Summary of 12/15/22 School Board Meeting
ARLINGTON SCHOOL BOARD MEETING SUMMARY
December 15, 2022
Opening/Consent Items
The meeting began with a presentation of the colors by the Arlington Career Center Space Force JROTC Cadet Corps.
All members of the School Board were present.
The School Board members recognized Dr. Barbara Kanninen’s 8-year tenure on the School Board.
The School Board then unanimously adopted the consent agenda. As part of that consent agenda, the following items were approved:
minutes of past various meetings;
certain personnel actions;
various appointments to the Advisory Council on Teaching & Learning (ACTL);
Arlington Community High School’s request to the State of VA for approval of an alternative accreditation plan; and
a grievance action.
Announcements
The School Board thereafter moved to the following announcements:
The School Board meeting scheduled for January 5 has been cancelled so the Middle and High School Programs of Studies and Swanson kitchen update items will be voted on at the Work Session on January 10;
The School Board will have a closed meeting on January 10 at 5:30 pm;
The School Board will have a Work Session with ACTL on January 10 at 6:30 pm; and
The School Board will have a regular School Board meeting on January 19 at 7:00 pm.
Thereafter, Board Members made the following announcements:
Mary Kadera made an announcement congratulating some of APS high school musicians who participated at the Kennedy Center’s Tuba Christmas show; and
Reid Goldstein made announcements regarding certain of his liaison schools (Abingdon, Dorothy Hamm, Drew, Glebe).
Thereafter, Superintendent Durán gave his announcements (slides here):
APS staff raised nearly $40,000 for the United Way.
Discussed APS’ Career & Technical Education (CTE) program, including a new video on it, which is available here.
Dr. Durán’s bright spot was that the APS School Psychology Services Team received an official recognition for their program's Excellence in School Psychological Services from the National Association of School Psychologists.
Lastly, Dr. Durán encouraged everyone to get involved in their community to help those in need and to also have a wonderful winter break.
Mr. Goldstein thanked the staff for their contributions to the United Way.
Ms. Kadera asked what percentage of APS high school students were using CTE classes. Dr. Durán responded that he would follow up with the percentage.
Public Comment
The public comment portion of the meeting featured 5 speakers:
2 speakers (a parent and a student) spoke in favor of APS offering intensified classes for 6th graders.
1 teacher speaker spoke in opposition to APS offering intensified classes for middle school.
1 parent teacher spoke in opposition to APS’ perceived lax late homework policy and the lack of homework in general in middle school.
1 teacher speaker spoke in favor of increased APS teacher compensation and certain school calendar issues.
Monitoring Item: Safety, Security, Risk and Emergency Management Monitoring Report Monitoring Report
Zachary Pope, Director, Safety, Security, Risk and Emergency Management, gave the Safety, Security, Risk and Emergency Management Monitor Monitoring Report. Those slides are available here.
Notable items in this report and presentation were as follows:
Update from the last Safety Monitoring Report in March 2020.
Department was created in December 2020 by a School Board vote to synergize all safety management efforts.
2 strategic plan objectives:
Engaged workforce
Operational excellence
4 main categories of employees:
Locksmiths
Administrative Staff
School Safety Coordinators (SSCs)
Electronic Security Technicians
SSCs have reported 31 incidents, with the top 3 being:
Observation
Reasonable suspicion
Medical
Most common vehicle accident involves a school bus
For employee accidents, lifting was the largest average cost per claim injury while root cause analysis shows that student behavior (e.g., bites, kicks, punches, etc.) is the largest claim category.
Jerome Nelson, an SSC at Williamsburg Middle School, described his experience in this role.
Morgan Payne, a Lead SSC, described her experience in this role.
Definition of roles
SSC - works collaboratively to ensure a safe and secure learning environment for students, staff, and visitors to thrive in, while ensuring the welfare of occupants to APS facilities
Lead SSC - serves as the point of contact for coordinators and building administrators and is responsible for the staff assigned to specific team, and performs work of SSC
SSCs are required to have 60 hours of training (APS requirement, which is more rigorous than VA state minimum) before starting in a school, which involves training on:
Department of Criminal Justice services
American Red Cross (first aid, CPR, AED)
Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI)
Standard Operating Procedures
Recommendations
Additional SSCs, especially at high school level
An Emergency Management Specialist position
Review and revision to Policy Implementation Procedure, including as to field trips
Move forward with Emergency Management Accreditation Plan (EMAP) in department’s 5-year self-assessment
Bright spots
District Workers Comp rate is the lowest in the insurance pool for the second year in a row
School Board investment of over $4 million dollars in Safety and Security with Capital Improvement Funds being spent in FY23
Implementation of a comprehensive SSC program that began in August 2019
Acceleration of the six public address system replacement projects for a cost savings of over $130,000 dollars
All School Board members had follow up comments/questions, including:
Ms. Kadera had questions regarding bullying, students intoxicated on drugs and/or alcohol, CPI training for SSCs, student attacks on staff, and Washington-Liberty’s special safety considerations.
