Superintendent’s Proposed Adjustments to Boundaries and Elementary

Immersion Feeder Schools for the 2022-23 School Year

School Board Action Item

December 2, 2021

Motion

The Superintendent’s recommendation for adjustments to secondary boundaries:• Brings enrollment to more manageable levels at Gunston and

Wakefield, moving incoming students to Jefferson and Washington-Liberty respectively.

• Reassigns 5 Planning Units from Gunston to Jefferson and approximately 140 students over the course of three years.

• Reassigns 10 Planning Units from Wakefield to Washington-Liberty and approximately 162 students over the course of three years.

• Minimizes the impact on students and families by allowing students currently in grades 6-7 at Gunston and students in grades 9-11 at Wakefield to remain at their current school through completion of middle or high school with transportation.

• Adds no additional bus riders.

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Motion

The Superintendent’s recommendation for adjustments to the elementary feeder immersion schools:

• Ensures flexibility for the 2022 elementary boundary process and to address possible enrollment growth at Gunston and Wakefield.

• Supports the Two-Way Immersion linguistically balanced instructional model recommended by the Immersion Visioning Task Force.

• Makes limited adjustments minimizing the impact on families and provides flexibility if future changes are needed.

• Reduces demand on transportation services and travel distance for families in the Cardinal, Tuckahoe, and Nottingham attendance zones that are currently in the Claremont feeder zone but would be assigned as feeder schools to Escuela Key.

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Motion

Therefore, I move that the School Board approve the Superintendent’s Middle and High School Boundary recommendation and adjustments to the elementary immersion feeder schools.1. This recommendation will reassign the following Middle School Planning

Units from Gunston Middle School to Jefferson Middle School: 46140, 48150, 48280, 48281, 48290.

• These middle school boundary adjustments will become effective in August 2022 for the current 2021-22 students in grades 5 and to all subsequent new students at Jefferson.

2. I also move that students who are currently in grades 6 and 7 at Gunston Middle School and reside in one of the planning units proposed for reassignment to Jefferson are eligible for grandfathering and may remain at Gunston through completion of the 8th grade. APS will provide transportation to grandfathered students.

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Motion

3. In addition, this recommendation will reassign the following High School Planning Units from Wakefield High School to Washington-Liberty High School: 46140, 48150, 48280, 48281, 48290, 46110, 46111, 46120, 48160, 48180.

• These high school boundary adjustments will become effective in August 2022 for the current 2021-22 students in grades 8 and to all subsequent new students at Washington-Liberty.

4. I also move that students who are currently in grades 9-11 at Wakefield High School and reside in one of the planning units proposed for reassignment to Washington-Liberty may remain at Wakefield until graduation. APS will provide transportation to grandfathered students.

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Motion

5. I also move that Cardinal, Nottingham and Tuckahoe Elementary Schools be assigned as feeder schools to Escuela Key that will apply for the 2022-23 school year.

6. I also move that all current students attending Claremont and Escuela Key may remain at their current school.

7. I also move that APS temporarily pause accepting new elementary Immersion students from the 2021 waitlist while APS reviews and accommodates requests, as space permits, of families who want their students, currently in grades PreK-4 at Escuela Key or Claremont, to attend their assigned Immersion school for 2022-23. Once this process is complete, APS will reopen the waitlist to new students.

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Motion

8. I also move that during this feeder realignment process, APS prioritize seats at Escuela Key for current Immersion students and their incoming siblings who reside in the Cardinal, Nottingham, and Tuckahoe attendance zones.

9. I also move that APS continue to provide transportation to Claremont for students who reside in Cardinal, Nottingham, and Tuckahoe attendance zones and remain at Claremont for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years.

