APS Superintendent High School Overcrowding Plan

[Anonymous]

Be glad you don't live in Annandale.

[Anonymous]

The County Board just announced its own Capital Improvements Plan (CIP) that asks for $177M in new bonds, but only sends $12M towards schools, most of it apparently for a parking structure at Thomas Jefferson ... ?

https://www.arlnow.com/2016/05/20/proposed-capital-improvement-plan-includes-millions-for-metro-maintenance-parks-and-rec/#disqus_thread

This is crazy. That's just not sufficient to deal with the school population onslaught that is coming. Please write the school and county boards!

To contact the School Board, send an email to: [e-mail]

Alterrnatively, fax them at [phone], write Arlington Education Center, 1426 N. Quincy Street, Arlington, VA 22207, or phone [phone]. Open office hours for citizens to visit with School Board members are generally held on Mondays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. (walk-in/no appointment needed) during the school year. If there is a Monday holiday, open office hours will be held on the following Tuesday morning from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. in the School Board Office. To view the schedule for Open Office Hours, click here <http://www.apsva.us/Page/3050>.

To contact the County Board (PLEASE DO THIS!!!), send a message via this internet contact form: <https://www.arlingtonva.us/contact-arlington/>

[Anonymous]

The school board candidates do not impress me, based on their candidate statements and interactions with commenters on Arlnow. Not very encouraged by any of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The County Board just announced its own Capital Improvements Plan (CIP) that asks for $177M in new bonds, but only sends $12M towards schools, most of it apparently for a parking structure at Thomas Jefferson ... ?

https://www.arlnow.com/2016/05/20/proposed-capital-improvement-plan-includes-millions-for-metro-maintenance-parks-and-rec/#disqus_thread

This is crazy. That's just not sufficient to deal with the school population onslaught that is coming. Please write the school and county boards!

To contact the School Board, send an email to: [e-mail]

Alterrnatively, fax them at [phone], write Arlington Education Center, 1426 N. Quincy Street, Arlington, VA 22207, or phone [phone]. Open office hours for citizens to visit with School Board members are generally held on Mondays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. (walk-in/no appointment needed) during the school year. If there is a Monday holiday, open office hours will be held on the following Tuesday morning from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. in the School Board Office. To view the schedule for Open Office Hours, click here <http://www.apsva.us/Page/3050>.

To contact the County Board (PLEASE DO THIS!!!), send a message via this internet contact form: <https://www.arlingtonva.us/contact-arlington/>

Is your point that they should spend less on parks and roads and more on schools? The school bond is already expected to be $125m. Interest on those bonds comes out of the schools annual budget--if the county is using $12m of its bond to build a parking garage, that's $12m the schools don't have to pay interest on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The County Board just announced its own Capital Improvements Plan (CIP) that asks for $177M in new bonds, but only sends $12M towards schools, most of it apparently for a parking structure at Thomas Jefferson ... ?

https://www.arlnow.com/2016/05/20/proposed-capital-improvement-plan-includes-millions-for-metro-maintenance-parks-and-rec/#disqus_thread

This is crazy. That's just not sufficient to deal with the school population onslaught that is coming. Please write the school and county boards!

To contact the School Board, send an email to: [e-mail]

Alterrnatively, fax them at [phone], write Arlington Education Center, 1426 N. Quincy Street, Arlington, VA 22207, or phone [phone]. Open office hours for citizens to visit with School Board members are generally held on Mondays from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. (walk-in/no appointment needed) during the school year. If there is a Monday holiday, open office hours will be held on the following Tuesday morning from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. in the School Board Office. To view the schedule for Open Office Hours, click here <http://www.apsva.us/Page/3050>.

To contact the County Board (PLEASE DO THIS!!!), send a message via this internet contact form: <https://www.arlingtonva.us/contact-arlington/>

Is your point that they should spend less on parks and roads and more on schools? The school bond is already expected to be $125m. Interest on those bonds comes out of the schools annual budget--if the county is using $12m of its bond to build a parking garage, that's $12m the schools don't have to pay interest on.

fyi...that TJ parking structure is part of the new ES school build at TJ. They are building the new school on top of the existing MS parking lot so the structure is needed to replace/add parking.

[Anonymous]

You're right, the school board has its own bond referendum. I guess I don't understand where the line is. Why is the county spending $12M on a school parking structure? Can it spend money instead to buy land for schools?

There seems to be a weird disassociation between the school board and the county board. Why aren't they working together more on facilities issues so that the schools have land to build as needed? Right now the school board is limited because there is no land to build a new high school, and it seems like the only place they could get that land is from the county, but all the county is doing is building a parking garage.

