001Okay, this evening we have both the public hearing on the combined funds budget and then we have public comments as we usually do and they're going to be segmented in that way. The speaking podium is here at the front and speakers get three minutes each to speak and you will hear a timer sound at the end of your three minutes and we have a very long speaker list this evening so I would appreciate your... cooperation in keeping your remarks to three minutes. Thank you very much. First up on the budget topics we have Katie Matthews. My name is Katie Matthews and I'm here on behalf of the Alexandria PTA council. I have a fourth grader from James K. Polk Elementary and a seventh grader at Francis C. Heyman Middle School. P-TECH is a council made
002up of members and volunteers from each Alexandria City Public Schools PTA whose mission is to make every child's potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children. After examining the superintendent's FY21 combined funds budget, we would like to thank you for the support with regards to the expansion of the ACPS equity work, the increase in the student support team personnel, the investment in bus drivers, the increase in compensation and benefits for all staff so that ACPS can retain and recruit the highest quality workforce for our students. and the increased resources towards the safety of our schools. We do encourage you to increase funding for compensation for face center personnel. The face center personnel are expected to possess a skilled set. Excuse me a skill set such as highly developed
003communication organizational skills knowledge and awareness of different cultural values and the Expectation that they will be available during off hours for events what we understand that the high turnover may be due to low Compensation so we hope that you can consider this In addition a parent liaison for every school. There are no parent liaisons at Charles Barrett Douglas MacArthur Cora Kelly Lyles Crouch Matthew Mori George Mason Samuel Tucker and the Early Childhood Center. Parent liaisons are critical in forming connections with parents that not only enrich. a child's academic and social well-being. For those schools that don't have a parent liaison on staff, families and students are on unequal footing with those schools that do, that have the advantage of having this important role as a resource. Purchasing and installing GPS software for every school bus,
004giving a peace of mind to all parents whose students are riding to and from school. an additional health assistant for the district and to include all paraprofessionals in the salary increase for staff. In addition, we request that resources be allocated for more equipment for school nurses to conduct vision and hearing screenings and to increase funding for the executive chefs programs that he is starting to implement. Again, thank you for the opportunity to talk with you tonight. Please contact me if you have any questions. Thank you. Next up we have Jennifer Cucurlo. Good evening Chair Anderson Vice Chair Nolan school board members student representatives and Dr. Hutchins. My name is Jennifer Cucurlo and I am both a parent of twins at Patrick Henry Elementary and I'm a kindergarten paraprofessional. This is my second career after serving
005over 20 years in human resource management in the public sector. With that experience, I know that non-exempt employees are to be paid for their hours worked, and we are non-exempt employees. Our time clock records reflect most days 7.45 hours, sometimes a little less, sometimes a little more, but our paychecks are only reflecting 6.8 hours. When I started, one of the incentives was a half-hour paid lunch and a 15-minute break. We are not getting our 15 minute break and we were told that we are not getting paid lunches. I have seen no documentation to support that. In our day we get a half hour break and that is the only time that we are not with our students. We are with them for everything. We are educators and work as a team right alongside the lead
006teacher. We make just as much of a difference in the lives of our students and their education and we love and we nurture them as if they are our own. They are our own. The jobs of teachers and demands put on them have increased and they rely more now than ever on their paraprofessionals. The job of a para has evolved and there are more and more responsibilities put on us and is the time I feel that our salaries reflect that. One of my concerns is that we are not at the table to discuss the budget and the compensation review and that maybe there isn't a good picture of what we actually do on a daily basis and how much we do put into these students lives and their education. You know we're not getting paid
007a living wage and we know how expensive this area is. And a lot of other paraprofessionals are working second jobs, and therefore they are being taken away from their families. There's paraprofessionals who could not come tonight because they are working their second jobs, or they don't have childcare and can't afford it. So this is the most rewarding job I've ever had. I love waking up every day and going into that classroom with those kids, and I love them as if they are my own. And I would not want... Have to leave a job that I love and I'm passionate about because of finances But unfortunately as it stands there are some decisions that are going to have to be made if you know our salaries are not looked at to reflect what it is we
008actually do. So I guess I just would like to know what's being done to bring the paraprofessional salaries up to a living wage. Last year we got a 1 percent cost of living and a step increase for this current year but then our health insurance went up. So I'm actually taking home less money this year by over $100 than I was last year and paying more out of pocket for my health insurance. And I know that this has led to my own financial hardship as well as some of my coworkers. Like I said, that can't be here because they are at second jobs and being taken away from families. So I sincerely thank you for your time and listening and any efforts that are being made. Thank you. Next up we have Mr. Ricardo Roberts.
