APS Capital Improvement Planning Update

APS Capital Improvement Planning Update On Tuesday, May 17, the Arlington School Board held its second Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Work Session to discuss options for the proposed FY 2017-26 CIP and to develop a proposal to address crowding and major maintenance needs for the school division over the next ten years. While the School Board has made no decisions at this point and the final CIP will not be adopted until June 16, the following are the key points that School Board members have reviewed and discussed at the recent CIP Work Sessions:

• The School Board has discussed options that place a priority for high school seats due to the 2,775 projected seat deficit for high schools by 2025.
• The priority for the upcoming ten-year plan will focus on what can be accomplished in the first two years of the FY 2017-26 CIP.
• Discussions around options to fund and develop a renovation and/or addition to the Education Center to convert the space for secondary classroom use.
• Planning to grow the Arlington Tech Program at the Arlington Career Center.
• The Board continues to discuss possibilities for using the Reed building and site to develop a new elementary school that address the elementary seat deficit. Determination of Reed as a neighborhood or choice school would require further analysis of projected enrollment growth and areas of greatest need.
• Discussing the need to potentially include future additions at several North Arlington elementary school sites in the CIP to further relieve elementary crowding.
• Authorizing a process to develop phased boundary refinements at the high school level in the near term to balance overcrowding. Phased boundary refinements could adjust boundaries for freshman classes over a four-year period to eliminate the need for students changing schools during their high school careers.

NEXT STEPS IN THE CIP PROCESS:

• May 19 – The School Board will hold a Public Hearing on the CIP as part of the Board’s regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. at the Education Center. Speakers may sign up online by 4 p.m. today or at the meeting on Thursday. Comments may also be submitted to the School Board members by email at School.Board@apsva.us.
• May 24 – The School Board and County Board will meet in a Joint CIP Work Session to share the School Board’s Capital Improvement Plan and discuss CIP options as well as space and funding needs. The meeting will be held in the County Board Room at 6 p.m. This meeting is open to the public, but members of the public typically are not invited to speak at work sessions.
• June 2 – School Board Meeting: Information Item – School Board’s FY 2017-26 CIP
• June 7 – School Board CIP Work Session #4 (if needed)
• June 16 – The School Board is slated to adopt the FY 2017-26 CIP as part of the Board’s regular meeting agenda. The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Education Center.
• TBD – The County Board adopts the Arlington County FY 2017-26 CIP, including the CIP Project and Funding Plan for Arlington Public Schools.

MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE CIP ONLINE: All information related to the CIP planning process is available online. Information includes:

• The Superintendent’s Proposed FY 2017-26 CIP.
• PowerPoint presentations from the May 10 and May 17 CIP Work Sessions.
• Possible funding scenarios that have been discussed with the School Board at recent Work Sessions.
• A list of CIP Questions and Answers from the School Board Work Sessions.