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Superintendent’s Proposed Adjustments to Boundaries and Elementary

Immersion Feeder Schools for the 2022-23 School Year

School Board Action Item

December 2, 2021

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Superintendent’s Proposed Adjustments to Boundaries and Elementary

Immersion Feeder Schools for the 2022-23 School Year

School Board Information Item

November 16, 2021

Agenda

1. Boundary Proposals• Background and Engagement

• Superintendent’s Middle School and High School Boundary Proposals

2. Elementary Immersion Feeder School Proposal• Background and Engagement

• Superintendent’s Elementary Immersion Feeder Schools Proposal

3. Timeline and next steps

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Background & Community Engagement

Background: Scope

The Fall 2021 boundary process is limited in scope, focusing on refinements to boundaries at schools where:

• Enrollment currently exceeds capacity and • A nearby school has capacity to accommodate additional students

Schools include:• Middle schools: Gunston and Jefferson• High Schools: Wakefield and Washington-Liberty

Links to all presentations, data sources, analysis, recorded meetings, FAQ, and maps available on www.apsva.us/engage/fall-2021-boundary-process/

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Background: Data Sources

Fall 2021 boundary proposals informed by the following data sources:• Current enrollment (Sept. 30, 2021)• 2020 3-year projections and capacity• Housing forecast data and 2021 planning unit data

Note• The most recent projections data has limitations due to the impact of the

COVID-19 pandemic• Proposals considered that Virtual Learning Program (VLP) students may

return to their school of record

Links to all presentations, data sources, analysis, recorded meetings, FAQ, and maps available on www.apsva.us/engage/fall-2021-boundary-process/

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Background:

Middle School Capacity Utilization

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• Fall 2021 Middle School Boundary Refinements addressing Gunston

• APS will monitor projections to determine when additional middle school boundary adjustments are needed

Click to add text

Background:

High School Capacity Utilization

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• Fall 2021 High School Boundary Refinements addressing Wakefield

• APS will monitor projections to determine when additional high school boundary adjustments are needed

Background: Looking Ahead

Additional Boundary Changes May be Necessary in Future Years

• Conducting a limited boundary process this year means we can be responsive to multiple scenarios in the future

• Additional time will improve our understanding of pandemic enrollment and projections

• Any planning units reassigned for the 2022-23 school year will not be moved again if the boundaries for the schools are adjusted in the next several years

• Planning for the Fall 2022 Elementary School Boundary Process

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Background: High School Capacity Increasing for 2022-23

Washington-Liberty has 600 additional seats becoming available in January 2022 at the repurposed Education Center

• New capacity will provide enrollment relief for Wakefield

• Provides an opportunity to accept additional students from the IB waitlist

• The number of applicants to the IB lottery and number on the waitlist has consistently increased each year over the last four years

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Engagement: Goals

Public Participation Goal – Consult*

• Obtain feedback on analysis, alternatives and/or decision

Support Families in Understanding the Proposal

• Staff connected with families whose students will be reassigned to a different school in the proposals to ensure they understood the proposed changes and responded to have questions and concerns they had.

*Source: International Association for Public Participation /iap2usa.org/resources/Documents/Core%20Values%20Awards/IAP2%20-%20Spectrum%20-%20stand%20alone%20document.pdf

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Engagement: Participation

Who did we hear from regarding Middle and High School Proposals?

• Outreach to impacted families• All students proposed to move received targeted emails (approx. 103)

• 84 acknowledgement forms completed• 87 reached by phone, with comments noted

• All Gunston 6-7th graders and all Wakefield 9-11th graders received notification of proposed changes and an intent form (approx. 177)

• Four virtual community meetings, one in Spanish (40 views)

• Two virtual office hours (8 views)

• Engage: 30 emails from over 22 individuals• Includes past and present PTA presidents, impacted families and families from

outside the planning units proposed for moves

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Engagement: Timeline

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Sept. 30 APS announced the Fall 2021 Boundary Process through multiple communications channels

Oct. 14 School Board Meeting - Announcement and boundary proposals posted on Engage

Oct. 15-31 Community Engagement – A series of engagement sessions for families and the community were held to share information about the proposed boundary adjustments and engage in a Q&A with APS staff

Nov. 3 School Board Work Session• Responded to community input and concerns• Updated the proposals with grandfathering details• Delayed Abingdon to Drew boundaries tentatively until fall 2022

Superintendent’s Middle and High School

Boundary Proposal

Superintendent's Recommendation

The Superintendent’s Recommendation Does the Following:

• Involves four schools• Gunston and Jefferson Middle Schools

• Wakefield and Washington-Liberty High Schools

• Reassigns 5 Planning Units from Gunston to Jefferson and approximately 140 students over the course of three years

• Reassigns 10 Planning Units from Wakefield to Washington-Liberty and approximately 162 students over the course of three years

