School Boundary Changes: Superintendent to Make Recommendation Thursday

Arlington Public Schools Superintendent Pat Murphy will present his recommendation for changing seven elementary school attendance zone boundaries Thursday night.

The changes are necessary to accommodate a new elementary school in Williamsburg, part of a larger effort to deal with overcrowding. The public school system expects to add 1,000 students a year for the foreseeable future.

The new elementary school has forced the school system to juggle a wide range of community concerns, as officials moved various neighborhoods from one school attendance zone to another. The changes have caused the most heartburn to parents with children at Glebe and Taylor elementary schools.

Staff has developed three plans — one recommendation and two variations — and Murphy held a town hall earlier this month to gather feedback.

He will make his recommendation at the school board meeting at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Education Center at 1426 N. Quincy St.

More on school boundaries:

• School Boundary Changes: Arlington Superintendent Gets Feedback
• School Boundary Changes: Latest Recommendations Released
• Proposed School Boundary Changes Get Heated Reaction from North Arlington

Murphy's presentation will follow a public hearing on the superintendent's proposed budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

The $520.4 million budget does not increase class size but does include a number of "unfunded investments" — programs like foreign language in elementary school that Murphy believes are a priority if funding becomes available.

The school board will hold public hearings on the proposed school boundary changes from 7:30 to 10 p.m. on April 3 and April 23.

The school board will hold a subsequent public hearing on its budget proposal April 18.

More on the budget:

• 'No Easy Decisions' — Superintendent Proposes $520M Budget
• Arlington County Real Estate Taxes Could Increase by As Much As 5 Percent