Tell me about Alexandria and South Arlington Schools
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Anonymous
Why isn't the same venom directed at Alexandria. ACPS has a far more blatant track record of segregating their students and the current process to change boundaries has exposed the total hypocrisy of many of the progressive/liberals who are "living out their ideals" and patting themselves on the back for sticking it out in a poorer performing school district. No one wants to go to J-H and many families are fighting to protect their administrative transfers, which are doled out in a process that is completely not transparent and clearly favors only rich, white people. |
Anonymous
Oh, it's most definitely a racist term. The fact that you don't know this suggests you don't actually have real diversity in your life. Oh, the irony. http://www.urbandictionary.com/author.php?author=a.k.a.+snowflake |
Anonymous
| I am with 23:05. Just let me send my kid where I want them. |
Anonymous
I'm sure it's not good, but I don't live in Alexandria, and I'm not as familiar with their struggles. I get the sense that there is something different happening happening in Arlington now a days. Seems that in previous years it was just accepted that the southern schools didn't perform well. A younger generation of middle class moved in and decided to give the schools a try. Things were trending better, and then the county actively swooped in to undermine that progress. It's a little unique. There is a specific tipping point, and think a school that is over 60% poverty is it. Even the most well intentioned, dyed In the wool liberal questions what kind of school experience their kid is getting at that point. Maybe it just proves that liberals who try and actually walk the walk are suckers. |
Anonymous
| We live in the Randolph zone and are a few years out from K. I'm extremely torn, and am a little bit in the "just give my kid a choice" camp, but also just have conflicting feelings about the entire situation. I agree that housing policy has undermined some natural improvements in the S. Arlington schools. I also think that the choice elements that are available are generally good things for the school system. That said I feel like if all of the kids who opt out of Randolph and go to choice schools had to go to Randolph, and about 50% of the kids who currently go to parochial etc. went to Randolph, the school would be totally different. It would probably still have like 65% poverty, but there would be many more engaged families and more economic diversity. I totally get that people want choices and different things work for different children. I obviously understand that people have the right to send their kids to private or parochial school and no one's going to take that away--it's just wishful thinking on my part. I've been a part of a number of different diverse educational communities as a student and a staff member and I feel like a Randolph with 8-10 more kids from the neighborhood per grade would be awesome. I really want to walk the liberal talk and become involved in the school, but it's going to be sad, and more difficult, if none of my neighbors do it too. And if no one else is going we'll probably try for some of the choice lotteries too. |
Anonymous
This is exactly how ACPS parents in many schools feel right now with the current boundary drawing process. The situation really isn't all that unique. People want the diversity up to a point until they don't and I don't know what the right answer is. |
Anonymous
Hi neighbor! I'm with you on all of the above. I would love to walk my kid around the corner in a few years for school. I'm torn too. Randolph saw a significant dip in test scores last year. That bothers me, but what worries me more is what kind of environment that school will develop trying to get them back up. I'm afraid our kids lives are going to be an extreme version of teach to the test. Creativity and play will be out the window. I'm going to scehdule a tour in the next couple of years. Then I'm going to see if I can observe a class in one of the highly rated north Arlington schools. I want to see for myself what the difference is. |
Anonymous
Probably because we're only familiar with the problems in Arlington. If I lived in Alexandria, I am certain I would have the same disdain for ACPS. This isn't a problem unique to Arlington, or Alexandria. This is a national problem, and one that needs to be addressed. But I'm trying to address it in the place that I live, because I don't think this is something that can be addressed at the national level. Arlington is geographically small, and wealthy, and we could begin to tackle this issue if we wanted. And it's disappointing to me that we don't want to, especially considering how "liberal" we're supposed to be. Honestly, the Arlington County Democratic Committee is running a primary challenger against a Quaker bicyclist grandmother on the county board because they don't think she's liberal enough. And yet, NOBODY is talking about segregation, and the current "liberal" policies are actually reinforcing segregation in our communities and our schools. To the PP's who just want to be able to send their children where they want to, I get it. I was in your place for a long time. And I, too, love my children and want the best for them. It's just that my idea of what's best for them has changed. Growing up in a segregated community and being educated in a segregated school is not best, not for my kids, not for any kids. |
Anonymous
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PP Move to South Arlington
Not trying to be snarky but this is how you actually solve the problem Also quit having special programs like boundary exceptions, magnets etc If everyone actually went to their neighborhood school instead of trying to game the system that would go a long way |
