APS: Think the "no move" campaign is going to work?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did anyone see the analysis sheet up on the aps engage site? Looks like the key map is actually cheaper than the proposal. I support the moves, but honestly if I was a school board member, I would be questioning it at this point.

Can you point me to this cost “analysis”?

https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Quantitative-Comparison-of-APS-School-Moves-Scenarios-v1.pdf

It’s not really clear who made it. Also, it’s not indicating no moves, just picking a different target. I think it looks like a McKinley product.

Got it. So, nothing truly new and based on the parent-created maps and a guess of what the APS boundary map would look like if a move were to happen.

Also, please stop telling lies that the Welcome Center is purposely not directing Spanish speaking families to immersion to drive down Key’s numbers, like it’s some evil conspiracy to make the move look like a better idea. Why would that employee want to do that? What benefit could that person possibly receive that would make such nefarious and devious behavior worth it?

Are they going to cover this chart in today's webinar? Curious to hear the APS staff address this...

It looks like APS staff created that chart -- the thing that is surprising is the boundary change only scenario looking so good. This combined building on Buck (which has been estimated really low, I think less than 10 million) makes it seem like they really don't need to move immersion.
I'm a big proponent of the move and part of me thinks that we should just bite the bullet here, but I really do feel like staff dug in early on (maybe because of mcCrazy) and its possible that there are better solutions that we aren't seeing because we aren't all working as a team. The posts here about how they are moving walkers from Key to Long Branch or ASF has me really concerned that the proposal map is just based off of nothing.

I don’t think that’s staff created. The posts here about walkers to Key or ASFS are just guesses, and early skirmishes in the boundary wars to come. The truth is that not everyone is going to be able to be zoned to their closest school. That’s life, the boundary has to be drawn somewhere. But APS staff thinks they can do a better job of it *if* they move the schools they have proposed. Looking at the various community maps, I think they are correct.

Also, what I have heard is that building on Buck, for a school, is not going to happen. It’s only less expensive if they just retrofit the current buildings with very minimal updates, and a school would still have to share the site with the county for its uses (light industrial). Do you know any Arlington parents who’d find this acceptable for 3-5 graders? I don’t. Also, the county is not really interested in the site being used for a school, certainly not exclusively, nor is APS, given its proximity to existing schools. Upper/lower is not being considered at this time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I don’t think that’s staff created. The posts here about walkers to Key or ASFS are just guesses, and early skirmishes in the boundary wars to come. The truth is that not everyone is going to be able to be zoned to their closest school. That’s life, the boundary has to be drawn somewhere. But APS staff thinks they can do a better job of it *if* they move the schools they have proposed. Looking at the various community maps, I think they are correct.

Also, what I have heard is that building on Buck, for a school, is not going to happen. It’s only less expensive if they just retrofit the current buildings with very minimal updates, and a school would still have to share the site with the county for its uses (light industrial). Do you know any Arlington parents who’d find this acceptable for 3-5 graders? I don’t. Also, the county is not really interested in the site being used for a school, certainly not exclusively, nor is APS, given its proximity to existing schools. Upper/lower is not being considered at this time.

I agree. All these community proposals just prove staff's point that it's really hard if not impossible to draw reasonable boundaries w/out the moves.

I thought a while ago during all the facility debate it was mentioned that they couldn't build a school on the Buck property because of gas lines? There was something about the site that made it not appropriate for school buildings. It's like people kept saying build a school at Long Bridge Park instead of the aquatic center but you can't build a school there because it's contaminated land and under the flight path to DCA.

They do eventually need to build more schools but the opponents of the move are a bit ridiculous in floating new school building locations as a solution since it takes YEARS to get a new school built and changes have to be made this year to accommodate the opening of Reed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I don’t think that’s staff created. The posts here about walkers to Key or ASFS are just guesses, and early skirmishes in the boundary wars to come. The truth is that not everyone is going to be able to be zoned to their closest school. That’s life, the boundary has to be drawn somewhere. But APS staff thinks they can do a better job of it *if* they move the schools they have proposed. Looking at the various community maps, I think they are correct.

Also, what I have heard is that building on Buck, for a school, is not going to happen. It’s only less expensive if they just retrofit the current buildings with very minimal updates, and a school would still have to share the site with the county for its uses (light industrial). Do you know any Arlington parents who’d find this acceptable for 3-5 graders? I don’t. Also, the county is not really interested in the site being used for a school, certainly not exclusively, nor is APS, given its proximity to existing schools. Upper/lower is not being considered at this time.

I agree. All these community proposals just prove staff's point that it's really hard if not impossible to draw reasonable boundaries w/out the moves.

