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i have been going back and forth for the last 6 months in regards to relocatin from mye experience this is what I have seen ..i have went up to spend time in Pg countyand some others with friends and family and it depends on the needs of your family..my observation compared to living down south..
Howard County: AWESOME SCHOOLS..which is very important to me and obviously to the people that reside there bc the way public funds are disbursed goes back into the scools..the housing iis..uummm o.k. not what i am use to but hey it's a new place awesome location in between dc and md
PG County: THE LAST RANKING SCHOOLS ON THE LIST THEY ARE #24..trust me this is not good..why in the world are these people in the big houses and cars and their kids education is rock bottom? I was very disappointed being a minority that makes 6 figures I expected a better mindset to go with the wealth in the county..it seems that the mindset is HOOD RICH..they have all the luxuries and nothing is going back into education for the kids which are the future..why not pay and get the appropriate staff for OUR KIDS..those nice cars,houses are not gonna benefit them down the road...trust me it is nothing wrong with nice things.i have plenty of toys myself but i understand EDUCATION FIRST FOR MY KIDS!!..this gave me major reservations about this area..my 4 sons are in private school in NC and to bring them into this school system is like a disgrace to the black race..it saddened me to see all of this success and then pull all the numbers and research on the schools and they werent crap, not to mentio the way we spend out money in that county..I have done intense research on these areas and go visit on a regular to observe.. IF THE SCHOOLS AREN'T UP TO PAR AND WE PUSHING BiG WHIPS AND HOUSES ...OK SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT WITH THAT PICTURE, REALITY CHECK!! these are the two counties I was and still am PRAYERFULLY considering and also Baltimore County which have great schools it is just a little antiquated in some areas....i will find the right spot...and if I choose PG County I think Private School would be my route until a change comes!!some of the communities are nice from my observation so you really have to search for what works for you!!
i have been going back and forth for the last 6 months in regards to relocatin from mye experience this is what I have seen ..i have went up to spend time in Pg countyand some others with friends and family and it depends on the needs of your family..my observation compared to living down south..
Howard County: AWESOME SCHOOLS..which is very important to me and obviously to the people that reside there bc the way public funds are disbursed goes back into the scools..the housing iis..uummm o.k. not what i am use to but hey it's a new place awesome location in between dc and md
PG County: THE LAST RANKING SCHOOLS ON THE LIST THEY ARE #24..trust me this is not good..why in the world are these people in the big houses and cars and their kids education is rock bottom? I was very disappointed being a minority that makes 6 figures I expected a better mindset to go with the wealth in the county..it seems that the mindset is HOOD RICH..they have all the luxuries and nothing is going back into education for the kids which are the future..why not pay and get the appropriate staff for OUR KIDS..those nice cars,houses are not gonna benefit them down the road...trust me it is nothing wrong with nice things.i have plenty of toys myself but i understand EDUCATION FIRST FOR MY KIDS!!..this gave me major reservations about this area..my 4 sons are in private school in NC and to bring them into this school system is like a disgrace to the black race..it saddened me to see all of this success and then pull all the numbers and research on the schools and they werent crap, not to mentio the way we spend out money in that county..I have done intense research on these areas and go visit on a regular to observe.. IF THE SCHOOLS AREN'T UP TO PAR AND WE PUSHING BiG WHIPS AND HOUSES ...OK SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT WITH THAT PICTURE, REALITY CHECK!! these are the two counties I was and still am PRAYERFULLY considering and also Baltimore County which have great schools it is just a little antiquated in some areas....i will find the right spot...and if I choose PG County I think Private School would be my route until a change comes!!some of the communities are nice from my observation so you really have to search for what works for you!!
