School Board candidates faced off this week on the question of whether front-line educators are getting enough support in Arlington.
“We are not supporting our teachers [and] they are burning out,” said James “Vell” Rives IV, a Forward Party-endorsed independent challenging Democratic incumbent Bethany Zecher Sutton.
Arlington Public Schools kicked off the school year with an enrollment of 27,173, down 1.6% from last year.
The figure, which counts students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, is down from 27,603 reported during the first week of the 2025-26 school year.
All 11 candidates running for local office in Arlington have agreed to appear at the Arlington County Civic Federation’s annual candidate forum.
The event will be held on Tuesday, Sep. 8 at 7 p.m. in the Hazel Conference Center at VHC Health (Virginia Hospital Center). It will also be livestreamed and archived for later viewing.
School Board members are expected to expand options for excused absences in the upcoming school year.
To comply with changes to state law, three new categories may be added to the existing 13 qualifying for excused absences at Arlington Public Schools:
A staff proposal to remove a net of two days of instruction for Arlington elementary schoolers brought noncommittal comments from School Board members.
The proposal would rearrange instructional time in October and March to accommodate parent-teacher conferences at the elementary school level. It would result in 178 days of class, leading to some heartburn among School Board members who have pledged not to go below 180 days each year.
The new president of the Arlington Education Association (AEA) says she hopes for a cooperative relationship with school leaders over the coming year.
“The strongest districts are built on collaboration, transparency and mutual respect,” Danielle Jones said at the Aug. 13 School Board meeting.
A late start to the school year and other logistical challenges could result in Arlington elementary schoolers getting fewer than 180 days of instruction this year.
School Board members are reviewing a proposal to alter the 2026-27 elementary school calendar to provide more opportunity for meetings between teachers and parents in October and March. This would result in just 178 instructional days for elementary-school students.
Arlington school leaders are getting creative about recruiting and retaining special education teachers.
Arlington Public Schools has embarked on a partnership with George Mason University’s Project Patriots initiative, giving current staff the ability to earn required degrees and obtain special-education certification while still working full-time for the school system.
An Arlington educator was honored by county school leaders this week after being selected to participate in a prestigious federal fellowship program.
Daniel Bernhardt, who teaches science at Swanson Middle School, has been selected as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow and appointed teacher in residence at the Library of Congress for the 2026-27 school year.
An online Summer Skills Boost Program attracted almost 2,000 Arlington students between second and eighth grade this year.
Seeking to prevent learning loss and prepare for the 2026-27 school year, the self-paced initiative ran from July 6 to 31.
Yorktown High School is getting a new principal after six and a half years.
Bridget Loft, formerly the Swanson Middle School principal, will be taking the helm at Yorktown from Principal Kevin Clark. She is returning to a position that she previously held from 2017 to January 2020, when Clark took over.
The Arlington School Board is considering a formal ban on petting dogs that are working as service animals.
As part of a July 22 Policy Committee meeting, School Board members reviewed a proposal to officially require that students and staff refrain from extraneous interactions with service animals, including petting them.
