Prince George's County Teachers Protest Staffing Shortages, Packed Classrooms

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — At a recent school board meeting, Prince George's County educators held a protest outside to highlight their concerns about what they see as staffing shortages, burned out employees and overcrowded classrooms.

Educators stated at what they called the Teacher Un-Appreciation Rally that the "lack of experienced teachers is leading to daily staffing shortages, burnout and overcrowded classrooms that detract from student learning." They added that these concerns have been presented to the school board, but nothing has been done.

“When schools are overcrowded and understaffed, student learning suffers and teachers burnout,” said Donna L. Christy, president of the Prince George’s County Educators’ Association.

Data provided by the PGCEA shows that 1,126 teachers resigned between July 2022 and July 2023, up from 989 the previous year. There’s currently an estimated 1,961 educator vacancies districtwide. Educators want the school board to focus on teacher retention and recruitment a top priority, the association stated.

"We're filling the gap now with conditionally licensed educators, which is, literally, you have a degree, a pulse and you can pass the background check, you can have a classroom," Christy told NBC Washington.

Protesters last week also said low salaries are pushing candidates to seek employment with other school systems in the region that pay more.

"If they can pay for consultants, they can give you a raise," Council Member Wala Blegay told the teachers at the demonstration. "Because a consultant is not in the classroom dealing with the day-to-day issues … it is you."

PGCPS Superintendent Millard House II shared a statement with Patch addressing the concerns brought up at the protest.

"Our educators are the backbone of our school district and the world, cultivating young minds on their journey to reaching their full potential. Thanks to our educators, PGCPS has consistently graduated leaders and change makers who impact communities and culture across sectors," House said.

"Since March 2025, PGCPS and PGCEA have been engaged in open negotiations to thoroughly consider nearly 40 proposals while balancing looming budget impacts, the needs of our students and the community at large. We will continue to engage in good faith to reach a new collective bargaining agreement that respects our educators, honors our values and protects the educational experience for our students.

"While we have reached some tentative agreements, we remain far apart on many issues, a normal part of the ongoing negotiation process. We are committed to a transparent process as negotiated with PGCEA," House said.

House encouraged the community to view open negotiation sessions at https://pgcps-org.zoom.us/j/87381576688 on Tuesdays from 5 to 7 p.m.