The Gazette

Year marked by changes in education and vision

by Alexander Krughoff
Staff Writer
Jan. 2, 2004

Greg Dohler/The Gazette

Andre J. Hornsby took over as Prince George's schools chief in June and promptly set to work on solving the school system's financial and computer problems.

UPPER MARLBORO -- While the faces of the major players changed this year, Prince George's County Public Schools continued to struggle with many of the problems that have plagued the school system in recent years.

Test scores continued to rank among the worst in the state, and spending deficits forced major cutbacks.

However, signs of progress and a positive future began to surface by year's end.

"We got a lot done this year," said school board Chairwoman Beatrice P. Tignor. "Overall I think we had a good year."

But the year had an ominous beginning.

In January, schools chief Iris T. Metts began the year badly w when she presented what school board Vice Chairman Howard W. Stone Jr. called a "foolhardy budget," totaling more than $1.36 billion -- a $256 million increase over the previous year.

As Metts was busy asking for money school leaders knew would never materialize, the school system was building up a deficit that reached $25 million. And as the board began looking at ways to slash Metts' proposed budget, it also began a nationwide search for a new chief executive officer to replace Metts.

Ultimately, Metts' ability to work with the new appointed board deteriorated beyond repair. She withdrew her name from the CEO search and took a job with an education consulting company.

In May, the board officially appointed Andre J. Hornsby as the new CEO over the objections of parent groups and organized labor, who saw the former Yonkers, N.Y., superintendent as too headstrong and aggressive.

But as Hornsby took control of the 137,000-student system in June, the rocky relationships between the school board and the administration ended, and cooperation and trust slowly gained a foothold.

But Hornsby's history of poor relations with organized labor followed him to Prince George's, reaching its peak in November when the teachers union staged job actions at more than 30 schools to bring attention to the lack of a new contract.

The board and Hornsby quickly adopted a $1.19 billion operating budget for fiscal 2004, while simultaneously eradicating the deficit left from the Metts administration.

"We had to take a hard look at how the money was being spent," Hornsby said. "It took a lot of time and a lot of asking the right questions. We spent a lot of time just trying to get the correct information."

Hornsby was also forced to deal with a faulty $10 million Oracle computer system. In May, the school system launched the new system only to see its payroll plagued by numerous problems and errors, which resulted in missing or late paychecks.

But with a technical support deal with Oracle in the fall, the computer system improved.

The school system also saw its funding for construction increase, thanks in large part to two women dubbed the "PTA Divas."

Frustrated that their children were being forced into overcrowded schools, Donna Hathaway Beck and Linda Owens partnered with Del. James W. Hubbard (D-Dist. 23A) of Bowie to pass legislation imposing a $12,000 per unit surcharge on all new residential development. The school system must build one new high school and six new high school additions in the next four years to deal with an expected student enrollment boom.

"I think we had a pretty good year overall," said Howard Tutman, president of the Prince George's County Council of PTAs. "We had some tough moments, but we managed to continue moving forward."