Prince George’s Superintendent House is out; Braveboy wastes no time naming interim

By Jessica Kronzer and Michelle Murillo

For the third time in a decade, the Prince George’s County Public School system is looking for a new superintendent.

On Thursday night, the county’s school board and current Superintendent Millard House II came up with an agreement for his resignation.

By Friday morning, the county had named an interim superintendent who will take House’s place temporarily during the search for a permanent replacement.

The resignation follows a vote of no confidence in House by the county’s teachers union last week. Union officials said at the time that he was not responding to concerns about staffing shortages, payroll and school safety, among other topics.

The responsibility of selecting an interim superintendent fell on Aisha Braveboy, the current state’s attorney who is scheduled to be sworn in on Thursday as the next county executive. The county Board of Elections on Friday certified Braveboy’s victory in the June 3 special election to serve out the term of former County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, who was elected to the U.S. Senate.

Braveboy said her office began planning for a potential replacement weeks ago, amid concerns by educators and board members about House’s performance in the role.

“You would have to have been blind not to see that there were issues going on between the board and the superintendent, as well as the teachers and the superintendent,” Braveboy said at a news conference Friday morning.

House’s last day will be June 18, one day before Braveboy is to be sworn in.

House began the job as superintendent in 2023, the fourth person to hold the job since2013.

House’s contract was supposed to run through 2027, with an annual base pay of $345,000. There’s no word on what his severance package will be.

Who takes House’s place?

On Friday morning, Braveboy introduced Shawn Joseph as interim superintendent.

“Dr. Joseph is a highly distinguished career educator, scholar and advocate,” Braveboy said.

He also has history with Prince George’s County schools, having served as deputy superintendent for teaching and learning from 2014 to 2016. He also worked in Montgomery County Public Schools for years.

“Prince George’s County, I believe should be and can be, a place where equity and excellence just are married and we see students excelling,” Joseph said. “I think we’ve got all of the ingredients to be one of the fastest-improving school systems in the nation.”

Joseph runs an education and leadership consulting firm that provides services to school systems, including assisting in searches for superintendents.

He is no stranger to the role of superintendent himself. He’s led school systems in Delaware and Tennessee.

Most recently, he’s worked at D.C.’s Howard University for five years as an assistant professor of educational leadership, administration and policy.

Donna Christy, the president of the teachers’ union, said she’s hopeful about the transition as Joseph takes on the interim role.

“He presents as a problem solver, already identifying the issues, already talking about solutions and how we can move forward together as partners, and already talking about a compact of respect between our educators and the administration,” Christy said at the news conference.

The process of finding a new superintendent, Braveboy said, will involve getting input from the community and elected officials.

– As part of Maryland Matters’ content sharing agreement with WTOP, we feature this article from Jessica Kronzer and Michelle Murillo. Click here for the WTOP News website.