Huge increase in Prince George's school staffing?

Every week the Washington Business Journal publishes a list of something--and the lists are compiled into an annual "Book of Lists."

The lists generally have 25, 50, or 100 businesses or other organizations ranked by size, number of employees, revenues, or other factors used to compare the organizations.

Organizations located in Prince George's County are generally underrepresented compared to those located in other area jurisdictions. The few Prince George's organizations that do get listed are almost never at or near the top of any list.

The July 3 issue has a list of "Largest Employers," ranked by non-federal public and private metro area employers. The listing is based on "Employment reported to the Washington Post on Feb. 5, 2014 and April 8, 2015."

Number one on the list is Prince George's County Public Schools, with 23,785 employees in 2015, and 18,197 employees in 2014. That is a 30% increase in staffing in just 14 months.

Fairfax County Public Schools were second, reporting 23,447 employees in 2015, and 23,513 in 2014, a reduction of about 0.3%. Montgomery County Public Schools were fourth, reporting reporting 22,932 employees in 2015, and 21,580 in 2014, an increase of about 6%.

If these numbers are accurate:

• Why was there such a huge increase in staffing?
• Montgomery County has roughly 20% more students than Prince George's County, so why does Prince George's need to have more school staffing than Montgomery?