Prince George's schools may cut more than 1,100 jobs, enlarge classes

Prince George's School Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. has proposed cutting more than 1,100 jobs, paring back pre-kindergarten programs and increasing some class sizes to close a major budget shortfall.

The cuts are more severe than what Hite proposed just seven weeks ago, when he presented a budget for fiscal 2012 that would freeze pay and eliminate middle school sports while also cutting hundreds of jobs.

Since then, state officials have proposed lower local school funding levels than Hite expected. The budget he proposed Tuesday night includes nearly all of his previous cuts and many new ones, with the goal of saving $155 million and bringing the bottom line to $1.6 billion.