009Good evening, everybody. Good evening. I have two orders of business here because I have two kids in different schools. I was trying to get both of them at the new Patrick Henry a couple of years back so I didn't have to go between the schools. So people have to understand that. So anyway, getting to my point, school security. On December the 13th, my son was attacked by another student. The resource officer was not there. He was on leave. The head of security at... Douglas MacArthur did not call in for backup because two security guards were on leave. A police report was not filed because parents have to file their own. The cover-up, when I went up there the other day, Friday, to try to get my kid some help, he did not want to return
010to school. And I had a resource officer come up to me with APD telling me I needed to leave the building. And I'm trying to show my son. Can't go to school in peace and not be threatened or hit. He was knocked unconscious. Enough is enough. If you want me, come to me. But if you come after my kid again, if you allow my kid to get injured again. By the way, I am, we are pressing charges against ACPS. Notice of intent right now. Enough is enough. And by the way. The parent of that student met with my kid. They didn't call me, and I'm at every meeting. I'm retired. I am frustrated. The other kids who tell on kids who are being bullied is what my son was accused of, telling on another student
011who was messing up the bathrooms. And he got assaulted. You didn't protect my son. Enough is enough. You're gonna do something about it. You're gonna protect these kids who come forward you ask them to see some say something protect Next up we have miss Mary Gaddis Good evening, Chair Anderson, Vice Chair Nolan, school board members, student representatives, and Dr. Hutchins. Thank you for the compensation study review, but it didn't address the living wage for paraprofessional. On October 9, 2019, I requested that Dr. Hutchins to be my substitute before he prepared his budget. I believe he would understand the need for a living wage, but needless to say, he did not come to kindergarten. This is 2020, a new decade, and we still don't have a decent living wage increase. When I started working at ACPS,
012my ascendant was paid lunch and breaks. We paid a little amount into our health insurance, VRS, supplemental retirement. This school year, they took our paid lunch and breaks away from us and longer days with no pay. We didn't have to go outside for recess. and encore our co-leading instruction with the students. Now we do. Our responsibilities have increased tremendously. I am grateful that school board member Gentry was able to work alongside with me and she came to kindergarten. Chair Anderson, Vice Chair Nolan, and School Board Member Lowerberg came to experience what I do in kindergarten. Also, School Board Members Dr. Reeve, Green, Alderman, Thornton, and Swart also witnessed wonderful work that paraprofessionals do for students. This board, in a new decade, can break this cycle. I am grateful for employee groups who had a conversation
013and was able to express their concerns, but the paraprofessional didn't. We work very hard with our licensed staff to help educate our students, but it brings us joy to know our parents appreciate us. Please do something about our wages. Thank you. Ms. Cynthia Barron. Good evening, Dr. Hutchings. Colleagues and members of the school board. My name is Cynthia Barron and I was hired five years ago as a reading specialist in a point five position. I'm honored to be a teacher in Alexandria City Public Schools among a sea of dedicated professionals who educate all students. I'm speaking to you today about your goal three exemplary staff. ACPS will recruit, develop, support, and retain a staff that meets the needs of every student. Recruiting and retaining quality teachers is crucial to our success. You work hard to
014make sure that you are competitive with other nearby districts. There is one area, however, where you fall behind other districts, and that is benefits for part-time employees. Other districts allow more part-time teachers to receive benefits. I am here today to urge you to consider part-time personnel when you strive to reach goal three. I hope that my case is unique in that I was hired with the understanding that I would receive benefits, partial health insurance and retirement. as was in the case when I worked in Arlington County. Only later that I learned that that was a mistake. The current policy is that you must be in a contract position of 20 hours to receive any benefits. I can understand how mistakes were made, as this is confusing what percentage your job needs to be to reach
015a magic 20 hours. I figured I need to be 5.25 almost to get benefits, not the 6.7 that was stated in our board meeting last week. You must work 30 hours or more to be employed and get .9 to get retirement. I know you are not. Required to give benefits for any part-time employee, but it's the right thing to do. And I consider you to reconsider your policy and allow teachers who work at least half time, like myself, to receive retirement and health insurance. Or allow us to be .6 in order to get those benefits. All other jurisdictions in the area that I checked, Arlington, Fairfax, Prince William's, Prince George's, and Montgomery County schools give health insurance to employees who work at least half time. I previously worked in Arlington County, and in Arlington County,
016they contribute to VRS and give partial health insurance to anyone who works at least 15 hours. For my position, I must be certified. I go through the same evaluation process as full-time teachers, yet I'm not considered a full teacher who can put years towards retirement or benefits. Part-time... employees are valuable to the system. I imagine finding quality people to fill part-time positions is very challenging. Retaining those staff positions without benefits can be even more challenging. In addition to educating those students and supporting staff, part-time employees often give of their time to other family members, and we're often giving extra hours of our day. It's never been a week. in my career that I've worked less than 20 hours. I may not be paid those 20 hours, but I always give time. I'm asked to give
017extra time for tutoring, but I'm not given any benefits. I hope that you will consider adding this to your budget. It would not be a lot of money, but it would be a meaningful thing to do for people that work really hard for the school district. Thank you for your time. Thank you all. That concludes the public hearing speakers, and now we'll go on to the public comment speakers for this evening. And first up, we have Sharon Yandian. Good evening. My name is Sharon Yandian and I have a 10th grader and a fifth grader here at Mount TC our wonderful high school and John Adams and also at Mount Vernon. I have been in the PT leadership at John Adams and Mount Vernon. I was on the PTAC and I served on the dual language
018strategic planning committee and most recently as of yesterday we finished the six months of the strategic planning committee 2025. It was a very thoughtful process. In comparison to your service, though, it's not that much. Anyway, I want to start with the end in mind. I want to make sure you have your little primer. I hope you have that, which is this dual language program in the city has come a very long way. The quality has increased. The program has been strengthened. I was stood in front of the school where I think over there, no, it wasn't even this building, 2011, 12, and 13 when my son was in first grade. And there were three points that we talked about. There was no data tracking the students. There was very few resources for students or for
019teachers for professional development. And there was a lack of a vision. The school board listened and we developed the strategic plan. We hired a dual language coordinator. I say we because I feel a part of it. We hired the coordinator and now the fifth graders will be able to be tracked. So we'll be able to see how those fifth graders are doing together and compared to their peers as they go throughout hopefully their life at least through 12th grade. You're going to hear from several parents tonight. My job is to kind of give an overview of the program, of where we were, where we are, and where we're going. And each of the parents will be talking about each of the points that you'll find in here. We're not going to have a chance to
020talk about Look How Far We've Come, but on page six, actually it was prepared by the previous dual language coordinator, and we have a new dual language coordinator, not that new, but... We're happy to have his work. So what we really want to talk about here is... First of all, you're going to hear from parents around about the middle school program. We're excited about that. You're going to hear about improving accountability and data and some other things. At the end of this, you'll find the original platform. We had a chance. We did follow the process that Dr. Hutchins laid out in terms of communication. We meet regularly with the principals. We have committees at each school. We have met and had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Berlin, Mozingo, Dr. Nickerson, and then Dr. Hutchins.
