Dr. Patrick Murphy

Students, Teachers Return to School

By ARLnow.com

At 6:30 this morning, school buses were streaming out of a county facility near Shirlington, on their way to pick up students for the first day of school. It’s the start of a ritual that will continue every school day until the start of next summer.

In all, about 120 buses will pick up about 10,000 students county-wide this morning. Another 11,000 will walk or be driven to one of Arlington’s 34 public schools.

Arlington Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Patrick Murphy started his own first day ritual at the bus yard, doing a live shot on the Fox 5 Morning News, greeting bus drivers, and talking to a video crew with the school system’s TV station.

Asked about emotions and expectations on the first day of school, Dr. Murphy emphasized the importance of maintaining student engagement after the new-ness wears off.

“It’s exciting, it’s starting new, but the first day should be just like every other day,” Dr. Murphy said. “Everybody can be great on day one — it’s about being great every day.”

More photos after the jump.

(more…)

APS Students Returning to More Relocatable Classrooms

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Public Schools will be opening next week with at least 600 more students than a year ago and 14 new relocatable classrooms to accommodate the burgeoning student body.

Relocatable classrooms —  superintendent Dr. Patrick Murphy prefers the term “learning cottages” — are here to stay in Arlington County. The school system, having determined that the portable units are ten times more cost-effective than physically building a new classroom, has started buying rather than leasing the “relocatables,” and has started buying them four at a time for a further cost savings.

This summer APS added four relocatables each to Glebe, Carlin Springs, and Barrett elementary schools. One relocatable was installed at Nottingham Elementary and H-B Woodlawn, according to APS spokesperson Frank Bellavia.

The school system also likes relocatables because of the flexibility they provide. They can be moved from school to school, can be put into reserve in case of a sudden influx of students, and can be removed if the student population enters a cyclical downturn, as it did in the 1990s.

Indeed, although student enrollment is projected to increase through 2020 (see chart below), school board member Sally Baird says the increase is as much a “generational spike” in certain areas of the county as it is a result of Arlington’s steadily growing population. That growth, she says, is only temporary.

“There will be, at some point, a plateau,” Baird said.

In addition to the “relocatables” — APS is also implementing a number of strategies specifically intended to allow then to squeeze in more students without laying a single brick.

Class sizes have increased by one student across the board, with the exception of the fourth and fifth grade classes. At high schools, classrooms are being utilized six out of seven periods, up from five. And Washington-Lee High School is offering “zero period” classes before the start of school, a strategy that may spread to other high schools.

One thing that the school system is no longer considering is redrawing school boundaries. Although the idea was under consideration, it was panned by parents when polled for an APS survey.

(more…)

Superintendent to Hold Community Chat Tonight

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Pat Murphy is bringing his summer roadshow to the Langston Brown Community Center (4854 Lee Highway) tonight.

From 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., Dr. Murphy will talk about “a wide range of school-related topics,” and will answer questions from those in attendance.

The gathering, part of Dr. Murphy’s summer chat series, is being hosted by the African American Leadership Council of Arlington. Space is limited — call 703-228-2581 to RSVP.

The superintendent’s next chat will be held around lunchtime on Thursday, August 26, at the county’s Courthouse Plaza office building.

Planetarium Fundraising Underway, But Goals Are Daunting

By ARLnow.com

It’s been a busy first 25 days for the Friends of Arlington’s David M. Brown Planetarium. The group, established to help save the planetarium from a slated closure by the school system, has applied for status as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, launched a website, joined Twitter, and has raised $2,500 from 40 donors.

Not bad for a grassroots community organization. But in order to meet the first fundraising goal set by superintendent Dr. Pat Murphy, the group will have to raise another $158,620 over the next 100 days. In order to meet the final goal, the group will need to raise another $400,000 over the next year.

The daunting goal is more than the group thinks it needs to raise to upgrade the 40-year-old planetarium. School officials have included a $162,000 dome replacement in the cost — an expense the group disagrees with. Instead of squabbling over the dome, however, organizer Raphael Perrino says the group has decided to focus on raising money.

