Summary of May 16, 2024 School Board Meeting
Meeting Open:
Mr. Priddy opened the meeting. After the presentation of the colors, the School Board recognized Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month including a Student Leader Recognition video and recognition for Student Leaders Ananya Sinha, Jackson Shaiao, Ayon Barua, Tergel Odkhuu, Julia Vibar, and Erin Lee. The School Board also recognized Arlington Career Center’s Space Force JROTC Cadet Corps members.
Consent Agenda:
Ms. Kadera moved to accept the Consent Agenda, and it passed 4-0. The consent agenda included personnel actions (including new hires), revisions to School Board Policies on Foreign Exchange Student Programs and Religious Exemption to Compulsory Attendance, and changes in School Board Advisory Committee membership.
Announcements/Questions/Comments:
Mr. Priddy announced dates for upcoming School Board sessions. For school liaison announcements, Ms. Kadera noted Hoffman-Boston ES’s rescheduled multicultural night. She also highlighted the recent SEPTA awards ceremony.
Superintendent Announcements:
Dr. Durán presented the “Every Student Counts: Celebrating Future Teachers” video.
Arlington was named the 2024 recipient of the Vision Zero for Youth Leadership Award. The County and APS were recognized for their work to improve safety for Arlington’s youngest walkers and bicyclists.
Dr. Durán said that following Arlington County’s and Virginia’s recently approved budgets, APS can now finalize its FY2025 budget which is scheduled to be adopted by the School Board on June 6, 2004. The Arlington County Board approved their FY2025 budget which includes a 2-cent tax rate increase and the FY 2025 transfer to APS from the County is $639.7 million. The Virginia General Assembly passed the FY2025 and FY2026 biennial budget and the Governor signed it. APS will receive $1.8 million less in state revenue than assumed in the proposed APS FY2025 budget. However, this will not result in reductions to school operating budgets and APS will still retain the 3.3% average compensation increase for staff. Instead, other cost savings will be identified to balance the budget.
Dr. Durán provided a Summer School update. To date, 2,794 students have enrolled and the program is 77% staffed. This is about 600 students less than last year; however, APS is expecting more secondary students to be enrolled, perhaps a significant number, and expects some additional changes for elementary and middle school student numbers as well. Staffing is running about where it was last year at this time and ultimately APS was 100% staffed last summer. Summer school will provide a strengthening program for elementary and middle school students with learning deficits in literacy, math, or both via hands-on engineering instruction to make learning more tangible and exciting. Eligible high school students will have the opportunity to recover credits needed for graduation. Extended School Year Services are continuing for students with disabilities. More updates will be provided as summer approaches.
Arlington Tech student Marlene Reyes was recently awarded a 2024 Princeton Prize in Race Relations.
Barrett Elementary teacher Dr. Laurie Sullivan is a finalist for the 2024 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.
Public Comment:
Public comment had 15 speakers. Five community members spoke in favor of the Montessori program and/or its relocation. Three community members spoke on the need for fiscal restraint and prioritizing the needs of existing facilities in the CIP. Two teachers spoke of the need to renovate Thomas Jefferson Middle Schools facilities. One teacher advised a needs-based CIP where the needs of neighborhood schools should take precedence over those of options schools. One teacher spoke in favor of increasing teaching staff, noting higher class sizes and decreased class options for some students as a result of staffing shortage. One teacher spoke about the Wellness Program for staff and the need to decentralize Syphax. One community member spoke in favor of reducing screen time. One community member urged APS to prioritize environmental policies in the CIP.
Action Items:
Career Center Name Change
Mr. Priddy expressed gratitude to the naming committee, staff, and community for their engagement and efforts. Appreciated student input. The proposal is to call the new building the Grace Hopper Center. Motion passed 4-0.
2024 Virginia School Board Association (VSBA) Legislative Positions
Dr. Durán noted that APS has asked VSBA to include two items in its 2024 Legislative Positions related to the new Virginia Accountability Framework for School Performance and to teacher professional development. Regarding Accountability, APS favors Growth having a weighting at least equal to Mastery in the new summative school measure and retaining the 11-semester exemption from accountability achievement metrics for recently arrived English Learners. Regarding the second position, APS opposes legislation that increases teacher professional development on the net. Motion for School Board to adopt the 2024 VSBA position requests.