I can understand what you are saying, because it's really about values. I think there are several things going on with the middle class and affluent and the public schools in PG:
1. Not all the elementary schools are bad. Test scores may not be great in all schools, but quite a few are performing well, and most are performing average to decently -- just my observation. The problem as I see it is that not every child has access to the best schools and programs. For instance, Bowie schools tend to rank high test-wise for the most part, but not every child can have access to those schools. One of my children has the opportunity to attend one of those schools. When you walk in the door, you know it's not just test scores that make the school good. You see smiling, contented, involved parents there, taking their children to class. You see an accessible, personable, caring principal talking to parents. You see kids who look happy and contented to be in school. The whole attitude and environment is one where everyone knows education is a priority, expectations are high, success has taken hold and everyone wants to keep it that way. Contrast that to my child's previous school, where there was always chaos, someone always had an attitude, high achievement is a struggle, and adminstrators and some teachers are defensive. The kids seem to pick at each other more. Parents don't mind sauntering in way late with their kids in the morning. One of my children is on the sensitive side and saw all of this going down. This child made it clear to me that she was willing to leave his friends and go to another school. I was one minute off of putting her in a private school, but the transfer to the better school came through. My other child still goes to the less successful school (has to), b/c he's in a special program, and he can deal better with the chaos by letting much of it roll off. But this environment is what many middle-class and affluent parents have to deal with for their "home school" in my area. Would you want your child in such a school? Which leads me to point 2. . .
2. When a school is "bad," middle class and affluent parents are not going to send their children there as a rule. They will opt for private school. So the kids who are left in the so-called bad school are those who may not be as prepared to achieve as the higher-income kids. Or they are in a special program. Or they can achieve well anywhere, and their parents know this and take advantage of what the school has to offer and stay involved. Also, struggling schools don't get the best teachers; if they do, the teachers will very likely move on. Now, I've seen the Title I schools do well enough, but more resources and better teachers are dedicated to those schools.
3. The school atmosphere and attitude speak volumes. When you act as if you are victimized by having an abundance of poor, low, disruptive or disabled kids, and you act as if they cannot or don't want to learn, then your expectations are low. And those kids will unfortunately meet your low expectations.
4. The middle schools need to step up their game. Middle school is probably the worst part of a child's education. It's a transition time, adolescence is in full drive, the kids can be brutal to each other. The middle schools are not the most successful in PG. So again, the parents who can pull their kids out and opt for private school. Even the middle schools in Bowie, often considered the best area in PG educationally, are not the most successful. There is one Bowie middle school that everyone was going on about last year, but this year, it didn't make AYP. Plus, I've been hearing some horror stories about how black students are treated in that school.
5. Every time it looks like reform is headed in the right direction, under the direction of an innovative or committed leader, the leader leaves. Then we're back to square one.
All that being said, you can obtain a good to excellent public education in PG. But you have to choose the right schools or programs (not necessarily the highest ranked, but the most committed and best organized), lobby for the better teachers and stay involved. Guess what? You will need to do that whereever you go. For instance, you can't just move to Howard County, blithely place your child at Centennial High, and rest on your laurels.
trust me it is nothing wrong with nice things.i have plenty of toys myself but i understand EDUCATION FIRST FOR MY KIDS!!..this gave me major reservations about this area..my 4 sons are in private school in NC and to bring them into this school system is like a disgrace to the black race..
That's a very powerful statement coming from a black person about a majority black county that is the wealthiest in the US.
The problem isn't that the county is not spending.
The problem is that the county is broke and poorly managed.
PG already makes PG residents pay some of the highest taxes in the US. For what?
PG was way too reliant on the housing boom...making money off transaction taxes and high real estate values. PG has much less tax revenue from their small corporate tax base.
Because of the high taxes, that's why the residents enacted a law where taxes are capped. If PG was able to raise taxes even more, more people would leave for Charles County.
PG is already furloughing county workers and closing schools because of the budget deficit.
PG is the only county so far which opened school with issues. It all goes back to the people who are running the county. Have to put people in positions of power who care, and who know what they are doing.
i have been going back and forth for the last 6 months in regards to relocatin from mye experience this is what I have seen ..i have went up to spend time in Pg countyand some others with friends and family and it depends on the needs of your family..my observation compared to living down south..
