Board to Take Action Tuesday on TJ Middle School as Site for New Elementary School

At the request of the Arlington Public School Board, the Arlington County Board will, at its Recessed December 2015 County Board Meeting, consider selection of the Thomas Jefferson Middle School and Community Center site in south Arlington as the site for the new south Arlington neighborhood elementary school, according to a news release from the county.

The School Board on Dec. 3 selected the Thomas Jefferson site for the new south Arlington neighborhood elementary school. On Dec. 4, APS Board Chair Emma Violand-Sanchez sent a letter requesting that the County Board approve the site by Dec. 31, 2015 “in order to provide sufficient time for further community engagement on the design of the new school, preparation of construction documents, bidding and construction of the school by September 2019.”

Should the County Board approve the Thomas Jefferson site as the site for the new south Arlington elementary school, its action would trigger the next steps in the planning process, including the Public Facilities Review Committee process.

Background

APS’s FY 2015-2024 Capital Improvement Plan included a new 725-seat elementary school in South Arlington, to be completed for the start of school in September 2018. The CIP identified the Jefferson Middle School site as its preferred location for the new school.

The Jefferson site is a joint use property. The County Board in July 2014 appointed the Thomas Jefferson Working Group to present its recommendations to the County Board on whether the site was appropriate for the proposed new elementary school. In January 2015, following a divided recommendation from the working group, the Board moved not to grant approval, but indicated a willingness to reconsider the request if analysis of APS, County and other possible sites indicated that the Jefferson site remained the preferred site.

The School Board appointed the South Arlington Working Group in June 2015. The group considered a wide range of potential sites, and ultimately picked the Jefferson site as the preferred site.

To learn more about this issue, visit the County website. Scroll down to Item #37 on the Agenda for the Tues., Dec. 15 Arlington County Board Recessed Meeting. The board will consider this issue after 6:45 p.m.