100 Days In: From Variance to Velocity — Our Path Ahead

One hundred days in, I’ve seen what makes Prince George’s County Public Schools remarkable and what must change to make excellence the norm for every child.

Ours is a district of deep pride and extraordinary talent. It is also a district of variance. Variance shows up in opportunity, access, and expectations, where a child’s experience can depend too much on their school, their zip code, or the adults around them.

To reach our full potential, we must turn that variance into velocity… that is the work ahead.

In these first 100 days, I’ve heard from families, students, educators, and partners who believe in our schools and want more for our children. I’ve walked hallways filled with energy and promise and others where the needs are greater than the resources. I’ve seen inspired teaching and innovation alongside unevenness that tells two stories about one system.

Now, our charge is clear: close that gap and move from pockets of excellence to excellence everywhere.

Delivering Results: By the Numbers

The first 100 days have been about accountability, doing what we say we’ll do and delivering for students and families.

The difference is already visible.

Twenty listening sessions held. That’s how we brought together families, staff, and students to help shape our path forward, because accountability begins with listening.

Five big rocks identified. That’s how we set clear priorities to guide our work: improving outcomes for students with disabilities and multilingual learners; accelerating reading and math achievement; reducing chronic absenteeism; expanding dual enrollment and internships; and strengthening a culture that attracts and retains great people. These focus areas now anchor our path forward.

4,000 to 44. That’s how far we’ve driven down student immunization noncompliance restoring nearly $20 million once lost in attendance-based funding.

Under 100. That’s the number of remaining bus driver vacancies. It is not luck; it is focus and follow-through.

80 new substitute teachers. Fast-tracked and ready to serve through a targeted hiring event for displaced federal workers — turning challenge into opportunity and meeting classroom needs with agility and creativity.

Fewer special education paraprofessional vacancies and required back-to-school meetings for families of students with disabilities. That’s how we show up for our students who need the most support.

Three union contracts finalized: Agreements that value and respect the educators and staff who make our schools work.

Hiring faster, feeding more students, and moving smarter. From meal expansion during the federal government shutdown, to improving transportation and launching a new bus app districtwide ahead of schedule, every operational gain is about one thing: service to children and families.

Twenty-four schools are receiving targeted support through the new Innovation and Performance Zone putting data, resources, and support where they are needed most.

Five new performance and staffing dashboards that make our progress visible in real time and offer a clear view of how we’re moving forward. That’s transparency driving results.

Systems and Partnerships That Deliver

In the first 100 days, we have also strengthened the systems that make great teaching and learning possible, bringing more precision, consistency, and accountability to how schools are supported and how staff are empowered to lead.

✔ We created a monitoring calendar to bring rhythm and consistency to how schools are supported and supervised. 

✔ We’re reviewing our parent engagement policy to strengthen the bridge between families and schools. 

✔ We consolidated our Blueprint and Strategic Planning offices to ensure that every initiative moves in one direction, with one purpose.

✔ We are confronting fiscal realities head-on, including a $50 million budget realignment, and doing it with transparency and collaboration. That’s what accountability looks like at every level.

✔ At the same time, we’re deepening communication and engagement, communicating more frequently, listening more intentionally, and ensuring every employee and family knows where we are headed.

The power of this district lies in our people and our willingness to move forward together, faster

Together with our Board of Education, County Executive and Council, and unions, we’re modeling a collaborative and transparent relationship rooted in partnership. We’ve embraced County Executive Aisha Braveboy’s vision of a unified Prince George’s where county and schools speak with one voice and work together to meet shared goals. 

Our families and students deserve a leader working with a sense of urgency and a system that delivers on that urgency every day.

From Variance to Excellence

As we shape our three-year Strategic Plan, we will confront variance head-on. Our success depends on harnessing accelerants — the strategies and structures that give momentum to our big rocks and help us scale excellence across every school.

To advance this work, our next budget and Strategic Plan will move together, channeling energy and investment into six priorities that drive alignment and accelerate progress:

✔ Technology and AI Integration
✔ Safety and Security
✔ Professional Development
✔ Special Education
✔ STEAM
✔ Employee Compensation

These priorities will build on our momentum to move us closer to excellence that is consistent, measurable, and shared in every school.

A hundred days in, I’ve come to understand this: We don’t have an achievement problem.  We have an alignment problem.

Student data tell a story of growth, not gaps. Our students aren’t behind; they are capable, creative, and complex. The question before us isn’t how do we catch them up?  It is how do we accelerate their success?

Across PGCPS, extraordinary teaching and learning happen every day. The next chapter is about scaling that excellence, systemwide.

When we align our people, priorities, and purpose, we create velocity. It is the energy that moves every student forward and every school upward. 

That’s how we turn 100 days of momentum into a movement for lasting excellence.

With gratitude and determination,

Shawn

Shawn Joseph, Ed.D.
Interim Superintendent