School Board Approves 2017-18 School Calendar

The School Board approved the school calendar for the 2017-18 School Year. Additionally, they also approved the H-B Woodlawn/Stratford Calendar, the Barcroft Modified School Year Calendar, and the Summer School Calendar.

Key dates for the main APS calendar include:

• First Day of School is Tue, Sep. 5, 2017
• Winter Break is Dec. 22, 2017 – Jan. 1, 2018
• Spring Break is Mar. 26 – 30, 2018
• Graduation is Thu, June 14
• Last day of school is:
  • Fri, Jun. 15 for High School
  • Tue, Jun. 19 for Middle School
  • Wed, Jun. 20 for Elementary School

The full presentation and additional information is available on BoardDocs. The final approved calendars are available on the website.

PUBLIC HEARING
The School Board held a public hearing to receive comments on the Superintendent’s Proposed Fiscal Year 2018 Budget.

MONITORING ITEMS:

• APS 3-5 Year Action Plan: Superintendent Murphy updated the Board on three community processes that are underway for decisions related to the APS 3-5 Year Action Plan. He highlighted the current areas of engagement that are ongoing with the community:
• The Drew Model Visioning Process has been completed. During the presentation, staff announced that the graded program of the school will focus on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) beginning in the fall of 2017. STEAM will continue to be the focus of Drew as it transitions to a neighborhood school.
• The New High School Focus Process is being aligned with the process for the Revision of the Enrollment and Transfer Policy, which were discussed in detail at a School Board Work Session on Mar. 15. The full presentation and livestreaming video are posted online. The next community meetings will be held at 7 p.m. on Thu, March 30 at Wakefield High School and again on Tue, April 4 at Yorktown High School. The content for both meetings will be the same, so community members only need to attend one. In addition, the meeting on March 30 will be live streamed. Both community engagement processes will be completed in the next few weeks, and the School Board plans to approve recommendations in June, for implementation beginning in the 2018-19 school year.

Dr. Murphy also provided an overview of how APS is planning for growth and projecting enrollment in the short term. He highlighted the specific need for more seats at elementary and secondary locations, and the list of capital projects that are slated to meet this need. He also summarized the long-term planning being led by the Joint Facilities Advisory Council, which is identifying sites where additional schools could be constructed to support growth at all levels through 2040. The full presentation is available on BoardDocs.

OTHER ACTION ITEM:

• Revision of Select Finance School Board Policies: The Board approved minor changes and legal updates that align to the Code of Virginia for SBP 40 (Goals), SBP 40-1.12 (Financial Management – Services Provided to County Offices) and SBP 40-5 (Student Fees, Fines and Charges).

INFORMATION ITEMS:

• Revision of Select Student Services School Board Policy: Staff proposed a minor change to SBP 25-1.8 (Opening Exercises) to align the policy with the Code of Virginia.
• Contract Amendment for Pre-Construction Construction Manager at-Risk Services for New School at Wilson: Staff proposed an amendment that would allow engagement with several subcontractors to assist with quality and cost control during the design phase of the new school at the Wilson site. The increase is still within the current funding available for the project, so no additional funds are needed.

Full details for all of these information items are available on BoardDocs.

RECOGNITION:
The Board began the meeting by recognizing March as Arts in the Schools Month. Pam Farrell, Supervisor of Arts Education, presented several video clips featuring highlights from both visual and performing arts exhibitions throughout APS.

NEXT SCHOOL BOARD MEETING:
The next School Board meeting will be held on Thu, Apr. 6 at 7:30 p.m. The agenda will be posted one week before the meeting on BoardDocs.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Citizens who want to comment on any of the items discussed at the School Board meeting should email the Board at school.board@apsva.us or call 703-228-6015. Citizens may call 703-228-2400 on the Monday after the School Board meetings to listen to a meeting summary. School Board meetings are also broadcast live on Comcast Cable Channel 70 and Verizon FiOS Channel 41; live-streamed on the APS website, and re-broadcast on Fridays at 9 p.m. and Mondays at 7:30 p.m. immediately following the meeting. All materials and minutes of the meeting will be posted to the website at aps2016.apsva.us/schoolboard upon School Board approval at a subsequent meeting.