This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Schools

School Budget Cuts Have Limited Effect on Paint Branch Elementary

Amid deep county-wide budget cuts, one College Park elementary school is mildly affected.

The incessant phone ringing, the calendar oozing with appointments and the steady stream of parents pouring into the school's office might give Paint Branch Elementary School's Principal Jay B. Teston a reason to sweat, but not cuts to the county's education budget.

If he sweats, then his staff sweats, creating a frenetic learning environment that Teston would rather avoid.

"We discussed it as a staff," said Teston calmly. "This is the state of the economy. We have to be thankful that we still have jobs. We're going to move forward as if nothing has happened."

In June, the Prince George's County Board of Education adopted a $1.63 billion budget, a cut of nearly 5 percent from previous spending levels.

For most of the county schools, these budget cuts will translate into pay freezes, layoffs, larger class sizes and furlough days.

For Paint Branch, the cuts mean two fewer support staff positions and more innovation.

"None of the core teaching staff was cut," said Teston of the 25 teachers the school employs. "For the support staff, we lost two parent-professional positions. Administrators and school support staff are furloughed on Fridays until Aug. 13."

The school's theme for the upcoming year is, "Maintaining Exemplary Performance During Challenging Times."

"We still have to be productive despite the challenging times," Teston said. "We have to work creatively to make sure that everything that needs to get done gets done."

Results from the latest Maryland State Assessment, a federally mandated exam, showed that Paint Branch students are performing at levels higher than the county average. More than 84 percent of Paint Branch students tested proficient or better in reading.

Nestled in the residential area of College Park, Paint Branch plans to maintain a high standard of education by working with the larger College Park community.

The school has carved out a number of strategic partnerships with the University of Maryland, College Park, located about 5 miles away and is working to build a new partnership with a local civic organization.

In 2009, Paint Branch partnered with the University of Maryland's Confucius Institute, an organization designed to promote the teaching and learning of the Chinese language and culture, to broaden students' international focus.

As part of the partnership, the institute sponsored a full-time Chinese language teacher and assisted the school in taking about 50 students and chaperones to China in March.

"This summer, I've been invited to speak in front of the College Park Rotary Club. I began to discuss with them the international initiatives that we have here," Teston said. "Rotary is a strong supporter of international education; we hope to build a strong partnership with them."

When asked how he plans to weather the limitations imposed by the budget cuts, Teston responded, "It's up to the passion and the creativity of the school leader to seek out other sources."

Find out what's happening in College Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?