Engage Updates for April 26

School Board to Adopt FY 2019 Budget at May 3 Meeting
In its first meeting at the Syphax Education Center (2110 Washington Blvd.) on May 3, the School Board will adopt the FY 2019 budget. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m.; to watch live, visit aps2016.apsva.us/school-board-meetings/watch-school-board-meetings/. For more information about the proposed FY 2019 Budget, visit aps2016.apsva.us/budget-finance/.

Capital Improvement Plan Process Underway for CIP 2019-28
The School Board held a Work Session on April 24 on the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) 2019-28 that can be viewed at aps2016.apsva.us/school-board-meetings/school-board-work-sessions-meetings/. The CIP will be an information item at the May 3 School Board meeting when the Superintendent’s Proposed FY 2019-28 CIP will be released. The CIP will also be a topic for discussion at another School Board Work Session on May 7 (7 p.m.) at the Syphax Education Center (2110 Washington Blvd.). The CIP is updated and adopted every two years, and lays out the plan for major capital projects—such as new schools and school additions—as well as major maintenance and minor construction projects that APS may need over the next 10 years. For more information on the CIP, visit aps2016.apsva.us/engage/cip_fy19-28/.

Elementary School Planning Initiative Updates and Community Meeting
On April 30, staff will publish updates to an initial draft analysis for the Elementary School Planning Initiative at aps2016.apsva.us/engage. In this initiative, staff has reviewed elementary school walk zones and is now assessing the locations of neighborhood and option schools, as part of the process to create attendance zones for new schools, balance enrollment, adjust boundaries for all neighborhood elementary schools, and optimize APS resources. This process may result in some neighborhood elementary schools becoming option school sites, and vice versa. On Wednesday, May 9, at 7 p.m., APS will hold a Community Meeting in School Board Room 256-258 at the Syphax Education Center at 2110 Washington Blvd.; simultaneous interpretation and livestreaming will be available. For more information, visit aps2016.apsva.us/elementary-school-boundary-change/.

Upcoming Survey for Snapshot of Student Well-Being
Parents will soon receive a letter about the upcoming “Your Voice Matters” survey, either notifying them of an upcoming email invitation or inviting them to respond to a paper survey (depending on availability of email addresses). An independent vendor will send the survey information for parents to complete May 7-25; confidentiality is guaranteed. Staff and students will participate in a survey as well. This is a collaboration between Arlington Public Schools and the Arlington Partnership for Children, Youth and Families (APCYF) to provide the community with a snapshot of school climate, staff engagement, and student and family well-being. The results will be used by APS and APCYF to identify trends and areas for further action, and each school’s data will inform planning for the 2018-19 school year. Results will be available on the APS website this summer. For more information, visit aps2016.apsva.us/your-voice-matters-survey/.