School Board Reviews Proposed 2017-26 Capital Improvement Plan

School Board Reviews Proposed 2017-26 Capital Improvement Plan Discusses Proposed Name Change for Arlington Mill The Arlington School Board discussed its proposed 2017-26 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) at last night’s meeting. APS projections indicate that enrollment will grow to a record high of more than 27,000 students in 2017-18, and to 30,000 students by 2021. The entire 10-year CIP plan will add 5,661 – 5,986 seats, meeting nearly all of the elementary and secondary capacity needs projected for APS through 2025. In addition to planning internal modifications at Wakefield and Yorktown high schools, the Reed building and Gunston and Kenmore middle schools, the CIP also proposes to develop, through renovation and space optimization, up to 1,400 secondary seats at the Arlington Career Center campus. This campus includes the Arlington Career Center and the Fenwick building. The Fenwick building is a facility formerly used by Arlington County, which the County gave to APS earlier this year to utilize for classroom space. The capacity at that campus will include up to 800 seats at the Career Center itself, 300 seats at the Fenwick Building, and 300 additional seats at the Career Center gained through a combination of renovations and additions to the current facility. The proposed CIP will also include 1,925 – 2,350 elementary and secondary seats at locations to be determined at a future time, and by expanding seat capacity at the Reed building. The latest version of the Proposed FY 2017-26 CIP will require approval of bond funding of $138.83 million in November 2016. The School Board will hold a final work session on June 7 to discuss the current proposal, and plans to adopt the final FY 2017-26 CIP on June 16. The County Board is expected to consider it for adoption on July 19. New Name for Arlington Mill High School Staff presented an overview of the Naming Committee’s process that was used to solicit community input and the recommendation to re-name Arlington Mill High School as Arlington Community High School. The Board is expected to approve the name change at its June 9 meeting. The full presentation is available online. ACTION ITEMS:

• Stratford Schematic Design – The middle school is being planned to accommodate 1,000 students, provide 144 parking spaces, and will include traffic and safety improvements. The school will have a 40,000 square foot addition on three levels featuring new program space on the west end of the existing building. The design will leave the historic building intact and maintain the historic south facade. The estimated project cost is $35.96 million, excluding the sum set aside in a reserve by the School Board during the concept design process which will be used to commemorate the historic events surrounding integration. The estimated project cost includes $4.21 million for site-related community improvements that will be funded by the County/School Board Joint Fund, including a driveway connection between Vacation Lane and Old Dominion Drive, Vacation Lane traffic and safety improvements, and a signal at Old Dominion Drive. The full presentation is available online.
• Revision of School Board Policy 10-14 Legal Representation – The Board approved updates to its legal representation policy. The policy was revised to define the process used to engage legal counsel, and directs the Board to review decisions related to legal counsel annually. Additional language provides for hiring of specialized legal counsel, when necessary.
• Revision of School Board Policy 40-1.19 Financial Management – Use of School Facilities – The Board adopted changes to the policy that gives priority to organizations that support APS and added to the existing policy implementation procedure (PIP) to include requirements to protect students and APS. The PIP will now require all vendors that use school facilities to undergo a criminal background check, ensure that PTAs adhere to all operational requirements when contracting with a third-party vendor and that vendors provide revenue-sharing with schools. Parent volunteers offering activities will be cleared at no cost.
• New Elementary School at the Jefferson Pre-Construction Contract Award for Construction Management at Risk Services – The Board approved the award of a Construction Manager at Risk (CMR) contract for Pre-construction Services for the new elementary school to be built at the Jefferson site. The APS Purchasing Resolution permits procurement of construction by means of construction management at risk, and includes written procedures for the selection, evaluation and award of construction management contracts which are consistent with procedures as adopted by the Secretary of Administration of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
• Change Order Above the 25% Original Contract Value-Stratford Middle School Multimodal Transportation Services – The Board approved an increase to the Stratford Middle School Project (Project) Multimodal Transportation Services Contract fee for Toole Design Group (Toole) in an amount of $51,548.00. The requested change will result in an individual change order in excess of 25 % change in the contract amount which requires School Board approval.

OTHER INFORMATION ITEM:

• Adoption of Elementary Writing Textbooks – Staff provided an update on the adoption of new elementary writing textbooks. After gathering community feedback, staff has recommended that the Board adopt Units of Study in Opinion/Argument, Information, and Narrative Writing, K–5 (Teachers College/Lucy Calkins) and Step Up to Writing. The Board will consider the recommendation for approval at the meeting on June 9. To see the full presentation, click here.

MONITORING ITEMS:

• ESOL/HILT Update – Staff provided the Board with an update on the ESOL/HILT program. The report highlighted that students exceeded Limited English Proficient (LEP) SOL targets for reading and math. Staff also provided several recommendations that included enhancing literacy development at the secondary level; providing beginning English learners earlier access to high school content credits; and maintaining focus on academic, social, and emotional development and foster partnerships between families and schools. The full presentation is available online.
• Graduation Task Force Update – The report noted that the on-time graduation rate has risen from 85.2% in 2010 to 92.8% in 2015. Staff also summarized recommendations and key takeaways. The full report is available online.

The meeting began with the recognition of this year’s APS retirees, and School Board members thanked them for their service to the Arlington Public Schools. 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.