Maxwell Gets New Contract Despite ‘Hiccups’

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Prince George’s County Executive Rushern T. Baker III took a bold step recommending County School Superintendent Kevin Maxwell receive a contract extension despite concerns from parents and activists. As recently as July 2016, the Prince George’s Chapter of NAACP called on Baker to replace Maxwell. It is unclear if the organization holds the same position, but many parents do.

County Executive Rushern Baker, III extended School Superintendent Kevin Maxwell’s contract amidst several controversies. (Courtesy Photo)

“We are still at the bottom of all the counties plus Baltimore City,” said Earl O’Neal, a parent involved with Friendly High School’s Parent-Teacher Association (PTA). “We lost $6.5 million from the federal government for Head Start. The system is still top heavy with administrators. So what has he done?”

While Baker and Maxwell were touting the progress of the state’s third largest school system, many were wondering privately how Maxwell had kept his job, let alone have his contract extended, after a series of public scandals that cast a black eye over the entire school system.

In February 2016, the school system was rocked by the news that school volunteer Deonte Carraway, 29, was arrested and accused of making child pornography at Sylvania Woods Elementary School in Glenarden, Md. and other sites. Police say Carraway directed children as young as nine to commit sex acts and then video-taped them. There are approximately 17 victims and Carraway pleaded guilty to the charges. He remains in the county jail awaiting sentencing.

In August 2016, federal officials terminated $6.4 million for the Head Start Program after a review found teachers used corporal punishment and humiliated children in an early education program. The program was replaced by a new program, Early Start, funded by the school system through hiring freezes on current and projected central office vacancies and the elimination of 19 central office-based Head Start positions, which project an overall total of $5.5 million.

Academic programs came under fire after the school announced the school system would no longer pays for classes in the AP Program unless the student was in the free or reduced lunch program. The AP program allows high achieving students to receive college credit while in high school. It is offered for free at all nearby school systems, including the District, Montgomery County, Charles County and Calvert County.

Many more parents were upset with the closing of Forestville Academy and others are organizing to protest boundary changes to impact Friendly High School in Fort Washington, Md.

It has not been smooth sailing for Maxwell who is White and began his tenure in 2013 after a short stint in Anne Arundel County where he came under fire from civil rights leaders. “He’s not perfect, I’m not perfect, but our job is to make this school system the best it can be for every single child that walks through our doors,” Baker said at Duval High School in Lanham, Md. Feb. 17, where he announced that Maxwell’s contract would be extended. “Have we had problems? Yes, we have. You’re going to have bumps and stumbles. The question is how you react to things that go wrong.”

Baker and Maxwell point to an increase in graduation rates, enrollment figures, and scholarship money as reason to be optimistic. “We have seen a profound shift in the culture, outcomes, and progress within Prince George’s County Schools,” Baker said.

Maxwell is grateful for the opportunity to continue as the county’s top educator. “It’s a great day in Prince George’s County. I stand here honored, humbled and gratified to be reappointed.”

The news of Maxwell’s contract extension has sparked controversy throughout the county. State Sen. C. Anthony Muse (D-26), who had called for Maxwell’s dismissal, has introduced a bill along with Del. Carolyn J.B. Howard (D-24th) to return the school board to an elected body. Control of the school board was given to Baker when he took office.

Maxwell, now the highest paid public official in the county with a salary of more than $299,000, is negotiating a new salary with the board of education for his contract which runs through 2021. This means the next county executive, in 2018, will have Maxwell until the final year of his term if it is approved by the school board. The rehiring of Maxwell marks the first time in 25 years that a county school superintendent received a second contract.