APS News Release

School Board Shares Proposed 2017-26 CIP with County Board

School Board Shares Proposed 2017-26 CIP with County Board APS Capital Funding Needs Total $511.04 Over 10 Years 2016 Bond Funding Needs Total $138.83 Million At a Joint Work Session held with the County Board last night, the School Board, Superintendent Dr. Pat Murphy, and APS staff previewed their upcoming request for bond funding for school capital projects totaling $138.83 million to pay for capital and infrastructure investments that meet increasing capacity needs. APS projections indicate that enrollment will grow to a record high of more than 27,000 students in 2017-2018, 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 order to meet the needs of growing student enrollment, APS has already completed several construction projects to expand capacity, including the recent completion of Discovery Elementary School in 2015, a renovation project to expand capacity at Ashlawn Elementary School, and internal modifications to Jefferson Middle School and Washington-Lee High School. Total capacity has increased by 1,259 seats as a result of these completed projects. Currently, APS is investing 2014 bond funding to complete renovation projects and increase elementary capacity at McKinley Elementary School and Abingdon Elementary School. APS is also moving forward with construction of a new elementary school at the Jefferson site. Total elementary capacity will increase by 1,102 seats when these projects are completed. APS has committed to construction projects that will expand secondary capacity by renovating the Stratford building, which will expand capacity to 1,000 seats, with a gain of 339 seats. The H-B Woodlawn Program will relocate to the Wilson School site, adding 775 seats by August 2019. These projects will increase total secondary capacity by 1,114 seats. APS is making internal modifications at several locations to increase capacity at both the elementary and secondary level. These projects include renovations at the Career Center – Fenwick Building, Wakefield High School, Yorktown High School, the Reed Building, Gunston Middle School, and Kenmore Middle School. The new projects are being completed with capital reserves and will add a total of 1,220 seats. The previewed CIP 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 825 – 1,150 additional 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.