Dr. Mike Robinson: What has the community lost with a hybrid BOE?
Janna Parker: The Community lost their voice with the hybrid Board of Education. The community votes for their voice to be heard through nine district representatives. The four appointed members to the board- three from the County Executive and One from the County Council, do not answer to the community they represent and therefore push the agenda and ideas of the elected officials who appoint them. When those four appointed members, and any other members of the school board appointed by the county executive when there is a vacancy, continuously vote against what the elected members of the board put forward- they silence the vote of the community they were appointed to represent, because they really only represent the interest of those that appoint them.
The Community lost its ability to have their educational system run by those they elect and subsequently the ability to hold accountable those who do not move forward the community’s thoughts and plans for our School System through the election process. The Community has lost its voice and its ability to exercise its right to hold people accountable for the decisions they make in regards to the education of their children.
Dr. Mike Robinson: In other areas of the country, hybrid Boards of Education practice District governance at acceptable levels. Does that not indicate that this model could be useful in the county?
Janna Parker: Every county and area is different, with different needs for every community. For example, the Hybrid BOE in Hartford County is necessary to provide representation to the Black and Brown residents of the county who otherwise would not have representation through the general elected process. This is not the case for Prince George’s county, predominantly populated by Black and Brown residents and students with matching representation in regards to race, albeit not always in similar ideologies, beliefs, and plans that would move the county forward. Our board wasn’t transitioned to a hybrid because there was a lack of representation- it was transitioned so that control of the school board and the policies put in place for the school system would be controlled by those not on the school board. The way the law was written, which makes our school board a hybrid, was done so that the appointed members can stop votes on key policy and/or vote with a minority block of elected board members against the wishes of the community. While a hybrid board may work in some areas- it is not working here.
Dr. Mike Robinson: If you had a magic wand and you could change the structure of the PGCPS BOE, what would it look like, and how long would that take?
Janna Parker: I would change the board to be all elected with only district seats, and it would only take one calendar year in regards to passing into law by repealing the law that is currently in effect for this hybrid board which would take about a year based on the legislative cycle of the Maryland legislature.
Dr. Mike Robinson: In your opinion, can the county move to a fully elected model through attrition? If a law was passed stating every year, one appointed seat would go up for election until all seats have an elected official would that work in your opinion?
Janna Parker: In my opinion, a law like this would only be for the elected officials and not for the people- The people have spoken. When they elected some of the public officials we have now- one of the selling points which got them elected was that they would return the school board to being fully elected. We are two years down the round, and it still hasn’t been done. Additionally, we don’t need four additional school board seats- costing the taxpayer an extra 30,000 a seat. That 30,000 dollars currently being spent for additional BOE members could go to our students.
Dr. Mike Robinson: Can you speak to the benefits you see of a fully elected BOE?
Janna Parker: A fully elected board would return the school system's power over to Prince George's county's residents- the constituents, the teachers, the parents, the students, the community members- all of us. The benefits of returning public education to the public are numerous, but most importantly, the most significant benefit would be that it allows for the public to have a direct say in how the system that educates their children is governed and run.
Dr. Mike Robinson: How are politics not an even greater significant influence if the BOE is made up of elected members?
Janna Parker: If the BOE is made up of nine elected members, the politics that would influence the board would be those who elected them- they would be directly influenced by Prince George's County residents.
Dr. Mike Robinson: Finally, what is the current law process for returning to a fully elected BOE? How can the residents of Prince George's County begin the process?
Janna Parker: The current law- HB1107, allows for at least four elected school board members and a CEO of the school system with considerable autonomy over the school system that doesn't answer to the school board. We saw significant issues of this under the Maxwell Administration. The law would have to be repealed; another law from the Maryland General Assembly would have to be crafted. There was a bill put forth this session by Delegate Julian Ivey that would have done this, but it has not progressed enough to be voted on to become law. The residents of Prince George's County can spend the next year directly advocating to the County Executive, delegates, and senators for them to create and support the repeal of HB 1107 through Delegate Ivey's bill or one a mirror of it to change the school board back to being fully elected.
Ms. Janna Parker, an over twenty-five year resident of Prince George's County, is an advocate for America's public school system and voter education. A former educator within the Maryland/DC area for almost a decade, Ms. Parker now spends a majority of her free time advocating for changes in local and state policies in education, particularly around the subject of the school to prison pipeline, as well as educating her community on how to advocate for important issues directly to their elected officials on the local, state, and national level as well as other non elected civil servants.
Ms. Parker's also works to educate her community on general voter consciousness within Prince George's county- using various platforms, including social media and speaking engagements, to do so. She works with a variety of different political action groups and organizations on the local and state levels, including Progressive Maryland, the School to Prison Pipeline Pushout Coalition, and the PGCABS- Prince George's Citizens for a Better School System, to push policies, agendas, and candidates who will work to make Prince George's county a fair, prosperous and equitable place to live in for all of its residents. Ms. Parker is also a co-host of the Prince George's Political CTV show, "Wake Up," a show that focuses on politics within Prince George's County, Maryland, and the Nation. Ms. Parker has also been an avid writer of poetry and spoken word for over 20 years and has had her work published in various forms of media.
