School Board Discusses Direction for FY 2018 Budget

Board Opens Meeting with Comments on Recent Election Results
Holds Public Hearing on Proposed High School Boundary Refinements
At last night’s meeting, the School Board discussed its FY 2018 budget direction, which provides guidance for the Superintendent to develop a proposed budget that will meet the growing enrollment needs of the school division. The proposed budget direction prioritizes increased compensation for staff; supports continued investment in initiatives to meet the needs of the whole child and provide 21st century learning opportunities; provides full staffing for growing enrollment; and assumes full funding from the County’s transfer to pay for critical needs of the school division. Additionally, the Board’s budget direction includes efforts to identify cost savings, options for increased fees, and opportunities to use closeout funding to pay for one-time expenses.

BOARD COMMENTS ON ELECTIONS:
At last night’s meeting, School Board Chair Nancy Van Doren and immediate past chair Dr. Emma Violand-Sanchez addressed the results of the election and how APS and the Arlington community need to come together.Superintendent Dr. Pat Murphy also discussed that staff support that has been and will continue to be available for students since the day after the elections. To read their full remarks and watch the video, click here.

PUBLIC HEARING:
The School Board held a public hearing on the proposed refinements to High School Attendance Zone boundaries. Prior to the start of the public hearing, staff shared combined option #4, a new refinement option that was requested by Board members at the Nov. 9 work session on boundaries. More information about the options being considered is available online. The Board is scheduled to make a final decision at the next meeting on December 1.

MONITORING ITEMS:Arlington Tiered System of Support (ATSS) Update:
Staff presented information about the cycle for ATSS, which is designed to provide specific, targeted levels of support to every student as needed. Staff provided an overview of this year milestones and shared success stories about the positive impact ATSS is making for students. The full report is available online.

ACTION ITEMS:
Middle School and High School Program of Studies – The Board approved revisions to next year’s Middle School and High School Program of Studies. The only courses that were eliminated are those that have been divided into separate courses, based upon the content.

Amendment to License Agreement for Wilson Property: The Board approved an amendment to the license agreement for the Wilson property that makes the start date for the project seven months earlier, moving it from October 1, 2017 to March 1, 2017. More information is available in BoardDocs.

Proposed Charge to Joint Facilities Advisory Commission: The Board approved a charge to the Joint Facilities Advisory Commission. This new commission is being established in partnership with Arlington County to provide input on capital facilities needs assessment, capital improvement plans and long-range facility planning for both the County Government and APS. Residents can apply online using the School Board’s Advisory Council application form. (Note: Applicants should fill out the General Advisory Application Form on the School Board website – not the Facilities Advisory Council (FAC) form – and select “JFAC” from the drop-down list.) The deadline to apply is Nov. 16. More information about the commission is available on the County’s website.

INFORMATION ITEMS:
Legislative Package: The School Board reviewed this year’s proposed state legislative priorities. This year’s priorities include urging full funding for the Standards of Quality and all mandates to public schools; establishment of a School Health Advisory Board; support for recommendations from the SOL Innovation Committee; return to full funding of the Virginia Retirement System; and continued advocacy for returning control of the public school calendar to local school districts. Complete details are available in BoardDocs.

Revision of School Board Policy 35-8.1: A proposed revision to the Salary Policy would require the Superintendent to include a step increase in the annual proposed operating budget, and the School Board would determine if sufficient funding is available to pay for it each year.

Lease for Additional Space at Sequoia Plaza Two: Staff presented a negotiated lease agreement that would provide additional space to move all remaining APS administrative offices and support services, including the offices currently located at the Education Center at 1426 N. Quincy Street, to the Syphax Education Center at 2110 Washington Boulevard. The Education Center property would become available to develop into more classroom space for high school students once APS offices are relocated after Jan. 1, 2018.

Changes to Fixed Fee Contracts for Pre-Construction Construction Management at-Risk Services for the Stratford, Wilson, and New Elementary Projects: Staff proposed changes to the fixed fee contracts for pre-construction Construction Management at-Risk services for the Stratford, Wilson, and new elementary projects. The purpose of these change orders is to add an allowance to each contract for Design Assist activities. Approving these allowances will not cause an increase in the funding available for the project approved by the School Board. In addition to the design assist allowance, staff also proposed a change order for the Wilson project due to expanded scope associated with the temporary fire station. APS costs associated with these actions are subject to reimbursement from the County per the terms of the temporary fire station license agreement. More information can be found online.

Change to a Fixed Fee Contract for Architecture and Engineering Services for the New Elementary Project: Structured parking was approved by the School Board in the Schematic Design, and staff presented information on additional fees that are required to prepare the design and construction documents. 

Contract Award for Construction Management Advisor Services for the Wilson Project: Staff recommended the selection of HEERY International Inc. for the contract to serve as the Construction Management Advisor (CMA) for the new school project at the Wilson site.

RECOGNITION:Co-chairs Peter Fallon and Monique O’Grady presented the 2016 School Bond Report and Board members recognized and thanked them for their leadership in promoting support for the bond’s approval. This year’s School Bond was approved by 79.49% percent of Arlington voters, and will fund a variety of projects including construction of the new school at the Wilson site, where H-B Woodlawn and the Stratford program will move; funding for an addition to the current Stratford building to convert that to a new neighborhood middle school; and adding 300 seats at the Career Center for Arlington Tech.

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.