School Board | ARLnow.com

Published April 27, 2020 at 11:45AM

While they can’t meet in person, the five candidates vying for the Arlington County Democratic Committee’s School Board endorsement will meet virtually tomorrow (Tuesday) for a debate.

There are two spots opening on the School Board, with incumbents Tannia Talento and Nancy Van Doren not running for reelection. The candidates seeking the Democratic endorsement are Steven Krieger, Cristina Diaz-Torres, David Priddy, Sandy Munnell, and Terron Sims. A sixth candidate, Symone Walker, is no longer seeking the Democratic endorsement and is instead running as an independent.

Schools

School Board Candidate Blasts APS Distance Learning Decision

By ARLnow.com

Published April 23, 2020 at 3:55PM | Updated April 23, 2020 at 4:22PM

(Updated at 4:15 p.m.) Arlington Public Schools is holding off on teaching new material until the fall, a decision that has raised the ire of some parents — and now one candidate for School Board.

APS made the announcement over spring break that fourth quarter material would be held until September, “as part of our commitment to ensuring equity of access to new learning for all students.” Instead, following the closure of all Virginia schools for the remainder of the academic year, students are engaging in distance learning that reinforces existing concepts.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published April 21, 2020 at 7:30AM

Board Members Remember Erik Gutshall — “The four remaining Arlington County Board members – Chair Libby Garvey, Christian Dorsey, Katie Cristol and Matt de Ferranti – spent several minutes each remembering former Vice Chair Erik Gutshall, who died on Thursday after an 8-week battle with brain cancer.” [Blue Virginia]

School Board Discusses Distance Learning — “There’s both positive and negative news as Arlington Public Schools has pivoted to distance-learning in an effort to squeeze in some education during the COVID-19 lockdown. The good news? At least things have not gone as badly as in neighboring Fairfax County, where that school system’s attempt to re-start instruction collapsed in a technical debacle and ensuing recriminations last week. The bad news? Arlington school officials acknowledge that their efforts are not going to be able to replicate what could be accomplished during more normal time.” [InsideNova]

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published April 14, 2020 at 7:30AM

Ballston Residents Cheer for Healthcare Workers — A video shows residents in Ballston giving healthcare workers and other essential caregivers a round of applause at 8 p.m. last night. [Twitter]

New School Budget Coming Soon — “Arlington Superintendent Cintia Johnson this week will formally outline her plan to reduce spending in the wake of the health and economic crisis. Johnson will report to School Board members on April 16 with an updated budget proposal for the fiscal year beginning in July, supplanting one she had detailed less than two months ago.” [InsideNova]

News

Governor’s Plan Will Delay County Board Primary

By Vernon Miles

Published April 9, 2020 at 12:45PM | Updated April 9, 2020 at 2:45PM

(Updated at 2:45 p.m.) Gov. Ralph Northam announced a plan yesterday that will shift summer primary election dates across the state back by two weeks amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The previously-sheduled June 9 primary will now shift back to June 23.

News

Arlington Dems to Conduct Voting via Mail for School Board Race

By ARLnow.com

Published April 7, 2020 at 9:55AM | Updated September 23, 2020 at 11:21AM

Arlington Democrats say they’re planning to conduct the upcoming School Board endorsement caucus via the mail, due to the coronavirus outbreak.

“This extraordinary procedural change supports Virginia’s stay-at-home order and recommended social distancing measures necessitated by the global coronavirus pandemic,” the local party said, in a press release.

News

School Board Candidate Drops Out of Democratic Caucus to Run as Independent

By ARLnow.com

Published March 2, 2020 at 2:30PM | Updated March 2, 2020 at 4:12PM

Local education activist Symone Walker is no longer seeking the Democratic endorsement in her campaign for School Board, instead opting to run purely as an independent in the fall.

In Virginia, all School Board races are nonpartisan, but parties can still endorse candidates. In a statement, Walker said she is no longer seeking the Arlington County Democratic Committee’s endorsement.

Schools

School Board Faces $27 Million Budget Gap Despite Rise in Revenue

By Vernon Miles

Published February 28, 2020 at 2:40PM | Updated February 26, 2021 at 4:24PM

Arlington County may have opted to keep the tax rate steady, or even cut it, but the Arlington Public Schools (APS) says it still needs to find a way to bridge at least a portion of a $27.6 million budget gap.

In total, Interim Superintendent Cintia Johnson’s budget comes out to $725.9 million in expenditures and only $698.4 million in revenue, assuming the transfer from the county to the school system remains as proposed by County Manager Mark Schwartz.

News

Local Lawyer Wades into the School Board Race

By Vernon Miles

Published February 14, 2020 at 9:00AM | Updated March 2, 2020 at 4:13PM

A new challenger, Steven Krieger, has entered the already crowded race for the Arlington School Board.

In late January, Krieger joined five other candidates vying for two openings on the School Board after incumbent members Tannia Talento and Nancy Van Doren announced they would not be running for reelection. Candidates Symone Walker, Cristina Diaz-Torres, David Priddy, Sandy Munnell, and Terron Sims made their case for an endorsement to the Arlington County Democratic last month with the caucus scheduled for May 7 and 9.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published February 10, 2020 at 7:30AM

Bloomberg Event Prompts Protests — Dozens of gun rights protesters demonstrated in front of the Bloomberg presidential campaign office last night during an event featuring D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser. [Twitter, Twitter]

Dorsey Talks to Local TV Station — “Arlington County board member Christian Dorsey is speaking out about the ethics violation that led to his resignation from the Metro board… ‘I’m embarrassed certainly, and disappointed,’ Dorsey said.” [WJLA]

Schools

Despite Opposition, School Board Approves Elementary School Swap

By ARLnow.com

Published February 7, 2020 at 3:25PM

Students and staff at three North Arlington elementary schools will be moving to new buildings, starting in the fall of 2021.

The School Board voted 4-1 Thursday night to approve the controversial school swap, despite vocal opposition from parents, including a petition against it that received more than 2,000 signatures. As with last night’s school calendar vote, Reid Goldstein was again the lone vote against the proposal.

Schools

APS School Year to Start Aug. 31

By ARLnow.com

Published February 7, 2020 at 10:40AM

After some back-and-forth, the Arlington School Board last night approved a new pre-Labor Day start for the next school year.

The board voted to approve the interim superintendent’s recommended Aug. 31 start date, with a bit of a caveat. The 4-1 vote followed discussion about what to do about families that have already made travel plans that will now be impacted by the earlier start date.