County executive seeks to boost funding for Pr. George’s schools and public safety
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Version 0 of 1. Prince George’s County Executive Angela D. Alsobrooks (D) on Wednesday proposed a $4.58 billion budget that adds significant funding for education, public safety and a “beautification” initiative aimed at cracking down on illegal dumping. It did not include a property tax increase. While touting the achievements of her first year in office, Alsobrooks acknowledged that the months ahead would be financially challenging because of the outbreak of the coronavirus, which has caused drastic downturns in global and economic markets. In Prince George’s, which announced its first three positive cases of covid-19 on Monday, officials said they are dedicated to an effective public health response but anticipate that this will come with unexpected costs, Alsobrooks said. Hours after the budget briefing, the county’s school system announced that two schools — Eleanor Roosevelt High School and College Park Academy — would close for two days because of possible coronavirus exposure. “This is a very challenging time,” Alsobrooks said. “We need to make sure that we have the finances to care for people. . . . And we do anticipate that with this, there will be some increased financial outlay.” The county is preparing for additional expenditures associated with a statewide overhaul of education policy. The plan, which includes $4 billion in reforms proposed by a panel known as the Kirwan Commission, bolsters pre-K, teacher pay and financial help to schools with large numbers of students from low-income families, among other things. Funding formulas for each county have not been confirmed, but Alsobrooks has urged state officials to lower the county’s contribution. “Whatever happens there, our county has to be ready to meet our financial obligations,” she said Wednesday. The proposed budget includes nearly $2.3 billion in funding for county schools, a 5 percent increase over the fiscal 2020 budget. Within this funding, Alsobrooks highlighted $76.2 million that she designated to support pay increases for school employees. Teachers in the county have received regular pay increases since 2013, but former county executive Rushern L. Baker III (D) said for several years that the county could not afford to restore the raises that were skipped in the aftermath of the recession, from 2010 to 2012. Alsobrooks, who took office last year, has called education her top priority and said publicly that she will ensure teachers are paid what they deserve. After education, public safety takes up the biggest chunk of the proposed budget. On top of funding four new police classes, there is $2.6 million set aside to purchase several hundred more body cameras for officers — more than five times the funding that was allocated to this program last year. Prince George’s introduced a pilot program in 2014 to equip officers with body cameras, but activists have long argued for it to be expanded. The proposed funding would provide body cameras to all of the county’s officers who interact with residents, expanding the program from about 80 officers to 1,000. Alsobrooks came under pressure to bolster the body-cam program and increase police transparency after a Prince George’s officer was charged with murder in January in the fatal shooting of a handcuffed man. In 2019, Alsobrooks launched a beautification initiative that included a crackdown on illegal dumping and significant reforms to the county’s system of collecting bulk trash. She wants to expand these efforts with her proposed budget, which adds $2 million to a solid waste management fund and allocates money for four new positions in the Department of the Environment. The budget will need to be approved by the county’s 11-member legislative council before being adopted. Council members did not immediately respond to calls or emails for comment. Fairfax County budget: 3 cent tax rate hike for affordable housing, other initiatives Pressure grows for full deployment of body cameras in Prince George’s after fatal shooting of handcuffed man Prince George’s adopts $4.34 billion budget that includes raises for school employees Local newsletters: Local headlines (8 a.m.) | Afternoon Buzz (4 p.m.) Like PostLocal on Facebook | Follow @postlocal on Twitter | Latest local news |