After 30 days exactly, the maximum time allowable by law, the Office of the General Counsel of Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) responded to the Greenbelt News Review’s Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) request for details of the separation and compensation paid or owed to Former Superintendent Millard House II.
PGCPS’ counsel responded by sending a separation document that included no dollar amounts or financial figures at all. Other news outlets, who would also have received responses to similarly timed MPIAs likely received the same information, leaving the Washington Post to report that House will receive “at least $730,000,” for example; and other newsrooms to use similarly approximate terms.
What we know from the separation agreement that was signed June 12 is that PGCPS and House have “mutually agreed” to terminate his contract early, when it should have run to June 30, 2027, and he’ll receive a variety of compensations, most notably two years of salary.
In the separation agreement, PGCPS Board Chair Branndon Jackson and House “acknowledge no fault or breach of any provisions of the existing employment agreement.” House will receive a lump sum severance payout equal to 24 months’ salary and any “benefits.” He will additionally receive any unpaid performance bonuses or stipends and any “deferred compensation” and “annuity contributions” due under his contract.
House and his family will continue to receive medical, dental and vision coverage for at least 12 months and contributions to his tax-sheltered retirement account of up to 16 percent of his base salary for six months. He’ll also receive compensation for unused vacation and sick leave and retain the PGCPS owned laptop, mobile phone and iPad.
House’s base salary was $345,000 when he joined PGCPS in 2023 but he received a Cost of Living Adjustment of 2.5 percent annually. Thus, for the last academic year his salary was $353,625, as confirmed by the State of Maryland salary schedule, and the coming year it would have been over $362,465. The Greenbelt News Review calculates the lump sum payout for the final two years of base salary alone, if COLA is factored in, will be equal to $733,992.90.
Interim Superintendent Shawn Joseph joined PGCPS on July 1, with a base salary higher than House’s was projected to reach at $365,000. His appointment was announced the day after House’s separation contract, on Friday, June 13. He was appointed by County Executive Elect Aisha Braveboy, prior to the start of her term on July 1.
House’s separation agreement was effective June 18, and also stipulated a joint public statement, “highlighting accomplishments under Superintendent’s tenure.” The agreement continues, “Under threat of penalty, the parties both individually and collectively shalt permanently avoid any adverse communication; both parties agree to refrain from negative comments in public forums, including media, social media platforms, or any format.”
The Greenbelt News Review is appealing PGCPS’ response to our MPIA request which asked for “total compensation paid or owed” not the text of the separation agreement. The News Review has also submitted a second MPIA for the total value of the separation agreement in dollars.
Several Greenbelt parents and residents expressed frustration at the cost to the school system of the separation agreement with House – which is not yet fully known – and the new Interim Superintendent’s salary, particularly at a time when funding for education is a challenge. PGCPS also paid out almost $800,000 to Former Superintendent Kevin Maxwell in a separation agreement it reached with him in 2018. “Every taxpayer in the county has the right to be outraged. So does every single teacher,” said Brooke Kenny, Greenbelt parent of two children in PGCPS.
The author has two children who attend a Prince George’s County Public School.