I thought a while ago during all the facility debate it was mentioned that they couldn't build a school on the Buck property because of gas lines? There was something about the site that made it not appropriate for school buildings. It's like people kept saying build a school at Long Bridge Park instead of the aquatic center but you can't build a school there because it's contaminated land and under the flight path to DCA.

They do eventually need to build more schools but the opponents of the move are a bit ridiculous in floating new school building locations as a solution since it takes YEARS to get a new school built and changes have to be made this year to accommodate the opening of Reed.

The no-movers don’t care what happens years down the road because they will be done by then. Floating ideas that kick the can 5-10 years out is ideal for them.

[Anonymous]

The Buck site is most optimal for bus parking. Period.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Buck site is most optimal for bus parking. Period.

The Buck site should be used for bus parking, Dawson Terrace is a pipe dream because the county is not going to hand it over without community approval (the tree people, historical people, and general green space people will all fight for it to stay a park), the Key site is NOT big enough for 1400 elementary school kids, and magically finding and buying a commercial site is not going to happen. Yes, these are all actual suggestions from the immersion community for alternative school sites for Rosslyn/Courthouse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Buck site is most optimal for bus parking. Period.

Don't forget police impound lots! Yay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Buck site is most optimal for bus parking. Period.

Don't forget police impound lots! Yay.

Those functions have to go somewhere. It’s zoned light industrial. It’s centrally located.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Buck site is most optimal for bus parking. Period.

Don't forget police impound lots! Yay.

Those functions have to go somewhere. It’s zoned light industrial. It’s centrally located.

so important for police impound lots to be centrally located in the county ... so wise
as for locating schools in central locations, meh we don't care about that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Buck site is most optimal for bus parking. Period.

Don't forget police impound lots! Yay.

Those functions have to go somewhere. It’s zoned light industrial. It’s centrally located.

so important for police impound lots to be centrally located in the county ... so wise
as for locating schools in central locations, meh we don't care about that.

They are doing a feasibility study on it. That will determine whether or not it can actually be used for a school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I"m so sick of all the concern trolling about access to transit. Nobody picks up their kids from extended day on transit. It just doesn't happen.
https://www.apsva.us/aps-go/2016-aps-go-surveys/

+1

and peak walking is 13% in the mornings for Key. 11%in afternoon.
86% take bus or family vehicle in morning; 87% in afternoon.

0.5% transit both morning and afternoon. So I guess there is one family who actually uses public transit to and from Key.
I haven't figured out how 0.7% bike to Key in the morning and 1% bike home afterward in the afternoon.....

To me, the biggest flaw in that survey, and one that was pointed out, is that it doesn't differentiate between those who drive at 8:40am, or those who are doing extended day. If kids near the school in theory are walkable, or further from the school could bus, but don't because instead their parents have to work and drop them at school before 8am, as a non-statistician to me there's different weighting in terms of what info you can glean from that.

I know this is anecdote and not data, but in our family and others we know, the mode of transport is totally reliant on the parents' work schedules. WAH day for mom or dad, the kid is walked or bussed respectively. Headed to the office? Kid is at ED.

Maybe it doesn't matter, but I feel like it might have been useful for them to also understand when that child was arriving or departing school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I"m so sick of all the concern trolling about access to transit. Nobody picks up their kids from extended day on transit. It just doesn't happen.
https://www.apsva.us/aps-go/2016-aps-go-surveys/

+1

and peak walking is 13% in the mornings for Key. 11%in afternoon.
86% take bus or family vehicle in morning; 87% in afternoon.

0.5% transit both morning and afternoon. So I guess there is one family who actually uses public transit to and from Key.
I haven't figured out how 0.7% bike to Key in the morning and 1% bike home afterward in the afternoon.....

To me, the biggest flaw in that survey, and one that was pointed out, is that it doesn't differentiate between those who drive at 8:40am, or those who are doing extended day. If kids near the school in theory are walkable, or further from the school could bus, but don't because instead their parents have to work and drop them at school before 8am, as a non-statistician to me there's different weighting in terms of what info you can glean from that.

I know this is anecdote and not data, but in our family and others we know, the mode of transport is totally reliant on the parents' work schedules. WAH day for mom or dad, the kid is walked or bussed respectively. Headed to the office? Kid is at ED.

Maybe it doesn't matter, but I feel like it might have been useful for them to also understand when that child was arriving or departing school.

