WASHINGTON 鈥� For the third time in recent weeks, the Prince George鈥檚 County, Maryland, school system鈥檚 CEO, Dr. Kevin Maxwell, is being criticized for giving raises to staff members.
This time, three members of the Board of Education allege that Maxwell overstepped his bounds because the raises were given to staff members outside the executive鈥檚 direct supervision.
In a letter聽Thursday to County Executive Rushern Baker, the three board members 鈥� Edward Burroughs III, Raaheela Ahmed and David Murray 鈥� refer to the raises for two staff members as 鈥渦nauthorized鈥� because the employees given the raises are not part of the executive鈥檚 cabinet.
Additionally, the three board members object to the size of the raises: one of 9.4 percent and one of 16 percent.
In their letter to the county executive, the three said, 鈥淲e can assure you that the principals and assistant principals that belong to [the Association of Supervisory & Administrative School Personnel] have not received pay increases anywhere near the magnitude authorized by Dr. Maxwell for these select employees of the central office.鈥�
In an interview with 草莓传媒, Burroughs referenced the 2013 law that allowed the county executive to appoint the school CEO.
鈥淯nder HB 1107 that granted the authority to the CEO, it only covers members of his executive cabinet,鈥� Burroughs said. 鈥淚t granted the CEO the authority to hire and set salaries for his executive staff.鈥� But, said Burroughs, 鈥渢he individuals that he approved raises for in this latest batch are not members of his executive staff.鈥�
Burroughs insists that means that the latest raises are in direct violation of the law.
鈥淲e all have to follow rules, policies, procedures and state laws, and no one鈥檚 exempt from that,鈥� he said.
John White, the spokesman for the Prince George鈥檚 County school system, told The Washington Post that there was nothing improper about the raises. 草莓传媒 reached out to White for comment and has not yet heard back.
Maxwell, who was reappointed for a second four-year term by Baker, has been sharply criticized for his management from a number of quarters. The three members of the Board of Education who sent Thursday鈥檚 letter urged Baker to fire Maxwell. The local chapter of the NAACP has called for his removal as well. And after audits at the local and state level revealed widespread grade-changing, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan called for Maxwell鈥檚 firing.
This week, Democratic state Sen. Anthony Muse called for Maxwell鈥檚 job and urged the state鈥檚 attorney, Angela Alsobrooks, to investigate Maxwell. In response, Alsobrooks dismissed Muse鈥檚 suggestion as 鈥渢omfoolery鈥� but did call for Maxwell鈥檚 resignation.
Despite the chorus of criticism, Baker has stood by Maxwell, insisting the CEO has improved school performance and provided stability to a system that previously saw frequent churn among school leaders.
