Prince George's school board to confront budget, academic-performance issues

More than half of the Prince George's County school board is new this week, but the challenges that members face aren't. The school system is confronting another year of budget troubles and struggles to improve academic performance.

In interviews, board members - two of whom were laid off by the school system over the summer - pledged that they would try to shield classrooms from further financial fallout. They also said they wanted to make it easier for community members to voice their opinions during budget planning. Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. will announce his budget proposal next week, kicking off a process that could last until June.