• Adds no additional bus riders

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Superintendent’s Proposed Middle School Boundary Adjustments

Gunston to Jefferson

• Reassigns 5 Planning Units from Gunston to Jefferson beginning the 2022-23 school year

• Planning units - 46140, 48150, 48280, 48281, 48290

• Corrects 2017 error - not accounting for option school seats at Gunston

• Return planning units that were moved from Jefferson to Gunston in the 2017 middle school boundary process

• Does not turn any walkers into bus riders

• Applies as students enter middle school (grade 6 or new to APS)

• Communities Impacted - Arlington View and Columbia Heights

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Superintendent’s Proposed Middle School Boundary Adjustments

Grandfathering: Gunston

Proposed Grandfathering with Transportation

• Current students in grades 6-7 can remain at Gunston

• Two families requested to have their 5th grade student attend Gunston with a concurrently enrolled sibling in grades 6 or 7• The boundary proposal will include sibling transfers for the two students

• No other requests for grandfathering will be added to the proposal

• APS transportation will be provided to these students via hub stops

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Superintendent’s Proposed Middle School Boundary Adjustments

Boundary Policy Considerations

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Policy Considerations in Boundary Proposal

Alignment – Reassigned planning units or clusters of planning units that had:• 24 or more students, or• if less than 24 students, when they were in closer proximity or aligned with middle/high

school cohorts

✓ Reassigns 140 Grade 3-5

students over 3 years

Stability• Not moving Planning Units that were reassigned while current students were enrolled in

that school level

✓Students not impacted by

2017 boundary process

Demographics• Moving F/RL rate for schools towards the countywide average

✓Minimal impact to

student body composition

Proximity & Efficiency• Utilizing available capacity at neighboring schools• Providing enrollment relief to schools that are overcapacity

✓Provides relief to Gunston

using available capacity at Jefferson

Contiguity• Maintaining attendance zones that are contiguous• The school is located within its boundary

✓Attendance zone

contiguous and school located in its boundary

Superintendent’s Proposed High School Boundary Adjustments

Wakefield to Washington-Liberty

• Reassigns 10 Planning Units from Wakefield to Washington-Liberty for the 2022-23 school year

• Planning Units - 46110, 46111, 46120, 48160, 48180, 48290, 46140, 48150, 48280, 48281

• Return planning units that were moved from Washington-Liberty to Wakefield in the 2016 high school boundary process

• Does not turn any walkers into bus riders

• Applies as students enter high school (grade 9 or new to APS)

• Communities Impacted – Penrose, Foxcroft Heights, Arlington View, Columbia Heights

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Superintendent’s Proposed High School Boundary Adjustments

Grandfathering: Wakefield

Proposed Grandfathering with Transportation

• Current students in grades 9-11 can remain at Wakefield

• Four families requested to have their 8th grade student attend Wakefield with a concurrently enrolled sibling in grades 9, 10 or 11• The boundary proposal will include sibling transfers for the four students

• No other requests for grandfathering will be added to the proposal

• APS transportation will be provided to these students via hub stops

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Superintendent’s Proposed High School Boundary Adjustments

Managing Enrollment at Washington-Liberty

• The proposal makes limited boundary changes that will be complemented by adjusting the number of students accepted via the IB lottery

• This approach phases in expanded enrollment at Washington-Liberty• Enrollment grows as it is needed to provide relief for the other high schools• Avoids opening at the onset with 2,800 students• Washington-Liberty expansion manages high school enrollment in permanent

facilities

• Conversations with APS administrators suggest 2,800 students at a high school is too large a number of students• Later this year: The PreK-Adult Instructional Programs and Pathways (IPP) IPP will

recommend the preferred elementary, middle and high school sizes• The recommendations will impact plans for the Arlington Career Center and W-L

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Superintendent’s Proposed High School Boundary Adjustments

Boundary Policy Considerations

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Superintendent's Recommendations

The Superintendent’s recommendation achieves these

objectives:

• Offers enrollment relief at Gunston and Wakefield, two schools where enrollment exceeds capacity

• Phases in expanded enrollment at Washington-Liberty

• Reassigns planning units on the eastern portion of the county which preserves flexibility and options if future boundary adjustments are needed

• Allows for the possibility of using other tools to manage enrollment if needed via the annual update

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Superintendent’s Elementary Immersion Feeder Schools

