ARLINGTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Item C-1-a School Board Meeting October 22, 2014 The Arlington School Board convened on Wednesday, October 22, 2014, at 7:30 PM at 1426 North Quincy Street, Arlington, Virginia.1 Present were: James S. Lander, Chair Emma Violand-Sánchez, Vice Chair Abby Raphael, Member Nancy Van Doren, Member Melanie Elliott, Clerk Also present were: Dr. Patrick K. Murphy, Superintendent John Chadwick, Assistant Superintendent, Facilities and Operations Linda Erdos, Assistant Superintendent, School and Community Relations Dr. Betty Hobbs, Assistant Superintendent, Human Resources Cintia Johnson, Assistant Superintendent, Administrative Services Deirdra McLaughlin, Assistant Superintendent, Finance and Management Connie Skelton, Assistant Superintendent, Instruction Brenda Wilks, Assistant Superintendent, Student Services A. CLOSED MEETING - NONE B. BOARD MEETING OPENING 1. Call To Order 2. Presentation of Colors 3. Recognitions: (7:33 PM) Ms. Skelton, Dr. Murphy and the School Board recognized students who were named National Merit Semifinalists and National Achievement Semifinalists. 4. Announcements: (7:40 PM) MEETINGS: • October 29, 2014 Closed Meeting, School Board Conference Room, 7:15 PM EVENTS: • October 23, 2014 APS College Fair, Washington-Lee High School, 7 PM 1 Video clips of regular School Board meetings can be viewed on the APS Web site at the following link: http://www.apsva.us/15401081151356423/site/default.asp DVDs of all regular School Board meetings are also available for viewing in the School Board office. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Arlington School Board minutes - Page 1 of 11 - October 22, 2014 Dr. Murphy highlighted the upcoming College Fair, Middle and High School Information nights, and the Color of Leadership Girls Conference. He invited all to the Parent Resource Center’s Disability History and Awareness Month celebration, and to the community conversation and screening of “Harvest of Empire.” A one act play, “Anne and Emmett,” will be performed at Wakefield High School in November. Dr. Murphy then announced budget development efforts and encouraged families to continue to think about safety around schools. C. CONSENT ITEMS: (7:52 PM) Ms. Van Doren moved that the Board adopt the consent agenda, seconded by Dr. Violand-Sánchez. The motion was adopted in a vote of 4 – 0, with Mr. Lander, Ms. Raphael, Ms. Van Doren and Dr. Violand-Sánchez voting affirmatively. The following items or actions were approved as a part of consent: 1. Minutes: a. October 9, 2014 School Board Meeting 2. Personnel actions P/E-SCALE PERSONNEL 2 Appointments T-SCALE PERSONNEL 2 Appointments 1 Resignation A-SCALE PERSONNEL 1 Resignation SUPPORT SERVICES PERSONNEL 4 Appointments 2 Changes In Position/Salary 1 Retirement 1 Termination 3. Grants and Restricted Programs: Special Project #12 – Arlington Works! Special Project #13 – General Adult Education (GAE) Special Project #14 – Limited English Speaking/English as a Second Language (ESL) Special Project #15 – Early Reading Intervention 4. ACI Appointments 5. ESEA Consolidated Application 6. Comcast Easement REMOVED FROM AGENDA _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Arlington School Board minutes - Page 2 of 11 - October 22, 2014 7. School Plan Advisory Committee Appointments D. CITIZEN COMMENT ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS: (7:52 PM) There were no speakers on Non-Agenda Items. E. MONITORING ITEMS: (7:53 PM) 1. Arlington Partnership for Children, Youth and Families (APCYF) Report Card Chair Bill Browning presented the report on the 2014 APCYF Report Card, reviewing the charge to the Partnership and recognizing staff members and volunteers. Noting the report focuses on three key areas, Mr. Browning encouraged the Board to review the full Report Card. The first area of focus presented was childhood obesity, and Mr. Browning discussed its effects on children’s health as well as efforts to address obesity. The second focus was bullying, which has been of concern for several years. Efforts to address bullying have included the Care for Change Initiative, the Teen Network Board, teacher training, and assets training for community leaders. Mr. Browning shared specific data from the survey demonstrating that bullying is an ongoing issue in spite of efforts. The last area of focus was depressive symptoms. Sharing data from previous years, Mr. Browning reviewed efforts that have been put in place to address this issue. From 2001 to 2007, the percent of students reporting depressive symptoms declined by 10%, but that figure has been stagnant since 2007. Moving forward, the Partnership will focus on underage drinking, will continue