APS 4th HS

[Anonymous]

Just took a look at Murphy's 3-5 Year Action Plan which is posted online for tomorrow's SB meeting. It says that the SB will refine options in March and April and then vote on this new 1300 HS in June. Does anyone else think that the SB already has decided to use the Ed Center building and cram the 1300 students on the WL campus? Can anyone give some hope that they will pursue the Kenmore option and create a 4th comprehensive HS?

[Anonymous]

I believe it has already been decided. I base this on what school board members have said during SB meetings in the past. Although she is retired now, Emma Violand-Sanchez said the new school would be at the Ed Center and others have said the same. Most "options" have already been decided, it seems. Then the SB goes thru the fake listening and feedback process. They may have a survey that is so poorly constructed that it will ensure that the SB can point to it and defend its decision. If enough people freak out, they may be force to amend their decision - but that does not happen too often. Its sad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I believe it has already been decided. I base this on what school board members have said during SB meetings in the past. Although she is retired now, Emma Violand-Sanchez said the new school would be at the Ed Center and others have said the same. Most "options" have already been decided, it seems. Then the SB goes thru the fake listening and feedback process. They may have a survey that is so poorly constructed that it will ensure that the SB can point to it and defend its decision. If enough people freak out, they may be force to amend their decision - but that does not happen too often. Its sad.

The area around W-L is already a zoo. This will just make that worse. And will this even be a real high school with its own sports teams and after-school activities? They are keen to suggest this will be a new 1300-student community school, but it's not clear who it would appeal to. My kid might like to do IB, but not if she's being warehoused in the Ed Center and can no longer do track, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I believe it has already been decided. I base this on what school board members have said during SB meetings in the past. Although she is retired now, Emma Violand-Sanchez said the new school would be at the Ed Center and others have said the same. Most "options" have already been decided, it seems. Then the SB goes thru the fake listening and feedback process. They may have a survey that is so poorly constructed that it will ensure that the SB can point to it and defend its decision. If enough people freak out, they may be force to amend their decision - but that does not happen too often. Its sad.

The area around W-L is already a zoo. This will just make that worse. And will this even be a real high school with its own sports teams and after-school activities? They are keen to suggest this will be a new 1300-student community school, but it's not clear who it would appeal to. My kid might like to do IB, but not if she's being warehoused in the Ed Center and can no longer do track, etc.

She can compete to for a spot on the track team at her "base" school, along with the other 3,000 + kids.

I wish they'd stop calling it the " new high school" . It's not a high school, it's a program. They are lying liars.

[Anonymous]

Ugh. I saw Murphy yesterday outside of the ed center and I really wanted to tell him what a poss poor job he and the SB were doing. These people seriously all suck.

[Anonymous]

They just look saw drawn and seem overwhelmed. Such a small county school system and yet so maddeningly difficult to operate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They just look saw drawn and seem overwhelmed. Such a small county school system and yet so maddeningly difficult to operate.

How about they hire people who can do basic math. The screwed up the numbers a few times during the hs boundary farce and look at the huge cluster fuck with mckinley. If they are do overwhelmed then they should stop trying to re-do all the elementary schools. Just build a new hs already and I mean a real one not some stupid as one on wl campus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They just look saw drawn and seem overwhelmed. Such a small county school system and yet so maddeningly difficult to operate.

How about they hire people who can do basic math. The screwed up the numbers a few times during the hs boundary farce and look at the huge cluster fuck with mckinley. If they are do overwhelmed then they should stop trying to re-do all the elementary schools. Just build a new hs already and I mean a real one not some stupid as one on wl campus.

It's not that easy. There is a large population in Arlington that has no interest in a fourth HS on the scale of Yorktown, W-L, and Wakefield, and the APS board and administrators bow and scrape to please their masters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They just look saw drawn and seem overwhelmed. Such a small county school system and yet so maddeningly difficult to operate.