021That was last year. That's an April 28 platform, but we updated it in terms of what we're talking about today. We also had a chance to meet with the school board members, some of you before you actually became, when you were candidates. So the goal of the program is to create global citizens, bilingual, biliterate, reading, writing, speaking, listening. 50% of the instruction is offered in the target language, in this case Spanish, and in the elementary it's in math and science. What's the plan for middle school is social studies and Spanish language arts. Minimum of six years. And I think when done well the most important thing and it really lines up with the strategic planning process is that this dual language model is the only model that has been proven to truly close the achievement
022gap for English learners. And I think that's something that we really need to think about. We are here as one voice. Okay, here's one voice. You're gonna hear their voices around. I'm not gonna talk anymore. Please follow along with the action items as they speak. So perfect timing, thank you. Okay, thank you. Next up we have Ann Wynn Milnes. That's right. Okay. Hello, good evening. I'm Ann Wynn Milnes. I'm a parent of two young students at John Adams and I'm also the... Vice president of the PTA there. We are delighted to be part of the dual language program and we're excited for the middle school expansion. And what I want to speak about is the achievement data and accountability. We parents believe that ACPS needs to improve accountability with really robust data sharing on our
023students achievement in the dual language programs. And we want to see some follow up on the results. ACPS shared data with the school board back in November. that compares the students in dual language program with the non-dual language students division-wide using the PALS, phonological awareness literacy screening, and the Virginia SOLs. This was really great progress, and this is the first report that we've seen published in the program's 25-year-plus history that shows how our children are progressing relative to their non-dual language peers. Finally, yay! But... The data report also suggested that ACPS revisit some practices to enhance student achievement and to establish a citywide leadership team in ACPS. That's a great big step, but more is still needed to be done. We think ACPS needs to immediately communicate this data to the community in an easy
024understand takeaways and action items so that everyone can learn about the program and we can partner together for student success. Informed parental involvement will only strengthen our program. We want to also have the WIDA data for English language learners and the aggregated data for this year's fifth graders so that parents can assess how their students are going to be positioned to excel in the middle school program in the social studies. We also want to see this progress against benchmark scores. It's one thing to understand how the students did on a test at any one point in time, but we think it's a better understanding when you see how students have progressed from where they first started. Lastly, we think ACPS should examine the performance differences between the John Adams and Mount Vernon Community School. Why
025does J... ES appear to outperform MC MVCS the two schools have different models John Adams students receive more Spanish instruction in the 7030 model and if this is a driver of achievement differences ACPS should consider the 7030 model in both to schools division wide. Our joint committee is really happy to meet further to clarify any of these issues. We know that it's dense and we really are passionate about the citywide success of the DL program. We think the dual language instruction benefits all of its students, English language learners, bilingual students and Spanish language learners and we can't wait to see the program blossom in middle school. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Next up we have Olga Bolivar Rodas. Good evening everybody. Thank you for your time. I'm the proud mother of two ACPS
026students. My older... Girl is in fifth grade. My little one is in second grade elementary school in John Adams dual language program and we are part of the parents who are here to advocate and Also to thank the progress that we have seen along the years with the dual language program so the point that I want to highlight is to strain the Spanish language literacy and Component of the program from grades third to fifth in elementary school. because today students in the dual language in Mount Vernon and John Adams receive Spanish language instructions in grades kindergarten to second grade. And we are so glad to receive that and along to this parents also receive a report, a regular report, systematic report about their progress on the Spanish arts. In the strategic plan of 2015 to
0272020, we also noticed that it was called for implementation of the Spanish language arts also for grades third to fifth by August of 2016, 2017, sorry. However, by today this had not been completed and we think that this is deficient that could limit the capacity of the students to transition successfully to the dual language program in middle school. So our invitation. is to ensure that this Spanish literacy is implemented and along with the Spanish literacy, the reports that allow us to, as the parents, to see how the kids are progressing. We would like that ACPS adopt qualitative and quantitative measurements that allows us to see the progress of the kids and this should be a systematic practice of sharing this progress in the parent-teacher conferences and in the reports cards. So lastly, we understand that
028to implement these Spanish literacy components, the school principals will need your support and the support of the school parents and community because they may need to open a space for this Spanish literacy even or increasing the time of the school or maybe reducing the anchor time that is implemented in the curriculum so we know that these changes need a lot of support and understanding so that way ask you to provide this support to the principals and to all the community So thank you very much for your attention, your support, and we have come along the way. We need more to come. We will be glad to hear from you. Thank you. Next up we have Miss Martha Davis. Hi my name is Martha Davis I'm the PTA president at Mount Vernon Community School where my
