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For Prince George's County leaders, the departure of Superintendent John E. Deasy, announced last week, is more than a loss in education expertise — it's a loss of stability.

More significantly, perhaps, it sets in motion a string of changes that is sure to alter the Prince George's County leadership landscape in the next three years.

While some are concerned, others says it's an opportunity for fresh faces and ideas to emerge.

In 2010, County Executive Jack B. Johnson and five of the nine County Council members will leave office because of a 1992 county charter amendment that limits some public officials to two terms in office.

Also, the school board, which currently has a combination of at-large and single-member district seats, will go to nine single districts in 2010, eliminating the at-large seats. With several school board members living near each other, some incumbents will not return.

When they hired him two years ago, many banked on Deasy to provide long-term guidance in a system that had seen years of turmoil and constant changes in leadership. Deasy's claim that he could get the county on the right track in about eight years provided hope to Prince George's, which has had six permanent or temporary superintendents since 1991. None lasted more than four years.

But Deasy announced Sept. 30 that he will leave in February to serve as deputy director of education of the Seattle-based Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation after just two years on the job.

"It truly is tragic," said Del. Barbara A. Frush (D-Dist. 21) of Beltsville.

As for the council, only members Ingrid M. Turner (D-Dist. 4) of Bowie, William A. Campos (D-Dist. 2) of Hyattsville, Eric C. Olson (D-Dist. 3) of College Park and Andrea Harrison (D-Dist. 5) of Springdale are eligible to seek a second term.

"The average citizen asks why we can't be more like Montgomery County or like Fairfax County in Virginia," said second-term Councilman Tony Knotts (D-Dist. 8) of Temple Hills, referring to counties without term limits. "The reason why is that [county residents] don't have sustainable governance."

Johnson's open seat creates the potential for other offices to open to novices. State's Attorney Glenn F. Ivey and County Sheriff Michael Jackson are both rumored to be mulling a run for the executive seat. Under county election rules, Jackson and Ivey would have to forgo their current positions to seek a primary nomination.

And in education, voters will select a slew of new faces for the county school board in 2010. In 2002, county and state leaders appointed members to the county board after infighting and financial irregularities caused the previous elected board to be disbanded. The board returned to an elected process in 2006, but with four local and five at-large members instead of nine single districts as in the past.

In 2010, the election rules change again so that every board member will represent a single district. Several at-large members will be forced to give up their seats or run against a fellow incumbent.

All the possibilities make for potential instability in the county, especially when it comes to working with state officials.

"Relationships are important," Knotts said.

Dave Cahn, co-chairman of Citizens for an Elected Board, the county group that advocated for the return to an elected school board and the single-member school districts, said he does not expect to see the school system lose a significant amount of institutional memory as long as several board members decide to run again.

Cahn also noted that the law provides for staggered board member elections — the elected five members with the lowest number of votes in 2010 will serve for two years rather than a four-year term — so that turnover doesn't happen all at once, allowing for more stability on the board.

"That way the turnover in the future will be more gradual because we wanted to keep expertise on the board," Cahn said.

Board Chairwoman Verjeana M. Jacobs (At-large) and Watson said they expect the policies they are putting in place now to reduce the effect of leadership turnover.

"It's less about the person and more about the goals and the underlying foundation of making sure students are at the forefront," Jacobs said.

For some observers, the shake-up in two years offers hope for a county that continues to face challenges in crime, education and reputation.

"It's going to be a remarkable election year," said Darrell Carrington, a political watcher and former council candidate. "It's an enormous opportunity for new leadership, new ideas and — I know it's a popular term right now — change."