How about they hire people who can do basic math. The screwed up the numbers a few times during the hs boundary farce and look at the huge cluster fuck with mckinley. If they are do overwhelmed then they should stop trying to re-do all the elementary schools. Just build a new hs already and I mean a real one not some stupid as one on wl campus.

It's not that easy. There is a large population in Arlington that has no interest in a fourth HS on the scale of Yorktown, W-L, and Wakefield, and the APS board and administrators bow and scrape to please their masters.

Wow, didn't know there was that level of opposition to it. Do you mean Arlington residents w/o kids, or retirees whose kids are already grown? They don't want a 4th school because they don't want to pay for it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They just look saw drawn and seem overwhelmed. Such a small county school system and yet so maddeningly difficult to operate.

How about they hire people who can do basic math. The screwed up the numbers a few times during the hs boundary farce and look at the huge cluster fuck with mckinley. If they are do overwhelmed then they should stop trying to re-do all the elementary schools. Just build a new hs already and I mean a real one not some stupid as one on wl campus.

It's not that easy. There is a large population in Arlington that has no interest in a fourth HS on the scale of Yorktown, W-L, and Wakefield, and the APS board and administrators bow and scrape to please their masters.

Wow, didn't know there was that level of opposition to it. Do you mean Arlington residents w/o kids, or retirees whose kids are already grown? They don't want a 4th school because they don't want to pay for it?

Ding, ding, ding!! Not the OP but this has been my observation.

Not only don't they want to pay for it, they want bigger tax breaks so that they can afford to stay in their homes because their assessments keep going up. Many of the schools that Arlington built FOR them have been turned into community centers, and they don't want to share those either.

They should just sell already, preferably to some forever-DINKs, and take their fortunes to some retirement community where all these rugrats and their associates costs won't be such a bother.

[Anonymous]

I've written this before, and I think it really sums it up for you new comers...

They don't care. Their house was 165k in 1982, and it's been paid off for years. They got theirs, and they intend to keep getting it. They of course had the benefit of sending their kids to traditional high schools. Your kids can do shifts and learn online. They had the benefit of sfh neighborhoods, but now they want to rent out accessory dwellings for in-home help. Is that going to unleash a complete shit show of illegal rentals and boarding houses into our formally sleepy neighborhoods? Yes, but too bad. They need to age in place. Oh, property taxes are too high now, so they won't be paying those either. Oh you need that rec center for schools? Fuck you youngster! I've got ma Jong on Tuesday over there.

[Anonymous]

Arlington has a lot of competing interests, and every dollar going to schools is a dollar not going to something else...
Green space
Transportation
Affordable housing
Programs that benefit our more vulnerable residents
Enticements for company's to set up shop ( Nestle)


Plenty of people in Arlington don't see a need for a 4th REAL high school. That includes the democratic committee. If they do a 4th school, it will expend all of their political capital. They aren't willing to sacrifice their other goals.

Maybe if the problem starts to tank real estate values it will Gain some traction.
Until then...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Arlington has a lot of competing interests, and every dollar going to schools is a dollar not going to something else...
Green space
Transportation
Affordable housing
Programs that benefit our more vulnerable residents
Enticements for company's to set up shop ( Nestle)


Plenty of people in Arlington don't see a need for a 4th REAL high school. That includes the democratic committee. If they do a 4th school, it will expend all of their political capital. They aren't willing to sacrifice their other goals.

Maybe if the problem starts to tank real estate values it will Gain some traction.
Until then...

In particular, the "reliable" voters feel this way. At the last School Board caucus, it was me and a bunch of people a generation out of having kids in APS.

YOU HAVE TO VOTE.

[Anonymous]

The caucus itself is bullshit: if you are elected as a Democrat, you will be forced to stay in line and back the existing members.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: The caucus itself is bullshit: if you are elected as a Democrat, you will be forced to stay in line and back the existing members.

No, that's a choice. But nobody's going to put their necks on the line if the voters aren't demanding it, you know, by actually voting. If the incumbent is defeated, I think it might send a pretty loud message to the other members that status quo is not acceptable. I think just the fact that the incumbent is being challenged has put some fear into them. Good.