Cristina Diaz-Torres had questions regarding training of staff, vehicle accidents and the Department’s Coordination standard in EMAP (which is 1 of 3 standards that have not yet been started). She also had a comment on the rate of racism incidents was similar to that of medical incidents (while noting the sample size was small, considering all incidents totaled 31).
David Priddy had a question about the implicit bias training of the SSCs and a comment that APS should monitor the length of tenure of the SSCs at a certain school (emphasizing the needs for the SSCs to develop relationships at a particular school).
Dr. Kanninen said that the concern in removing School Resource Officers (SRO) was that students were having too many direct actions with the police resulting in criminal justice actions. Her question was about when APS will report to the School Board as to whether the SSC program is having the intended effect with students and the criminal justice system (as SROs were police officers and could independently involve the criminal justice system). Mr. Pope said the SSCs are not referring students to law enforcement and those decisions are now made by the principal of the particular school (although there are laws about mandatory reporting, which APS must follow). Dr. Kanninen clarified that this new chain of command is why the School Board replaced SROs with SSCs.
Mr. Goldstein asked about the standards that are “In Progress” or “Not Started” in the EMAP and a timeline for completion. Mr. Pope replied that it would be outside of the 5-year window without additional staffing.
Action Items
1. Heights Phase I - Change Order for Washington Gas
This was presented as an Information Item at the last School Board meeting, and is presented as an Action Item at this meeting. No changes were made since the last meeting. No School Board members had questions.
Dr. Kanninen: I move that the School Board approve an individual change order for Washington Gas in the amount of $112,276.04 and the resulting revised total purchase order amount of $375,546.04.
Motion by Barbara J Kanninen, second by David Priddy
Final Resolution: Motion Carries
Yea: Reid S Goldstein, Barbara J Kanninen, David Priddy, Mary Kadera
Not Present at Vote: Cristina Diaz-Torres
Dr. Kanninen commented that she strongly supported the efforts to finish the Heigts building.
2. 2023-24 School Year Calendar
Dr. Durán began the discussion on the SY23-24 Calendar by explaining his support for both Option 1 and the revised Option 2 because they include 180 instructional days; religious days off; and aligned Spring Break with neighboring school districts.
Changes to Option 1 and Option 2 for tonight.
Asst Superintendent for Human Resources Mr. Michael Hodge presented the changes to Option 1 and Option 2 for the SY23-24 calendar which were:
Option 1 changed end of third quarter to April 15
Option 2 Increase to 180 days by removing Easter Monday and moving the grade reporting day to April 15
Questions:
Mr. Goldstein asked how long winter break was in Option 2 to which Mr. Hodge responded eight school days.
Motion:
Mr. Priddy: I move that the School Board adopt the revised Option 2 calendar for the 2023-24 School Year. The revised Option 2 calendar provides 180 instructional days with an 8-day winter break and a revision to the end date of the third marking period.
Motion by David Priddy, second by Mary Kadera
Final Resolution: Motion Carries
Yea: Reid S Goldstein, David Priddy, Mary Kadera
Nay: Barbara J Kanninen, Cristina Diaz-Torres
Comments:
Mr. Priddy noted that he wanted to keep the religious holidays, wanted to keep 180 days, and he wanted to mirror the FCPS Spring Break. He said that he has always supported starting on the day after labor day, but he noted that because of the religious days, APS has had to move the start date back.
Ms. Diaz-Torres said that she agreed with the core tenets of the calendar including creating a policy around the calendar, the religious days, and aligning spring break. She did not support Option 2 because she thinks staff needs to take a pause and a reset because staff is exhausted. She also noted the start date will likely be misaligned with FCPS.
