:26

Harrison.

0:27

President.

0:28

Vice Chair Olsen.

0:29

Here.

0:29

Six members present at roll call.

0:32

Thank you.

0:33

Today on our agenda, we have some budget briefings and work sessions.

0:41

We'll start off with PGCPS strategic plan update.

0:46

And I'll pass it to our staff for staff or overview, excuse me, in orientation.

0:57

Good afternoon, Madam Chair, Mr.

0:59

Vice Chair and Council members.

1:00

I'm Dr.

1:01

Roon Parakin, Director of the Education and Workforce Development Committee.

1:05

We will now have a presentation on the Prince George's County Public School Strategic Plan.

1:10

With us today from the school system are Dr.

1:12

Sean Joseph, Inshram Superintendent, Dr.

1:15

Deanne Collins, Chief of Staff, and Miss Vanessa Wutherington, Director of Strategic Planning and Resource Management.

1:22

Their presentation can be found on page three of your virtual binder.

1:26

I will now turn it over to our presenters.

1:29

Thank you, and good afternoon, uh Chair, Vice Chair, and members of the County Council.

1:34

Thank you for the opportunity to stand before you at this pivotal moment in our work.

1:39

Today I'll briefly ground us in the purpose and direction of our strategic plan, which is called Forward by Design, before turning it over to our Chief of Staff, Dr.

1:49

Deanne Collins.

1:50

And this strategic plan is a declaration of who we are and what we believe and what we're unwilling to accept any longer.

2:00

It's our commitment that excellence will no longer be isolated to pockets of success, but will be scaled, sustained, and experienced by every child in every classroom every day.

2:09

We've completed the hard work of listening, listening to students who want to be seen, to families who demand transparency, to educators who are asking for conditions to do their best work.

2:19

From thousands of voices, a clear truth emerged.

2:22

Our system does not lack brilliance.

2:26

And so this plan answers a fundamental question.

2:29

How do we move from isolated excellence to system wide excellence?

2:34

Our answer is disciplined focus.

2:37

We'll align our vision, mission, and core values to a singular North Star.

2:42

Excellence everywhere, every classroom, every child, every day.

2:45

Scaling excellence requires that we confront variants.

2:49

This is the quiet injustice where a child experience, a child's experience depends on their zip code, their school, or even their classroom.

2:57

And we reject that.

2:59

We're building a system where high quality instruction, strong leadership, and meaningful opportunities are not exceptions but guarantees.

3:05

This means investing deeply in our people, strengthening family partnerships, expanding access to rigorous programs, and building an organizational culture that's coherent, accountable, and student-centered.

3:18

Our theory of action is clear and grounded in both research and lived experience.

3:24

If we align high-quality instruction with targeted supports, if we invest in continuous development of our educators and leaders, if we remove barriers to access for every student, and if we build transparent systems that hold us collectively accountable, then we will accelerate student outcomes, close opportunity gaps, and ensure that every child in Prince George's County is not only succeeding but thriving.

3:49

This is how we move from aspiration to execution.

3:52

But let me be equally clear.

3:54

Vision without investment is an illusion.

3:58

To realize this plan, we must make deliberate equity-driven investments that matter to key areas.

4:06

Special education, where our most vulnerable students require not only compliance, but care, precision, and urgency, mathematics and literacy, the foundational gateway to opportunity and economic mobility, English language English language learners whose brilliance demands access, not barriers, professional development, because we cannot ask educators to deliver excellence without investing in their growth, organizational development to ensure coherence accountability and the capacity to sustain this work over time, and technology.

4:46

This is not about spending more.

4:51

So members of the council, uh, this plan is rooted in the belief that our children are not waiting for us to get it right.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Education Policy████████████████████████████████████36%
Public Safety███████████████████19%
Budget Equity Analysis███████████11%
Fiscal Sustainability███████7%
Procedural█████5%
Public Health████4%
Public Works███3%
Homelessness███3%
Mental Health Awareness██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Prince George's County Council Committee of the Whole Meeting - 2026-05-04

The Prince George's County Council, sitting as the Committee of the Whole, convened on Monday, May 4, 2026, at 1:51 PM (scheduled for 1:30 PM) and adjourned at 3:21 PM. The meeting included a briefing on the PGCPS Strategic Plan Update and budget worksessions on the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for the Office of Central Services (OCS) and the Health Department. No votes were taken on the budget items; the meeting adjourned with a unanimous vote.

Discussion Items

PGCPS Strategic Plan Update

  • Dr. Shawn Joseph, Interim Superintendent, presented the "Forward by Design: Acceleration 2029 Strategic Plan," which aims to scale excellence system-wide through disciplined focus on high-quality instruction, equity, and resource alignment. The plan was informed by extensive community engagement, including surveys, focus groups, and 22,000 student voices. Key priorities include: student success (literacy, math, special education, multilingual learners), staff and leaders (talent pipelines, professional development), expanding access to programs (dual enrollment, career credentials), family partnerships, and organizational culture.
  • Council members asked questions and expressed positions:
    • Councilmember Adams-Stafford praised the literacy focus and inquired about HR pipeline challenges. Superintendent Joseph noted a new HR director and earlier hiring practices but acknowledged ongoing budget constraints.
    • Councilmember Fisher requested data on truancy, with Dr. Collins reporting highest truancy at high school level and a root-cause approach.
    • Councilmember Ivey raised concerns about specialty programs; Dr. Joseph clarified that immersion programs at Paint Branch, Greenbelt, Largo, and Capital Heights were resolved with board funding, but some IB programs were eliminated due to low enrollment and cost-ineffectiveness (less than 100 students for $3 million). Dr. Joseph emphasized shift to dual enrollment at all high schools.
    • Councilmember Burroughs supported the data-driven decision regarding IB versus dual enrollment.
    • Councilmember Adams focused on mental health and wellness; Dr. Joseph highlighted telehealth, anti-bullying programs, and a grant from Children's National Hospital.
    • Councilmember Harrison pressed on fiscal sustainability, with Dr. Joseph warning of a $100 million budget gap next year and a structural deficit; he noted lack of actuarial projections and suggested hiring a specialist (~$250,000).
    • Councilmember Fisher emphasized equity in specialty programs, ensuring benefits reach students in the community.
    • Councilmember Dernoga discussed cost-streamlining for immersion; Dr. Joseph explained challenges with whole-school programs but confirmed resolution.
  • No vote was taken; the discussion was held for informational purposes.