029two daughters are in second and fifth grade. I'm here to speak with my partners here in dual language about positioning our students for success in a middle school dual language program. ACPS plans to expand the dual language program as we know to the middle school level this fall with the hope of furthering the program goals of bilingualism, biliteracy and cross cultural understanding. Expansion will also promote the cognitive benefits and high levels of academic achievement associated with bilingualism. The middle school program will consist of two courses in Spanish, Spanish language arts and one content area, social studies. We applaud ACPS for responding to requests from parents of current dual language students, a majority of whom have indicated in annual surveys that they would pursue this option if offered. However, parents are concerned that due to a
030lack of explicit Spanish language and literacy instruction in grades three to five and the absence of measures to assess student Spanish language progress, rising middle school students will have a difficult transition to the new program. We also want to ensure the two middle schools have equitable programs. As we expressed to ACPS leadership during our advocacy for a single middle school program, we are fearful that a program at Hammond may not thrive due to the small size of the current fifth grade class at John Adams. Given a lack of communication to date, we fear parents may lack the enthusiasm and support for the program that ACPS anticipates. We are happy to see that a town hall has been scheduled at John Adams and we recommend that a Mount Vernon town hall session be scheduled as soon
031as possible as parents are already researching middle school options. We expect the issue of program equity and class size to be addressed explicitly in these town halls. We strongly believe a bridge program in the summer between fifth and sixth grades will be critical to ensuring a smooth transition to middle school, particularly considering that our students have been learning math and science, not social studies and Spanish, and they have widely different levels of Spanish proficiency. A bridge program would benefit students and teachers alike and position students for success rather than getting overwhelmed and possibly dropping the program. This, however, has not been budgeted for. Recently published data and our experiences with our own children point to the need for robust differentiated learning and extra assistance for students to ensure success in a dual language social studies
032course. Expansion needs to be properly staffed in order to ensure proper articulation between elementary middle and potentially a high school program. We cannot afford from an achievement perspective to staff an expanded dual language program on a shoestring. ACPS should consider adding a second dual language coordinator at central office to take on the middle school mandate. More staff would also enable ACPS to incorporate the work of the dual language program into their strategic plan addressing equity and the large numbers of English language learners in ACPS. Thank you. Next up Ms. Sally Honica. Good evening. My name is Sally Honeycutt. I am the parents of twin fifth graders at John Adams Elementary. I've been involved in the leadership of the dual language PTA committee since my kids were in kindergarten, and I very much look forward to
033establishing a dual language PTA committee along with Olga at Hammond next year in middle school. Today... I'm here to talk to you about equitable access opportunities for dual language learning in Alexandria. Many of the parents who have spoken with you tonight are fortunate to live within the boundaries of the city's two dual language programs. We recognize, however, that ACPS's current dual language model does not provide for equal access opportunities to DL education for all children in Alexandria. Today, only children who live within the borders of two city neighborhoods get the benefits of a program focused on building bilingualism, biliteracy, and cross-cultural competency. Today, only children who live within the borders of two city neighborhoods get the cognitive benefits that result from a dual-language education. And today, only English learners who live within the borders of
034two city neighborhoods get the benefits of the program, which as research shows, brings EL students up to English language proficiency faster than non-DL programs, even if the program is in a third language than the one spoken at home. We, the parents of the Mount Vernon and John Adams DL PTA Committee, believe that we need to work toward a Spanish DL program in Alexandria that is available to families across the city, regardless of neighborhood boundaries. Today, we're here to recommend expanding John Adams to a whole school dual language program, like our sister school, Mount Vernon, but have this one available by lottery to families across the city. We believe ACPS as part of its plan to expand the dual language program at John Adams should consider making John Adams a dual language hub in the linguistically
035diverse and densely populated West End. And let's not forget our youngest learners. ACPS should consider expanding dual language to the preschoolers at John Adams. We also believe that ACPS should consider making John Adams, with its dual language program, its Simpatico partnership with the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, and its Kennedy Center SITA partnership, a school for language in the arts that complements the STEM focus for NNAT Day just across the street. Indeed Ferdinand day could provide an alternative for inbound rave families who do not want or cannot commit to six years of a dual language education program at John Adams Thank you so much for your support to date for dual language will happily clarify our points We look forward to continued success in the program and I want to say in a special special Thank you
036to the ACPS leadership and staff in the room who have supported dual language Learners and our children. Thank you One thing I was remiss about saying earlier is if you have not given us your statements you you can send them either to the clerk or give them copies to the clerk and they will get distributed We have some but we don't have everybody's I just just wanted for people who did Oh, is that everybody that you have? Okay. Okay. I didn't see I didn't see that one. Okay. I'll look for it again All right. Thank you moving on now. We have to Teofila Gomez and her translator Thank you. And Martha, again. Este hoy estoy aquí para hablar sobre es la importancia de reclutar y de retener maestros y personal que hable los dos idiomas.
