Hello All,

I've received the note below from the schoolboard clerk. Wilson School is contained in the second item (Multi-Site Recommendations) of the agenda for the APS board meeting on the evening of August 9.

A number of us have attended APS meetings on Wilson School; and often our interest and our numbers have seemed to affect the board. I'd like to encourage neighborhood attendance at this meeting as well.

I'll send out more on the meeting and on the likely timing of our issues as soon as possible.

Hope youall are enjoying summer.

Mark Antell

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Good afternoon:

The agenda for the August 9 School Board meeting is posted on BoardDocs at: http://www.boarddocs.com/vsba/arlington/Board.nsf/Public?OpenFrameSet. The agenda is also available as a printable pdf by clicking on BoardDocs item 000. Agenda (pdf).

At this meeting, the Board is scheduled to act on the following items:

1. Reed Final Design
2. Multi-Site Study Recommendations
3. Budget Framework
4. Revision of SBP 45-3 Accountability and Evaluation

Background documents for the meeting will be posted on BoardDocs at the URL above by the close of business on Friday, August 3.

Citizens may sign up electronically to speak at this meeting until 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 8, at: http://www.arlington.k12.va.us/schoolboard/speak/. Speakers also may sign up on the night of the meeting by filling out and submitting a Request to Speak form to the Clerk before the desired agenda item is announced by the Chair. Request to Speak forms will be available outside the Board room on the night of the meeting.

The Arlington Public School Board is scheduled to vote on APS goals for the Wilson School. The vote is scheduled for Thursday at the Education Center at 1426 N Quincy St, near the Central Library. The meeting starts at 7:30 but I suspect that the Wilson School discussion will not begin before 8:30.

The public will be allowed to speak.... and we should. A good turnout and honest words from our community would probably help the outcome on this.

I'm not pleased with the APS staff recommendation (included at the bottom of this note). At their work session on July 5, the APS board told staff to look at the long term use of Wilson as an "urban school." But the staff recommendation still talks first about revenue (from development of the Wilson site). Getting the most money possible out of the Wilson site via intensive development has been an APS staff orientation for years. It's still their preferred option because they don't see a need for a school in Rosslyn.

The affected neighborhoods (plus many civic-minded Arlingtonians), by contrast, have a long-term perspective. Maybe there is no need for a school in Rosslyn today. But we know that demographics will change and we therefore firmly believe that the Wilson site should be preserved against the date when we will need a school in Rosslyn again.

Once again, I encourage our community to attend the APS board meeting to talk about how the Wilson School site should be used now for arts and recreation; and should be preserved for more intensive educational needs in the future.

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Here is the staff recommendation to be proposed at the August 9 meeting:
"Authorize the Superintendent to begin working with County staff on a possible partnership to redevelop the Wilson School/Fire Station site, with a progress report from the Superintendent expected by the end of November. Along with investigating the possibilities for revenue generation presented by redevelopment, the work
on such a partnership will be guided by concerns about
- Preservation of the historic fabric of the original building
- Preservation or expansion of green space
- Consideration of public uses of the site
- Consideration of reserving space for educational uses."

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Mark Antell,

Neighbors,

I just wanted to say that I think a strong turnout of speakers is really critical to underscore to the School Board members the depth and breadth of the community's commitment to public uses for Wilson School site, green space/play field, arts facility etc. It's essential that they see that we too are homeowners who pay real estate taxes half of which goes to APS - even if our homes are in multi-unit condo or townhouse constructs.

In checking the agenda, I noticed that it is possible to sign up to speak online. Here's the link http://www.arlington.k12.va.us/schoolboard/speak/index.shtml.

Turned out I was the first one to do so. If you can't attend and speak, you can send a e-mail to the School Board. schoolbd@arlington.k12.va.us Even if it is just to say you regret that you can't attend and speak in person but you support NRCA and Mark's efforts and perhaps include a personal sentence... similar to what was in the great video.. we need the option of a school there in future, a home for arts classes, a black box, whatever..It doesn't have to be long. I appreciate that some have you may have spoken or sent e-mails in the past. I think it's worth it to take the time.. this seems to be a real crunch vote. I know I kind of feel like there have been so many meetings hasn't everything been said or done.. BUT, I think the Superintendent and Staff rely on a "wear 'em down" "beat 'em down" strategy giving them victory. As I see it, two School Board members (Ed Fendly and Sally Baird) want to take a long view as Mark described and at the last work session Dave Foster also expressed reservations about the Superintentent profit taking. But Libby Garvey and Frank Wilson have been solidly with the Superintendent. It takes three votes and as I see it -- it could go either way.

I also realize some might think Mark and the stalewarts will be there so I don't have to speak or e-mail. But new faces, voices and names carry a lot of weight ... so each individual person's effort does matter. Thank you for your attention in reading this. June O'Connell/Colonial Village III.

Neighbors, This is my second attempt to post a reply to Mark's e-mail on tonight's APS meeting on Wilson School. It was my first posting effort, and I may have mucked it up as it hasn't come back to my e-box. In case it did make it to some of you, I just hit the main point.

I hope lots of folks will turn out tonight to speak. I did so online at http://www.arlington.k12.va.us/schoolboard/speak/nosignup.shtml yesterday, and it was quite easy. If you can't make it due to travel, prior commitments, you could send a quick e-mail urging the School Board not to approve the Superintendent's recommendation for the reasons so artfully presented in the Save Wilson School video or per Mark's long range view discussion, or your personal reasons. That e-mail address is -schoolbd@arlington.k12.va.us

To me, tonight is a real crunch point in derailing the Superintendent's and his staffs efforts to privatize for peanuts what should be a resource of green and play space and arts and education for the Rosslyn and greater Arlington Community. Thanks, June O'Connell, Colonial Village III