Prince George's County - Property Tax Credit - New Businesses PG 407-26
HB0369 changes how the County Superintendent of the Prince George’s County public school system is chosen. Under current law, the County Executive selects the superintendent from nominees generated through a search committee process, and the State Superintendent has approval authority. The bill removes that executive-led selection structure and instead requires the Prince George’s County Board of Education to select the superintendent by majority vote from among candidates considered by the board, after the board chair negotiates contract terms.
The bill also updates related timing and vacancy provisions. It keeps the superintendent’s four-year term, requires notice by February 1 if the incumbent seeks another term, sets deadlines for the board to complete selection, and provides that if a vacancy occurs the county board selects an interim superintendent. The bill retains the educational qualification requirements for the office, but removes references to State Superintendent approval of the appointment and the County Executive’s role in the process. The act would take effect July 1, 2025.
HB0369 would amend Education Article § 4-201.1 to shift authority over selecting the Prince George’s County superintendent from the County Executive to the county board of education. It would eliminate the statutory search committee and State Superintendent approval steps, while preserving minimum education and graduate-study qualifications, term length, and interim-vacancy procedures. The practical effect is to centralize hiring authority within the local school board and reduce county executive and state-level involvement in this county-specific office.
No committee transcript or vote record is provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate or formal support/opposition in the materials supplied. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears administrative and governance-focused rather than ideological, with its purpose framed as altering the selection process for a single county school leadership position. The absence of recorded votes or hearing testimony means overall sentiment cannot be reliably measured from the available context.
The likely point of contention is the transfer of appointment power. Supporters would likely favor giving the county board, as the body most directly responsible for school governance, control over selecting the superintendent. Opponents could object to removing the County Executive’s role and the State Superintendent’s approval authority, arguing that the existing process provides broader oversight and accountability. Because the bill is limited to Prince George’s County, any disagreement would likely center on local control versus executive and state checks rather than statewide policy.