Howard County: AWESOME SCHOOLS..which is very important to me and obviously to the people that reside there bc the way public funds are disbursed goes back into the scools..the housing iis..uummm o.k. not what i am use to but hey it's a new place awesome location in between dc and md
PG County: THE LAST RANKING SCHOOLS ON THE LIST THEY ARE #24..trust me this is not good..why in the world are these people in the big houses and cars and their kids education is rock bottom? I was very disappointed being a minority that makes 6 figures I expected a better mindset to go with the wealth in the county..it seems that the mindset is HOOD RICH..they have all the luxuries and nothing is going back into education for the kids which are the future..why not pay and get the appropriate staff for OUR KIDS..those nice cars,houses are not gonna benefit them down the road...trust me it is nothing wrong with nice things.i have plenty of toys myself but i understand EDUCATION FIRST FOR MY KIDS!!..this gave me major reservations about this area..my 4 sons are in private school in NC and to bring them into this school system is like a disgrace to the black race..it saddened me to see all of this success and then pull all the numbers and research on the schools and they werent crap, not to mentio the way we spend out money in that county..I have done intense research on these areas and go visit on a regular to observe.. IF THE SCHOOLS AREN'T UP TO PAR AND WE PUSHING BiG WHIPS AND HOUSES ...OK SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT WITH THAT PICTURE, REALITY CHECK!!:dubious: these are the two counties I was and still am PRAYERFULLY considering and also Baltimore County which have great schools it is just a little antiquated in some areas....i will find the right spot...and if I choose PG County I think Private School would be my route until a change comes!!some of the communities are nice from my observation so you really have to search for what works for you!!
You hit it right on the Nose!!! For the life of me i cannot understand how people live in Half a million dollar homes, especially in Largo and Mitchellsvile, but still need to keep it "Real" or "Hood". For Example, You have teens walking around The Cap Center Blvd you have teens walking around with pants hanging off their rear ends smelling like weed, Loud ghetto women, and violent crimes commited in the shopping center. That to me is ridiculous. PG has a lot of issues they need to fix starting with the school system.
I also believe they are trying to build A Wegmans in Landover????This should be a sight to see,, Who are they are going to have providing customer service in the store??? Maybe "Bonquisha"(with her blue and pink tracks,and ridiculously long finger nails, popping bubble gum in customer's faces) saying "Ummmm, I donna know where the Milk is??????" They need to understand Wegmans is a high end grocery story, not your local discount ''C-Mart". They are going to do have to do some serious Customer Service training with their potential employees, if they do put it in Landover . If it was up to me, I would make potential employees take a semester long course in Customer Service before I would consider hiring them for the store.
You hit it right on the Nose!!! For the life of me i cannot understand how people live in Half a million dollar homes, especially in Largo and Mitchellsvile, but still need to keep it "Real" or "Hood". For Example, You have teens walking around The Cap Center Blvd you have teens walking around with pants hanging off their rear ends smelling like weed, Loud ghetto women, and violent crimes commited in the shopping center. That to me is ridiculous. PG has a lot of issues they need to fix starting with the school system.
I also believe they are trying to build A Wegmans in Landover????This should be a sight to see,, Who are they are going to have providing customer service in the store??? Maybe "Bonquisha"(with her blue and pink tracks,and ridiculously long finger nails, popping bubble gum in customer's faces) saying "Ummmm, I donna know where the Milk is??????" They need to understand Wegmans is a high end grocery story, not your local discount ''C-Mart". They are going to do have to do some serious Customer Service training with their potential employees, if they do put it in Landover . If it was up to me, I would make potential employees take a semester long course in Customer Service before I would consider hiring them for the store.
LOL you are so funny. "Bonquisha" Anyway, my black guys and gals in PG, the county is beautiful. Please do something about your schools. For some of you guys posting on the forum. Pls donate money, books or time to your local schools so that they will stop shaming us.
PG can be great again. I mean I love Baltimore, but if Baltimore City beats your schools, you really need to get on the ball.
Kind of reminds me of Gaithersburg. It was beautiful and clean, and it didn't have any low income residents. But now I hear MS-19 is taking over. What happened to it?
I provided the answer a few pages back...the stupid law on mixed housing.
It all started in the Old Towne area. It's a goddamn disgrace the roaches invaded the historic Diamond Ave strip.
