Summary of March 21, 2024 School Board Meeting
Mr. Priddy standing in as chair while Cristina Diaz-Torres takes a leave of absence until June. He acknowledges her new phase of life as motherhood, and notes she is watching the live stream while not participating.
College Scholarship Winners
Posse Foundation chose 4 Arlington students to receive scholarships valued at over $100k, for urban high school students with potential, who are supported by multicultural groups or “posses”. Another 2 students received Questbridge scholarships covers cost of tuition, room and board and requires no contribution from parents.
Videos of current winners who say which schools they chose and why, and advice from past winners to current winners.
Posse and Quest Bridge Scholars recognized individually with plaques.
Colleges that students will attend: William & Mary, Boston College, Princeton University, and University of Virginia
Consent Agenda adopted
Approved 13 new appointments/hires
March 22nd School Board/County Board budget work session; April 1st Policy Subcommittee Meeting; April 3rd Committee of the Whole Meeting; April 9th Budget Work Session; April 11th Closed Meeting; April 11th School Board Meeting
Announcements:
School boundary policy is open for public comment, posted in Feb and open through next Friday
Attended event for Northern VA Science Center in Loudoun County, interactive museum and activity center, expect it to become a partner for APS and field trip destination
IB primary years program at Randolph evaluated with site visit (every 5 years)
March 14, 15, 16 HB Woodlawn presented BFG performance with “talk-back” format in which students and audience discuss difference between an artist (and his/her personal beliefs) and his/her work as a form of art.
Video presentation of PEP program at Eunice Kennedy Shriver program; Mr. Shepard and Program for Employee Preparedness (PEP) students join SB members for picture
Inclusive secondary school for students with special needs which teaches life skills
Coffee cart business example, students sell coffee through the halls at HB Woodlawn
Example of employment preparedness program at AAC taking students to grocery store to practice using augmentative devices for communication, choosing ingredients, buying, preparing meal back at school
Duran announces that APS Your Voice Matters Survey timeframe is extended to Friday April 5th.
Budget timeline: April 11 school board will propose its 2025 budget, April 23 will have public hearing about it, May 9th tentative schedule for adopted 2025 budget.
Spring Break March 25-29, also April 10th is no-school day for Eid al-Fitr and April 15th is no-school day for grade preparation.
April is month of:
Arab-American Heritage Month
Occupational Therapy Month
Military Child Month
Autism Awareness Month
National School Librarian Day in April
Public School Volunteer Week in April
Wakefield Students published in prestigious Journal of Student Research
Topics: Sterilization of surgical instruments, and gerrymandering of political maps
Public Comment:
9 Speakers, topics included:
Chromebooks are better investment of public money than iPads (2); budget gap and need to reduce bloat at Syphax and increase student-facing positions (2); need to implement 80/20 model in APS Spanish immersion program (5 speakers); class size report widely undercounts classes over limit by marking those above by 1 or 2 in green (1); Arlington County should adopt prevailing wages and other worker standards for AAC project and others moving forward (1)
Strategic Plan Development Monitoring Report, 2024-2030, Jonathan Turisi
Currently on Phase 2, Part 2
Group has been meeting and working for about a year now, with the help of RTI International (consulting firm)
Have received a lot of community support, more than normal, thank you everyone
Core values: DEI, Academic Excellence, Retaining/Developing Quality Workforce, College and Career Readiness, Safety
Developed first draft and revised first draft into second draft; now shifting to Data collection period (April 4-April 24)
Focus groups and community forums this spring
Creating targets for each KPI, something that was missing in past strategic plan
Miranda Turner and Bethany Zecher-Sutton asked clarifying questions of Jonathan Turisi
Action Items, presented by Cathy Lin, Director of Facilities
Deed of Easement at Barrett Elementary School to improve traffic signals
Deed of Resubdivision, vacation, rededication, dedication for ACC to support redevelopment of ACC
Third amendment to license agreement at Long Branch elementary school
All unanimously approved
Information Items:
Overview of IDEA annual application, Kelly Krug, Elem. Director of Special Education
Reports a detailed description of federal entitlement funds spending (IDEA)
i.e. need to show maintenance of effort year to year, report on per-student costs/spending compared to students without disabilities (need to commit at least as much per student as is spent on students without disabilities)
IDEA State funds support >6million, 125k in grant funds for preschool
Provide assistive tech, Child Find process, extended school year, instructional support, compliance support, etc.
Bethany Zecher-Sutton asked how many children are “parentally placed” meaning they are placed in private schools at expense to APS. Krug responded that it is approximately 42 students.
License Agreement at 3108 Columbia Pike (parking lot for career center construction), presented by Cathy Lin, Director of Facilities
Provision is partnership between county and APS to temporarily create 92 off-site parking spaces to be used through 2028 to reduce parking / traffic impacts on neighborhood during redevelopment of Career Center site.
School Board will act on this item at April 11 meeting.