037Okay. Hello, my name is Teofila Gomez. I'm a member of the executive committee of the Mount Vernon Community School PTA and mother of three children. Two are at Mount Vernon and one is at GW. I'm here to talk to you about recruiting and retaining dual language teachers and staff in Alexandria. Sustituto bilingue a largo plazo y administradores continúa creciendo en el área y en todo el país debido al éxito del programa de dos idiomas en la región y en todos los Estados Unidos. As you know, the demand for qualified dual language teachers, bilingual long-term substitutes, and knowledgeable administrators continues to grow in this area and throughout the country due to the success of dual language programs in the region and throughout the United States. Here in Alexandria, I believe it is absolutely critical to implement
038innovative strategies to recruit and retain dual language teachers and staff, especially because of the city's dual language program expansion. a mayor apoyo de recursos humanos en la oficina central del ICPS para pensar creativamente y activamente reclutar y retener a maestros y personal bilingue calificados de idioma dual para ambas escuelas, Manverno y John Adams. We recommend increased support from human resources at the ACPS central office to think create creatively and actively recruit and retain qualified bilingual dual language teachers and staff for both schools Mount Vernon and John Adams. And personally I would like it to expand beyond middle school to high school. We would also like to have additional partnerships that can be developed with higher education teacher preparation programs as a pipeline for dual language teachers. También nos gustaría que ACPS considere acuerdos de reciprocidad,
039bonos, pagos, incentivos, junto con la búsqueda de flexibilidades y excepciones del Estado cuando sea apropiado. We would also like ACPS to consider repre... Reciprocity, sorry. Reciprocity agreements, bonuses, and incentive pay, along with pursuing flexibilities or waivers from the state when they are appropriate. So we need to attract teachers and we also have to retain the ones that we have. And I ask them, why are you going? Why don't you stay? Is it because of better pay or benefits? We want you to stay here in Alexandria. Thank you very much and we will be more than happy to meet with you to clear up any questions you might have. Thank you. Thank you. Next up we have Carol King. Good evening. My name is Carol King and thank you for the opportunity to speak. This is
040my first time at one of these meetings. I am the proud parent of a one-year-old and a four-year-old. So I'm new to this. There are a lot more experienced folks in the room here. So I just briefly wanted to. come and I'm trying to get up to speed on all these issues. Again, my kids aren't officially in the system yet, but I have a daughter who would be starting kindergarten in the fall. We live near Douglas MacArthur. And so in the fall, I started going to meetings where they were talking about the modernization. So I was excited about that in the long-term sense. I did express short term concerns which I had addressed to some folks with ACPS. I never heard back. Those concerns were about reopening a school which to my understanding again I'm
041new to this had essentially been closed the old Patrick Henry. I had expressed concerns about every just environmental factors like drinking water. It's an old school that my understanding hasn't been used so I'd expressed concerns about what about the plumbing in a building like that. So I was trying to deal with that but again was being optimistic about. the new school and then I just recently learned about the co-location issue and again being new to this I'm trying to get my head around all of this and my concerns with that project now are that I was not aware that that was something you were considering. Again I guess this had been discussed years ago but again to the extent that I did attend a meeting a couple in the fall that was not mentioned once
042I even went to a meeting with the architects who seemed fabulous was excited but. Nothing was mentioned about that. So it was kind of a curveball and I'm trying to get an understanding and my main concern I know I'm limited on time. I mean, I didn't have time to prepare a statement, but I'll send you something My concern is essentially I just don't know how with certain potential things that you're considering Again, I don't be too speculative but I heard housing was one of them I'm trying to understand if it would be next to it It seems like a small lot or would be in the same structure my concern with any kind of housing co-located with an element elementary school I feel like they're kind of obvious. Housing you have you have people there.
043I don't know like the concerns of like anything from guns potential sexual predators to I mean I could go on with the again parade of horribles because we live in a day and age where there are a lot of threats and just. a school itself and ensuring safety of your children we heard earlier tonight that was concerning ensuring the safety of your students that's a tough job and I respect everyone for doing that day in day out. So in my mind the idea of adding in these other variables is potentially very dangerous and challenging and I just again trying to get up to speed on these issues want to know like do you guys have a plan. It seems like it kind of came out of left field. maybe I missed something but it wasn't
044talked about at the meetings in the fall where you were talking about the designs and seeking input from parents and I went to those meetings and stressed the concerns about safety just for a school itself but now adding this other issue and it's just troubling to me and I just want to know that you can ensure their safety. I understand you have multiple obligations and space is limited and all of those valid points but safety of the children who go to school there should be first and foremost so please please tell me you're going to ensure their safety. Thank you. Next up we have Sharon Solorzano. Hi. Good evening Superintendent Hutchings and honorable school board members. My name is Sharon Solorzano and I'm speaking tonight on behalf of Grassroots Alexandria. My daughter is a senior
045at T.C. Williams High School and my eldest daughter is a recent graduate who is now in college. I teach social studies at the middle and high school levels. I am trained in restorative practices RP and I conduct professional development on RP at the school and county wide level in my district. I use community building circles in my classes regularly and have personally experienced the positive outcomes of implementing restorative practices with my students. When I spoke before you last April I emphasized disturbing data regarding the high number of students who are suspended out of school in ACPS. We also question the racial disparities and subjective reasons for suspensions. Tonight I am here to ask for a renewed commitment to restorative practices. Grassroots Alexandria members have contacted or met with each of you and we are convinced
046of your resolve to see RP emphasized in ACPS. We request a prioritization of RP in the ACPS 2025 strategic plan to reflect the ACPS value that every student succeeds. Grassroots Alexandria would like to see a renewed commitment to the basic tenets of restorative practices which includes using affirmative and effective language. Please see below the characteristics of high quality effective statements and language and community building circles. The RP continuum reflects and encompasses ACPS priorities of providing an equitable education for all ACPS students. A commitment to using effective language by all ACPS members is especially important and would be appreciated. Effective language involves active non-judgmental listening and authentic expressions of feelings. When things go wrong, we use effective questions, including what happened? What were you thinking at the time? What have you thought about since? Who has
