Prince George's County faces delays in school construction due to council concerns

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. (7News) — A “public-private partnership” to build several new schools in Prince George’s County has faced a number of issues, from labor dispute lawsuits to criticism from county officials.

7News heard from council members as a plan to build more schools under the second phase of the partnership is facing delays.

They are the pride of Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) and six new buildings opened in 2023 to great fanfare.

They were all built under the partnership in which private companies designed, built and will maintain the buildings while the school system makes payments for 30 years.

Those six buildings were phase one. Phase two involves eight new schools, but as a key deadline approaches, several council members have been withholding the needed approval.

“We have to do our due diligence to make sure we understand how this is going to cost our community and our students, especially when all of the benefits go up north, but you’re going to cut resources inside the beltway,” said councilmember Krystal Oriadha.

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Oriadha is among a group of council members that is upset that all but one of the new schools in phase two will be in the northern part of the county.

Councilmember Ed Burroughs calls it a matter of equity.

“I'm sick and tired of the southern part of the county being neglected by our county government,” Burroughs said. “We pay taxes just like everyone else.”

Approval is also needed from the state school construction commission. Their scheduled vote last week was delayed until next week in part because of the council’s objection.

The man in charge of building the new schools for PGCPS said both panels need to act now.

“It’s one of the statutory requirements for receiving state money,” said PGCPS Associate Superintendent Jason Washington.

Washington said there is no inequity in the school location selections, and he is simply following a plan adopted years ago.

“So, we’re just following that process so it’s not just coming up with schools now, it’s following that process which has been approved by the Board of Education every year since 2017,” Washington said.