APS School Bd Mtg

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. Cheaper is doing nothing about it. When are you guys going to understand that the county doesn't want to give you underground parking and a pool.
They want to kick the can and spend money elsewhere.

This is very obvious to me. The 50/50 (APS/County) split served the county well during a period of falling enrollments. Now that population is booming (in no small part thanks to ramp a nt approvals for high rises in Clarendon, Rosslyn, Shirlington, Crystal City, now also Ballston, Courthouse, Columbia Pike, and Lee Highway), the county doesn't want to sacrifice it's sweet rec centers, arts initiatives, and pet projects to address school overcrowding.

This is a do-nothing APS, and a rubber stamp more affordable housing and more development County Board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone please elaborate on where exactly all this low SES housing is, exactly? I recently moved back to Arlington and shopped for homes, and real estate values seem very high even in South Arlington/areas zoned for Wakefield. Even places that used to be borderline dodgy are pretty pricey ($700k townhomes by Nauck!?)! There are newish yuppie apartments in places that I remember as pretty iffy.

....?

Yep, you can spend 700k for your home and send your kid to a GS 3. I'm shocked this is coming to a head.
Affordable housing is concentrated around Columbia Pike ( especially past 4 mile run) and 50 at George Mason. They are sprinkled everywhere else, but not as concentrated.
Also, the county releases a bunch of bs numbers about units ( being fewer than there really are). They don't county massive complexes like Barcroft. It's ridiculous.

GS 3 for similar price in DC and Alexandria.

It's the way it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The career center site is 12 acres. The WL site plus Ed Center is 22. https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/FAC-1300-seat-siting-document-draft.pdf

Correction - the Career Center site is 7.9 acres. The adjacent Patrick Henry Elementary site is 4.2 acres. You cannot assume that elementary campus is available. There is nowhere else proposed for that elementary school at present.

If APS chooses to build all 1300+ high school seats at the Career Center, then it could choose to build a school for the Montessori program at the Ed Center location. But by splitting the high school seats up, it is taking away both sites. I'm not sure where they would move the Montessori elementary in that case. They are already looking at a deficit of something like 4 elementary schools over the next decade.

In response to another question, the Ed Center component of the WL campus is negligible. You really are comparing a 22 acre campus to an 8 acre one. I don't think it's likely that a pool and football field could be accommodated at the Career Center. Kenmore, on the other hand, has a 32 acre campus (not including the adjacent elementary school). That is enough room for a full high school with all amenities (even without structured parking).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The career center site is 12 acres. The WL site plus Ed Center is 22. https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/FAC-1300-seat-siting-document-draft.pdf

Correction - the Career Center site is 7.9 acres. The adjacent Patrick Henry Elementary site is 4.2 acres. You cannot assume that elementary campus is available. There is nowhere else proposed for that elementary school at present.

If APS chooses to build all 1300+ high school seats at the Career Center, then it could choose to build a school for the Montessori program at the Ed Center location. But by splitting the high school seats up, it is taking away both sites. I'm not sure where they would move the Montessori elementary in that case. They are already looking at a deficit of something like 4 elementary schools over the next decade.

In response to another question, the Ed Center component of the WL campus is negligible. You really are comparing a 22 acre campus to an 8 acre one. I don't think it's likely that a pool and football field could be accommodated at the Career Center. Kenmore, on the other hand, has a 32 acre campus (not including the adjacent elementary school). That is enough room for a full high school with all amenities (even without structured parking).

I'm the PP who posted the link to the PDF doc and you're right about the numbers. I was including the current elementary site when I said 12 but you're right it doesn't make sense to do that.

I completely agree with you regarding the respective size of the sites and the fact that Kenmore would be the best option for a new HS. And I share the concerns that I understand were raised by Arlington Heights folks about splitting up the seats and thus burning bridges with regard to both sites (not to mention the available funds with which to build).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The career center site is 12 acres. The WL site plus Ed Center is 22. https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/FAC-1300-seat-siting-document-draft.pdf

Correction - the Career Center site is 7.9 acres. The adjacent Patrick Henry Elementary site is 4.2 acres. You cannot assume that elementary campus is available. There is nowhere else proposed for that elementary school at present.

If APS chooses to build all 1300+ high school seats at the Career Center, then it could choose to build a school for the Montessori program at the Ed Center location. But by splitting the high school seats up, it is taking away both sites. I'm not sure where they would move the Montessori elementary in that case. They are already looking at a deficit of something like 4 elementary schools over the next decade.

In response to another question, the Ed Center component of the WL campus is negligible. You really are comparing a 22 acre campus to an 8 acre one. I don't think it's likely that a pool and football field could be accommodated at the Career Center. Kenmore, on the other hand, has a 32 acre campus (not including the adjacent elementary school). That is enough room for a full high school with all amenities (even without structured parking).

I'm the PP who posted the link to the PDF doc and you're right about the numbers. I was including the current elementary site when I said 12 but you're right it doesn't make sense to do that.

I completely agree with you regarding the respective size of the sites and the fact that Kenmore would be the best option for a new HS. And I share the concerns that I understand were raised by Arlington Heights folks about splitting up the seats and thus burning bridges with regard to both sites (not to mention the available funds with which to build).