Proposal

Committee’s Charge

Recommend adjustments to the feeders that:

• Support the Two-Way Immersion linguistically balanced instructional model recommended by the Immersion Visioning Task Force

• Reduce the demands on transportation services and is operationally feasible

• Maintain manageable enrollment levels at both facilities

• Consider equity and access

• Promote demographic diversity at Escuela Key and Claremont

• Address how the proposed feeder structure applies to current and future students (grandfathering)

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Engagement: Goals

Public Participation Goal – Collaborate with a representative committee

• Develop a preferred solution and alternatives

• Keep the communities they represent informed throughout the work

*Source: International Association for Public Participation /iap2usa.org/resources/Documents/Core%20Values%20Awards/IAP2%20-%20Spectrum%20-%20stand%20alone%20document.pdf

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Parent representatives were a conduit to their immersion families

• Committee with 14 immersion representatives met four times

• Meetings reviewed APS data and input gathered from the immersion families

• Updates shared with immersion families via parent reps, PTA, School Talk messages and Engage page

• Links to view all meetings, presentations, data sources, analysis,recorded meetings, FAQ, and maps available on www.apsva.us/engage/immersionelementaryfeedercommittee/

Engagement: Communitywide Participation

Elementary Immersion Feeder Schools: Existing and Proposed for 2022-23

Map of the current Immersion Elementary Feeder Schools (2021-22)

Superintendent's Proposed Immersion Elementary Feeder Schools (2022-23)

To Escuela Key:-Cardinal -Nottingham -Tuckahoe

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Superintendent’s Proposed Elementary Immersion Feeder Schools

Recommendations

• Assign Tuckahoe, Nottingham, and Cardinal to Escuela Key

• Continuation:• Encourage all elementary immersion students remain in the program• Students are not required to move from their current school

• For families that want their student to attend their assigned feeder school, accommodate requests as space permits by:• Inviting all students who attend a school that is outside of feeder to confirm if they want to

change to schools for 2022-23• Prioritizing seats at Escuela Key for students who reside in attendance zone for Cardinal,

Nottingham or Tuckahoe

• Transportation for students who live outside the walk zone:• Provided for students who attend their assigned feeder school• Will continue to be provided to Claremont from Cardinal, Nottingham and Tuckahoe for the

2022-23 and 2023-24 school years

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Superintendent’s Proposed Elementary Immersion Feeder Schools

Recommendations

To accommodate existing elementary immersion students who prefer to move to their feeder school for the 2022-23 school year, APS will do the following:

• Temporarily pause accepting new elementary immersion students from the spring 2021 waitlists

• Within the school's available space, hold seats for the students who will move in fall of 2022

• Once done, reopen the waitlist

In 2022, revise the Options and Transfer PIP for spring 2023 immersion lotteries, adding a preference for current immersion families who are outside of feeder and wish to attend their assigned feeder schoolNote: Data tables that include an analysis of the proposed feeder structure and alternative options considered are available on Engage at www.apsva.us/engage/immersionelementaryfeedercommittee/

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Timeline and Next Steps

School Board’s Timeline and Next Steps

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✓ Nov. 16 School Board hears the Superintendent’s Proposals

Nov. 30 School Board holds a Public Hearing on the Proposals

Dec. 2 School Board votes on the Proposals

Follow the boundary and immersion feeder school processes at

www.apsva.us/engage/

Community Information on Fall 2021 Boundary Process

Frequent updates on APS Engage, including:−Presentations

−Timeline−Data

−FAQ's

−Links to School Board Work Sessions/Meetings

Additional communications shared throughout the process via:−School Talk Engage messages

−Social media

All Arlington Public Schools (APS) budget and operations decisions are based on the best information available at the time. Staff and community members are reminded that funding forecasts from Arlington County and the state may change, based on many external factors. Similarly, student enrollment and projections are based on the best available information, but are also subject to

change due to employment, housing and other economic factors. For these reasons, APS and the Arlington School Board may adjust future budget allocations, staffing and other operations decisions

to reflect the existing community and operating landscape.

Questions? Write to: engage@apsva.us

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Superintendent’s Proposed Adjustments to Boundaries and Elementary

Immersion Feeder Schools for the 2022-23 School Year

School Board Information Item

November 16, 2021