Why are ACPS facilities so dire?

[Anonymous]

Spent this weekend at my BIL's new school, also in NoVA, further out. It was gorgeous. Besides JH, I feel like most ACPS schools are an eye sore. My neighbors are at GWMS and they report disgusting bathrooms, the girls' receptacles for period products overflowing and not emptied by the janitors, no hand soap or paper towels, people smoking or vaping in the bathrooms, toilets and sinks filthy. The kids tell me the teachers regularly dispose of dead/poisoned rats on Mondays or mornings in the classroom. The landscaping at my sons' schools is pathetic. The grass is dead, there are no bushes, flowers or trees. I grew up in an inner city urban neighborhood and so did DH. Our schools were well maintained. How do we as a community tolerate this? And I've worked as a maid and a janitor, so I get it is hard work. Our soccer goals are broken. Basketball hoops. The little free library is falling over. There are tons of masks and food wrappers, water bottles litering the school grounds. Why?

[Anonymous]

Capital investment is a lot more expensive and difficult when you don't have open land. You have to renovate existing facilities and still use them while you renovate them.

Poor management in ACPS.

[Anonymous]

Because ACPS first priority is feeding the poor. It’s a welfare service masquerading as a school system

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because ACPS first priority is feeding the poor. It’s a welfare service masquerading as a school system

Union jobs. They don’t pay more for excellence so you get what you get - mediocrity in everything. It all comes down to corporate culture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because ACPS first priority is feeding the poor. It’s a welfare service masquerading as a school system

Union jobs. They don’t pay more for excellence so you get what you get - mediocrity in everything. It all comes down to corporate culture.

ACPS jobs are not unionized. There are major issues with the city’s school system but unions cannot be blamed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Spent this weekend at my BIL's new school, also in NoVA, further out. It was gorgeous. Besides JH, I feel like most ACPS schools are an eye sore. My neighbors are at GWMS and they report disgusting bathrooms, the girls' receptacles for period products overflowing and not emptied by the janitors, no hand soap or paper towels, people smoking or vaping in the bathrooms, toilets and sinks filthy. The kids tell me the teachers regularly dispose of dead/poisoned rats on Mondays or mornings in the classroom. The landscaping at my sons' schools is pathetic. The grass is dead, there are no bushes, flowers or trees. I grew up in an inner city urban neighborhood and so did DH. Our schools were well maintained. How do we as a community tolerate this? And I've worked as a maid and a janitor, so I get it is hard work. Our soccer goals are broken. Basketball hoops. The little free library is falling over. There are tons of masks and food wrappers, water bottles litering the school grounds. Why?

Eww I doubt it’s that bad - you are definitely exaggerating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spent this weekend at my BIL's new school, also in NoVA, further out. It was gorgeous. Besides JH, I feel like most ACPS schools are an eye sore. My neighbors are at GWMS and they report disgusting bathrooms, the girls' receptacles for period products overflowing and not emptied by the janitors, no hand soap or paper towels, people smoking or vaping in the bathrooms, toilets and sinks filthy. The kids tell me the teachers regularly dispose of dead/poisoned rats on Mondays or mornings in the classroom. The landscaping at my sons' schools is pathetic. The grass is dead, there are no bushes, flowers or trees. I grew up in an inner city urban neighborhood and so did DH. Our schools were well maintained. How do we as a community tolerate this? And I've worked as a maid and a janitor, so I get it is hard work. Our soccer goals are broken. Basketball hoops. The little free library is falling over. There are tons of masks and food wrappers, water bottles litering the school grounds. Why?

Eww I doubt it’s that bad - you are definitely exaggerating.

The GWMS bathrooms are legit that bad. It’s a common complaint from my daughter and her friends. Overflowing with sanitary products, no soap—just absolutely filthy. Many kids avoid going to the bathroom during the school day if at all possible, which obviously is not healthy. These kids should start taking photos and contacting the media. Maybe public shaming will lead to some changes, just like they had to do with the severe mold issues at GWMS.

[Anonymous]

I know it’s being replaced but the Minnie Howard building is awful too. There are pieces of concrete breaking off the exterior. Totally dilapidated structure.

[Anonymous]

GW looks like something you'd find in rural Mississippi.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Spent this weekend at my BIL's new school, also in NoVA, further out. It was gorgeous. Besides JH, I feel like most ACPS schools are an eye sore. My neighbors are at GWMS and they report disgusting bathrooms, the girls' receptacles for period products overflowing and not emptied by the janitors, no hand soap or paper towels, people smoking or vaping in the bathrooms, toilets and sinks filthy. The kids tell me the teachers regularly dispose of dead/poisoned rats on Mondays or mornings in the classroom. The landscaping at my sons' schools is pathetic. The grass is dead, there are no bushes, flowers or trees. I grew up in an inner city urban neighborhood and so did DH. Our schools were well maintained. How do we as a community tolerate this? And I've worked as a maid and a janitor, so I get it is hard work. Our soccer goals are broken. Basketball hoops. The little free library is falling over. There are tons of masks and food wrappers, water bottles litering the school grounds. Why?

Eww I doubt it’s that bad - you are definitely exaggerating.

Spoken like someone who has never set foot in the building.

[Anonymous]

The GWMS bathrooms are legit that bad. It’s a common complaint from my daughter and her friends. Overflowing with sanitary products, no soap—just absolutely filthy. Many kids avoid going to the bathroom during the school day if at all possible, which obviously is not healthy.

My son doesn't think the bathrooms are nice by any means, but a big reason many kids don't go is that there are so many windows of time in which the school prohibits it.

[Anonymous]

No ACPS teacher I know would ever remove a dead rat and more than once so that’s the part I’m calling BS on - bathrooms yes I can see that but got to really manage the custodial staff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Capital investment is a lot more expensive and difficult when you don't have open land. You have to renovate existing facilities and still use them while you renovate them.

Poor management in ACPS.

And yet DCPS has managed to renovate so many of its schools in the past decade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because ACPS first priority is feeding the poor. It’s a welfare service masquerading as a school system

Union jobs. They don’t pay more for excellence so you get what you get - mediocrity in everything. It all comes down to corporate culture.

Ignorant comment. Arlington pays as much as or more than anyone else in the DC area. They're not union yet, but once they are you can count on quality improving compared to schools in the area that are not unionized. Unions attract better employees. Your last sentence is the only one that might make some sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No ACPS teacher I know would ever remove a dead rat and more than once so that’s the part I’m calling BS on - bathrooms yes I can see that but got to really manage the custodial staff.

If class is about to start, there’s a dead rat on the floor, and limited custodial staff, you don’t think some teachers might remove the rat for their students?!