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Definitions of commonly used acronyms
DLI: Dual Language Immersion
ELD: English Language Development teacher
FTE: Full-time Equivalent (a way of defining how many staff members a school has for any given position – schools can be given fractions of FTEs for certain positions; i.e., 1.6 FTEs for PE)
EL: English Learner student (they have a first language other than English)
The Big Picture
Costs are rising to maintain essential educational programs/services and cover staff compensation increases. Meanwhile, Governor Youngkin’s proposed budget significantly reduces the already insufficient funding for K-12 education. Superintendent Durán’s proposed SY2025-2025 APS budget has cuts that affect Escuela Key.
There is more inforamtion below. You can also see the Superintendent’s slideshow
Summary of how the budget affects Escuela Key
The superintendent’s proposed budget:
Changes the planning factor formula for art, music, and physical education (PE) teachers. With a projected student population of 550, the previous formula would give Key 2.0 teachers for each of these specials, whereas a new formula proposed for next school year gives only 1.6 FTEs (Full Time Equivalents). Currently Escuela Key has 2.2 Music, 2.2 Art, and 2.0 PE FTEs. Principals use some portions of the FTEs flexibility to cover other “unfunded” positions like a needed second ELD teacher for kinder and first grade (see below).
Affected cohort: All Escuela Key students
Calculates the number of classroom (instructional) teachers for 1-5th grades in a way (planning factor formula) that will lead to crowded classrooms. The current planning factors (the same as were used this current school year) can be seen below and the process is quite complex, but the key takeaway is that classrooms (depending on the grade) may have as many as 28 students per class, which is quite high and out of step with research showing better learning outcomes at lower class sizes.
Affected cohort: Current Kinder-4th grade students
Underfunds the current 80/20 model for Kindergarten and First grade by not providing one English Language Development (ELD) teacher for each of those grades, as was requested by the principals of both schools. This is a continuation of the allotment for this school year budget (one ELD teacher when two are needed). Our ELDs are Ms. Webb in Kinder and Mrs. Kilmer in 1st grade. Principal Perdomo has managed to fund the second needed ELD teacher using portions of other FTEs allotted to the school, but these FTEs are being reduced in the proposed budget so this option of “creating” the second needed ELD position from bits of other FTEs will likely not be available next school year.
Affected cohort: Rising Kinder and 1st graders for next school year
Escuela Key PTA asks that the superintendent and school board:
Applicable to all APS schools
Do not change the planning factor formula for art, music, and physical education (PE) until the full planning factor study is completed and other modifications address the current gaps in staffing the needs of our schools. These give principals flexibility to cover other “unfunded” positions, like the number of counselors and ELD teachers Escuela Key really needs.
Change the planning factor formula for counselors from 1.0 Counselor for 325 K-5 students to American School Counselor Association’s recommended ratio of 1.0 Counselor for 250 students.
Specific to Escuela Key
Reassess enrollment projections for Escuela Key.
Protect our students’ Social Emotional and Academic Learning. Do not maximally fill or overfill our classrooms, especially those with students still suffering from the effects of having early elementary taught remotely during the pandemic.
Help us keep our talented, qualified, bilingual teachers who are practiced in the immersion model. If projections are wrong, future enrollment numbers increase, or the planning factor changes to decrease class size, it would be extremely difficult to re-hire or replace teachers we lose due to surplusing.
Allot Escuela Key 2.0 FTE counselor positions.
Specific to Escuela Key and Claremont
Fund 2.0 English Language Development (ELD) Teachers for current K and 1st grade 80/20 DLI model.
A Call to Action
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Send Emails to Decision-Makers
APS budget creation and approval
Superintendent, Cabinet, Key Staff (superintendent@apsva.us)
Dr. Francisco Durán, Superintendent, francisco.duran@apsva.us
Dr. Gerald R. Mann, Jr., Chief Academic Officer, gerald.mann@apsva.us
Sarah Putnam, Executive Director Curriculum and Instruction, sarah.putnam@apsva.us
Dr. John Mayo, Chief Operating Officer, John.mayo@apsva.us
Michael Hodge, Asst. Superintendent Human Resources, michael.hodge@apsva.us
Dr. Julie Crawford, Chief of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Student Support, julie.crawford@apsva.us
APS Community Engagement: engage@apsva.us
Arlington School Board (schoolboard@apsva.us)
Cristina Diaz-Torres, Chair, cristina.diaztorres@apsva.us
David Priddy, Vice Chair, david.priddy@apsva.us
Mary Kadera, mary.kadera@apsva.us
Miranda Turner (Key liaison), miranda.turner@apsva.us
Bethany Zecher Sutton, bethany.zechersutton@apsva.us
APS budget funding decisions
Arlington County Board (Countyboard@arlingtonva.us)
Libby Garvey, Chair
Takis P. Karantonis, Vice-Chair
Matt de Ferranti, Member
Maureen Coffey, Member
Susan Cunningham, Member
Virginia State Officials
Glenn Youngkin, Governor, glenn.youngkin@governor.virginia.gov
Patrick Hope, Delegate, DelPHope@house.virginia.gov
Barbara Favola, VA State Senator, senatorfavola@senate.virginia.gov
Additional Information on the proposed budget
Superintendent Duran presented the APS Proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Budget on February 29th. You can find the slides here and the full document here. You can find the information related to Escuela Key on pages 156-157. You can also find additional information about 80/20 implementation staffing on page 118.
