Superintendent's Proposed Adjustments to Boundaries and Elementary Immersion Feeder Schools for the 2022-23 School Year - School Board Action Item
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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
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.
2
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.
3
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.
4
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.
5
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.
6
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.
7
Superintendent’s Proposed Adjustments
to Boundaries and Elementary
Immersion Feeder Schools
for the 2022-23 School Year
School Board Action Item
December 2, 20219
Superintendent’s Proposed Adjustments
to Boundaries and Elementary
Immersion Feeder Schools
for the 2022-23 School Year
School Board Information Item
November 16, 2021Agenda
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
11Background & 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/
13Background: 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/
14Background:
Middle School Capacity Utilization
• Fall 2021 Middle
School Boundary
Refinements
addressing Gunston
Click to add text • APS will monitor
projections to
determine when
additional middle
school boundary
adjustments are
needed
15Background:
High School Capacity Utilization
• Fall 2021 High School
Boundary Refinements
addressing Wakefield
• APS will monitor
projections to
determine when
additional high school
boundary adjustments
are needed
16Background: 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
17Background: 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
18Engagement: 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
19Engagement: 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
20Engagement: Timeline
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
21Superintendent’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
23Superintendent’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
24Superintendent’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
25Superintendent’s Proposed Middle School Boundary Adjustments
Boundary Policy Considerations
Policy Considerations in Boundary Proposal
Alignment – Reassigned planning units or clusters of planning units that had:
• 24 or more students, or ✓ Reassigns 140 Grade 3-5
• if less than 24 students, when they were in closer proximity or aligned with middle/high students over 3 years
school cohorts
Stability
• Not moving Planning Units that were reassigned while current students were enrolled in
✓Students not impacted by
that school level 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
✓Provides relief to Gunston
• Providing enrollment relief to schools that are overcapacity using available capacity at
Jefferson
Contiguity
• Maintaining attendance zones that are contiguous
✓Attendance zone
• The school is located within its boundary contiguous and school
located in its boundary
26Superintendent’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
27Superintendent’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
28Superintendent’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
29Superintendent’s Proposed High School Boundary Adjustments
Boundary Policy Considerations
30Superintendent'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
31Superintendent’s Elementary
Immersion Feeder Schools
ProposalCommittee’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)
33Engagement: 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
34Engagement: Communitywide Participation 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/
Elementary Immersion Feeder Schools:
Existing and Proposed for 2022-23
Map of the current Immersion Elementary Superintendent's Proposed Immersion
Feeder Schools (2021-22) Elementary Feeder Schools (2022-23)
To Escuela Key:
-Cardinal
-Nottingham
-Tuckahoe
36Superintendent’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
37Superintendent’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 school
Note: 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/
38Timeline and Next Steps
School Board’s Timeline and Next Steps
✓ 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/
40Community Information on Fall 2021
Boundary Process
Frequent updates on APS Engage, including:
−Presentations
−Timeline
−Data
−FAQ's
−Links to School Board Work Sessions/Meetings Questions? Write to:
Additional communications shared throughout engage@apsva.us
the process via: 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
−School Talk Engage messages 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
−Social media Arlington School Board may adjust future budget allocations, staffing and other operations decisions
to reflect the existing community and operating landscape.
23
41Superintendent’s Proposed Adjustments
to Boundaries and Elementary
Immersion Feeder Schools
for the 2022-23 School Year
School Board Information Item
November 16, 2021You can also read
