Please explain how Henry parent position on CC makes sense

[Anonymous]

So Fairfax rented and entire office building and put half an elementary school there. It seems like we should be looking at models like that. Maybe the sycamore school is a bad example, but I don’t see why the entire idea is so unfeasible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So Fairfax rented and entire office building and put half an elementary school there. It seems like we should be looking at models like that. Maybe the sycamore school is a bad example, but I don’t see why the entire idea is so unfeasible.

Are you talking about Bailey's Upper? They didn't rent that office building, they bought it for $9.4 million after threatening to take it via eminent domain once the county (which had leased it for years) had vacated it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So Fairfax rented and entire office building and put half an elementary school there. It seems like we should be looking at models like that. Maybe the sycamore school is a bad example, but I don’t see why the entire idea is so unfeasible.

Does that school have a playground yet, or is it still just some hopscotch grids painted on the blacktop?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the yearly budget for all Arlington county?
Is it like 500 million?

I thought it was at least 1B total.

Arlington County's approved 2019 budget is $1.276 billion. APS's approved 2019 budget is $637 million.

When APS is taking the lion’s share, you can see why the boomers, singles, and dinks don’t GAF about our problems.
If we want any of them to meet us halfway, we need to:
Get rid of the iPads
Increase class sizes
Pay to play sports

I am totally fine with all of this (obviously, if there is financial need, the school should provide loaners or waivers for fees); however, it's not clear how much of a dent this would make.

I am more upset with how recklessly the SB throws money around. Please tell me why the hell an elementary school needs a slide inside the school? I recall that year McKinley was told there wasn't enough funds for a much need media room. I also recall reading some article about "award winning European architect" for the new HB building. Why?!!! What's wrong with a good enough, safe building from American architects?

How about changing HB to high school only. Kick the middle schoolers out and back to their zoned schools. Isn't there more land at Stratford and Kenmore for additional trailers? (full disclosure we'd be zoned for Stratford).

And what about the idea of turning Gunston into a new HS and moving a MS to the CC?

These are the bigger type of ideas that are needed. It's really crazy to think of sending kids to school until 8 pm or starting at 6 am (all that research out there about how teenager's brains don't function well that early, etc and the move by APS to start HS later over MS, etc.). And it sounds like renting commercial space is unrealistic--given the PP's explanation about lowering market rate rents, etc.

The APS SB is delusional if they think they can just build seats and then somehow get the parents on board with a choice TBD later program.

Finally, get rid of this stupid swim requirement. Yes, I've heard swimming is important, but if you haven't learned to swim by 9th grade, it shouldn't be the public school's responsibility to teach you.

Geographically, Kenmore is the best site for a fourth high school - it allows better flexibility for boundaries and could facilitate better balances in SED demographics.
Also, using the Kenmore site, which is larger, would not have to displace a middle school.

Putting a second middle school 6 blocks from TJMS is not exactly efficient. Instead, how about moving HBWoodlawn high school (9-12) to the CC site and expand its capacity, and then use the new HB building at the Wilson site for an expanded HB middle school program. That provides a relative handful of the needed high school seats, but proportionately makes a significant dent in the middle school seats that will be needed.

If you move Claremont immersion to Carlin Springs and Gunston middle school immersion to Kenmore (or an expanded Carlin Springs K-8 program), you could move the high school immersion program to a new high school at Kenmore.

Find a permanent home for Montessori and centralize the entire Montessori program, getting the 6-8th grade levels out of Gunston and opening more seats there, too. Hoffman Boston has a lot of space; and opening Claremont as a neighborhood school would enable redistricting of Hoffman Boston students.

Of course, there is also always the option of eliminating ATS as a program and putting Montessori or Immersion there. Or move all of HB Woodlawn to the CC site, still expand it, and move Key immersion to the Wilson site.