047been affected by what you have done? In what way? What do you think you need to do to make things right? We would also like to see structural supports for community building circles at the middle and high school levels. My students love circles because they get to hear something new about each other during check in and a chance to connect and reset before getting into content. Today we used our community building circle to welcome a new student and give him tips about our school. We would like to know how the RP liaison program is progressing. We would also like an updated plan on RP with outcomes as we appreciate transparency and insist on accountability. Thank you for your continued collaboration with Alexandria NAACP, Tenants and Workers United and Grassroots Alexandria. As community partners we look
048forward to furthering work with you toward equity and fairness towards all students in ACPS. Thank you very much. Next up we have Jason Scolfi. Jason. OK we'll go on to Sarah Hoffman. Good evening. I am Sarah Hoffman, PTA President of George Mason Elementary School, speaking on behalf of our Executive Board. We are pleased that the modernization of George Mason is moving forward, and we thank you for your support for the necessary funding and prioritization. We are also pleased that you recognize and reaffirm that George Mason will be next for a rebuild after Douglas MacArthur. As we progress, we need to ensure that we have a sound process that provides accurate information to the community in a timely fashion and incorporates feedback. On behalf of the George Mason PTA Executive Board, we want to express concerns
049with how the initial information being discussed tonight was circulated to our community. An incomplete presentation was circulated and we ask that you release the full study being used by all parties involved and any plans being considered at this time so that the community can have an informed conversation. Unfortunately, the process to date has led to confusion and anger. It is critical that the community and the board have an informed dialogue about the key priorities and possibilities with this project. The feasibility study that circulated without context presents numerous concerns with safety, environmental impact, traffic, parking, and the permanent removal of green and recreational space that could occur under this current scenario. We need to have a clear forward-looking vision that accounts for the educational and facility needs of this neighborhood. As you know, we are in
050a citywide crisis with regards to school facilities. At George Mason, some of the issues we have faced since the start of the school year include water leaks, asbestos, mold, lead. We are 120% over capacity. Thus, we fully support a rebuild of George Mason Elementary School that occurs as promptly as possible. We look forward to partnering with you all in this process moving forward. I encourage you to make this process as transparent and collaborative as possible. We want to be fully informed so that our community can be involved to the furthest extent and provide you with the input necessary to make the best decisions for our students. Thank you. Thank you for the opportunity to speak about the upcoming Douglas MacArthur modernization, the potential co-location of public facilities on the new school site, and engaging the
051community on these topics. My name is Dana Chambers. I'm a MacArthur parent and a resident of the MacArthur neighborhood. I also co-chair the committee supporting the successful dual occupancy of Patrick Henry during the MacArthur rebuild. Professionally, I'm a former teacher and currently serve as an education consultant who supports states and districts on how to attract, support, and retain effective educators, particularly in hard to staff schools. I recognize that the co-location of public facilities is an important priority for the city as we continue to grow and have limited space. If done appropriately with stakeholder input, co-location can provide important resources to a community. However, the last minute timing and lack of clarity in the co-location proposals shared by the city so far has made it challenging for the public to provide meaningful comment and is eroding
052the trust between the public and the district. If the city has serious interest in co-locating facilities on the MacArthur campus, a specific proposal should be made that indicates the nature of the facilities, for example, a rec center, library services, or affordable housing, the scale of the facilities, and the research that has been done that supports location of these facilities on school grounds, including alternative sites that were considered. The community should have this detailed information in writing for at least several days before requesting public comment and be able to ask clarifying questions in person or in writing. I would also like to speak specifically to the recent information the city and district shared regarding the possibility of co-locating workforce or affordable housing on the MacArthur campus. Recognizing this proposal is still in its very early stages.
053The city indicated that of particular interest could be providing affordable housing to teachers that is located above the school. It is important to note that there is little to no research that substantiates affordable housing as an effective means to recruit and retain teachers, and that district support of these policies across the country is largely anecdotal. I included in my written comments an Ed Week article that summarizes some of this research. Beyond what the research says of key interest is the distinction between teachers needing or wanting affordable housing and whether teachers would want to live above the school they teach in or above any school in the district. Given local housing prices, many teachers may struggle to afford living in Alexandria. As a former teacher myself, I experienced this challenge in my early career in New
054York City. However, housing incentives are just one of many types of incentives that a district can consider in strengthening how to recruit and retain teachers, including performance pay, teacher leadership incentives, tuition reimbursement, scholarships, loans, and overall salary increases, which we heard about from other speakers this evening. It would be essential to engage teachers directly on this question before investing in this housing. There are potential privacy, noise, and vermin considerations that teachers may wish to consider before deciding to live above the school in which they teach. ACPS and the city should commit to surveying current and aspiring teachers on this topic and publicly sharing the results before co-locating affordable housing on any school campus. Thank you. Next up we have Lisa Porter. Good evening. I'm here tonight as a former MacArthur parent, current ACPS parent, member
055of the Clover College Park Civic Association, and MacArthur Advisory Group member. I'm here to speak to you about the MacArthur modernization process. First, I want to briefly address co-location with respect to MacArthur. The manner in which parties have addressed co-location to date is not constructive for soliciting community feedback or providing full engagement of all relevant stakeholders. I'm aware the process is moving quickly, but I believe the pace of this project must lend us towards greater transparency, not less. To date, many community members do not fully understand co-location or the timeline for the MacArthur community. This is breeding distrust not only for the MacArthur community, but the larger ACPS community as they watch us go through this process. With respect to the concepts, I would like to provide additional feedback on some of the pros and
