We are the parents, educators, grandparents, students, and community members of Prince George's County. We are taxpayers. We are voters. We show up at school events, Board meetings, community sessions, and ballot boxes. We are not bystanders in this process. We are the reason this process exists.

On January 23, 2026, County Executive Braveboy announced this superintendent search with a public commitment to 'meaningful opportunities for community input, including forums and stakeholder listening sessions.' On April 30, 2026, Search Committee Chair Dr. James Bell stated: 'We remain committed to a transparent process that centers every community in Prince George's County.' More than 4,270 PGCPS community members completed surveys to help shape what kind of leader this district needs. We did our part. We showed up.

As of May 8, 2026, County Executive Braveboy already has the names of the three superintendent finalists. The selection deadline is June 1. No community forums have been scheduled. The finalist names are being kept secret. The community that was asked to shape this search is being shut out of it.

This is not the first time. This community has watched this administration operate without transparency: from the circumstances surrounding the interim superintendent appointment, to budget decisions that cut programs while protecting administrative costs, to a community confidence survey whose results were ignored. The pattern is not coincidental. It is a choice being made at the expense of our children and our schools.

The Search Committee's own report identified a 'community-centered and transparent communicator' as the number one characteristic required in the next superintendent. They defined the standard. Now they are violating it. And this community is asking a straightforward question: if the outcome of this search has not already been determined, why is the community being kept out?

Community trust in the current interim superintendent has been formally measured. Survey data collected from PGCPS stakeholders reflects a clear lack of confidence in his leadership. That data exists. It has been raised through proper channels. It has not been addressed. Prince George's County families deserve a genuine, transparent national search — not a process engineered to validate a decision that may already have been made.

Montgomery, Harford, and Worcester counties named their finalists publicly and held community forums. There is no Maryland law requiring secrecy. Prince George's County is Maryland's second largest school system and is receiving its least transparent superintendent search. That is inequitable. It ends now.

We are done waiting. We are done being used as data points in a process we are not permitted to see. We demand:

1.     Immediate public disclosure of the names of the three PGCPS superintendent finalists.

2.    Structured community forums with each finalist, accessible to families and stakeholders across Prince George's County, before County Executive Braveboy makes her selection.

3.    County Executive Braveboy, Dr. Wright, and Dr. Bell honor the written commitments made to this community and respond publicly within 48 hours.