[Anonymous]

Ah, I understand the parking now and it's definitely necessary. But the schools need land, too!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You're right, the school board has its own bond referendum. I guess I don't understand where the line is. Why is the county spending $12M on a school parking structure? Can it spend money instead to buy land for schools?

There seems to be a weird disassociation between the school board and the county board. Why aren't they working together more on facilities issues so that the schools have land to build as needed? Right now the school board is limited because there is no land to build a new high school, and it seems like the only place they could get that land is from the county, but all the county is doing is building a parking garage.

I swear this separation is designed to confuse.

Assuming new land is needed and that APS can't get it on its own, wouldn't acquiring land for a new school be part of the County's Capital Improvement Plan?

[Anonymous]

These last few posts are helpful. Can somebody explain to me how the 10% cap works? I see it explained on the County website that the ratio of net tax-supported debt service to general expenditures "should not" exceed ten percent within the ten-year projection. But are we close to that cap now? And if yes, what happens if we go over? Does that automatically drop our bond rating, or does it just become a risk? And is it really a big deal to drop from AAA to AA+? Both are still considered pretty good investments from an outsider perspective.

And are school bonds looked at against all general expenditures? Or is it school bond debt service looked at specifically as a percent of school general expenditures? I want to write a letter urging a bond issuance to buy land to build a 4th high school, but want to make sure that I am using the right financial terms and addressing to the right board. TIA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These last few posts are helpful. Can somebody explain to me how the 10% cap works? I see it explained on the County website that the ratio of net tax-supported debt service to general expenditures "should not" exceed ten percent within the ten-year projection. But are we close to that cap now?

The new bonds will put us extremely close -- about as close as we can get.


And if yes, what happens if we go over? Does that automatically drop our bond rating, or does it just become a risk?

Drops.


And is it really a big deal to drop from AAA to AA+? Both are still considered pretty good investments from an outsider perspective.

Still raises cost of of all our borrowing, and we borrow hundreds of millions.


And are school bonds looked at against all general expenditures? Or is it school bond debt service looked at specifically as a percent of school general expenditures?

School expenditures. They could do it other ways, but generally the county and schools split the bond capacity the same as they split the revenue, which is about 55/45. They could in theory do it differently, but then ratio of bond interest coming out of annual school budget would be off too.


I want to write a letter urging a bond issuance to buy land to build a 4th high school, but want to make sure that I am using the right financial terms and addressing to the right board. TIA.

[Anonymous]

I think I am going to send an email to both the school and county boards asking them to please, please, please work together to find the money to build a fourth full-size high school.

We know these kids are coming. They are in the system already. I don't want my kids doing flex scheduling or alternate days. And I don't want them attending a 3,000 kid high school. I want them to have a normal high school experience.

Raise our taxes if you need to. But don't pass a plan that basically throws up its hands for 1,500 kids who won't have high school seats. The time to buy land is NOW, not 10 years from now.

[Anonymous]

Everyone calm down. Do some downward dog. Drink your kale juice. They will build a new school. They are just trying to ensure that everyone is scared enough to approve the eventual bond measure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everyone calm down. Do some downward dog. Drink your kale juice. They will build a new school. They are just trying to ensure that everyone is scared enough to approve the eventual bond measure.

If Garza were in charge, I would feel more comfortable that this is what is actually going on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think I am going to send an email to both the school and county boards asking them to please, please, please work together to find the money to build a fourth full-size high school.

We know these kids are coming. They are in the system already. I don't want my kids doing flex scheduling or alternate days. And I don't want them attending a 3,000 kid high school. I want them to have a normal high school experience.

Raise our taxes if you need to. But don't pass a plan that basically throws up its hands for 1,500 kids who won't have high school seats. The time to buy land is NOW, not 10 years from now.

I attended a high school with over 3,000 kids. That's not unusually large. 4,000 would be pushing it though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think I am going to send an email to both the school and county boards asking them to please, please, please work together to find the money to build a fourth full-size high school.

We know these kids are coming. They are in the system already. I don't want my kids doing flex scheduling or alternate days. And I don't want them attending a 3,000 kid high school. I want them to have a normal high school experience.

Raise our taxes if you need to. But don't pass a plan that basically throws up its hands for 1,500 kids who won't have high school seats. The time to buy land is NOW, not 10 years from now.

I attended a high school with over 3,000 kids. That's not unusually large. 4,000 would be pushing it though.

Can you tell us what state that was? Were they able to fit in 1 building or did you also use trailers ? Was it harder to make sports teams? TIA.