Janna Parker: The Community lost their voice with the hybrid Board of Education. The community votes for their voice to be heard through nine district representatives. The four appointed members to the board- three from the County Executive and One from the County Council, do not answer to the community they represent and therefore push the agenda and ideas of the elected officials who appoint them. When those four appointed members, and any other members of the school board appointed by the county executive when there is a vacancy, continuously vote against what the elected members of the board put forward- they silence the vote of the community they were appointed to represent, because they really only represent the interest of those that appoint them.
The Community lost its ability to have their educational system run by those they elect and subsequently the ability to hold accountable those who do not move forward the community’s thoughts and plans for our School System through the election process. The Community has lost its voice and its ability to exercise its right to hold people accountable for the decisions they make in regards to the education of their children.
Dr. Mike Robinson: In other areas of the country, hybrid Boards of Education practice District governance at acceptable levels. Does that not indicate that this model could be useful in the county?
Janna Parker: Every county and area is different, with different needs for every community. For example, the Hybrid BOE in Hartford County is necessary to provide representation to the Black and Brown residents of the county who otherwise would not have representation through the general elected process. This is not the case for Prince George’s county, predominantly populated by Black and Brown residents and students with matching representation in regards to race, albeit not always in similar ideologies, beliefs, and plans that would move the county forward. Our board wasn’t transitioned to a hybrid because there was a lack of representation- it was transitioned so that control of the school board and the policies put in place for the school system would be controlled by those not on the school board. The way the law was written, which makes our school board a hybrid, was done so that the appointed members can stop votes on key policy and/or vote with a minority block of elected board members against the wishes of the community. While a hybrid board may work in some areas- it is not working here.
Dr. Mike Robinson: If you had a magic wand and you could change the structure of the PGCPS BOE, what would it look like, and how long would that take?
Janna Parker: I would change the board to be all elected with only district seats, and it would only take one calendar year in regards to passing into law by repealing the law that is currently in effect for this hybrid board which would take about a year based on the legislative cycle of the Maryland legislature.
Dr. Mike Robinson: In your opinion, can the county move to a fully elected model through attrition? If a law was passed stating every year, one appointed seat would go up for election until all seats have an elected official would that work in your opinion?
Janna Parker: In my opinion, a law like this would only be for the elected officials and not for the people- The people have spoken. When they elected some of the public officials we have now- one of the selling points which got them elected was that they would return the school board to being fully elected. We are two years down the round, and it still hasn’t been done. Additionally, we don’t need four additional school board seats- costing the taxpayer an extra 30,000 a seat. That 30,000 dollars currently being spent for additional BOE members could go to our students.
Dr. Mike Robinson: Can you speak to the benefits you see of a fully elected BOE?
Janna Parker: A fully elected board would return the school system's power over to Prince George's county's residents- the constituents, the teachers, the parents, the students, the community members- all of us. The benefits of returning public education to the public are numerous, but most importantly, the most significant benefit would be that it allows for the public to have a direct say in how the system that educates their children is governed and run.
Dr. Mike Robinson: How are politics not an even greater significant influence if the BOE is made up of elected members?
Janna Parker: If the BOE is made up of nine elected members, the politics that would influence the board would be those who elected them- they would be directly influenced by Prince George's County residents.
Dr. Mike Robinson: Finally, what is the current law process for returning to a fully elected BOE? How can the residents of Prince George's County begin the process?
Janna Parker: The current law- HB1107, allows for at least four elected school board members and a CEO of the school system with considerable autonomy over the school system that doesn't answer to the school board. We saw significant issues of this under the Maxwell Administration. The law would have to be repealed; another law from the Maryland General Assembly would have to be crafted. There was a bill put forth this session by Delegate Julian Ivey that would have done this, but it has not progressed enough to be voted on to become law. The residents of Prince George's County can spend the next year directly advocating to the County Executive, delegates, and senators for them to create and support the repeal of HB 1107 through Delegate Ivey's bill or one a mirror of it to change the school board back to being fully elected.
Ms. Janna Parker, an over twenty-five year resident of Prince George's County, is an advocate for America's public school system and voter education. A former educator within the Maryland/DC area for almost a decade, Ms. Parker now spends a majority of her free time advocating for changes in local and state policies in education, particularly around the subject of the school to prison pipeline, as well as educating her community on how to advocate for important issues directly to their elected officials on the local, state, and national level as well as other non elected civil servants.
Ms. Parker's also works to educate her community on general voter consciousness within Prince George's county- using various platforms, including social media and speaking engagements, to do so. She works with a variety of different political action groups and organizations on the local and state levels, including Progressive Maryland, the School to Prison Pipeline Pushout Coalition, and the PGCABS- Prince George's Citizens for a Better School System, to push policies, agendas, and candidates who will work to make Prince George's county a fair, prosperous and equitable place to live in for all of its residents. Ms. Parker is also a co-host of the Prince George's Political CTV show, "Wake Up," a show that focuses on politics within Prince George's County, Maryland, and the Nation. Ms. Parker has also been an avid writer of poetry and spoken word for over 20 years and has had her work published in various forms of media.