Prince George’s voters have a message for their new school board: Do better

Prince George’s County Public Schools’ shortcomings aren’t abstract for Bobby Roberts. They’re reflected in the classroom supplies his sister buys with her own money, the backpacks his motorcycle club distributes to students each fall and his grandchildren’s experiences in county schools.

The 63-year-old Brandywine resident sees those efforts as signs that the school system relies too heavily on the people it’s supposed to support.

“I tell all my friends, don’t come to [Prince George’s] if you got kids,” Roberts told The Banner on Tuesday evening as he waited to cast his ballot. It’s not that the teachers are bad, he said, ”It’s just that the money’s not there, and infrastructure sucks.”

His frustration echoed across Prince George’s County on Election Day, as voters choosing four school board members called for better-resourced classrooms, reliable transportation and greater accountability from district leaders.

Their concerns offer a glimpse of the expectations facing the incoming board, which will help oversee Maryland’s second-largest school district as it navigates budget cuts, transportation problems and pressure to improve student achievement.

Terence Clegg Sr., Juan Arango-Millan, Tyra Janet Bennett and Erica Bennett led their respective races in unofficial returns Wednesday. New board members are scheduled to be sworn in Dec. 4.

More support inside and outside classrooms

Anthony Gervacio, a 29-year-old Greenbelt resident who teaches at William Wirt Middle School, said students need more than classroom supplies.

He wants greater school funding and resources to help families navigate challenges outside the classroom.

“A lot of [our students’] problems are adult problems that they can’t necessarily handle themselves,” Gervacio said, adding that schools should help connect families with support, particularly in communities that he says have historically received too little attention and investment.

Other voters focused on staffing.

Laertes Poole, an Upper Marlboro resident, wants more adults in classrooms, ideally two teachers and an aide, to give students more individual attention.

“You need help,” Poole said, arguing that one teacher cannot reasonably meet every student’s needs alone.

Rebs Ellers, a 26-year-old Greenbelt resident who previously worked for Montgomery County Public Schools, questioned whether Prince George’s dedicates enough resources to students with disabilities.

Ellers said they were unfamiliar with the district’s specific practices but hoped student safety and special education would remain priorities. They also emphasized protecting transgender children — an issue they said motivated them to vote.

Transportation troubles test confidence in district leaders

For some voters, the district’s transportation problems have become a test of school leaders’ ability to deliver.

Eldridge Brown, an 81-year-old Greenbelt resident and former Prince George’s County home and hospital teacher, said he was stunned by this year’s school bus disruptions.

“I can’t believe how screwed up the busing was,” Brown said.

The district has struggled with missed pickups, lengthy commutes and unreliable tracking following the rollout of new transportation technology intended to improve bus routing and communication with families.

Brown believes responsibility extends beyond the transportation department.

“I think that goes directly to the top of the school board,” he said, arguing that district leaders knew problems existed but failed to address them adequately.

Transportation problems also left an impression on Jamie Jacome-Romero, an 18-year-old Clinton resident who cast her first ballot Tuesday.

Now a freshman at Prince George’s Community College, Jacome-Romero recalled transportation as one of the biggest challenges she experienced in PGCPS.

Still, she praised the educators who helped prepare her for college.

“I feel like they put a lot of care into us,” she said, particularly during the college application process.

Her experience underscored a distinction several voters made: Their frustration with district operations did not necessarily extend to the educators working directly with students.

For Roberts, whose youngest grandchild is expected to graduate from PGCPS this school year, the stakes remain personal. He wants more classroom investment so teachers like his sister aren’t left filling the gaps themselves.

Brown, meanwhile, hopes the newly elected board members will take greater responsibility for the district’s problems.

“I would like to see our school board and the superintendent do a hell of a lot better,” he said.