Superintendent Presents Draft 2018-19 School Year Calendar

School Board Reaffirms Mission to Educate All Students

At the opening of last night’s School Board meeting, the School Board members read a joint statement to reaffirm its mission to welcome, educate and support all students in the community. Read the full statement here.

2018-19 School Calendar
Staff presented the proposed draft of the 2018-19 school year calendar at last night’s meeting. This year, a new process was used to develop the 2018-19 calendar. As part of the new process, the 25-member committee developed three options in which the community and staff were asked to provide input. Calendar Option 3 received the most support by staff and the community. Key Dates in the proposed calendar include:

• Aug. 6 – First Day of School for Barcroft)
• Sept. 4 – First Day of School (except Barcroft)
• Nov. 21 – 23 – Thanksgiving Break
• Dec. 24 – Jan. 4 – Winter Break (two weeks)
• April 15 – 19 – Spring Break
• June 14 – High School Graduations
• June 19 – Last Day for High School Students
• June 20 – Last Day for Barcroft; Middle School Promotions
• June 21 – Last Day for Elementary and Middle School Students

The full presentation, as well as calendars for Barcroft, H-B Woodlawn, Stratford, Arlington Community High School and Langston High School Continuation Program are available online. 

ACTION ITEMS:

• Final Design and Construction Contract Award for full GMP for Fleet Elementary School – The Board approved the final design of Fleet Elementary School as well as the total project budget, funding available and joint fund items. The Board also awarded the construction phase services contract to Whiting-Turner in the amount of $46,750,000. More information is available on BoardDocs.
• Final Design and Construction Contract for full GMP for New School at Wilson – The Board approved the final design of the new school at the Wilson Site as well as the total project budget, funding available and joint fund items. The Board also awarded the construction phase services contract to Gillbane Building Company in the amount of $81,481,364. More information is available on BoardDocs.
• FY2017 Fiscal Close-Out – The financial records for the 2016-17 fiscal year have been closed, audited, and sent to the Virginia Department of Education. There is a net available ending balance of $13.6 million from APS operations, and with additional county revenue, the balance is $18.1 million. For detailed information, go to BoardDocs.

 MONITORING ITEMS:

• Superintendent’s 2017-18 Action Plan Update – Murphy brought the Board up to date about the efforts underway on the action plan to support the Board’s work this year.
  • Middle School – A School Talk message to grade 5 families was sent on Jan. 8 announcing Sept. 2018 middle school transfer options with a link to the online form. The deadline for middle school transfers has been extended to Jan. 26.
  • Elementary Boundaries – The School Board will hold a Work Session on elementary boundaries at 7 p.m. on Jan. 23 in Room 101 of the Education Center. School Board Work Sessions are open for observation by the public, but no comments are accepted at these sessions. Work sessions can be viewed at apsva.us/school-board-meetings/school-board-work-sessions-meetings/. With the opening of Alice W. Fleet Elementary School in September 2019 and the Montessori program move from Drew Elementary School to the Henry school site, the School Board has instructed staff to present a plan to adjust all elementary school boundaries. The community engagement process for this initiative will include information and draft proposals posted to the APS Engage site, opportunities for community input at meetings, via email and online, and outreach to PTAs and other key stakeholders in elementary schools.
  • Strategic Plan – The deadline for community input on the draft mission, vision and core values statements was Fri, Jan. 19. The next Steering Committee meeting is scheduled for Jan. 24.

The public is invited to learn more, ask questions or comment on any of the engagement initiatives that are underway by visiting aps2016.apsva.us/engage.

INFORMATION ITEMS:

• School Board Policy Review Process Update – Staff updated the Board on the process to review School Board Policies. The Policy Review Team, which is made up of members from each department, was charged with determining the priorities for this year and beyond; map a calendar for completion and review for overlapping content and cross-reference with other policies.
• Revision of School Board Policy 45-2 Acceptable Use of Electronic Networked Resources and Internet Safety – Staff reported that the policy changes are limited to items required by the Code of Virginia. These include prohibited use of the internet; internet content filtering; and internet safety curriculum for students. These changes ensure that APS remains compliant and it provides flexibility in establishing other governance documents.
• Summer School Update – Staff proposed a reduction in fees for the Career Center Enrichment programs as well as a shift in dates for strengthening and enrichment courses. The full presentation is available online.

RECOGNITIONS:
The School Board recognized the winners of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Literary and Visual Arts Contest winners, including a video showcasing the winners. The Board also honored the four recipients of this year’s Posse Scholarships, and Wakefield High School senior Aidan Unudelger who won the 2018 Horatio Alger National Scholarship. 

Next School Board Meeting: 
The next School Board meeting will be held on Thu, Feb. 1. It will begin 30 minutes earlier than usual, at 6 p.m., so the School Board can recognize teachers who earned their National Board Certification. 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.