You hit it right on the Nose!!! For the life of me i cannot understand how people live in Half a million dollar homes, especially in Largo and Mitchellsvile, but still need to keep it "Real" or "Hood". For Example, You have teens walking around The Cap Center Blvd you have teens walking around with pants hanging off their rear ends smelling like weed, Loud ghetto women, and violent crimes commited in the shopping center. That to me is ridiculous. PG has a lot of issues they need to fix starting with the school system.
I also believe they are trying to build A Wegmans in Landover????This should be a sight to see,, Who are they are going to have providing customer service in the store??? Maybe "Bonquisha"(with her blue and pink tracks,and ridiculously long finger nails, popping bubble gum in customer's faces) saying "Ummmm, I donna know where the Milk is??????" They need to understand Wegmans is a high end grocery story, not your local discount ''C-Mart". They are going to do have to do some serious Customer Service training with their potential employees, if they do put it in Landover . If it was up to me, I would make potential employees take a semester long course in Customer Service before I would consider hiring them for the store.
It's cultural - no different than obesity or high unwed birth rate for black women. For some reason too many of us black folk have messed up priorities (i.e. will vote for a song on the radio, but won't vote on election day).
My wife and I are young black professionals with a big house in southern Prince George's. We have mediocre cars and no kids yet. When we have school aged kids we won't let them go to a failing school, aka, a school where parents don't care. And trust me lots of parents even in big homes don't care too much.
The same messed up priorites goes for half million dollar houses with foot tall weeds in the front lawn. I've seen a whole street of big houses most with crappy front yards(i.e. Edgewater Terr. 20744 to name one). No pride in anything and apathy for everything. A struggling mentality reigns for some stupid reason.
We're here in Clinton for 9 more years and the next move will be to a place with like minded individuals. People who are active in the community, who take steps to show pride in themselves and thier neighborhood, etc. We're sick of being in the minority in that respect.
That's a very powerful statement coming from a black person about a majority black county that is the wealthiest in the US.
The problem is that the county is broke and poorly managed.
PG is the only county so far which opened school with issues. It all goes back to the people who are running the county. Have to put people in positions of power who care, and who know what they are doing.
I would say the main problem is the county _was_ poorly managed in the late 80s and early 90s by catering to lower income residents while every other jurisdiction was catering to upper income residents. At least the planning for the county is much better now.
What do you expect from a county that until 1996 required developers to include affordable housing for EVERY new residential development (coined "moderately priced dwelling units") and had in its 1993 master plan a category of development that "includes a bank and a liquor store, in addition to ... dairy store, dry cleaners, video store, small fast-food establishment"?
The current county leadership gets a lot of crap, but they have continued to incrementally improve a county that was set up for failure.
I work in Bowie (live in Annapolis) and it seems pretty alright. Some of PG county has problems, but then again every state has some issues.
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..why in the world are these people in the big houses and cars and their kids education is rock bottom?
I was very disappointed 
being a minority that makes 6 figures I expected a better mindset to go with the wealth in the county..it seems that the mindset is HOOD RICH
..they have all the luxuries and nothing is going back into education for the kids which are the future..why not pay and get the appropriate staff for OUR KIDS..those nice cars,houses are not gonna benefit them down the road...trust me it is nothing wrong with nice things.i have plenty of toys myself but i understand EDUCATION FIRST FOR MY KIDS!!..this gave me major reservations about this area..my 4 sons are in private school in NC and to bring them into this school system is like a disgrace to the black race..it saddened me to see all of this success and then pull all the numbers and research on the schools and they werent crap, not to mentio the way we spend out money in that county..I have done intense research on these areas and go visit on a regular to observe.. IF THE SCHOOLS AREN'T UP TO PAR AND WE PUSHING BiG WHIPS AND HOUSES ...OK SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT WITH THAT PICTURE, REALITY CHECK!!
these are the two counties I was and still am PRAYERFULLY considering and also Baltimore County which have great schools it is just a little antiquated in some areas....i will find the right spot...and if I choose PG County I think Private School would be my route until a change comes!!some of the communities are nice from my observation so you really have to search for what works for you!!
