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Parents demanded solutions for the poor quality of southern Prince George's County's school facilities and overcrowded classrooms during an education forum Wednesday.

A panel consisting of Prince George's County Public Schools Superintendent John Deasy, school board member Donna Hathaway Beck, County Councilwoman Marilynn Bland (D-Dist. 9) of Clinton and Del. James Proctor, Jr. (D-Dist. 27) of Accokeek, among others, was present to answer questions prepared by the Parent Teachers Association about the states of Henry G. Ferguson Elementary School and Eugene Burroughs Middle School in Accokeek and Gwynn Park Middle School and Gwynn Park High School in Brandywine.

The audience was mostly concerned with the lack of funding available to make repairs in south county schools, arguing the majority of state funding is invested in northern county areas such as Bowie.

Deasy stated the school district has three main problems: the ability to spend money on fixing or replacing facilities, the continued growth of the population and the current economy of the county and state.

The forum format disintegrated, erupting into concerned residents asking impromptu questions and rebutting the panel's answers.

Panelist Rupert McCave, a Capital Improvement Program officer, assured the group that south county was not being forgotten, stating there is currently a plan to build an elementary school in Clinton, behind the public library, that would include students from Tanglewood Regional School.

An audience member responded "that's not Accokeek."

In a $1.2 million recent assessment by an out-of-house consultant, the schools were ranked by the quality and safety of each facility. Schools at the top of the list are deemed to be in serious need of repair or replacement, McCave said.

The study, which Pasadena, Calif.-based Parsons Corp. presented to the school board in May, found that county schools are in need of $2.8 billion in improvements.

The study analyzed 184 facilities and listed eight school buildings as being in poor condition. Seven of these are in south county: Avalon Elementary in Fort Washington, Samuel Chase Elementary in Temple Hills, Middleton Valley Elementary in Temple Hills, Henry G. Ferguson Elementary, the annex building at Suitland High School, Morningside Elementary in Suitland and Clinton Grove Elementary were all listed as being most in need of repairs. Tulip Grove Elementary in Bowie was also listed among the schools in poor condition.

On that list, Henry G. Ferguson Elementary School was third, behind Morningside Elementary and Avalon Elementary.

However, on the CIP list, which determines the order in which the schools will actually receive funding to make necessary repairs and replacements, the school is No. 24.

"The money is going to the north [county schools]," said Ray Lacy, PTA president at Henry G. Ferguson Elementary.

Each region of the county is getting an equal share of state funding for school construction and repair, Proctor said.

Out of the state's designated $400 million budget for school construction in Prince George's and Montgomery counties, both received $51 million, Proctor said, leaving the remaining 21 counties and Baltimore City with residual funds of less than $300 million.

"We are getting our equal share, but we can't designate where it is going," Proctor said.

Addressing the problems of overcrowding classrooms, Lacy asked the panel whether a moratorium on housing could be put in place.

Beck said moratoriums in the county have not proven successful. A property owner should have the right to build and moratoriums tend to hurt the economy, she said.

Instead, Beck suggested the community be vigilant in looking for empty classroom seats in neighboring communities.

Beck said she is disappointed in the recent agreement by the school board to add $1 million in Capital Improvement Program funds to the budget for a proposed second high school in Bowie when there are 400 empty seats in Largo High School in Upper Marlboro and another 500 in Duval High School in Lanham.

"I voted no," she said, adding that she fought against the plan knowing that schools in southern parts of the county were in desperate need for funding.

When a woman in the audience asked, "Would you send your kids to our schools?" both Beck and Proctor replied that their children had received their education in south county schools.

Pamela King-Williams, a 10-year PTA veteran in south county schools, said that a similar, almost "identical" panel was held at the beginning of her tenure.

"And we got the same answers 10 years go," she said.

King-Williams, Gwynn Park High School PTSA president, said the PTSA would take some of the advice given to them, write down all of the issues and send them to the school board.

The final question of that night came from Lacy, asking the panel what could be done now to make sure the schools will not be in the same situation 10 years from now.

"I never got my answer," Lacy said after the meeting.

E-mail Megan McKeever at mmckeever@gazette.net.