Arlington County Board, School Board Collaborate on Facilities Criteria
November 30, 2011
Diana Sun
- Collaborating to help address long-term capacity needs
- Solutions to benefit Schools and larger community
- Joint uses considered
- Solutions to be consistent with County’s strategic goals
ARLINGTON, Va. --- At a joint worksession today, members of the Arlington County Board and the Arlington School Board signed an agreement on criteria for considering County facilities as part of Arlington Public Schools’ capacity planning process.
“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. “Through these criteria, we can ensure a win-win scenario for both Schools and the broader County community.”
Arlington School Board Chair Abby Raphael said, "We welcome this framework for collaboration with the County as APS works to identify workable solutions to develop more classroom space for our rapidly growing student population, while also meeting the needs of our entire community."
Criteria for consideration of County facilities
Both Boards agreed to support the evaluation of the potential use of County facilities to address enrollment growth and capacity challenges currently faced by Arlington Public Schools, particularly where such a solution would provide mutual benefits. The Board agreed on a list of criteria, which includes:
- Seeking joint space opportunities: Both County and Schools will assess operational needs to identify opportunities for efficient shared use.
- Maintaining services: When uses are mixed in a facility, services provided to County residents will continue at a comparable or greater level.
- Respecting County’s strategic goals: Any permanent solution will respect the County’s articulated goals in open/green space, affordable housing, historic preservation, land use, transportation, smart growth, and energy and environmental goals, among others.
- Seeking financial benefits: Any solution should be cost-effective, yielding economics of scale, and should consider existing Capital Improvement Program and other financial commitments.
You can view the full agreement on the County website.
This agreement builds on a joint agreement from fall 2009, in which the County Board and the School Board reaffirmed the commitment to collaboration, including “maximizing the efficient use of community resources and building space.”
Arlington, Va., is a world-class residential, business and tourist location that was originally part of the "10 miles square" parcel of land surveyed in 1791 to be the Nation's Capital. It is the geographically smallest self-governing county in the United States, occupying slightly less than 26 square miles. Arlington maintains a rich variety of stable neighborhoods, quality schools and enlightened land use, and received the Environmental Protection Agency's highest award for "Smart Growth" in 2002. Home to some of the most influential organizations in the world - including the Pentagon - Arlington stands out as one of America's preeminent places to live, visit and do business.