056cons I gathered through my attendance at the advisory and community meetings. Overall, the comments I heard focused on the placement of the school in the lot, how the design of the building fits within the neighborhood, traffic and pedestrian safety, and the placement of the fields and playgrounds. The forest was preferred over the wide concept, but only slightly, and there were elements to each that garnered significant support. First, moving the traffic flow to the west of the lot and reducing pedestrian and vehicle traffic at Janie's and Yale garnered significant support in both designs. Some concerns with both designs included the lack of a buffer at the west side of the plot which can hopefully be addressed through landscaping and the creation of a safe walking path to the forest trail for neighbors and TC students. On
057concept Y the most favorable responses focus on the contiguous playground and field space and the opportunity for open space within the building. The greatest concerns focus on the placement of the school close to the street, the lack of a gathering place at the entrance of the school, the height of the building at the front of the lot. Another concern which was not addressed in the presentation was the length of the bus loop which seemed unnecessarily large. The forest concept for the forest concept the favorable responses focused on the placement of the school away from Janie's Lane, the tiered scale of the school with the third story at the back of the lot, the view of the forest from the classrooms, and the gathering space in front of the building. While there is some concern about
058the playground near the front of the lot, this can be addressed by switching the location of the playground and the fields. In addition, some felt that having a site to the fields and the playgrounds from the front of the building led to a greater, more welcoming and open community feel. Finally, I believe there was concern about the entrance of the school to the west of the lot. I do not believe that's as significant and can be addressed by adding something to the Janies and Yale corner for walkers to kind of welcome them to the school. Landscaping, a path, signs for the school. That was the greater, I think, concern with respect to where the entrance was located. As an advisory group member, I also want to thank DLR for creating two very favorable concepts. While
059I believe many preferred one design over the other, the feedback largely indicated that both designs have positive qualities and reflected community input. Thank you. Ricardo Roberts. First of all, I want to apologize. I was emotional before, and I know no one wants to see anybody's kid get hurt. Anybody's kid get hurt. Every professional that I've worked with over the 30 years of teaching never wants to see a kid get hurt. However, we have an issue. The kids feel, and I don't know much about how security works. I've been trying to find out. However, the kids who are repeat offenders of assaulting kids and bullying other kids feel like they have a pass to do these things on ACPS property because we're not sending them home. We're not suspending them, sending them home. They're attacking teachers
060verbally. It's a very culture of fear there amongst the teachers. And I've been doing for the last year, I've been just trying to figure out how we're dealing with this crisis. We have kids who are, they're two victims. One, the victim himself who gets hurt. The other one is the kid who's getting away with and thinking that it's okay to physically assault other kids. The staff is handicapped because, as you know, if you stop a fight, you could be falsely accused of some heinous stuff. We have to protect our staff. One of the reasons why a lot of staff members look the other way is because they know here, headquarters, if you've got a politically connected parent, that you're going to lose your job. So you do nothing. You look the other way. And the
061kids know. They're very crafty. Kids know when they can get away with crimes, criminal offenses, because you're not reporting it to the Alexander Police Department. You're not. That's criminal. So you're setting in the minds of these kids that they can get away with murder, crimes against others, be disrespectful. mess up the learning environment for other kids who are there, and they're getting away with it, y'all. Come on, adults. Come on, people. We've got to come up with the times. By the way, let's put surveillance. I know I was a teacher. I didn't want cameras in my class. But we're far past that point where we can trust the words of kids because we'll rather err on the side of the kid making an accusation. Than the teacher or other adult who saw it. Thank you.
062Mr. Roberts. Let's protect our kids Thank you Good evening My name is Andrew Wilson. I live at 24 or 6 Taylor Avenue, which is about one block from George Mason Elementary School I'm here to address the concerns raised by the premature release of a plan for the redevelopment of the school site I have not studied the plan and I'm not here to discuss the merits of the plan, but I have heard many concerns from the neighbors and the plan has been referred to in a letter from a Mr. O. Frankly, the letter raises more questions than it answers. Our son went to this school over 20 years ago, so please excuse me as I do not know who Mr. O is or why he was tasked with this response. What I do know is a
063little about how local government does and should work. I've been in local government service for over 32 years in the cities of Alexandria and Fairfax. This prematurely released presentation was prepared by someone, for some reason, and at some cost. Now that it's out in the open, transparency demands that those questions of who, why, and how much be answered. Second, the presentation that you are to be shown tonight seems to have been prepared as hastily as my written comments. It starts with some facts, and I assume that the current student count and the available space are facts. It adds some assumptions, which is that there's an increase in student population and an attendant need for additional facilities. And then it jumps to the conclusion that an entirely new building is needed. There's no basis provided for
064the assumptions and no analysis given for the conclusion. Given the limited development in the surrounding community, why is the population of the school increasing this much? As our elected school board, please ask these critical questions as this presentation is given. I believe it is item 19 on your agenda. I have significant concerns with the way the information is presented, and in the interest of time, I'll spare you further criticism of that, but I will recommend a review of any of Dr. Edward Tufte's excellent books on the visual presentation of information. The core business of the Alexandria City Public Schools is the education of the students. This is a challenging, rewarding, and vital job. I do not question the need for updating facilities. As the fire marshal and building official of the city of Fairfax for
06520 years, I was responsible for the regulation of a significant amount of school construction in occupied schools. There's nothing that will keep a fire marshal or a building official awake more than having these people working on schools when the students are there. I understand all of that. However... I question why Alexandria City Public Schools would divert attention from their core function and attempt to enter the realm of affordable or workforce housing. From experience, I know that this is also a challenging, vital, and potentially rewarding area. It's also difficult and very hard to get right. The city has a housing department and the Rehabilitation Housing Authority. The website states that roughly 68 million is planned for improvements at George Mason Elementary, up for an earlier estimate of $45 million, and an overall plan to spend a
066half a billion dollars over the next 10 years. You're asking to trust us with a major investment. I must note in closing, regrettably, the reputation of the city for transparent governance has recently been damaged by revelations regarding the interactions between key city agencies regarding the road diet on Seminary Road. Thank you, Mr. Wilson. I thank you. We'll be back. Next up we have Jenny Ware. Good evening school board members Superintendent Hutchings and ACPS staff. My name is Jenny Ware and I am here to speak on the George Mason Elementary School feasibility study. My two daughters are fifth graders at George Mason and we live close to the school. I am one of many Beverly Hills neighbors who were shocked to see the feasibility study summary. I know that certain slides were not meant for public
