In his last budget before leaving office, Prince George’s County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) wants to cancel employee furloughs and provide as much education funding as possible, the executive said at a public hearing Wednesday.

But Johnson’s hopes for his $2.6 billion spending plan rest on whether Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) restores more than $44 million in county cuts already proposed in the state budget.

“He’s really working with us. I understand it’s a political thing,” said Johnson. “We are absolutely convinced that some of that money is coming back.”…

…Johnson described the county’s fiscal picture as “a little better” than last year, when department funding was slashed, county workers were forced to take 10 days of unpaid leave and 55 employees were laid off to balance the budget. Last year, Johnson tried to raise property taxes through the General Assembly to bring more revenue to county coffers, which brought a flood of protestors to last year’s budget hearing.

BABYSITTER COURSE,registration required by today for 9 a.m.-1 p.m. class on Saturday for ages 11 to 15; instruction in safety precautions, basic first aid, calling for emergency help and marketing of services; take a bag lunch or snack. Laurel Regional Hospital, 7300 Van Dusen Rd., Laurel. $28. 301-497-7914.

SCULPTURE BY MARCELLA MORGESE, mixed-media works by the Maryland artist, through March 26. Montpelier Arts Center, 9652 Muirkirk Rd., Laurel. Free. 301-7800, 301-490-2329 (TTY), http://www.pgparks.comor montpelier.arts@pgparks.com.

THEATER: “THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD,” for ages 3-9, Omaha Theatre Company performs an interactive version of the classic tale. 10:15 a.m. and noon, Publick Playhouse, 5445 Landover Rd., Cheverly. $5. 301-277-1710.

CHILDREN’S AVIATION CLUB, for ages 2-5 accompanied by an adult, the Peter Pan Club activities include flying stories, museum tours, crafts and games. 10:30 a.m.-noon, College Park Aviation Museum, 1985 Cpl. Frank Scott Dr. Free, with museum admission: $4; seniors, $3; ages 2-18, $2. 301-864-6029 or http://www.collegeparkaviationmuseum.com.

This vision has been developed as a direct result of 2,500 residents and stakeholders identifying our county’s assets, opportunities, and challenges and generating thousands of other ideas in meetings, forums, sessions, and workshops held throughout the county in the past 18 months. The vision has been organized comprehensively across a framework of six quality of life Envision areas – Live, Work, Learn, Serve, Enjoy, and Sustain.

A vision is designed to inspire and challenge. It describes a preferred future by expressing greatness that we seek to achieve. It should be memorable, appealing to all stakeholders, and, once finalized serve as a “North Star” to guide our direction for the next couple of decades. It also needs, in part, to build upon the foundation of current realities, circumstances, and possibilities, while aspiring to something greater.

In today’s excerpt, we take a look at some of the goals from the Greater Washington 2050 Coalition.  The Greater Washington 2050 Coalition brought together leaders from across the region to lay the foundation for the kind of region everyone in the District of Columbia and surrounding counties “want to enjoy in the years to come.” The coalition’s conclusion was “To shape our future and to maintain and improve our quality of life, this region deserves bold action, not business as usual.”

Economic: Create a diversified, stable, and competitive economy, with a wide range of employment opportunities and a focus on sustainable economic development. Enhance the economic prosperity of each jurisdiction and the region as a whole through balanced growth and access to high-quality jobs for everyone.

Housing: Provide a variety of housing types and choices in diverse, vibrant, safe, healthy, and sustainable neighborhoods, affordable to persons at all income levels. Make affordable housing a priority throughout the region.

For much more background on our county, please download and review the Envision Participant Guide (note: This is a large 2MB PDF file), and look for many more Participant Guide excerpts here at the Envision blog.

The state school board approved a request made by the Prince George’s County school system to waive five of the nine school days missed due to snow this school year on Monday. The other four days will be added to the end of the school year.

On Feb. 23, the state board unanimously approved a plan that allowed school systems to shorten the mandated 180-day school year by up to five days. Schools interested in the waiver had to submit a request.

Prince George’s public schools were closed a total of nine days this school year due to snowstorms in late December and early February. The school calendar had allotted four makeup days after the last day of school June 10, but officials struggled with ways to make up the other days. Some suggested canceling spring break for students, but officials decided against that plan.

