Proposed FY 2019-28 Capital Improvement Plan

CIP Includes Funding for Future Elementary, Middle and High School Seats

Staff proposed the Superintendent’s proposed FY 2019-28 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) at Thursday’s School Board Meeting. The proposed projects in the 10-year CIP total $598.95 million and include $427.95 million in bond funding.

The proposed plan focuses on providing seats for students in light of projected sustained growth in student enrollment while staying within the limited available funding and debt capacity.

Instructional Concept
The CIP includes an instructional concept based on the current breakdown of schools and programs. It includes 19 elementary neighborhood schools; five elementary option schools; three neighborhood middle schools; three neighborhood middle schools with options (e.g. IB, Immersion) and one secondary program (H-B Woodlawn); four neighborhood high schools with options and four programs.

This is a draft concept that will be reviewed and revised through the elementary boundary process and new strategic plan, working with principals, staff, and advisory committees.

Enrollment Projections
APS enrollment surpassed, 26,941 in October, an all-time high.  Over the next decade, elementary student enrollment is projected to increase by about 1,900 students or 13%. At the middle school level, enrollment is projected to grow by approximately 1,200 students or 22%, and at the high school level, enrollment is projected to increase by about 2,500 students or 37%.

FY 2019-28 Proposed Projects

Elementary School

• Reed Elementary School – The project includes 725 seats and is estimated to cost $55 million or less with a school opening in 2021. Work started under the last CIP.
• Future Elementary School – To include 725-750 seats and underground parking. The location is to be determined at a cost $95.2 million and an opening of 2029.

Both projects help APS prepare for continuing growth at the elementary level.

Middle School

• Future Middle School Seats – This project includes a 300 seat addition at a school to be determined for a proposed opening in 2023. The estimated cost is $27.0 million.

High School

• Additional Arlington Tech Seats – This project includes 250 additional seats created through internal modifications at the Career Center. The estimated cost is $18.75 million and will be ready by Sept. 2021.
• Education Center Seats – The project, with an estimated cost of $37.0 million, funds 500-600 seats through renovation of the existing facility. The school is proposed to open in 2021 and the seats will increase capacity at Washington-Lee High School to accommodate growth by adding additional neighborhood seats and/or by expanding the countywide International Baccalaureate (IB) program. These seats were included in the FY 2017-26 CIP as part of 1,300 additional secondary seats.
• High School Seats at the Career Center – This project includes 800 additional seats. The estimated cost is $138.3 million. The proposal defers the opening to 2026 because of financial constraints. These seats could be used as potential neighborhood high school seats or as an expansion of the countywide Arlington Tech program. These seats were included in the FY 2017-26 CIP as part of 1,300 additional secondary seats

Other Projects

• $81 million for major infrastructure projects (bond funded Major Construction/Minor Maintenance);
• $1.80 million Elementary School refresh for Sept. 2019 for Drew Model and Patrick Henry;
• $1.97 million for field conversion to synthetic turf;
• $2.89 million for turf field replacements; and
• $2.10 million for Transportation facility renovation

Funding
The FY 2019-28 Proposed CIP totals $598.95 million and includes $427.95 million in bond funding. The Bond Referenda amounts included in the CIP are:

• 2018 – $103.72 million;
• 2020 – $53.20 million;
• 2022 – $133.30 million;
• 2024 – $30.70 million; and
• 2026 – $98.0 million.

The proposed CIP moves the 800 seats at the Career Center to the Fall of 2026 and the new elementary school to the Fall of 2029. This allows for an increase in bonding capacity and to fit within the debt ratio.More information on these projects including the funding is available online at https://aps2016.apsva.us/engage/cip_fy19-28/.

Community Engagement
To help inform the community, there will be web banners on the APS homepage as well as all individual school homepages, providing a direct link to the CIP, which is located on the Engage webpage and includes background, timeline, presentation links, prior CIP documents and who is impacted.

Additional outreach efforts include the following:

• Staff will continue to send out CIP-branded School Talk messages, and will provide updates to school ambassadors and the CCPTA.
• Staff is planning to feature the CIP on the next episode of the What’s Up, APS? podcast and will continue to use social media to send out updates.
• There are two CIP information sessions scheduled for Wed, May 16 at Reed and May 30 at the Career Center.
• A Community questionnaire on the Superintendent’s Proposed CIP will be available on the Engage webpage in English and Spanish from May 11-31.
• Community input will continue to be gathered through other engagement processes including the Reed Building Level Planning Committee (BLPC); Career Center Working Group (CCWG) and the upcoming Education Center BLPC.

Work Sessions and Timeline
The School Board will meet in four work sessions to review and discuss the proposed CIP:

• May 7 – Projects and timing; Capital project timing
• May 15 – Discussion with Advisory Groups
• May 22 – Prioritizing the School Board’s CIP
• May 29 – Joint Work Session with Arlington County Board

Final adoption of the FY 2019-28 CIP is scheduled for June 21 and the County Board is scheduled to adopt their final CIP, which will include the APS plan, in July.

More information on the CIP, including the May 3 presentation, is available online at https://aps2016.apsva.us/engage/cip_fy19-28/.