School Board OKs Request for Extended School Year

The Alexandria School Board voted Thursday night to submit a resolution calling for a waiver from the state Board of Education to ask that the city’s public school system start the 2011-2012 school year before Labor Day. 

“I appreciate the input we received. Each board member I know takes seriously the view of the community,” said School Board Chairman Yvonne Folkerts. “I acknowledge this issue was not without some initial controversy…This calendar will inconvenience many families and ACPS employees who have already made summer plans, but as elected officials we are required to do what’s best for the school system… Adding time to our calendar will help our students with more in-class time before AP and other exams and our teachers to be in our classrooms more.” 

The board also approved the Capital Improvement Program 2012 to 2021 budget (pdf) request of approximately $372 million.

Prior to those votes in a work session, school board Vice Chairman Sheryl Gorsuch asked that $200,000 be added to the budget under discussion for lights at T.C. Williams High School stadium for fiscal 2016, but later withdrew that request after comments from other board members. 

“I believe that it’s a priority need over the lights in our budget at [George Washington Middle School] and Francis Hammond,” she said upon presenting her request. “Students would greatly benefit scheduling of activities at T.C….I realize that…even putting it into the budget is no guarantee, but I believe it would be the first step before we could get to a more open discussion.” 

Board member Charles Wilson agreed that lights would be a good idea, but said he would like more information about cost of the lights. In addition to the capital costs, he asked whether there will be operating and utility bill costs. 

“I think we should light the stadium but maybe renting the lights for a particular game might be cheaper” rather than installment and maintenance costs, he said. “We also need to consider the pushback from the neighbors. They’re going to go crazy….It’s a political issue. It’s a financial issue. I support lights somehow somewhere.” 

Gorsuch said she believed that the lights would extend the use of the field past 4:30 p.m. when it gets dark in the fall and winter months. Plus, as an artificial turf field, it can be used year-round unlike many other city fields.  

Board member Blanche Maness said the school board must be careful to consider the neighbors of T.C. Williams. “They have been good working with us on other issues that have come up. We want to have some consideration on the voices in and around Quaker Lane,” she said. 

Member Arthur Peabody agreed that it’s better not to quickly approve an issue that is “potentially controversial…If we approve this now it will look like we’ve approved without comment.” 

“I think how we present ourselves on these projects is vital to our success,” Peabody said, asking that issue be deferred to long-range planning committee without just sticking it into the budget at the last minute. 

Maness asked that Facilities Department offer some insight into the lights matter.  

“I was all gangbusters to support lights at T.C.,” said Mimi Carter, but said she noticed when she attended a special game night using rented lights that the school's sound system is also antiquated. “We should research lights and sound systems” and take it to the neighbors and potentially look for private funding for sponsorhip. “I was all gangbusters but I appreciate the comments of my colleagues," she said, and so also thought a more researched approach was necessary.

Gorsuch said she appreciated the discussion, “I would like to defer and remove my request from the vote tonight with the understanding that we will study it.”