School Board Approves FY19 Budget

APS Celebrates New Syphax Education Center with Ribbon Cutting
FY 2019-28 Proposed Capital Improvement Plan Presented

The Arlington School Board approved its FY 2019 Budget totaling $637,184,475 at last night’s meeting.

As part of its final budget, the Arlington County Board allocated an additional $3,225,122 in one-time funds that the School Board added to Capital Reserves. Other changes from the School Board’s Proposed Budget adopted on April 6 include:

• Funding for furniture and technology for relocatables was reduced by $117,000;
• $16,800 was allocated to provide additional transportation to the Outdoor Lab for one year*;
• $75,000 was allocated to provide additional training to students and teachers around race, equity, and cultural responsiveness for one year*;
• $305,243 of one-time funding was allocated to add 3.25 full-time equivalent staff (FTEs) of psychologists and social workers for one year; and
• $2,643,200 of one-time funding to postpone the increase in class size at all grades levels (by 1 at elementary, 0.75 at middle, 0.5 at high) for one year, restoring 28.0 FTE positions.

*Funds for these two items were provided by the reduction of $117,000 from the furniture and technology for relocatables line item.

More information about the FY19 budget is available online.

RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY
Before the start of the School Board meeting, members of the community joined the School Board in the new Board Room for a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the new Syphax Education Center. The building was named after Evelyn Reid Syphax, a former Arlington elementary school teacher who served as a member of the Arlington School Board, as well as on the boards of many other community and civic organizations.

For more information on the Syphax Education Center and the relocation of APS offices, click here.

MONITORING ITEM

• World Languages Update – Staff provided the Board with an update on the World Languages program that included proficiency of students, enrollment in offered-languages as well as recommendations. The full report is available online.

ACTION ITEM:

• Construction Contract Award for Yorktown High School Internal Modifications – The Board awarded the contract for internal modifications to Yorktown High School in the amount of $1,628,804 to Bennett Group, Inc. The Board also approved the total budget of $3.75 million to be funded by the Capital Reserve.

INFORMATION ITEMS

• Proposed FY 2019-2028 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) – Staff presented the Superintendent’s Proposed FY 2019-28 CIP. Click here to read more.
• Discovery Elementary School Exemplary Project – Staff presented its proposal for the Discovery exemplary project, “Profile of a Discovery Graduate.” The project is based on state’s new Profile of Virginia Graduate. It includes five “Discovery Fundamentals” that guide program of authentic instruction: Sustainability; Personalized Learning; Computer Science; Design Thinking; and Social Responsibility. The purpose of the project is to ensure that, in addition to having proficiency in all Virginia Standards of Learning, students will also innovators, able to analyze, design, and create, consistent with the skills we believe will be necessary in an unpredictable future.
• Construction Contract for Career Center Internal Modifications – Staff is recommending that the Board award a construction contract to Bennett Group, Inc. for $1,624,751.34 to complete the summer 2018 internal modifications as well as approve a projected budget of $4,542,111.34. Full details of the project are available on BoardDocs.
• Change to Guaranteed Maximum Price and Budget for Fleet Elementary School – Staff is asking the Board to approve an increase to the Fleet Project Guaranteed Maximum Price contract with an individual change order of $190,000 for accessibility improvements to Jefferson Middle School. Full details are available online.

NEXT SCHOOL BOARD MEETING:
The next School Board meeting will be held on Thu, May 17 (2110 Washington Blvd.) at 6 p.m. The earlier start time is to accommodate the rescheduled Staff Service Awards reception. 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.