The Arlington School Board’s proposed fiscal year 2027 budget makes no immediate revisions to a nearly $860 million spending package presented by the superintendent.
The School Board package lining up with that of Superintendent Francisco Durán “is not unusual” at this stage of the budget process, School Board Chair Bethany Zecher Sutton said at the March 26 Board meeting.
“It’s a testament to the strong relationship between the Board and the superintendent that we are aligned in our thinking about our priorities and our resources,” she said.
Board members will spend the next six weeks reviewing the package, gathering comments from the public and waiting to see whether state and federal funding might provide additional resources.
During that period, “we welcome input from the community,” Zecher Sutton said.
The $859.69 million spending package represents an increase of 1.3% from the current budget year.
It is one of the smallest rates of increase in recent years, and marks “a tightly controlled and restricted budget in challenging times while we are still providing all essential services,” Board member Zuraya Tapia-Hadley said at the March 26 meeting.
As with Durán’s proposal, the School Board budget lays out “unfunded needs” of $18.8 million that could be supported if additional federal, state or local revenue materializes.
The budget anticipates $650.3 million in revenue transferred to the school system by the county government. That is in line with the budget package proposed by County Manager Mark Schwartz, representing 76% of all school-system revenue.
APS employees are set to receive annual salary increases averaging 4.45%, totaling $26.1 million. In the last five years, average employee compensation has increased 27%, according to APS data.
A public hearing on the budget proposal will be held on Tuesday, April 14 at 7 p.m. Adoption is slated for May 14, with fiscal 2027 beginning on July 1.
This year, the presentation of the school budget returned to the typical practice in which the superintendent delivers a draft budget, and then several weeks go by before School Board members unveil their own budget proposal.
Last year, the two steps were combined into one, with Durán and School Board members issuing a joint budget proposal.
Also at the March 26 meeting:
Employees of year saluted: School Board members and Durán paid tribute to the school system’s employees of the year, announced in early March.
Robin Stewart of Kenmore Middle School was named teacher of the year, while Michelle McCarthy of Jamestown Elementary was principal of the year and Tamika Shivers of Washington-Liberty High School was vice principal of the year.
Also honored were Amy Maclosky, director of Food and Nutrition Services, and Engelberto Zamora, maintenance supervisor at Williamsburg Middle School.
Each year, the school system also names a teacher of the year and support employee of the year for all of its schools. At the March 26 meeting, Durán noted “a big appreciation to all of them.”
“We will have a celebration of excellence taking place on May 7,” he said.
Student response rate rises in survey: Just over 80% of Arlington students in grades 4-12 participated in the annual Your Voice Matters survey this school year, officials said.
That’s up 10% from last year’s participation, with the highest participation rate — 96% — at Cardinal Elementary School.
“A big shout out to Cardinal,” Durán said.
The response rate among staff members declined 3 percentage points to 48%. In addition, 5,167 families completed the survey, down 269 families from a year before.
The superintendent said responses to the survey are used to develop future plans and priorities.
“This information is going to be very helpful as we move into summertime, as we begin to look at school and departmental action plans,” he said.
The annual survey is conducted jointly by the school system and the Arlington Partnership for Children, Youth and Families. It was open from Feb. 6 to March 20.
The survey is overseen by a third-party vendor. Responses are anonymous.
Big turnout expected for AI summit: More than 250 people have registered to date for an upcoming community summit on artificial intelligence, Durán told School Board members.
“AI and Public Education: A Community Panel Discussion” will be held on Tuesday, April 27 at 6 p.m. at Wakefield High School. Registration is ongoing.
Topics to be covered include instructional applications of AI, ethical considerations, equity and access, data privacy, workforce preparation and “the role of school systems in guiding responsible use,” school officials said.
