Barcroft elementary/ south Arlington crisis

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:the root of the problem starts from the top... not SB or CB, but WF, as in Wakefield HS. if and only if you fix Wakefield, all problems go away.

a) fix what, exactly?
b) how does improving Wakefield address the issue of overcrowding at elementary schools that feed into it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:the root of the problem starts from the top... not SB or CB, but WF, as in Wakefield HS. if and only if you fix Wakefield, all problems go away.

a) fix what, exactly?
b) how does improving Wakefield address the issue of overcrowding at elementary schools that feed into it?

Please explain what you mean by fix Wakefield. As of now it's new has plenty of space. I've only heard good things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those of you commenting on Randolph--it is no longer under-enrolled. They are now slightly over-enrolled and that will continue to increase. It does have a higher FARMS rate than Barcroft. That said, I have visited the school and will be sending my children there when they are old enough. I am very comfortable with it. The overcrowding situation does concern me and I hope that the county moves quickly on a new school The demographics worry me less.

Thank you for adding some first hand info about Randolph. As I understand it, it was o e of the schools they are looking at renovating/ expanding. I'm not sure what that does to their green space, it's a tiny little school. It sits besides Doctor's Run Park- I don't know if that gives them more wiggle room for new green space. I'm sure the neighborhood with chime in.

[Anonymous]

It is Campbell, not randolf that is going to get a lot of the new affordable housing. And it is in and shape just like Barcroft and randolf, and not to mention I think carlin springs! These schools are a mess!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:the root of the problem starts from the top... not SB or CB, but WF, as in Wakefield HS. if and only if you fix Wakefield, all problems go away.

a) fix what, exactly?
b) how does improving Wakefield address the issue of overcrowding at elementary schools that feed into it?

Please explain what you mean by fix Wakefield. As of now it's new has plenty of space. I've only heard good things.

There's no need to "fix" Wakefield. If your perception of Wakefield is that it is a poor choice because the test scores are low "fixing" it only increases the overcrowding problem. People who buy in the Wakefield pyramid largely do not share your opinion of the school (as demonstrated upthread - people aren't moving away.). I'm not saying they didn't leave before - they don't now, at least not in large numbers. The giant cohort of current elementary students whose parents are satisfied with their local school (minus overcrowding) are going to in increasing numbers keep their kids in middle and high school in SA. People who suggest otherwise typically don't actually live in SA. Stay in NA, I genuinely don't care, but I know my neighbors. You don't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is Campbell, not randolf that is going to get a lot of the new affordable housing. And it is in and shape just like Barcroft and randolf, and not to mention I think carlin springs! These schools are a mess!

Campbell is a "choice" school, one which is helping to alleviate some of the overcrowding at Barcroft. If you know something about a change being made to its status, please share. But yes, I believe Carlin Springs is having the same issues as Barcroft and Randolph.

[Anonymous]

Ah, forgot, thanks. Their scores are really low, what choice are parents making to send their kids there. Their reading scores are very low

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ah, forgot, thanks. Their scores are really low, what choice are parents making to send their kids there. Their reading scores are very low

Well, when your zone is Barcroft and you don't want to do a year-round school, you can opt for Randolph (also low test scores/high FARMS and well on its way to being overcrowded), or try to lottery into a "choice" school. The only "choice" schools you are allowed to apply to if you are in Barcroft's district are: ATS (only about 10% of all applicants win spots), Claremont (Barcroft zone is 4th priority for the lottery, so not really an option any longer), or Campbell, which faces the same challenges re. test scores/FARMS rates, but at least is not overcrowded and won't be as long as it is a "choice" school.

[Anonymous]

For as many people as you know who choose to stay in SA and are ok with the schools, there are just as many who move when their kids are about to got to k or middle school. I know many who have left. I also know several families with kids in 5 who are not happy to send their kids to kenmore. Thst is probably the worst school in the county as far as scores, safety etc.

[Anonymous]

Sure, but not everyone can afford to pick up and move, especially if you're zoned for a school that is not ideal, and especially if that school has declined exponentially in public opinion in the short time you've owned a home in that zone. And private school is out of reach for many families, too, if you hope to send your kids through college without debt and retire at a reasonable age and not in poverty. Some of us have to make these choices and hope for the best.

