In an attempt to relieve overcrowding at Arlington middle schools, most notably Williamsburg and Swanson, Arlington County has been considering a variety of revised school boundary options. The new school boundaries allocate students to the new middle school that will open in 2019 at the Stratford site. Students who will be affected by these changes are those currently in grades 4, 5 and 6.

At the “What We Heard” meeting held at Yorktown HS on Wednesday October 25, APS staff presented drafts of only two refined options, A and B, that the county was considering before submitting their recommendations to the school board for their vote. The current middle school student population is 6,613 students, with roughly 1,300-1,400 students proposed to attend the new middle school. Their handouts noted that a majority of students will remain in their current middle school attendance zone and that more than 50 percent of students are in the potential walk zone for 4 schools.

APS will reassess the transfer policy for middle school students for 2018-2019 after the new boundaries have been finalized. Of most importance, according to APS, is that none of the middle schools will be over 110% capacity in 2022. As of November 8, APS favors option A and is no longer considering option B. Superintendent Dr. Murphy presented his recommendation
for middle school boundaries on Nov.14, 2017. Citizens also were able to speak up on Nov. 30, 2017. For information about speaking at a School Board meeting, visit www.apsva.us/school-board-meetings/sign-up-to-speak/. School Board action is scheduled for Thu, Dec. 14,

by Craig Mastrangelo
craigmastrangelo@gmail.com