PTA Meeting Minutes 2.13.18
Campbell PTA Meeting
February 13, 2018
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Approximate
# of Attendees: 80
I. Welcome
and Introduction: Nathan Zee, President
- Nathan
welcomed everyone to the PTA meeting - Nathan
introduced the guest speaker, Tannia Talento, School Board Member
II. Tannia
Talento, School Board Member, Campbell Liaison
- Ms.
Talento introduced herself and thanked our PTA for our input and feedback
regarding the Elementary School siting process - Ms.
Talento provided an update on APS/School Board happenings: - New
School Board Member, Monique O’Grady, has taken office - School
Board Member Barbara Kanninen will be up for reelection - Pre-K
and Kindergarten registration is underway - Activities
for Black History Month are culminating in a celebration at Gunston Middle
School; “Arlington: Past and future Excellence” will be held from 6-8 pm
on 2/28 - School
Board Advisory Councils and Committees are seeking new members. For more
information, visit: https://www.apsva.us/school-board-advisory-councils-and-committees/ - New
Middle School Boundaries were adopted in December; they will go into
effect in Fall 2019 - The
APS Calendar for 2018-19 was adopted - One
change to look for is that Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held over
1 ½ days rather than 2 full days - Adopted
the first of two Acceptable Use Policies for student devices; second
policy will be discussed at the March 22nd School Board
Meeting - Option
and Transfer Policy Revisions: - Sibling
preferences maintained for Elementary level; waiting to update Secondary
level sibling policy until after boundary revision process is complete - All
option programs became Countywide admission - Student
must re-apply every year to remain on waitlist after this year - Preparing
for new schools to open - Visit
Board Docs for upcoming School Board meeting agendas about the CIP for FY
2019-2028 - 3/8:
AFSAP monitoring report on projections and capacity utilization due - 3/22:
CIP framework (informational item) - 4/5:
CIP framework (action item) - Strategic
Plan: - In
January, we gathered community input on draft mission and vision
statement - FY
2019 budget hearings will be held on 2/22 and 2/24 - Have
a deficit for the coming fiscal year and we don’t anticipate the county
being able to close all the gaps because their budget is also projecting
a shortfall - Reed
Elementary school BLPC process underway - Career
Center Working Group meetings will be held from February until August;
still able to accommodate the growth of Arlington Tech as planned for
2018-2019 - Education
Center offices are relocating to Syphax Building; Instructional Focus for
seats at the Ed Center site TBD - Ms.
Talento gave an update the timeline for the Elementary School Planning
process; details are available online at: https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Handout_ES-Planning-Initiative_FINAL-ENGLISH-Updated-Feb-18.pdf - Winter
2018: approved process and scope - Spring
2018: designation of neighborhood and option schools (decision about
where programs may move will not be made, just whether they should be
moved) - Fall
2018: adoption of Elementary School boundaries - Policy
considerations: - Efficiency
- Proximity
- Stability
- Alignment
- Demographics
- Contiguity
- Ms.
Talento opened the floor to questions and comments. Extensive questions
and comments were taken. Some highlights include: - Comment:
We are concerned about Campbell being moved, especially if the only
consideration is density of students nearby. - Response:
I don’t know whether Campbell would be named. We have to find out how answers
to a number of unanswered questions (seats gained? cost? disruption to
programs?). We’ve heard your feedback and are thankful for your comments
that will help inform our decision. Campbell has not come up
specifically in our discussions about possible program moves - Staff
will present the possibilities at the 4/10 work session, and community
engagement about that proposal will begin on 4/11 - Comment:
Our program was built by our parents. The time to engage with the
community is now, because there are so many considerations that aren’t
being talked about yet. - Comment:
Also, consider many of our students are transfers from Barcroft because
of the alternative calendar. What is going to be done about that
calendar, which is not appropriate in a neighborhood school (because it’s
different than all the other schools, shouldn’t it be an option?) - Your
comment about Barcroft’s calendar should be emailed to the Engage
website - Comment:
FAC Meeting on 2/28 will discuss what criteria other than walkability
should be considered - Comment:
Moving choice schools out of South Arlington is not acceptable. - Comment:
With such little information about what might be proposed, it’s hard to
give appropriate feedback. - Comment:
Don’t understand why we’re considering the cost of moving schools when
we’re under such tight budget constraints; programs must be considered
individually and more than just walkability must be a factor. - Comment:
Staff and School Board Members should come tour our school (and other
option schools) before making any recommendations or decisions. They
should see EL in action and understand how much we utilize our location
and surroundings for instruction. - Response:
I will take that feedback to the School Board Members. - Comment:
Our instructional focus is tied to our location and can’t be replicated
elsewhere. - Response:
We’re looking at boundaries and countywide programs because some may not
be strategically placed. This is just a proposal that staff is bringing
forward. Then the School Board must weigh whether it will cost too much
to move the program in terms of instruction, community impact, financial
cost. We are trying to make an informed decision. - Comment:
Our children have built and care for a lot of the outdoor spaces at
Campbell. From a whole child perspective, moving our program could be
detrimental to them. - Q:
Where should we be sending our feedback? A: Send emails to Engage@apsva.us; these emails go to Staff
directly. - Q:
How was this process initiated? A: Staff made the proposal and the School
Board voted to consider their proposal. - Comment:
Since the decision was made to make all option schools countywide, you
should consider that Campbell is located pretty close to the N/S split
and provides good accessibility; seems like a good way to keep option
transportation costs down. - Ms.
Nesselrode shared that in her discussions with staff in the Central
Office, she has been making the case that Campbell isn’t a good candidate
to move for the following reasons: - Instructional
Focus good fit for current location (Outdoor Classroom, Wetlands, walking
Field Trips to Long Branch Nature Center) - Interlude
Program colocation - Diversity
of student body might be compromised if we were moved to a less central
location - Will
continue to advocate until proposal is put forward in April
III. Closing:
Nathan Zee, President
- No
time to go through funding requests; they were all within our previously
approved budget. We don’t need to vote to approve, but for transparency, I
will send out details by email. - Kate
Sullivan, School Counselor: Please try to keep the discussions about
program/school locations and potential moves to yourselves and try not to discuss
with or in front of your children, to save the students from undue anxiety.