Board of Education Candidates Advance to General Election
In the Maryland primary, Prince George’s residents also voted for Prince George’s County Board of Education of members who will be running in the 2024 general election on Nov. 5.
The Board of Education seats are elected in a nonpartisan runoff manner, where candidates from the same district all run against each other and the top two vote recipients advance to the general election. The seats are staggered, so roughly half the board is up for election every cycle.
District 4 School Board Member Shayla Adams-Stafford ran uncontested and is certain to begin her second term representing her central county district.
In District 1, longtime Board of Education member David H. Murray and educator Dr. Tiffini L. Andorful advanced to the general election. District 7’s general election will feature School Board Member Kenneth Harris II, running for his second term, against American University professor Dr. Phelton Moss. District 5’s contest is between either appointed School Board Member Zipporah Miller and PGCEA-endorsed PGCPS parent Robin Brown.
District 8 saw legislative director Angela R. Jones and PGCEA-endorsed Zakyia Goins-McCants advance to the general election to represent the South County-based district while appointed Board of Education Member Leslie Frazier fell to last place.
The Prince George’s County Delegation passed legislation in 2022 that would end the practice of appointing four members of the Board of Education, which should take effect this year. Some of the expected issues during the general election are school safety, classroom sizes, and teacher retention.
Prince George’s County Maintains AAA Rating Ahead of June Bond Sale
Ahead of a planned June bond sale, Fitch Ratings has affirmed roughly $300 million of general obligation (GO) bonds at AAA rating. This is the highest status possible, and indicates that investing into these bonds is viewed as extremely safe.
“The ‘AAA’ IDR and GO rating reflects the county’s historically strong operating performance supporting its ‘AAA’ financial resilience assessment,” read the Fitch Ratings analysis. “The ‘AAA’ assessment reflects a ‘high midrange’ level of budgetary flexibility and Fitch’s expectation that reserves will be maintained at or above 10% of spending (compared to the current 33%).”
Among the many moves that made former County Executive Wayne Curry (D) legendary in his role as Maryland’s first Black suburban executive was a trip to Wall Street that resulted in the County improving to AAA bond rating despite a $108 million deficit inherited to begin his administration. The County has maintained this platinum status as Black leadership has expanded to new offices, and this has undoubtedly helped with economic development and growth within the area.
The potential consequences of a bond rating drop could be disastrous: this would increase the interest rate on future loans and debts by the County government and . Former County Councilmember Derrick Leon Davis (D) has frequently noted that the bond rating is among the most important things for the County government to protect.
Sens. Cardin, Van Hollen Secure Federal Funding for Maryland
In the backdrop of the highly contested Senate primary, Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen (both D) have been working to secure funding for Marylanders.
Cardin, who currently chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, chose not to run for re-election and will be replaced by either Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D) or former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R).
Over $15,000,000 in federal funding is earmarked for local projects in Prince George’s and Montgomery County. Some of the recipients include two flood control projects in Prince George’s, summer enrichment and commercial driver’s license training programs at Prince George’s Community College, and a nonprofit that provides glasses to students in need.
“This second FY24 spending package continues critical investments in locally driven projects and opportunities across the state,” said Sen. Cardin. “We are responding directly to the needs of Marylanders and remain committed to bringing new federal resources to our state.”
On May 3, both Senators announced $1,071,000 to establish a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Maryland- Eastern Shore (UMES), which would be only the second HBCU in the nation and the first Maryland university to offer this program.
“Investing in the education of Maryland’s future veterinarians will help protect our agricultural economy and improve access to veterinary care,” said Senator Van Hollen. “These funds will make UMES a regional pioneer, providing top-notch education in veterinary medicine and creating opportunities for students to enter an understaffed but critical field.”
The Senators also partnered with much of Maryland’s congressional delegation on May 2 to announce nearly $30,000,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to identify, remove, and replace lead pipes across Maryland. Forty-nine percent of this funding is required to be offered as grants or forgivable loans to disadvantaged communities.
An EPA report conducted last year found there are at least 70,000 pipes in Maryland, primarily in the Baltimore metropolitan region, that contain lead content.
“Lead pipes pose a serious threat to the health of our communities and are especially harmful to our most vulnerable: young children and older adults,” read a joint statement from the lawmakers. “We passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to fund priorities like this and boost our efforts to eliminate these dangerous pipes once and for all – including in areas that historically have been overlooked. With this investment, we’re bringing clean, safe water to all our communities.”