Prince George's County seeks public input on next schools superintendent
County residents got a final say Thursday as Prince George's officials moved toward a June 1 pick for schools superintendent from three finalists.
Prince George’s County gave residents a last public forum Thursday to weigh in on the next leader of Prince George’s County Public Schools, a post that controls a $2.3 billion system and will be filled from three finalists already forwarded to County Executive Aisha N. Braveboy.
The virtual discussion ran from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. as a Zoom webinar, with registration required. County officials framed the session as a chance for residents, families, educators, stakeholders and community members to shape the search before Braveboy makes her selection by June 1 and the Prince George’s County Board of Education completes the appointment by June 30.
The search is moving under a four-phase state-law process that also involves the Maryland State Department of Education and State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Carey M. Wright. The search committee is chaired by Dr. James C. Bell Jr. and includes county residents Jennifer Avelar and Gordon L. Sampson. Under Maryland law, Braveboy must choose from three nominees recommended by the committee.
What residents have been asked to value has already been spelled out in the county’s search materials. The superintendent also serves as treasurer of the Board of Education, making fiscal control part of the job, not an afterthought. The county said candidates should bring strong labor relations and community engagement experience, knowledge of Maryland school law, and a record of leading instructional improvement and organizational change. The leadership profile released later distilled those requests into five qualities: a community-centered and transparent communicator, an operationally strong and results-driven leader, a strategic and responsible fiscal steward, a culture-builder and organizational leader, and an instructionally focused education leader.
Public input has been substantial, but not evenly distributed. Officials said the search drew about 8,600 survey submissions, then pared that to just over 4,270 unique respondents after validation. Latino communities accounted for 6% to 8% of participation, and state officials recommended more outreach to underrepresented communities as the search continued.
The stakes are unusually high in Prince George’s County. PGCPS says it is the 18th largest school system in the country, the second largest in Maryland, with 200 schools and centers, more than 22,000 employees and a districtwide enrollment projected to fall to about 123,400 students in September 2026, down from about 126,000 a year earlier.
The system is also still managing the fallout from leadership upheaval. Dr. Shawn Joseph has served as interim superintendent since June 2025, after former superintendent Millard House II stepped down that same month following a vote of no confidence from the Prince George’s County Educators’ Association. With the finalists’ names still not publicly released, the process now turns on whether the board and county executive use the public’s input to produce a superintendent who can steady instruction, spending and trust.
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