Budget Worksession - CIP for Office of Central Services

  • Sylvia King, Senior Legislative Budget Officer, presented the FY 2027–2032 CIP overview: total $4.1 billion for 359 projects (18 fewer than previous cycle). OCS CIP: $1.4 billion for 56 projects, including corrections, police, fire/EMS. New projects: public safety infrastructure, community recreation renovations, and local government energy modernization. Three project delays: District 6 police station, Laurel Fire/EMS #849, and Shepherd School Family Shelter. Two projects on hold: Warm Nights Homeless Shelter (due to community opposition in Brentwood) and Oxon Hill Fire/EMS (debt affordability).
  • Director David Byrd and Deputy Director Bharath Kortagere addressed questions:
    • Councilmember Harrison urged finding alternatives for Warm Nights, suggesting southern county sites. Staff noted feasibility studies underway (Brentwood, possible fire station on Addison Road).
    • Councilmember Oriadha requested stakeholder engagement for any seat Pleasant fire station activation, not to proceed without community input. Staff committed to collaboration.
    • Councilmember Ivey suggested adding capacity at Shepherd's Cove shelter; staff confirmed exploring expansion (family shelter, women's shelter, kitchen).
    • Councilmember Dernoga sought data on total homeless bed needs; staff deferred to Health and Human Services but estimated ~1,000 unsheltered from point-in-time count. He also raised concerns about hotel-based shelter in his district and economic impact.
    • Councilmember Dernoga asked about District 6 police station status; staff reported ongoing negotiations with Conterra and temple group for land, and noted a potential purchase of a building on Ammendale Road ($8.6 million).
  • No vote was taken.

Budget Worksession - CIP for Health Department

  • David Noto, Budget and Policy Analyst, presented the Health Department's proposed CIP: FY 2027 budget of $9.14 million, total project cost $125.9 million over six years, with four projects (over 99% from general obligation bonds). Projects include upgrades to Dyer Regional Health Center (security, plumbing, HVAC) and Cheverly Clinic (electrical repairs).
  • Dr. Toyin Opesanmi, Health Officer, and other officials were present for questions. No council members had questions, so the presentation concluded.
  • No vote was taken.

Key Outcomes

  • No votes were taken on the PGCPS Strategic Plan Update or the CIP worksessions; all were discussion only.
  • Council members were reminded to submit any new CIP projects for the budget by the end of the day.
  • The meeting adjourned at 3:21 PM via a motion by Vice Chair Olson, seconded by Councilmember Dernoga, which carried unanimously.

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon. This is the County Council of Prince Jordan's County, Maryland, sitting as committee of the whole. Today is Monday, May 4th, 2026. Madam Clerk, can I please have a roll call? Good afternoon, Chair Oyeha. Here, Mr. Adams. Here. Ms. Fisher. Miss Adam Stafford. Here. Mr. Harrison. President. Vice Chair Olsen. Here. Six members present at roll call. Thank you. Today on our agenda, we have some budget briefings and work sessions. We'll start off with PGCPS strategic plan update. And I'll pass it to our staff for staff or overview, excuse me, in orientation. Good afternoon, Madam Chair, Mr. Vice Chair and Council members. I'm Dr. Roon Parakin, Director of the Education and Workforce Development Committee. We will now have a presentation on the Prince George's County Public School Strategic Plan. With us today from the school system are Dr. Sean Joseph, Inshram Superintendent, Dr. Deanne Collins, Chief of Staff, and Miss Vanessa Wutherington, Director of Strategic Planning and Resource Management. Their presentation can be found on page three of your virtual binder. I will now turn it over to our presenters. Thank you, and good afternoon, uh Chair, Vice Chair, and members of the County Council. Thank you for the opportunity to stand before you at this pivotal moment in our work. Today I'll briefly ground us in the purpose and direction of our strategic plan, which is called Forward by Design, before turning it over to our Chief of Staff, Dr. Deanne Collins. And this strategic plan is a declaration of who we are and what we believe and what we're unwilling to accept any longer. It's our commitment that excellence will no longer be isolated to pockets of success, but will be scaled, sustained, and experienced by every child in every classroom every day. We've completed the hard work of listening, listening to students who want to be seen, to families who demand transparency, to educators who are asking for conditions to do their best work. From thousands of voices, a clear truth emerged. Our system does not lack brilliance. And so this plan answers a fundamental question. How do we move from isolated excellence to system wide excellence? Our answer is disciplined focus. We'll align our vision, mission, and core values to a singular North Star. Excellence everywhere, every classroom, every child, every day. Scaling excellence requires that we confront variants. This is the quiet injustice where a child experience, a child's experience depends on their zip code, their school, or even their classroom. And we reject that. We're building a system where high quality instruction, strong leadership, and meaningful opportunities are not exceptions but guarantees.

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