Anonymous
People want diversity in terms of race and ethnicity but do not want socio-economic diversity. They just don't realize that until their child gets to about 2nd/3rd grade. I am in ACPS and I can say it's not race and ethnicity that's the problem, it's money. White parents are more than happy to have non-white kids in the schools as long as they come from middle and upper middle class families. But that's not what happens and those kids are coming from low income families. |
Anonymous
I already did. And am happy that I did. And I'm now encouraging others to do so, too. |
Anonymous
Sanctuary status has resulted in word of mouth to the usual countries in South America, definitely resulting in moves to Alexandria City, some legal, others not so much. It's expensive to live here in Alexandria City, but that doesn't seem to stop them. One South American mom tried to run for ACPS school board years back after having been here 1 year, just to find out you have to have full residency status which she took umbrage to. Not kidding-it was in the papers. Number of Gangs up in Arlington and Alexandria City? Look no further than "come on down" or in our case up. Middle Eastern immigration is up a lot in the last decade too, at least in Alexandria City. Some legal, others probably not. Also, in Alexandria, many out of Virginia licensed cars continue to roll up to ACPS schools each morning. Grandma may live in Alexandria, and so their grandchild is sent here, even though they may live part time with Grandma, part time other out of Alexandria City: this is against the law here. I know several families with this arrangement. Then too there are the federal immigrants that Senator Kaine has smoothed the way for the Federal Government to send to our area, unfortunately without Adequate Federal Support. All these factors are why our schools are bloated and school budget strained so much: ESL is so expensive and takes such a tool on teachers and students alike etc. As the ACPS school budget is strained so are City Social Services, Affordable or Low Income housing, health facilities and police etc. I am a lifelong democrat and a long time resident of Alexandria. Taxpayers can only pay so much in taxes before their own family welfare is really threatened: local private sector wages have not grown since 2008 the way Alexandria City public wages have. Personally, we cut back: no vacations x years, limited big purchases keeping the old cars and appliances instead, little new clothing just the essentials and no eating out. Nada. Just to pay Alexandria City taxes, which are not only increasing in amount, but increasing in number via add-on taxes (utilities, special area housing tax, and soon the storm water impermeable surface tax). None of these were here when we move in. I guess we may have to move out but after decades you'd think our work in and for the City via communities would not push us to do so because of local taxes.We are reaching a dangerous tipping point here in Alexandria City: our infrastructure needs repair as much as we need new schools. Equally lamentable is that Alexandria City Public Schools still rate So LOW, both on the Virginia Department of Education as well as public rating sites that it cuts off new residency and taxes to Alexandria. I was reminded of this just yesterday by a local realtor. Really, how many Decades do you have to hear this before the problem is fixed. It's obvious this poor rating is not important to either the ACPS school Board or the City Council or Staff, even though lip service is given. Potomac Yards at $285+Million is more important to them. What if that money was put into ACPS instead to truly improve academics and to build all those new schools? To sum up: Alexandria City can't have it both ways when it comes down to city resident's pockets: if they are threatened fiscally they will voice their opinion loudly-perhaps not this year but the clock is ticking here. Drip. Drip. Then again, maybe Alexandria City is becoming a one Party run Democratic City of the rich and the not so rich! |
Anonymous
Kind of but not quite. We already have the segregated schools. I do want diversity, but sending my white, middle class, English speaking child, into a school where they may very well be the only middle class white child in their class- that's not exposing them to diversity. That's sacrificing your kid at the alter of liberalism. If every parent in my neighborhood stopped using the choice schools, I don't know that it would be enough to balance the scales. AHC, VOICE, mi Voce CUENTA ( which is essentially VOICE) . They've worked tirelessly and dilligently to bring this about, for years. The families that have bought in south Arlington in the last 5-10 years are way behind, and they are busy. In most cases both parents work and they don't have time to get involved. For many buying in south Arlington was a huge investment alone. They don't have time for the county's "process". It's become an echo chamber, so much so that when a group formed to voice a differing opinion to the AHMP, they were called tea partiers and racists. All were democrats. You own a home in south Arlington? You pay taxes? Your voice doesn't count. |
Anonymous
The irony is VOICE et al are against busing to achieve diversity. This is completely opposite from Loudon County and Montogomery where neighborhoods complain about the lack of busing to more affluent schools, or are upset over ending busing. |
Anonymous
Um, I'm black and we have an ACPS admin transfer. The process favors those who are English speaking and have the time and energy to keep appealing a denial, and who understand that you need to advance a reason other than "my zoned school is bad." |