This school year, families across Prince George's County got a letter they weren't expecting. Students who had spent years working toward a spot in a language immersion program — earning their place, putting in the hours — were told there would be no program to graduate into. No high school immersion. No middle school continuation. Just a door quietly closed.
That's not a policy disagreement. That's a broken promise to our kids.
$150M
Budget gap driving the cuts — the largest single-year reduction in PGCPS history
$95M
In federal pandemic relief funds abruptly cut or withheld by the U.S. Dept. of Education
$50M
Additional funding PGCPS is requesting from PG County just to stabilize
Sources: PGCPS FY2027 Proposed Budget (Jan. 2026); WUSA9 (Apr. 2025); AFRO American Newspapers (Jan. 2026)
What's Actually Being Cut — And Why
Prince George's County Public Schools released its proposed FY2027 operating budget in January 2026 carrying a $150 million shortfall — the largest single-year budget reduction in district history. The district describes it as a "stabilization budget," not a growth plan. And to stabilize, they're cutting programs that define what makes PGCPS special.
Among the casualties: boundary-based language immersion programs at Paint Branch Elementary (Chinese immersion, serving 547 students) and Capitol Heights Elementary (Spanish immersion, serving 139 students). The county's only high school immersion program at Largo will accept no new students starting next year. The Chinese immersion program at Greenbelt Middle School is being phased out. International Baccalaureate preparatory programs at the elementary and middle school levels are being eliminated. The AVID college-readiness elective — designed specifically to help first-generation college students build the academic skills to succeed — is gone from middle schools entirely.
These aren't underperforming programs. PGCPS previously cited its immersion students as performing "as well or better than their peers" on standardized tests — in English, on top of mastering a second language. The district itself acknowledged the cuts "in no way reflect the quality, impact, or value of the program." They're cutting excellence because the money ran out.
How Did We Get Here?
The honest answer: a perfect storm of failures at the federal, state, and local levels — and a County Council that has been too slow to respond with urgency.
The largest single hit came in early 2025 when the U.S. Department of Education, under Secretary Linda McMahon, abruptly froze hundreds of millions in pandemic recovery funds. For PGCPS alone, Rep. Glenn Ivey estimated that move blew a $95 million hole in the school budget overnight — immediately halting mental health services, tutoring programs, and school construction projects already underway. The state of Maryland estimated the statewide impact at $219 million. PGCPS officials said they were "blindsided."
Compounding the federal hit: the expiration of COVID-era relief grants under the American Rescue Plan, delays and reductions in Maryland's Blueprint for Maryland's Future funding, and a $70 million reduction in the district's projected use of its fund balance. The result was a structural deficit that the district had been quietly anticipating — and that our County Council should have been aggressively planning for long before the cuts arrived.
Interim Superintendent Shawn Joseph put it plainly: the district "cannot cut its way to excellence." And yet without new revenue and a County Council willing to fight for more, that's exactly what's happening.
What I'll Fight for on the Council
Restore Specialty ProgramsThe immersion programs, arts academies, gifted and talented offerings, and AVID electives being cut right now are exactly the kind of programming that makes PG County competitive with neighboring jurisdictions. As a County Council member, I will push for dedicated restoration funding and demand that program cuts be the last resort — not the first.
Make New Development Pay Its Fair ShareNew residential development across the county is adding thousands of students to schools that are already overcrowded — and developers aren't being required to help cover the cost. I'll push legislation requiring new development to account for school capacity and contribute to infrastructure. If you're building here, you're investing in our schools.
Fight for Teacher RetentionPGCPS had 1,194 instructional staff vacancies in recent years and has been working hard to close that gap — including a major push that cut special education teacher vacancies from 242 to 80. But that progress is fragile. I'll advocate for compensation that keeps teachers in PG County classrooms, not pushing them to Montgomery County or Fairfax.
Create a Dedicated Education Revenue StreamOne-time reserves run out. Federal grants expire. We need a structural funding solution — a dedicated, stable revenue source to build new schools, modernize aging classrooms, and stop lurching from one budget crisis to the next. That means creative revenue strategies at the county level that don't simply pass the burden to working families.
This Is the Moment
The PGCPS FY2027 budget was transmitted to the Prince George's County Council in late February 2026. The County Council will decide how much of the $50 million stabilization request PGCPS is asking for actually gets funded. They will decide whether those specialty programs come back — or stay gone. They will decide whether this county treats education as a genuine priority or a talking point.
I'm running for District 6 because I believe in the students and families of this county — and I believe we deserve a seat at that table occupied by someone who will fight without apology for our kids' futures. A vote for Dominique Lamb is a vote to make that happen.
Get Your Vote In — For Our Schools
The primary election is coming. Make sure your voice is heard for District 6.
June 11–18 is Early Voting
June 23 is Primary Election Day
Here's the facts:
The $150 million figure — PGCPS released its $3 billion FY2027 proposed budget in January 2026 describing it as "the largest single-year reduction in district history," cutting $150 million while attempting to protect classroom instruction. Prince George's County Public Schools
The specialty program cuts specifically — Programs on the chopping block include two elementary language immersion programs, the middle school immersion program at Greenbelt Middle, and the county's only high school language immersion program. PGCPS also proposed cutting IB programs at the elementary and middle school levels, and middle school AVID elective courses. Greenbeltnewsreview
The federal sucker punch — Rep. Glenn Ivey estimated that the U.S. Department of Education's abrupt freeze of pandemic recovery funds blew a $95 million hole in the county's school budget overnight, halting mental health services, tutoring programs, and ongoing school construction projects. WUSA9
The district's own $50M ask — After cutting nearly $150 million from its budget, PGCPS requested an additional $50 million from the county for FY2027 to stabilize the school system, address special education gaps, and protect reading and math instruction. AFRO American Newspapers
The parent reaction — At the February 5 public hearing, the board faced sharp criticism from parents, including one community member who said, "You are managing to devastate all three of my children's lives." Streetcarsuburbs
Paid for by the Dominique Lamb Committee for Real Change, Erin Jones, Treasurer. Sources: PGCPS FY2027 Proposed Budget & FAQ (Jan.–Feb. 2026); Greenbelt News Review (Feb. 2026); Streetcar Suburbs Publishing (Dec. 2025, Feb. 2026); AFRO American Newspapers (Jan. 2026); WUSA9 (Apr. 2025); The Diamondback (Mar. 2025).