Prince George’s County has proposed an ambitious Fiscal Year 2022 budget focused on funding education, police reform, the environment, and immigration services for low-income communities, despite financial hardship the area has faced during the pandemic.

As County Executive Angela Alsobrooks announced during a press conference Thursday, the proposal establishes a $4.58 billion operating fund — an increase of more than $100 million from last year. The general fund used for daily and long-term county operations would total $3.78 billion — $60 million more than last year. Alsobrooks said although money is tight this year, financial losses the county experienced during the pandemic were not as severe as expected.

“The pandemic has impacted our budget for the last few fiscal years,” Alsobrooks said during Thursday’s press conference. “We’ve not seen any declines in revenues, but we have not also seen the growth that is typical.”

Education makes up the largest chunk of the proposed budget (at least 80% of funds supporting K-12 education and public safety costs). Prince George’s wants to allocate $2.34 billion to the county Board of Education — a $64.4 million increase from last fiscal year. That money would help fund six new schools totaling more than $185 million, as well as teacher salaries, hiring 65 school clinicians, and supporting hybrid learning.

Under a proposed universal laptop program, all county public school students would receive a learning device. Online learning has been especially difficult for low-income families in the region if they cannot afford high-speed internet or don’t have access to a computer or tablet.

The second-largest chunk of the budget goes toward public health and safety initiatives. Prince George’s wants to fund a new Immigrant Affairs division within the Office of Community Relations, including one manager and two support positions, to better connect the county’s immigrant population with government resources. Immigrants make up 22% of the county’s population, according to census data from 2019.

The budget also supports local economic development with $7.8 million set aside for expanding rental assistance and maintenance for homes along the Suitland/ Naylor Road and the Central Avenue Blue Line Corridor areas. The Workforce Housing Gap Financing Program, which caters to many of the county’s low-income, minority families, would receive a $4.1 million boost to mixed-income community development.

“We’re also expanding our successful emergency rental assistance program through grant funding, which will increase the number of households that receive assistance,” Alsobrooks said.

Similarly, the budget would establish a new Office of Human Rights, refurbished from the former Human Relations, that supports undocumented residents at risk of deportation, investigates discrimination and human trafficking, and ensures government agencies make services and information available in different languages.

Other health initiatives include 10 new positions in the Health Department to improve clinical services, increase support for the county Food Equity and Food Insecurity program helping address food insecurity in the county.

The budget sets aside $764.1 million for the county police department — a decrease of $23.1 million from last year. That money would fund three new positions in the department, including a director of race and equity and two psychologists on the police reform task force. The department would also add two new recruitment classes to facilitate better hiring practices within its ranks.

After nationwide protests calling for police reform last year and a racial discrimination lawsuit filed against the Prince George’s County Police Department, the county assembled a police reform work group of local officials and advocates tasked with suggesting fair practices and increasing transparency within the department. An unredacted copy of their report released last month alleges officers mishandled racial and discriminatory harassment complaints and police leadership failed to discipline officers for discriminatory behavior.

The report also lists complaints from numerous county and state officials and community members reporting inappropriate and racist behavior from white officers that allegedly went underinvestigated.

Alsobrooks said the county will implement 46 out of 50 recommendations outlined in the group’s report which include investment in mental health programs, expansion of community-oriented policing, and not hiring officers with a history of disciplinary issues.

“Here in Prince George’s County, we have paid close attention to these national developments,” Alsobrooks said during the press conference. “Prince Georgians want to close the equity gap in policing.”

Elsewhere, the budget allocates $216 million toward various environmental programs — a $7.8 million increase from last year. That money would fund improving the county’s air and water quality and cut back on food waste in landfills. The county would also add a new scheduling app to its on-demand TheBus service and increased internet bandwidth.

“As we move forward, we must continue to invest our resources with discipline in the face of uncertainty, we emerge from this pandemic in a new world,” Alsobrooks said.

The city council has until June 1 to approve the budget.