Ms. Zecher Sutton noted that these are requests that APS hopes that VSBA will include in their legislative recommendations package for this fall. She noted that APS will also have its own legislative package that it will bring to local legislators this fall.
Ms. Turner wanted to explain why she would be voting no on the motion. She favors the accountability system advanced by the state; overweighting achievement to growth is appropriate at this time. She expressed that if we want to get better, we need to be honest about current conditions.
Ms. Kadera said she supports APS’s requests for the VSBA legislative package. She has concerns about state plans for changes to the accreditation system and about how the public will react to them. She also said she has concerns about the amount of compulsory professional development for teachers.
Motion passed 3-1.
Information Items:
Superintendent’s Proposed FY 2025-34 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP)
Dr. Durán said this proposal shows APS commitment for providing the best possible learning environment for all students. CIP proposed will fund various capital projects; APS is not just providing an improvement plan for new seats but also a focus on facilities we already have.
Superintendent’s CIP Goals: Align with APS’s Strategic Plan, Mission, Vision, and Core Values and School Board CIP direction on December 14, 2023. Support 1) Continued investment to improve and upgrade our major infrastructure, 2) Continued investment in ongoing projects, 3) Investment in new projects, and 4) Investment with Arlington County on joint initiatives and projects.
Projects Continued from FY 2023-32 CIP are: Major Infrastructure (Barcroft HVAC replacement, Escuela Key roof replacement), Kitchen & Security Vestibule Renovations, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP, also known as STARS) System Modernization, The Heights Phase II, the Career Center Campus Project (includes funding for 1,1619 students), Public Address System, and synthetic turf projects in conjunction with the County (Yorktown HS and Thomas Jefferson MS).
Proposed New Projects for FY 2025-34 CIP are: Major Infrastructure, Feasibility studies for 3-5 facilities based on the Long-Range Plan to renovate existing facilities’ methodology, relocate MPSA into the legacy Career Center building with options for three different price points not to exceed $45 million (based on specification of 775 students), demolish current MPSA facility after relocation and complete campus with green space, synthetic turfs project (Kenmore and Gunston), and Trade Center Optimization (plan for full electrification of APS school buses and white fleet) with the County.
Enrollment may be leveling off; between September 30, 2022 and 2023, PreK-12 enrollment was flat. APS enrollment trends are still emerging from pandemic impacts and might still experience fluctuations. The leveling off of enrollment provides an opportunity to focus on existing facilities.
The Arlington School Board is currently working on a resolution to add prevailing wage provisions to future construction contracts. The draft resolution will be posted for public comment on June 6, 2024 and the School Board will act on it at its meeting on July 18, 2024. The adopted resolution will then be in place and effective for all construction projects beginning after September 1, 2024.
Major proposed new major infrastructure projects include those identified from the Long-Range Plan to Renovate Existing Facilities and will use Long-Range Plan Methodology to prioritize projects. Proposed projects include Hoffman-Boston HVAC replacement and possible add-ons, Dorothy Hamm Roof and HVAC joint replacement, Oakridge HVAC replacement, Williamsburg roof replacement and possible add-ons, and Jamestown HVAC and roof replacement and possible add-ons.
2. Proposed Feasibility Studies Sites: Jefferson MS, Taylor ES, Barrett ES, Swanson MS, Randolph ES
There are three costs options for MPSA Relocation to Legacy Career Center Building (assumed specification for 775 students)
Low Cost Option ($27mn) Proposes a “minimal” level of renovation. Uses former TV studio as physical education space, reuses many classrooms without renovation. There is no full-sized gymnasium created; that is the biggest thing that is not in Option 1.
Medium Cost Option ($35mn) Proposes a “medium” level of renovation. Essentially takes a section off the back of the building to allow for natural light for adjacent classrooms. Majority of cost comes from putting in full-sized gymnasium. Utilizes some existing ACC classrooms.
Higher Cost Option ($39mn) Proposes a “maximum” level of renovation. Builds on medium cost option plus more reconfiguration of classrooms.
3. Dates provided for School Board Work Sessions and Hearing. School Board vote on Proposed FY2025-34 CIP expected on June 20.