The last day of school will be June 16 for students and June 17 for teachers.

During the first meeting of a new Upper Marlboro drama class, acting teacher Jamila Odom handed 10-year-old Jabari Ferrell, who lives in Upper Marlboro, a card with the word “cold” written on it.

He thought for a moment and then, without speaking, began to shiver, rubbing his arms and chattering his teeth.

The nine other youngsters gathered Feb. 24 in the cafeteria at Melwood Elementary School shouted, “Cold!” and Jabari, a fifth-grader at Excellence Christian School in Upper Marlboro, sat down. One by one, the students took turns acting without words, with Odom coaching them through more complex emotions like “confused” and “grumpy.”

Odom, 35, who lives in Clinton and studied communications and theater in college, said she came up with the idea to start the Act Your Best drama program after realizing there weren’t many options around Clinton and Upper Marlboro for her own daughter, Jada, 10, who is interested in pursuing acting.

Through a series of community forums, innovative educational activities, and online discussions, Envision Prince George’s has involved thousands of residents and other stakeholders from all over the county in helping to create a better future for all. The 21^st Century Town Meeting will gather 1,000 to join in this important discussion for the first county-wide meeting of its kind.

The 21^st Century Town Meeting will build on the input and ideas from the community forums and will be highly interactive and participatory. Small group facilitated discussions will ensure everyone has a meaningful opportunity to share their views and listen to others. Wireless keypad voting technology will be used to gather participant input and gain perspectives to identify important priorities of the community.

The Department of Parks and Recreation encourages and supports the participation of individuals with disabilities.  Register at least two weeks in advance of the program start date to request and receive a disability accomodation (i.e. sign language interpreter, large print/Braille, etc.)

In today’s excerpt, we take a look at some of the goals from the Greater Washington 2050 Coalition. The Greater Washington 2050 Coalition brought together leaders from across the region to lay the foundation for the kind of region everyone in the District of Columbia and surrounding counties “want to enjoy in the years to come.” The coalition’s conclusion was “To shape our future and to maintain and improve our quality of life, this region deserves bold action, not business as usual.”

Environmental: Maximize protection and enhancement of the region’s environmental resources by meeting/exceeding air, water, and land standards and by preserving our region’s open space, green space, and wildlife preserves.

Energy: Decrease greenhouse gas emissions, with substantial reductions from the built environment and transportation sector; provide efficient public and private use of energy region-wide, with increased reliance upon renewable energy and alternative fuels.

For much more background on our county, please download and review the Envision Participant Guide (note: This is a large 2MB PDF file), and look for many more Participant Guide excerpts here at the Envision blog.

In today’s excerpt, we take a look at a few of the goals set by the Greater Washington 2050 Coalition.

The Greater Washington 2050 Coalition brought together leaders from across the region to lay the foundation for the kind of region everyone in the District of Columbia and surrounding counties “want to enjoy in the years to come.” The coalition’s conclusion was “To shape our future and to maintain and improve our quality of life, this region deserves bold action, not business as usual.”

Land Use: Enhance established neighborhoods with compact, walkable, and transit-oriented, mixed-use development and with the preservation of open space, farmland, and environmental resource land in rural areas.

Transportation: Provide a broad range of choices to maximize accessibility and affordability to everyone and to minimize reliance on single-occupancy automobile use; maximize community connectivity and walkability, while minimizing ecological harm.

Do you have an opinion about living in Prince George’s County? Are there things you’d like to see changed? Things you’d like to celebrate? Do you feel that you don’t have a say in what happens in our county?

Well, now’s your chance to voice your opinion and be heard. The Envision Prince George’s Project has asked county residents, business owners and those who work in the county to speak out on issues that are important to the future of our county.

We held town meetings throughout the county last fall and now we’re gearing up for one last meeting — a 21st Century Town Meeting — to be held on March 20 at the Sports & Learning Complex in Landover. Registration is free, and anyone older than 14 who has an interest in what happens in Prince George’s County is welcome and encouraged to attend. Find out more and register for the meeting at www.envisionprincegeorges.org or by calling me at 301-725-3202. Child care will be available at the meeting site. I’ll be attending the meeting, and I’d love to see other West Laurel residents there, too.