Superintendent Reports on This Year’s First Day of School; Action Plan Update for 2017-18

At last night’s meeting, School Board members discussed their priorities for the 2017-18 school year. The School Board establishes annual priorities to assist in keeping the Board’s work focused, effective and aligned with its Strategic Plan goals.

This year, the School Board’s priorities will focus on four areas, which include:

• New Policies and Policy Revisions that address the 1:1 technology initiative, inclusion practices, and additional updates on options and transfers;
• Operational Planning to develop the new 2018-24 Strategic Plan; determining the FY 2019-28 Capital Improvement Plan, and building a sustainable budget that supports the whole child and maintains excellence in classroom instruction;
• Preparation for New Schools and Program Moves that will require elementary and middle school boundary adjustments when new schools are opened, and the relocation of the Montessori Program;
• Capital Initiatives to plan for future growth at the Career Center, Education Center, and the Reed Building.

Additionally, the School Board will continue its focus on supporting and empowering teachers and staff, and strengthening school, family and community relationships.

Superintendent’s 2017-18 Action Plan Update
Dr. Pat Murphy reported on the action plan that will support implementation of the Board’s priorities in the year ahead. He emphasized that APS is focused on ensuring that the community is engaged early in discussions, and can share their feedback in multiple ways, including community meetings, online forms, and through school-based ambassadors. Clear timeframes for decision-making processes will be shared upfront so the community will have information about when engagement and feedback are needed. He highlighted the Engage web page (aps2016.apsva.us/engage) and encouraged families to drop by during the upcoming “Engagement Saturday” on Sat, Sep. 23, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at Kenmore Middle School in the Cafeteria. Staff provided details about the general timeline for processes and decision points for each of the School Board’s 2017-18 priorities. To view the full presentation, go to BoardDocs.

ADDITIONAL MONITORING ITEM:
First Day of School Report
Superintendent Dr. Pat Murphy presented his annual report on the first day of school. He provided an overview of preparations that took place throughout the district to get ready to welcome students back to school. APS school leaders and teachers also shared their experiences in preparing for students’ return, and their plans for building relationships with their students and challenging and engaging them in the classroom during the next year. Watch this year’s First Day of School video to see firsthand the excitement of students, staff and families as everyone headed back to school.

ACTION ITEMS:
The Board approved the following action items:

• Revision to Four School Board Policies (SBPs):
  • 25-1.17 Student Safety-Bullying/Harassment Prevention
  • SBP 35-3 Employment
  • SBP 35-8.3 Contracts and Work Schedules
  • SBP 35-8.6 Telecommuting

 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ITEMS:
The Board also discussed the following information items:

• Proposed public water service easement for the Abingdon Project
• An agreement on a proposed Crane Swing with Writ Limited Partnership for the new school at the Wilson site
• Architectural and engineering services proposal for the Gunston HVAC modernization project

For more information on the above items, visit BoardDocs.

Next School Board Meeting: 
The next School Board meeting will be held on Thu, Sept. 21 at 6:30 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.