Discussion with Board members:
Ms. Kadera asked about the Swanson entrance and its accessibility. Mr. Chambers confirmed it is accessible and APS is adding a coating to the bridge to address concerns over slipperiness.
Ms. Kadera noted that there is nothing about swing space in the CIP presentation; when might it be discussed? Ms. Harber indicated that the need for swing space might come up in the context of the Feasibility Studies for 3-5 schools. Ms. Kadera said that in that case, we will not know until APS does its feasibility studies (which will happen over the next two years) whether or not swing space will be needed for any project. Thus, it will not be until the next CIP in two years where, if needed, the issue of swing space could be discussed.
Ms. Zecher Sutton asked if the Long Range Facility Study criteria were applied to the Career Center and MSPA, would they have fallen within the top tier of the buildings most in need of major work? Ms. Harber said yes, those two schools would have been in the top five schools.
Ms. Zecher Sutton asked what is the scope of the public address system project? Ms. Harber said that projects would be staggered, with some occurring in each year from FY2025 to FY2029. Mr. Miller said that some schools’ systems require more work than others.
Ms. Turner asked if the 775 seats planned for the MPSA is because of an ed-spec on recent elementary school projects. Mr. Chambers said it was a combination of Planning & Evaluation looking at the potential for utilization of that building long-term and whether it would be Montessori through 8th grade or it could be a regular elementary school in the future and the standard for elementaries at this time is between 700 and 750. Basically, the number stems from assuming five classes per grade.
Ms. Zecher Sutton said the ed-spec referenced goes back to Dr. Murphy’s tenure and so, at some point, APS could consider whether that is the right size for an elementary school.
Ms. Turner asked if we didn’t build 775 seats at that building, what would we do with the other space? Mr. Chambers said that the library shares space with Arlington Tech and alternates use of rooms depending on time of day; that space could go back to being used by the library. Ms. Turner noted that the refresh plan was a smaller number of seats, the current plan is a larger number of seats. Would costs be lower if a smaller number of seats were assumed? Ms. Harber said that’s a good topic for the work session. Ms. Turner next asked what drives the variety of MPSA cost estimates in certain Appendix Tables. Mr. Chambers noted escalation and prevailing wage.
Ms. Kadera asked if APS could describe what criteria were used to determine which schools would be included in the Feasibility Studies. Furthermore, since three schools had received some infrastructure upgrades within the last twenty year, what other factors is APS looking at? Ms. Harber said highest priority was given to classroom instructional spaces.
Ms. Kadera said that there are three big things with the CIP. First, major infrastructure needs. As mentioned in public comment, if you look at the Facility Condition Assessment, the sum of all needed major infrastructure updates at all schools in the next ten years, the total cost will likely exceed the $124 million. Ms. Harber said it is a lot more but some needs could be addressed through operational funds, not necessarily as a capital project. Ms. Kadera clarified that there are major infrastructure needs that will not be addressed under the current proposal. Ms. Harber agreed. Ms. Kadera said there is also a need for educational adequacy, like small classrooms or natural light; we must consider both major infrastructure needs and educational adequacy needs. Mr. Chambers clarified that some infrastructure needs that were identified in the study have already been completed.
Ms. Zecher Sutton noted that the benefit of the study is that it gives us a warning of what is coming in the future, but major infrastructure needs will vary over time. Also, important to clear up misconceptions, like what’s included in an operating budget versus a capital budget; what changes in debt service mean for operating budget; what we can and can’t afford to do; and relationship between APS CIP and County CIP.
Ms. Turner asked about the feasibility studies sites. What drove their selection -- major infrastructure needs or educational adequacy needs? Ms. Harber said educational space was the first driver of all five of the schools’ inclusion. Mr. Priddy said costs are HVAC and roof replacement are fairly straightforward; it is more difficult to determine the costs for increasing natural light in classrooms or the right square footage for each classroom, which is why a feasibility study is needed.
Mr. Priddy looks forward to upcoming sessions.
Second information item:
Barcroft roof replacement emergency procurement construction award.
As HVAC is installed, associated roof needs have been discovered. School Board will act on this item at the June 6 meeting.
No new business, Mr. Priddy adjourned the meeting.
