In Maryland, Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) announced a reversal of their decision to cut language immersion at the middle and high school levels and in boundary programs (K-8 lottery immersion schools).
“We are pleased to share that Prince George’s County Public Schools will fully sustain Language Immersion programming for the 2026–2027 school year,” read the announcement. Parents of immersion students had rallied and campaigned to save the programs, and Superintendent Shawn Joseph referenced their advocacy at a recent meeting of the board workgroup.
The cuts that were part of the superintendent’s budget would have closed the Chinese immersion program at Paint Branch Elementary, the Spanish immersion program at Capitol Heights Elementary, and the Chinese immersion program at Greenbelt Middle School, as well as all high school immersion programs (Chinese, Spanish, and French), all of which are housed at Largo High School.
Though parents celebrated the decision, some said it had come too late for the fall enrollment.
“I’m happy and grateful for the overall win and the future of the program, but also sad and angry about the inconsiderate manner with which PGCPS handled the issue,” said Erica Watson Staples, the parent of an eight-grader enrolled in an immersion program. “Our family recognized the value of this program and made the decision to enter our student in kindergarten with the intention of following all the way through to high school graduation. After nine years of sacrifice and commitment, for PGCPS to just completely take it away only to suddenly reinstate it so late in the year is wrong and almost feels like a purposeful sabotage,” she said.
The Strategic Realignment Workgroup led by the Board of Education is conducting a review of the budget to guide long-term financial decisions, said PGCPS, but their work “will not be completed in time to inform immediate programmatic decisions for the upcoming school year.”
Greenbelt News Review (6/10/26) By Anna Bedford-Dillow