to support and strengthen early childhood services and support, and will support efforts to raise graduation rates for all groups. In closing, Mr. Browning appreciated the collaboration between APS and the Partnership. Board members appreciated the report and thanked Mr. Browning and Kim Durand, APCYF Coordinator. Dr. Violand-Sánchez shared the concern about childhood obesity, noting that it is a major issue in some schools. She asked for recommendations on how to address obesity, and recognized that this issue relates to the Strategic Plan goal of meeting the needs of the whole child. Mr. Browning confirmed that the Partnership will focus on this issue as they move forward, and Ms. Durand spoke to community engagement efforts to help inform strategies to address obesity. Dr. Violand-Sánchez stressed that there should be a particular focus on schools with the highest levels of obesity, and Mr. Browning agreed that this is an important consideration. Ms. Raphael echoed the importance of reaching out and involving families in efforts to address these issues. She shared the concerns about the lack of progress on reducing bullying, and suggested that this is an area the staff and the Board should discuss further. In terms of substance use, Ms. Raphael recognized the work of the Ready Coalition, particularly efforts to change parent and community attitudes about drug and alcohol use, and she encouraged parents to become involved. She also suggested that the Partnership and Board work together to help better prepare students, both academically and socially, as they move from high school to college. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Arlington School Board minutes - Page 3 of 11 - October 22, 2014 2. Capital Improvement Plan Update: (8:09 PM) Scott Prisco, Director, Design and Construction presented a brief update on the CIP process. He reviewed the community engagement processes that have been held for both elementary and secondary seats, which has also Twitter Town Hall meetings. Mr. Prisco then shared highlights of the October 16 community meeting on secondary seats, which focused on big picture issues. Community feedback includes valuing green space at all sites, concerns about traffic, transportation and parking at some locations, and overall concerns about the cost and ability to complete projects on time and with the required seats. Mr. Prisco then reviewed the decision tree created to assist with the decisions for secondary seats, and he stated that the Board confirmed they do not want to consider the option for additions at four middle schools. He reviewed the five options still before the Board, noting that a boundary decision will be needed no matter which option is selected. Moving forward, staff will review existing middle school building capacities and will provide the Board with preliminary cost estimate ranges for the remaining options by early November. Staff will also continue to look at short term interventions at Swanson and Williamsburg. In closing, Mr. Prisco reviewed preliminary designs for the options under consideration and reviewed the calendar and timeline for the decisions before the Board. The following speakers addressed the Board opposing plans to move the Thomas Jefferson Community Garden, describing its creation and use as a learning tool, especially as part of the IB curriculum. Speakers stated that food grown there was donated to AFAC, contributing to students’ community service experience, and shared concerns about relocation of the garden to a less suitable site: Kitty Adair, former Jefferson student Lucy Robinson, Jefferson student Jessica Byers, Jefferson student The following speakers addressed the Board asking that the H-B Woodlawn program remain at the Stratford building, stressing the importance of the small program, diversity of its enrollment, and the support provided to students with differing needs. Some speakers commented on the benefits to the three programs co-located in the building, and some highlighted the Ultimate Frisbee team experience there. Some speakers supported a 1,300 seat middle school or choice school at the Wilson site. One speaker also commented on the disruption to the students if the Stratford building was renovated while being used: Patricia Healy, parent Francisco Hazera, former H-B Woodlawn student Cathleen Drew, resident Hilary Silvert Newell, H-B Woodlawn parent Carlos Joaquin, H-B Woodlawn parent Elmer Lowe, Arlington Branch, NAACP President _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Arlington School Board minutes - Page 4 of 11 - October 22, 2014 Laura Saul Edwards, H-B Woodlawn PAC cochair Kristen Colston, H-B Woodlawn parent Douglas Reed, H-B Woodlawn parent Gabriela