Staff at Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland whose raises were frozen from 2009 to 2012 during the recession could get a pay bump.
Interim school chief Monica Goldson announced in a statement Tuesday that teachers, principals and support staff who remained with the school system consistently for the last 10 years despite not getting a raise will receive a salary increase over the next three years. The raise would be in addition to any negotiated compensation.
Under the $46 million salary restoration plan, some 8,300 eligible employees will receive a 3% increase in addition to any current negotiated increases.
“For the last decade our community and employees have been slowly recovering from one of the worst economic recessions in the nation’s history. Along with teachers, our bus drivers, school nurses and custodians bore the brunt of lost wages and have seen the least increase in their paychecks over the last 10 years,” Goldson said.
The Prince George’s County Council issued a statement welcoming Goldson’s plan and said that it will study the impact of the plan on the Board of Education’s budget for the county’s fiscal year 2020 budget review process.
The plan will be funded through a combination of state Kirwan funding and nearly $20 million in cuts from across the school system, none of which affect classroom resources, the statement said.
The Kirwan Commission, also known as the Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education, was formed in 2016 and is charged with reviewing the adequacy of school funding and making recommendations, among other duties.
PGCPS plans to continue negotiations for with its four unions.