The seat siting document includes Quincy Park in the size of WL campus. Without Quincy park, WL is about 14 acres. The entire Career Center/Arlington Mill/ Patrick Henry site is about 12 acres.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
The seat siting document includes Quincy Park in the size of WL campus. Without Quincy park, WL is about 14 acres. The entire Career Center/Arlington Mill/ Patrick Henry site is about 12 acres.

How does it make sense to include the Patrick Henry space?

I think including Quincy is a little deceptive, but W-L does use that space for sports practice.

[Anonymous]

It makes no sense to include the Henry space.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The seat siting document includes Quincy Park in the size of WL campus. Without Quincy park, WL is about 14 acres. The entire Career Center/Arlington Mill/ Patrick Henry site is about 12 acres.

How does it make sense to include the Patrick Henry space?

I think including Quincy is a little deceptive, but W-L does use that space for sports practice.

Because if you want a 4th comprehensive high school at the Career Center site, then the PH building will have to be demolished. If you don't think the Patrick Henry building should be demolished, then i agree, there isn't enough room at the Career Center to build a 4th high school. It seems to me that if we as a community want a 4th comprehensive high school, then some group will have to move no matter which site you choose.

Students at the Career Center site (should it be built into a 4th comprehensive HS) could also walk 3 blocks to TJ Park for baseball, soccer, and tennis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The seat siting document includes Quincy Park in the size of WL campus. Without Quincy park, WL is about 14 acres. The entire Career Center/Arlington Mill/ Patrick Henry site is about 12 acres.

How does it make sense to include the Patrick Henry space?

I think including Quincy is a little deceptive, but W-L does use that space for sports practice.

Because if you want a 4th comprehensive high school at the Career Center site, then the PH building will have to be demolished. If you don't think the Patrick Henry building should be demolished, then i agree, there isn't enough room at the Career Center to build a 4th high school. It seems to me that if we as a community want a 4th comprehensive high school, then some group will have to move no matter which site you choose.

Students at the Career Center site (should it be built into a 4th comprehensive HS) could also walk 3 blocks to TJ Park for baseball, soccer, and tennis.

But that's not the current plan. And, as PPs have pointed out, if you tear down Henry, you have to find a new space for all those incoming Montessori students starting in 2019. I'd be fine demolishing it and using the site (though it would still be smaller and walking to TJ means a "less than" school) but that's not currently what anyone is discussing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The seat siting document includes Quincy Park in the size of WL campus. Without Quincy park, WL is about 14 acres. The entire Career Center/Arlington Mill/ Patrick Henry site is about 12 acres.

How does it make sense to include the Patrick Henry space?

I think including Quincy is a little deceptive, but W-L does use that space for sports practice.

Because if you want a 4th comprehensive high school at the Career Center site, then the PH building will have to be demolished. If you don't think the Patrick Henry building should be demolished, then i agree, there isn't enough room at the Career Center to build a 4th high school. It seems to me that if we as a community want a 4th comprehensive high school, then some group will have to move no matter which site you choose.

Students at the Career Center site (should it be built into a 4th comprehensive HS) could also walk 3 blocks to TJ Park for baseball, soccer, and tennis.

But that's not the current plan. And, as PPs have pointed out, if you tear down Henry, you have to find a new space for all those incoming Montessori students starting in 2019. I'd be fine demolishing it and using the site (though it would still be smaller and walking to TJ means a "less than" school) but that's not currently what anyone is discussing.

Right, a 4th comprehensive high school is not in the current plan. But there are those of us advocating for one. I'm just making the point that it is feasible (with underground parking, a pool, and fields) at the career center site. In my opinion, walking 3 blocks would not make it a less than school.

[Anonymous]

It doesn't matter. The elementary school needs to stay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It doesn't matter. The elementary school needs to stay.

Exactly. There is nowhere for it to go at present and those are real kids that need a spot in school. They don't just disappear by you tearing down their building.

The truth is that we need APS to engage in comprehensive, school system wide planning and they just seem determined not to do so. So we just keep playing whack a mole. It is a mess.

[Anonymous]

#movingout

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It doesn't matter. The elementary school needs to stay.

Exactly. There is nowhere for it to go at present and those are real kids that need a spot in school. They don't just disappear by you tearing down their building.

The truth is that we need APS to engage in comprehensive, school system wide planning and they just seem determined not to do so. So we just keep playing whack a mole. It is a mess.

They can move the school to Central Library.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It doesn't matter. The elementary school needs to stay.

Exactly. There is nowhere for it to go at present and those are real kids that need a spot in school. They don't just disappear by you tearing down their building.

The truth is that we need APS to engage in comprehensive, school system wide planning and they just seem determined not to do so. So we just keep playing whack a mole. It is a mess.

They can move the school to Central Library.

I don't know if you are joking or just completely out of touch with reality, but that will obviously never happen. We all need to start caring about all APS students, not just our own kids, and insist that the School Board and County Board work together to solve this crisis. As long as everyone is just out for himself they know they can continue to punt on this issue and not be held accountable in a real way.