Work SessionAugust 13, 2020

Childcare and Meal Services

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Childcare for Staff

• We will provide childcare for APS staff who are required to physically report to work in the full virtual model, at cost, utilizing existing Extended Day staff

• Childcare will be provided in very small groups at designated school facilities only for children ages 4 to 11, due to licensing requirements

• Cost for childcare services will be based on demand and staffing requirements• Based on teacher and staff surveys, 1,249 children are projected to need childcare; however,

some of these children are either below age 4 or above age 11• These responses were provided when we were going to start the school year in the hybrid

model; demand for childcare in the full virtual model may be significantly less (less than 100)• Safety measures and social distancing will be maintained; health screenings will be

conducted prior to entering school buildings and face coverings will be required, unless there are medical exemptions

• Childcare will be provided during full-time distance learning; locations and service delivery may be adjusted based on space availability once in-person instruction resumes

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Childcare for Families

• The County is working to:• Identify existing childcare availability for families• Encourage closed childcare centers to reopen and look at expanding existing

childcare• Help potential providers navigate the licensing and land use processes

• Licensing requirements, childcare staffing, and space availability are some of the biggest obstacles to childcare

• We are also working with the County and community partners to explore other childcare options. Possibilities include:

• Facilities provided through local non-profits like the YMCA• Private childcare centers• Working with non-profits to facilitate childcare at other locations• Consideration of other options for low-income families (e.g., subsidies, etc.)

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Meal Services

• APS will transition from serving free meals for all students under the national Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), which ends on August 27, to the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), which resumes on September 8 when school begins

• Meal distribution will pause the week of August 31 as we make the transition• We will adjust services to fulfill the requirements of the National School Lunch

Program and to best meet the needs of all our students during the school year in full-time distance learning

• Food will be available for ALL students• Students who qualify for free and reduced-price meals will continue to

receive free meals.• Students who do not qualify for free or reduced-price meals will be required

to pay for their meals, as they normally do during the school year. This is a requirement of the National School Lunch Program

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Meal Services

• APS will be expanding the meal distribution locations at schools from the current 9 locations to 21 locations as follows:

• Abingdon• Arlington Career Center• Arlington Traditional• Ashlawn• Barcroft• Barrett• Campbell

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• Carlin Springs• Dr. Charles R. Drew• Glebe• Gunston• Hoffman-Boston• Jefferson• Kenmore

• Key• Randolph• Swanson• The Heights• Wakefield• Washington-Liberty• Yorktown

Meal Services

• 5 schools will be operating under the Community Eligibility Program which entitles ALL students at those schools to receive free meals

• Barcroft, Barrett, Carlin Springs, Dr. Charles R. Drew, and Randolph

• We will also be providing meal delivery and distribution to 10 locations throughout the County using APS vehicles

• Transportation staff and Food Services staff will work collaboratively to bring meals to those locations and collect student ID numbers

• We are working to ensure we have permission to distribute meals on those properties we have identified for meal delivery. We will provide those locations as soon as those details are finalized

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Planning and Temporary Assignments for Staff Unable to Telework

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Employees Unable to Telework

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We are currently finalizing a plan for employees who cannot carry out their regularly assigned duties via telework but have a regular schedule and pay.Employee groups in this category, by scale:• Food service (C and O Scale) – 178 staff (if not all are involved in food

distribution)• Bus drivers and attendants (D and O Scale) – 249 staff• Extended Day (X and O Scale) – 439 staff (if not all are involved in

childcare)

Employees Unable to Telework

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• The recommendation is to continue to pay these employees through the first quarter of the school year (quarter ends November 2)

• The estimated cost to keep these employees on board is as follows:• $768,000 estimated per pay period• $3,072,000 estimated for the entire first quarter

• Bus drivers and attendants are already included in the FY 21 adopted budget • This cost may be partially reduced for those employees who will be providing

childcare and meals• Fees may cover the cost of the staff providing childcare• Revenue and federal reimbursement may cover the cost of the food service staff

working to provide meals to students

Employees Unable to Telework

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Most of these employees will be reassigned to school-based positionsAllocations:• 10 per elementary school• 20 per middle school• 30 per high school• Remaining employees deployed to central office support

Employees Unable to Telework

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Supporting Students Supporting Families Supporting Teachers Supporting the District

Mentoring – daily contact, interaction and encouragement

Outreach to ensure access, device functionality

Additional support in Teams classes –monitor chat, raised hands, etc.