[Anonymous]

In my neighborhood people did not move away. They did however, send their kids to choice schools if they wanted. This younger group of parents isn't going to have that option. If your kid is 3 or more years away from k I'm betting the "choice" will be the neighborhood school. I think the difference is, it's now getting to everyone in these areas, and instead of watching upward trends- we are seeing decline. instead of moving, families are demanding better from the county. I'm glad to see and hear it frankly. These message boards are overloaded with postings about all the precious snowflakes at Jamestown and Tuckahoe. Ignoring the issue isn't going to get us anywhere. That's what got us in this mess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For as many people as you know who choose to stay in SA and are ok with the schools, there are just as many who move when their kids are about to got to k or middle school. I know many who have left. I also know several families with kids in 5 who are not happy to send their kids to kenmore. Thst is probably the worst school in the county as far as scores, safety etc.

May I ask where in SA you live?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:UGH. I swear. I am a "middle class" white woman and live in a neighborhood zoned for Barcroft. My kids attend another APS elementary school with similar numbers of kids on free and reduced lunch and I am embarrassed that some of my neighbors are acting this way. Maybe those folks should move to N. Arl. where they'll fit in better.

I have never, ever felt like APS or the county does not have my "middle class" children's best interest at heart. It actually really pisses me off that someone would say this.

I'd like for that poster to give me some concrete examples of "middle class" white kids getting the shaft and all the ways that Barcroft is struggling more than other schools. Is it because the test scores are low? Well, if that's the case then you don't really know anything about education.

Are kids getting hurt? Are their social and emotional needs not being met? Are classrooms out of control so no learning can take place? What exactly is going on?

My husband and I support affordable housing that is done right. I'm talking about communities built by APAH and AHC. They have the support systems in place to assist their residents both young and old because they team up with partners like Greenbrier Learning Center, The Reading Connection, Doorways for Women and Families, La Cocina Virginia, etc. It's the "market rate" affordable housing that I have a problem with. There are lots of problems in those communities and no support for residents. The kids who live in APAH and AHC communities do far better (for the most part) than those who do not.

Are there problems in APS overall?

In my opinion, there are tons. The overcrowding is a huge problem as is the focus on test scores as is the lack of free play and recess in elementary schools. I could go on and on. There are huge countywide problems. Let's not blame the kids on free and reduced lunch and their families.

The only bit of info relative in this post is that your kids don't attend Barcroft. Boy, you are very generous when it comes to the education of other people's kids. That's not a very impressive stance. This year has been very frustrating to the parents at Barcroft, and it's putting a strain on everyone. The squeaky wheel gets the grease in this county and we need to start making some noise. The above meeting isn't about affordable housing, its about it's concentration on the western end of the Pike. The county had committed to spreading it out evenly everywhere, giving lower SES families the best chance of upward mobility. They are now discussing abandoning those plans, because they were hard. Well, that is not acceptable. They are essentially creating a ghetto, and it needs to be put in check. There is a wealth of data out there about why concentrated poverty is terrible. Please do some homework. This isn't about farms kids being bad. Of course they aren't, but when there are too many special needs kids, it overwhelms the schools.
The few lower SES children in Norh Arlington score considerably better than their same peers at Barcroft. Oh, and guess what? There is gap between the upper middle class kids too, though not as dramatic.
No, testing isn't the end all be all. We all want our kids outside playing, and engaging in hands on learning. Not gonna happen while the school is stuffed to the gills and every inch of green space has a trailer on it.
These are very real problems, and calling me a racist or a classist isn't going to make them go away. It stops the coversation, and that's truly the ignorant stance. I'm a liberal, but I live in the real world. I believe in discussing real problems, and working to find solutions that benefit everyone- not just looking for political talking points and an easy way out for the board.
- S. Arl parent

Precisely. One of my neighbors who was casually accusing people, who are genuinely concerned about the challenges the school is facing, of racism and complaining about the "entitled" newcomers driving around in their Mercedes admitted to me that even the 70's she sent her children to parochial school and she has "a lot of guilt" about that. So, the school wasn't good enough for your kids, but my kids should do just fine.

Classic case of hypocrisy and/or projection. Arlington needs group therapy.

[Anonymous]

It continues to puzzle me: why has such a dichotomy developed between n and s arlington over the past few years?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It continues to puzzle me: why has such a dichotomy developed between n and s arlington over the past few years?

The Great Recession, 1%er rise, local immigration due to wars, poverty and other.