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Arlington school officials took the first step toward creating more campuses as the booming school system braces to exceed its enrollment capacity in 2013.
At a joint meeting, Arlington Public Schools and the county government established four criteria for converting facilities into schools: cost-efficiency; respect for county policies like affordable housing and green building; reassurance that county services wouldn’t be compromised; and a “joint space philosophy” of shared use, when possible.
“Arlington County and the Arlington Public Schools have a long practice of working together to solve problems,” said Christopher Zimmerman, chairman of the Arlington County Board.
In the past five years, school enrollment has ballooned by 3,394 students, or 18 percent, to a record enrollment of 21,845. The system is 94 percent filled and expects to exceed its 22,953 available seats in fall 2013, with a projected enrollment of 23,228.
“We expect to have more students than seats in our buildings,” said Alison Denton, the facilities planner for APS.
Arlington schools have been turning over couch cushions to find extra space for students since 2005: Increases in class size have created an additional 798 seats, and more than 20 computer labs have been converted to classrooms. The school system added 28 portables this year, bringing the total to 83; it expects to add 25 per year (about 575 seats) for the indefinite future.
But despite these measures, and a smattering of construction projects, the school system is expecting 3,400 more students than it can handle by 2016.
Elementary enrollment growth has been the sharpest, at 46 to 60 percent, at Oakridge, Nottingham, Barrett and Glebe. Denton said there has been significant growth in northern Arlington: “Anecdotally, we hear about older, more established families leaving and younger families buying houses during the boom, and now we see their children.”
No construction projects are currently slated to alleviate growth, Denton said, as Wakefield High School’s current renovation will serve a similar number of students.
The School Board has not said how many schools it would like to build in coming years, but is scheduled to discuss the matter Monday.
Superintendent Patrick Murphy is scheduled to present the six-year Capital Improvement Program to the School Board in May.
