Chanting and holding signs, a crowd of teachers rallied before Thursday night’s Prince George’s County school board meeting to call for better pay and smaller class sizes.
The event, which the Prince George’s County Education Association organized, featured local lawmakers and educators who said they’re fed up with current conditions.
Kim Williams, a school counselor in Maryland’s second-largest district, said if the status quo continues, there will be overcrowded classrooms and children with disabilities whose needs won’t be met.
“It’s just going to be an empty building,” Williams said. “It’s going to be empty. No one is going to want to come to the county if they’re not paid fair wages to live in the county and to take care of their babies.”
Thursday’s rally comes after the union and school division spent months working on a new contract. In a statement, Superintendent Millard House II said the two sides have been negotiating since March, considering nearly 40 proposals “while balancing looming budget impacts, the needs of our students and community at large.”
The two sides have reached some tentative agreements, House said, but “we remain far apart on many issues, a normal part of the ongoing negotiation process.” He said community members can watch open negotiation sessions virtually.
Justin Robinson, who has been a teacher for 14 years, said the workload is increasing and pay isn’t competitive with surrounding areas, including D.C. and Montgomery County.
He said the Prince George’s County school system has “the most vacancies ever, and that’s because we don’t compete in terms of starting salaries.”
As a result, Robinson said teachers take on extra roles, such as covering other vacant classes during planning periods. He’s also a teacher coach, and there are “more and more new teachers that we have to support because we have so much (turnover), and we’re not attracting enough people who are going to stay long term.”
Sometimes, he said, students could often have substitute teachers for different subjects because of job openings, “and that’s not fair to them, for them to develop as well-rounded learners and global citizens.”
Darlene Burks, meanwhile, has worked with the county since 1999, and said teacher pay and classroom infrastructure need to improve.
Because of staffing challenges, she said, teachers get asked to cover other classes, and “you feel kind of pressured. Like if I don’t do it, will I be looked at kind of funny, or will there be negative consequences for not doing that?”
She’s concerned that starting salaries will discourage young educators — who either want to pay for a wedding, home or get another degree — from becoming teachers in the county.
Williams is asking the school division to “pay us what we’re worth.”
“I spend money every day to make sure that my babies have what they need,” Williams said. “They need a hoodie, I get the hoodie. I see they need shoes, their parents can’t afford it, we get the shoes. They need a meal, I’m delivering something to the house.”
“What we’re asking for is for fair salary. We’re not asking to be rich here, because we’re not. What we’re asking (for is) fair salaries to be competitive. … How is it that we’re being paid $10,000 less than D.C.?” Williams said.
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