Highlights of the proposed budget:
The budget includes a compensation increase (slides 3, 14)
Budget items are mostly to maintain existing programs and services (slides 3, 7-12, 20)
Reductions of $20.9M (slides 22-24)
Dr. Duran cited his highest priorities that are still unfunded. (Slide 26) Teaching & Learning ones include:
Reducing class size by 2
Hire 9 elementary math interventionists
5 high school literacy coaches
English Learners assessment, deans at secondary schools, materials & supplies for teachers, increase staffing based on planning factor recommendations
Additional 2% cost of living increase for staff
The budget includes a compensation increase (slides 3, 14)
Budget items are mostly to maintain existing programs and services (slides 3, 7-12, 20)
Reductions of $20.9M (slides 22-24)
Dr. Duran cited his highest priorities that are still unfunded. (Slide 26) Teaching & Learning ones include:
Reducing class size by 2
Hire 9 elementary math interventionists
5 high school literacy coaches
English Learners assessment, deans at secondary schools, materials & supplies for teachers, increase staffing based on planning factor recommendations
Additional 2% cost of living increase for staff
Revenue:
Most comes from state and county
Recent Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) found that Virginia provides less funding per student than the national average, less than the regional average, and less than three of Virginia's five bordering states (If Virginia funded schools at the average, APS would receive $51 million MORE from the state than it currently does.) (Slide 27)
The governor has proposed a budget that cuts an additional $5.7M from APS. The Senate has proposed a budget that provides $11M more to APS. (Slide 32) *
At present, APS still has a $29.5 million gap. That is with the cuts Dr. Duran already made, and without funding the unfunded priorities. (Slide 34)
The County Manager has proposed a 1.5 cent tax increase (per $100 of assessed real estate value), and the County Board has said they will consider up to a 2.5 cent tax increase.
If the Senate's budget is passed ($11M for APS) and if the county approves the 1.5 cent increase, APS will still have a $9.8M gap and will need to cut $9.8M more from the budget (slide 34)
If the Senate's budget is passed and if the county approves the 2.5 cent increase, APS will have a $3.4M gap and will "only" need to cut $3.4M more from the budget. This is the best case scenario. (slide 34)
*Note: the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates Agree to Budget which among other items it includes: Three percent salary increases for teachers for each year of the biennium; Significant increase in funding for at-risk students (based on JLARC recommendations); Increased support for English language teachers and tiered staffing ratios based on student proficiency levels; Restoration of the local composite index cap for the Virginia Preschool Initiative after its removal from the introduced budget. Note that Governor Youngkin has not yet agreed to this and could use some encouragement.
The recommended budget removes classroom teachers. This suggests we would have large (near maximum under the planning factors) class sizes for 4th and 5th grades. These are the cohorts that had either Kindergarten or 1st grade taught virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learning and SEL outcomes of those students could be negatively affected by large class sizes.
If 4th and 5th grade move to 3 classes instead of 4:
Next year’s class size for 4th grade would be near the recommended maximum if the projections are correct and OVER the recommended maximum if APS’s projections for student enrollment (in which Key “loses” about 38 enrolled students between this school year and next) are not accurate and we do not lose as many students as projected.
Next year’s class size for 5th grade would be at or near the recommended maximum.
Outcomes of crowded classrooms have cascading effects in later years.
Many APS schools have smaller class sizes, below planning factor.
The recommended budget surpluses classroom teachers that will then likely need to be rehired. One of the superintendents unfunded priorities is reducing class size. This means that the planning factor for instructional teacher allocation will likely change and positions that are suplused in 2024/2025 may need to be filled in subsequent years. It is not easy to find talented bilingual teachers prepared to teach in the immersion model. If we lose our talented Escuela Key teachers, we may not be able to easily find teachers to fill those positions.
The proposed reduction in the number of art, music, and physical education (PE) teachers reduces FTE allocations that principals use to flexibly cover other needed positions. Current FTE allocations are extremely important to the implementation of enrichment and extension work at Key, such as Colmena time for the upper grades, which support Spanish-language development at Key (as well as reading and math).
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