Board Matters: Clarity on the Upcoming High School Project Vote and a Welcome for Our New Student Reps

- News and Announcements

The first School Board meeting of the school year was opened in style by the T.C. Williams High School Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.

The meeting welcomed our new student School Board representatives and accepted the Talented and Gifted Advisory Committee report. It also provided a brief update on The High School Project.

If you didn’t watch the September 12 meeting live, you can watch it online anytime from the comfort of your sofa. Don’t forget that you can also watch all Board meetings live on ACPS-TV, local cable channel 71 and ACPS-TV online. You can also watch all meetings recorded online.

New Student Representatives

Two new student School Board representatives took their seats at the dais for the first time at this meeting. Congratulations to Amiya Chisolm and Wilmer Carranza. We look forward to working with you.

Amiya Chisolm, School Board Student Representative:

Wilmer Carranza, School Board Student Representative:

The High School Project Update

The Board Chair provided a brief summary of upcoming community engagement sessions. The School Board will receive information about sites and costs at their work session on Thursday, September 19.

As discussed at the September 5 work session, the School Board will not vote on the educational programming. However, the School Board vote at the September 26 meeting will include:

  1. The selection of one high school (connected high school network) or two high school model
  2. The sites to be pursued based on the selected model

The School Board will also provide feedback on the Educational Design Team’s educational programming approaches and offer any input on preferred attributes.

On September 19, the Board will receive a site analysis and cost analysis on The High School Project. Read the materials posted for the September 19 work session:

View the Board memo (PDF) for the September 19 Work Session.

View the presentation (PDF) for the September 19 work session.

View staff answers to Board questions (PDF) on The High School Project, posted as part of the materials for the September 19 work session.

Find out more about The High School Project.

Opening of School Presentation

Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr.:

  • Discussed his visits to all schools on the first day of school.
  • Acknowledged that although all school facilities were ready for the first day of school, the date to have all schools ready would need to be pushed back to the day that teachers returned from the summer break. This would also ensure that all school facilities would be ready in time for open houses.
  • Acknowledged that all schools and departments were in the process of working on developing their School/Department Improvement Plans and that these would be posted on the ACPS website in September.