School Board Reaffirms Support for an Inclusive Community

Proposed 2017-18 School Year Calendar Presented

As part of the Non-Agenda Item Comment section, the School Board members expressed their support for the Superintendent’s recent letter to families reassuring them of support for all children at school. In his letter, Dr. Murphy reiterated that APS students will be safe, nurtured, welcomed, respected, and included at school, and that students can expect a safe and caring environment for learning. Each School Board member also signed the letter to demonstrate their unified support for an inclusive school community.

Superintendent Dr. Pat Murphy and Assistant Superintendents Drs. Kristi Murphy and Tara Nattrass also presented the proposed calendar for the 2017-18 School Year. Development of the calendar included consideration of instructional requirements; integration of professional development; alignment with neighboring school division calendars; and School Board holidays as part of its development of the APS school calendar. The draft calendar was shared with the community for feedback before being presented to the School Board. The full presentation and additional information is available on BoardDocs. The Board is slated to adopt the final 2017-18 calendar at the March 23, 2017 meeting.

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 is currently reviewing community feedback and finalizing options with staff. The visioning process will be completed later this spring, and the new vision will be the focus for Drew Model School beginning in the fall of 2017.
  • The New High School Focus Process is refining options for the instructional focus and is currently receiving community input through an online survey that is open through Fri, Mar. 17. Staff will meet with the Facilities Advisory Council to review options on Mon, Mar. 13. The Board is expected to make a final decision by June to inform siting decisions.
  • Revision of the Enrollment and Transfer Policy is being undertaken to blend school options, ensure equitable access, simplify the policy and standardize practices. Staff is reviewing community input from a feedback form and meetings held over the past few weeks. On Mar. 30 and Apr. 4, a second series of community meetings will be held to review the input that has been received and present a revised draft of the Policy and the accompanying Policy Implementation Procedures (PIP). Both are expected to be finalized and approved by the Board in June and will be implemented for the 2018-19 school year.

All of these initiatives are underway as APS continues to plan for increasing student enrollment and ensure the school division is prepared for the project growth over the next three to five years. You can learn more about the School Board’s 3-5 Year Plan online, and get engaged in the process by visiting aps2016.apsva.us/engage.

• ESOL/HILT Update: Staff presented an update on the ESOL/HILT program, in which services are provided to students who are identified as Limited English Proficient (LEP). The presentation included data on English proficiency levels, 2015-16 performance on reading and math SOL tests, and a comparison of performance to adjacent school divisions. Staff also provided information on the program goals, which include improving literacy at the secondary level, providing earlier access to high school credits, and ensuring that comprehensive academic, social and emotional supports are in place through collaboration across the school division.

INFORMATION ITEMS:

• Revision of Select Finance School Board Policies: Staff proposed minor changes and legal updates that align to the Code of Virginia for SBP 40-1.12 and 40-5.
• Final Design for Wakefield High School Internal Modifications: Staff presented the final design for internal modifications to Wakefield High School, which will provide space for 300 additional seats by September 2017. The renovations will optimize public spaces, maximize teacher workspaces, and increase teaching space utilization.
• Change to a Fixed Fee Contract for Architecture and Engineering Services for the Discovery Elementary Contract: Staff proposed an amendment that would increase the fixed fee by more than 25 percent, requiring School Board approval. The contingency fund for the project provides sufficient resources for the increased costs, and no additional funding is needed.

ACTION ITEMS:

• Revision of Select Student Services SBP: The Board approved minor changes to SBP 25-2.1 Admissions and Placement and 25-3 Support for Students-Wellness. The changes are delineated in policy revisions posted in BoardDocs.
• Revision of Select Human Resources SBP: The Board approved changes to SBP 35-4.6 Grievance Procedures and SBP 35-4.9 Disciplinary Actions. The Proposed changes are available online.

RECOGNITIONS:
The Board began the meeting by recognizing the dedicated work of APS employees who have achieved career milestones of 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 and 45 years of service with the school division. This year APS recognized 169 employees who have provided a combined total of 4,035 years of service to APS.

NEXT SCHOOL BOARD MEETING:
The next School Board meeting will be held on Thu, Mar. 23 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.