067viewing, but I am glad we saw them. I want to focus on the green space that currently exists at George Mason. The study summarized George Mason's play space as quote-unquote limited. I guess they think a black top and manufactured play structures are the only way kids play. I wish the consultants had visited George Mason during recess on a school day. Based on grade level students play on part of the field and natural space around George Mason's field Walking to the school for pickup. I often see piles of rocks sticks and leaves manipulated by students during recess as Soon as school is over groups of kids run as fast as possible to the natural space known as the woods next to the tennis courts. Rooms and paths are made in these woods between wisteria vines and
068baby pine trees. The feasibility study envisions this 16,000 square foot natural area completely destroyed by the new school. Yesterday, my daughters and I counted over 175 trees in this space. 31 trees are over 20 inches in diameter. 13 trees are over 60 inches in diameter. Across the path from this space, there are 15 trees between 44 to 60 inches in diameter and 17 small trees clustered together. All 207 of these trees would be chopped down and covered up by the new school. The feasibility study plows down George Mason's other natural area, too, and covers it up with a parking lot. I urge you all to visit George Mason after school and on the weekend. Come see all of the kids and families enjoying every inch of the green space. During fall and spring soccer season,
069the playing field is completely covered with teams from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday. During baseball season both baseball fields are used. I understand the preference to avoid swing space, but we can't get back those 207 mature trees that would be destroyed with the feasibility plan if the new school building is built on the existing site Some of the green space will be impacted But the natural areas will be preserved Kids will still have woods to explore. Elderly people will have shady paths to walk on and the air we breathe will be healthier. Please do not discount the importance of George Mason's green space. Thank you. William Pfister, please. Good evening, school board, ACPS leadership. Thank you for all the many long hours you serve on our behalf. I'm Bill Pfister, former... PTA president
070MacArthur P tech president-elect and part of the rebuild design team over or the advisory team over at MacArthur three quick items Hopefully first general thoughts about the rebuild process overall with some exceptions It's been a good process the design the project team great DLR design form awesome very happy with them a couple thoughts on the concepts You've heard Y and forest are pretty much neck and neck. I think forest is a little bit more preferable. I personally like Y, but they're pretty close. So know that you've got some good concepts to work with. Y, a little bit more efficient use of space, probably a little bit more economical. The wings kind of form grade-level pods, more contiguous outdoor space, but it's this big building facing Jenny's Lane. So forest has a better facade as you
071face Jenny's Lane, and it has a better view looking out the back. You have good things to work with there. So number two, PTA survey. Some things came up recently and we wanted to survey our membership. So we put out a survey just yesterday and everyone has a copy of that. We will continue to update this. It's only 36 hours in. We're 350 results. Survey is a fallible, but it is a data point. So lots of comments will also provide those hundreds of comments and they've all been constructive we've been pleased with that So it was broken down into housing and non-housing Co-location the non-housing things like rec centers about half the respondents didn't want anything About half wanted a rec center about half wanted daycare. So That was good data point now moving over
072to co-location of housing and I think that's the the real pain point that we're seeing Two-thirds didn't want any housing at all cited there about five wanted housing about 10% Wanted housing if it was related to city and staff 15 wanted 15% one more inch more information main concerns safety lack of space and traffic Go figure in the city. All right. Third point, location, co-location. Someone mentioned a curveball. That's one word for it. Can think of a few more. I fully support the joint task force. Best thing that happened for coordination between city and schools in decades. Great initiative. We need to continue to work together. I'm asking everyone in this room highlights of the last month and especially the last week. We have a ways to go. So I'm asking everyone to step up
073their game because we can do better across city schools and community. So thank you very much. Next up we have John Gibbs. John Gibbs here. OK. How about Kyle Tanger. Hello school board. Thank you for allowing us to speak. My name is Kyle Tanger. I'm the global lead for environmental sustainability at Deloitte Consulting. I'm here to represent my own views and the views of my wife Lynn Tanger as Northridge residents about the George Mason plan. If you look at the strategic plan for Alexandria, the environmental action plan, the eco charter that we adopted, what you find is a picture of an idyllic Alexandria that we're trying to be. A place that's fair, a place that's sustainable, a place that's inclusive, that preserves its history, a place that's well-educated. But we know really what that's all
074about is about finding balance, right? Balance isn't easy. Balance requires trade-offs. So with that in mind, I looked at the George Mason preliminary plan. And what I found is I looked at the eco-charter, and I looked at the first 10 guiding principles that were around land use and water. And I found that nine out of the ten were violated by the preliminary plan. Now one or two, I would expect one or two if we were trying to find balance, compromise. If I find nine, it's being ignored. It's not part of the city's view of who we are. Along the environmental themes, one of the things you haven't heard about is water. The property is not created equal. The east and west side of that property are not the same. The only place a building should
075be on that property is where the school is today. That is the last soccer field in the city to dry out for a reason. There are springs that come out of the ground around the tennis courts. It has an extraordinary high water table. That means building is expensive. That means maintaining the building is expensive. You run a permanent risk of mold in the building, and you could potentially have catastrophic consequences. on neighboring properties when you rewound the underwater flow that is happening on that property. It's very important to bear in mind as you go forward. Finally, I want to talk about recreation. We've heard a little bit about the green space, but did you know in the Northridge neighborhood, we're actually in the bottom third of all Alexandria neighborhoods for park space on an acreage
076basis. Only 2% of all the acreage in that community is parkland. George Mason is a central place. It's where people go to have soccer practice, baseball games, dog walkers, joggers. It has tennis courts. There's not many tennis courts around anymore. During the season, 150 kids participate in formal tennis programs alone per week. Per week. With after school programs at George Mason, school practices for neighboring schools, and also clinics on the weekend. Not to mention all the kids that come there with their parents or friends to play. I want to leave you with the concept of balance. Think about what Alexandria stands for. Think of the hard work and sacrifice that went into creating these plans and keep them in mind as you continue to evaluate George Mason options. Thank you. Okay. Thank you, everyone.