I agree with you in terms of understanding why people drive kids in a single vehicle car and think that extended day has a huge influence on that. However- it doesn't change that nobody uses public transit to get their kids to and from school- whether they are going to extended day or not. Which makes all the crocodile tears from the keep Key on key folks about the families that go to extended day and live car free and rely on metro to get their kids after extended day all the more ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I"m so sick of all the concern trolling about access to transit. Nobody picks up their kids from extended day on transit. It just doesn't happen.
https://www.apsva.us/aps-go/2016-aps-go-surveys/

+1

and peak walking is 13% in the mornings for Key. 11%in afternoon.
86% take bus or family vehicle in morning; 87% in afternoon.

0.5% transit both morning and afternoon. So I guess there is one family who actually uses public transit to and from Key.
I haven't figured out how 0.7% bike to Key in the morning and 1% bike home afterward in the afternoon.....

To me, the biggest flaw in that survey, and one that was pointed out, is that it doesn't differentiate between those who drive at 8:40am, or those who are doing extended day. If kids near the school in theory are walkable, or further from the school could bus, but don't because instead their parents have to work and drop them at school before 8am, as a non-statistician to me there's different weighting in terms of what info you can glean from that.

I know this is anecdote and not data, but in our family and others we know, the mode of transport is totally reliant on the parents' work schedules. WAH day for mom or dad, the kid is walked or bussed respectively. Headed to the office? Kid is at ED.

Maybe it doesn't matter, but I feel like it might have been useful for them to also understand when that child was arriving or departing school.

Why do kids need a ride to/from extended day if they are in the walkzone?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I"m so sick of all the concern trolling about access to transit. Nobody picks up their kids from extended day on transit. It just doesn't happen.
https://www.apsva.us/aps-go/2016-aps-go-surveys/

+1

and peak walking is 13% in the mornings for Key. 11%in afternoon.
86% take bus or family vehicle in morning; 87% in afternoon.

0.5% transit both morning and afternoon. So I guess there is one family who actually uses public transit to and from Key.
I haven't figured out how 0.7% bike to Key in the morning and 1% bike home afterward in the afternoon.....

To me, the biggest flaw in that survey, and one that was pointed out, is that it doesn't differentiate between those who drive at 8:40am, or those who are doing extended day. If kids near the school in theory are walkable, or further from the school could bus, but don't because instead their parents have to work and drop them at school before 8am, as a non-statistician to me there's different weighting in terms of what info you can glean from that.

I know this is anecdote and not data, but in our family and others we know, the mode of transport is totally reliant on the parents' work schedules. WAH day for mom or dad, the kid is walked or bussed respectively. Headed to the office? Kid is at ED.

Maybe it doesn't matter, but I feel like it might have been useful for them to also understand when that child was arriving or departing school.

Why do kids need a ride to/from extended day if they are in the walkzone?

Really? Their parents are probably driving to/from work and stop to drop off/pick up on the way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The Buck site is most optimal for bus parking. Period.

Don't forget police impound lots! Yay.

Those functions have to go somewhere. It’s zoned light industrial. It’s centrally located.

so important for police impound lots to be centrally located in the county ... so wise
as for locating schools in central locations, meh we don't care about that.

ASFS is less than .5 miles from the Buck site. ASFSs is a centrally located neighborhood school that is already open and will have a neighborhood boundary. Why do they need another neighborhood school here? So that you can avoid having the “back of house” needs in your $$$ neighborhood?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I"m so sick of all the concern trolling about access to transit. Nobody picks up their kids from extended day on transit. It just doesn't happen.
https://www.apsva.us/aps-go/2016-aps-go-surveys/

+1

and peak walking is 13% in the mornings for Key. 11%in afternoon.
86% take bus or family vehicle in morning; 87% in afternoon.

0.5% transit both morning and afternoon. So I guess there is one family who actually uses public transit to and from Key.
I haven't figured out how 0.7% bike to Key in the morning and 1% bike home afterward in the afternoon.....

To me, the biggest flaw in that survey, and one that was pointed out, is that it doesn't differentiate between those who drive at 8:40am, or those who are doing extended day. If kids near the school in theory are walkable, or further from the school could bus, but don't because instead their parents have to work and drop them at school before 8am, as a non-statistician to me there's different weighting in terms of what info you can glean from that.

I know this is anecdote and not data, but in our family and others we know, the mode of transport is totally reliant on the parents' work schedules. WAH day for mom or dad, the kid is walked or bussed respectively. Headed to the office? Kid is at ED.

Maybe it doesn't matter, but I feel like it might have been useful for them to also understand when that child was arriving or departing school.

Why do kids need a ride to/from extended day if they are in the walkzone?

Really? Their parents are probably driving to/from work and stop to drop off/pick up on the way.

I thought we’re all car free? You don’t buckle to work and pick kids up in that manner, too?