Monitor parent call center and direct calls

Daily contact to support engagement

Meal preparation and distribution

Assist with contacting families, grading work and other tasks

Materials distribution to schools and departments

Small breakout groups during class to support learning

Distribution and collection of instructional materials to students

Dreambox, RAZKids, other app reports – analyze and support teacher

Supporting interpretation for meetings across sites

Conducting read alouds, listening to students read, conduct "running records"

Provide supports/ accommodations and collect data for progress monitoring

Employee Engagement Plan

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July 30 – Initial proposal and recommended plan presented at School Board meeting

August 4 – Written communication of plans shared with all staff in Superintendent’s message

August 7 – Initial letters emailed and mailed to staff unable to telework

Week of August 10 – Finalize specific roles for temporary reassignment and training plan

Week of August 17 – Communication to staff with specific school or department assignments and details

Week of August 31 – Training and professional learning for temporary reassignments

Employee Training Plan

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Training to be provided the week of August 31st

Topics:• Customer Service (same training as provided to school offices)• Accessing MS Teams• Accessing Canvas• Specific apps based on assignments (e.g. Dreambox, RAZkids, etc)

Cost Projections

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Cost ProjectionsDescription Amount*

Revenue Loss• Extended Day (through Oct 2020), Aquatics, Building Use, Medicaid, etc.• State and County Revenue Decreases

$4.50TBD

Health and Safety Needs• PPE, cleaning (supplies & personnel), screening (supplies & personnel) $5.90

Technology Needs• Devices, telephony, software licenses, etc. $1.15

Instructional Needs• Printing and translation of elementary packets; add'l days in summer for special education teachers for Extended

School Year (ESY) services and Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) ; toolkits for students $1.34

Mental Health and Well-being• Additional days in summer for social workers and bilingual family liaisons $0.13

Other• Food service staff pay through 1st Quarter; translations of communications $0.99

SUBTOTAL (in millions) $14.01

County CARES Act Funding Earmarked for Schools (additional revenue) ($7.0)

TOTAL (in millions) $7.0116*Estimates based on current information; subject to change

Cost Projections

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• Any changes from these estimates will be updated as appropriate• Extended Day staff repurposed for instructional and administrative needs other

than childcare in the full virtual model will be paid through the 1st quarter from operating funds

• Extended Day staff providing childcare for APS staff who must report in person in the full virtual model will be paid from the fees charged for childcare

• Food Services staff repurposed for instructional and administrative needs other than food service in the full virtual model will be paid through the 1st quarter from operating funds

• Food Services staff providing food service in the full virtual model will be paid from the Food and Nutrition Services Fund using both revenue and federal reimbursement received through the National School Lunch Program

Residency Exception for COVID-19

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Residency Exception for COVID-19

• It is our recommendation that the Board adopt the following motion:“Due to travel restrictions placed on the families of our existing APS students as a result of COVID-19, the Arlington School Board waives the restriction that families who are temporarily displaced, as defined in the Children of Families with Special Circumstances section of Policy J-5.3.30 Admissions, must reside within 30 miles of Arlington and that approval of these special circumstances will be considered Administrative Placements. This waiver is effective through December 31, 2020 at which point it will terminate. The Board will determine if an extension of the waiver is necessary at a December 2020 Board meeting.”

Rationale for ActionWe have had inquiries from several of our existing families if they may remain enrolled in APS using the virtual learning option while temporarily residing in a different location. These families all own a house or have an active lease in Arlington. In one example, one parent has returned to the U.S. and is living in Arlington while the child is staying with the other parent overseas. In another example, a State Department family is living in Panama where the airport is closed, and they cannot travel until at least October.

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Residency Exception for COVID -19

Next Steps

• Friday Letter, August 14, 2020

• Weekly Meeting, August 17, 2020

• It will be added as a School Board Info/Action item at the August 20, 2020 School Board Meeting

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Discussion

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