Ms. Kadera said she supported Option 2 as a great compromise solution because it has 180 days, the religious days, and the aligned spring break. She noted that what she heard clearly from staff is that they want they later start date and she wants to respond and respect that. Ms. Kadera noted that she received a suggestion to move the early release days to Fridays instead of Wednesdays for childcare reasons and wants APS to consider it. She also asked whether APS needs seven preservice days (instead of five) and whether there is a compelling reason to keep seven, because she thinks we’d need a robust reason to keep seven instead of five.
Dr. Kanninen said she did not support Option 2 and noted that the School Board heard complaints about the Superintendent not listening to the community’s inputs, but explained that she wants to hear the Superintendent’s best recommendation for instruction. Dr. Kanninen strongly supports creating a plan, policy, and certainty for calendar planning moving forward. Finally, she noted there was historical support for the longer winter break, especially from secondary students and she supports the longer winter break and shorter summer break because of the need for a break for high school students.
Mr. Goldstein stated his 100% support for enabling everyone to observe the way they choose to observe without penalty, without taking their vacation days, and he said that he thinks there are ways to do that without closing the entire system. He explained that closing the entire system puts a great burden on families who are economically disadvantaged and families with special needs students and restoring the four religious days would allow for a longer winter break. He agreed with Ms. Kadera’s concern with the seven pre-service days and would like APS to explore reducing those.
Information Items
1. Middle and High School Program of Studies
Dr. Durán opened the presentation on the Middle and High School Program of Studies offerings including the commitment to offering intensified middle school courses. The Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Sarah Putnam, presented. For Middle School there were no deletions. For additions, following the recommendation from prior years, they are bringing forward intensified ELA, Science, and Social Studies (already in place for math). The intensified classes will have open enrollment to go deeper for grade-level coursework. They’re not proposing 6th grade intensified because of the alignment piece because most students enroll in Math 6 and this will help support their transition to middle school and then middle school counselors can recommend to students to take intensified classes. APS is not proposing intensified 8th grade social studies because students take Geography which earns High School credit.
Proposed High School Additions:
Health Science: Physical/Occupational Therapy I; Physical/Occupational Therapy II; Sports Medicine/Athletic Training I; Sports Medicine/Athletic Training II
Architecture and Construction: Electricity III; Carpentry II; Carpentry III;
Marketing: Marketing
Science, Technology, and Engineering Design: Technology of Robotic Design
Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics: Drones: Unmanned Aircraft Systems
Advanced Placement (AP): AP Seminar; AP Consult; AP Math Pre-Calculus
Math: Data Science
Science: Biology II - Genetics
International Baccalaureate (IB): IB Digital Society
Health, Physical, and Driver Education: Driver Education II
World Language: Latin V (Dual Enrollment)
Proposed High School Deletions
Math: Pre-Calculus Intensified
IB: IB Information Technology in a Global Society; IB Theory of Knowledge
Career Technical and Adult Education: Physical Therapy/Sports Medicine Technology
English Language Development (ELD): ELD 1 English; ELD 2 English; ELD 3 English 9; ELD 4 English 10
Mr. Goldstein noted this will return on January 10 for School Board action at a work session.
Questions:
Mr. Priddy asked about Drivers Ed 2 and Ms. Putnam responded that it’s being expanded to other schools (already at Wakefield). He then asked about tracking – noting someone spoke on it – and that the answer to tracking is open enrollment, but that that can be very hard for teachers because students are at different levels and can move at any time. Ms. Putnam responded that yes, the intensified option is anchored in open enrollment and counselors will be advising students to opt in.
Ms. Diaz-Torres asked why AP consult wasn’t offered in 9th and 10th grade and Ms. Putnam responded that it’s because most students take APs in 11th and 12th, and those that do take APs in 9th and 10th usually don’t need help. Ms. Diaz-Torres responded that APS should shore up support for 9th and 10th grades. Ms. Diaz-Torres commended staff for providing credits for the ELD classes so EL students can still graduate.
Dr. Kanninen asked about the possible budgetary impact of classes and also the impact on class size of adding more classes. Ms. Putnam responded that there were more additions than deletions. Dr. Kanninen noted there is a budget impact, then. Dr. Kanninen went on to say she supports the plan for intensified classes in just 7th and 8th grades, but noted that one student speaker spoke about the lack of 6th grade intensified classes and she asked for more input from students, and for staff to consider how to help 6th grade students to make 6th grade more fulfilling. Finally, Dr. Kanninen asked how teachers will handle the adjustment to new courses (intensified). Ms. Putnam answered that they’ve already begun notifying middle school teachers and explaining some of the strategies that will help with differentiation, and these strategies will work in both types of classes, and that there will be additional training.