It’s not clear what will happen if the group doesn’t meet its fundraising goals. School board chairman Sally Baird told the Sun Gazette last month that “no board action has been taken in regard to the specific fund-raising targets, nor whether those targets are absolute.”

Both parties are expected to formulate a Memorandum of Understanding, which would address the the dome issue and other specifics, at an unspecified later date.

The Friends of the Planetarium will be meeting Wednesday night to discuss the group’s progress and to formulate a fundraising strategy. The meeting will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in room 108 of the Langston-Brown Community Center (2121 N. Culpepper Street). Pizza will be served.

While the Friends wait for their 501(c)(3) status to be approved, supporters are being asked to donate to the cause through the Arlington Community Foundation, which has set up a “planetarium fund.” All donations to the fund are tax deductible.

School Budget Passed, Planetarium Saved

By ARLnow.com

By a 5-0 vote, the Arlington school board passed a $442 million FY 2011 budget Thursday night which reduced spending but restored some items that had been on the chopping block.

Notably, funding for the David M. Brown Planetarium was partially restored. Originally set to be closed and converted into classroom space for Washington-Lee High School, the planetarium will now be staffed part-time.

Instead of serving K-5 students five days a week, starting this fall the planetarium will serve K-2 students two days a week. There will also be some flexibility to hire a an hourly worker to open the planetarium on weekends.

The Friends of the Planetarium, a group that sprung up to protest the planetarium’s proposed closure and amassed more than 3,250 Facebook fans, will now begin the process of raising more than $300,000 for necessary upgrades to the 40-year-old facility. That process is expected to take 12-18 months.

“It’s a long road ahead, but we have an inspired group of people who aren’t about to quit,” group organizer Raphael Perrino said. “We kept the planetarium open… now it’s time to upgrade it and keep it open for many generations to come.”

In another development, board members grilled school security officials over a proposed new security system.

An entry security system for visitors, which would require people to present an ID to get a visitor’s pass during class hours, was blasted by board member Dr. Emma Violand-Sanchez, who said it could scare immigrant parents away.

“This is not Arizona!” Dr. Violand-Sanchez exclaimed, referring to the state’s controversial new immigration laws. Other board members expressed concern about the system limiting parent access to schools.

Superintendent Dr. Pat Murphy defended the plan, which also calls for the installation of video cameras and a card access system by December 2010.

“I want to clarify that our schools will be welcoming places for all parents,” Dr. Murphy said.

(more…)

Planetarium Supporters Prepare for Vote

By ARLnow.com

The endgame for the Arlington County Planetarium is near. Arlington Public Schools superintendent Dr. Pat Murphy and planetarium supporters have exchanged offers, counteroffers, and responses to counteroffers. Now, the school board is preparing to vote on the planetarium’s fate.

On Thursday, the board will vote on the school system’s FY2011 budget, which would include any planetarium funding or lack thereof. Leaders of the “Friends of the Planetarium” group, who are actively representing more than 3,200 Facebook “fans” and 900 petition signers, say they are not sure which way the board will vote.

At this point, it’s also not clear which of three possible “scenarios” the board would be voting on. The scenarios range from retaining one full-time planetarium teacher for K-5 students and hiring hourly staff as needed on weekends, to using the planetarium as classroom space during the week and only hiring for weekend shows (while also funding K-2 field trips to the Einstein Planetarium at the National Air and Space Museum).

Each scenario presumes the planetarium would remain functional for 12-18 months while the Friends raise funds for necessary upgrades.

The Friends are pushing for the planetarium to remain staffed full-time for educational use.

If the board votes “no” on planetarium funding, it’s assumed that it will meet the fate proposed under Dr. Murphy’s original budget, which called for the planetarium to be closed and used as a classroom for Washington-Lee High School.

School Board Meeting Tonight

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Public Schools superintendent Dr. Pat Murphy is currently briefing the media in advance of tonight’s special school board meeting, where he will make a presentation on the state of the school system’s budget.

The meeting will take place at 7:30 in the board room of the Arlington Education Center.