Ms. Kadera asked about the whether the new CTE sections will bring the final three pathways, or just the 14 of the 17. Ms. Putnam confirmed that it’s the 14, not all 17. On the intensified classes, Ms. Kadera said that from her experience as a teacher, it’s hard to differentiate for every single student. She noted that it’s a nice idea, but really hard in practice. She disagrees with the idea that sixth grade can’t do intensified classes because it’s a transition year. She said she thinks this is an opportunity for kids to feel confident and capable and to help students through the transition. Dr. Durán responded that he was supportive of 7th and 8th grade and getting it right, and then doing the 6th grade level in the years to come.
Mr. Goldstein asked if intensified classes in middle school will require additional staffing. Ms. Putnam responded that this is a factor they’re considering but that they don’t know whether they’ll need an extra special education teacher or English language learner teacher, etc. Mr. Goldstein asked if there was a specific plan for when 6th grade intensified classes would start. Ms. Putnam responded that there was no specific plan, but that staff would look at student performance and the demographics. Mr. Goldstein asked by when will APS know if the classes aren’t working and they’re contributing to the downsides of tracking. Ms. Putnam responded that within two years they’ll have a good amount of data.
2. Swanson Middle School Kitchen and Entrance Renovations Construction Contract Award
Jeffrey Chambers, Director, Design and Construction presented the Swanson Renovations proposed award which will be voted on at the January 10 work session. Mr. Chambers highlighted that the two lowest bids were disqualified and that the lowest responsive and qualified bid exceeded the announced construction budget. As a result, staff pursued negotiations with the lowest, responsive, and qualified bidder (The Bennett Group) to adjust scope and cost, resulting in a net savings of $125,030.
Questions:
Mr. Priddy asked if the parking was a total sum, and Mr. Chambers confirmed that it was. Mr. Priddy then asked if APS had worked with The Bennet Group before, which Mr. Chambers said yes. Mr. Priddy asked if the increased cost was a result of inflation, and Mr. Chambers responded that he was very pleased with the contract award sum number.
Ms. Kadera asked what will happen to food services at Swanson since this isn’t just a summer project. Mr. Chambers responded that students will be informed this year of the change and lunches will be grab and go, likely until Thanksgiving 2023.
Mr. Goldstein closed by noting that this will be voted on on January 10th at a work session because of the urgency.
3. Final Fiscal Close-Out/Status and the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Quarterly Update
Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Management Services, Leslie Peterson, presented the Final Fiscal Close-Out Status and the CIP quarterly update. For the $35.5 million left from FY22, APS is proposing to put the majority $21m towards compensation reserves, $4.6m to debt service reserves, $6.2m to future budget years reserve, $3.3m for FY 2023 Expenditures, and $0.4m to Medicaid special project fund. For the $3.3million for FY2023 Expenditure Recommendations, two noteworthy expenditures are the $293,319 on Targeted Resources for Student Learning Needs, and the $300,000 for Substitute Coverage Pay for Teachers.
Questions:
Ms. Diaz-Torres asked how APS came to the substitute funding number and whether it was enough. Ms. Peterson responded that it was a guesstimate for 5000 hours of sub coverage and that it was possible it wasn’t enough, but that APS needed to understand the scope of the need before asking for additional funds.
Dr. Kanninen commended the staff and the existence of the additional funds going into the budget season.
Ms. Kadera asked whether the amount of funding for the Targeted Resources for Student Learning Needs was enough. Ms. Graves answered that there is clear research that shows that three things can help the most at need students: extended learning time, targeted and job embedded professional learning for teachers, and opportunities to truly engage with families. She noted that there are ten schools that have been identified with students who are behind in math and reading. Syphax will work with these schools to support their targeted action plan and to provide after or before school or Saturday learning for students. She noted that for some of our students, they need the support now [before professional learning can be conducted], so the money will go towards support now.
Ms. Kadera followed up by clarifying that she wants to know if the money in close-out funds sufficient to meet the needs for students at the ten schools. Dr. Durán answered that they’re starting with this amount because they want to make this happen but they need to be realistic about staffing and time constraints, but if they need more money they’ll come back for more.
Ms. Kadera closed by noting that these are acute needs and she strongly supports prioritizing them now.
Ms. Peterson thanked Dr. Kanninen for her service as a School Board Member.
Mr. Goldstein asked for new business and seeing none, adjourned the meeting.
To see our Scorecard for this meeting, click here.