I'm glad people are starting to think about re-purposing existing buildings and moving things around -- exactly what the elementary initiative was trying to do with evaluating locations for option programs and neighborhood schools. That won't eliminate the need for additional facilities; but it does open more possibilities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So Fairfax rented and entire office building and put half an elementary school there. It seems like we should be looking at models like that. Maybe the sycamore school is a bad example, but I don’t see why the entire idea is so unfeasible.

Does that school have a playground yet, or is it still just some hopscotch grids painted on the blacktop?

It’s a bunch of poor kids from Culmore. No one GAF.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This! If we stopped giving all our annual budget surplus to AHIF, we'd probably have the money to pay for this school. AND, we'd have fewer kids. But don't say that out loud. VOICE advocates and S. Arlington old timers will call you a racist because you don't want your tax dollars squandered on things that cause capacity crises and worsen educational outcomes for everyone.

Lol, the "activists" live in north Arlington, not south.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So i was looking at the input on engage and saw a great suggestion to convert gunston to a highschool and put a middle school at career center. Has that been suggested or looked at seriously at all?

Ha! And we thought the Barcroft and Columbia Forest people were have hissy fits now!
Wait and see what the demographics at Wakefield look like if that comes to pass!
Honestly, they’ve been such bitter jack asses, it makes me support this decision. Not even sure my house would be zoned there. I’m planning to Move anyway. I suggest the rest of you consider your options.

What did we do? Hell, most of my neighbors in Barcroft think we'll be zoned to the CC HS and were writing letters alongside you asking for equity. That dude on the 22204 listserv isn't one of ours. His neighborhood is zoned W-L for HS, but he has no kids and doesn't GAF about schools in general.

All I've done is point out the number of ways the CB and SB have shafted 22204 time and again and I expected it to happen again. I don't like being right about it, though. I am really angry, actually.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So i was looking at the input on engage and saw a great suggestion to convert gunston to a highschool and put a middle school at career center. Has that been suggested or looked at seriously at all?

Ha! And we thought the Barcroft and Columbia Forest people were have hissy fits now!
Wait and see what the demographics at Wakefield look like if that comes to pass!
Honestly, they’ve been such bitter jack asses, it makes me support this decision. Not even sure my house would be zoned there. I’m planning to Move anyway. I suggest the rest of you consider your options.

What did we do? Hell, most of my neighbors in Barcroft think we'll be zoned to the CC HS and were writing letters alongside you asking for equity. That dude on the 22204 listserv isn't one of ours. His neighborhood is zoned W-L for HS, but he has no kids and doesn't GAF about schools in general.

All I've done is point out the number of ways the CB and SB have shafted 22204 time and again and I expected it to happen again. I don't like being right about it, though. I am really angry, actually.

Sorry
I thought that dude was one of yours. My bad

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This! If we stopped giving all our annual budget surplus to AHIF, we'd probably have the money to pay for this school. AND, we'd have fewer kids. But don't say that out loud. VOICE advocates and S. Arlington old timers will call you a racist because you don't want your tax dollars squandered on things that cause capacity crises and worsen educational outcomes for everyone.

Lol, the "activists" live in north Arlington, not south.

School capacity crisis will prob lead to more John V. type republicans on the CB in the years to come. Eventually there will be a reckoning regarding AH. Not the idea of it, but the cost. Arlington has always been among the richest counties in America. It's a new thing for it to not be able to buy everything it's leaders say it should buy. Bond issues pass without notice, for decades. Arlington really hasn't had to choose between AH and other things but now it's becoming very obvious that AH spending is pretty high compared to basic services like schools. When NA liberals actually have to give up something in order to fund the AH that they foist upon SA, then they'll vote like the republicans they secretly are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This! If we stopped giving all our annual budget surplus to AHIF, we'd probably have the money to pay for this school. AND, we'd have fewer kids. But don't say that out loud. VOICE advocates and S. Arlington old timers will call you a racist because you don't want your tax dollars squandered on things that cause capacity crises and worsen educational outcomes for everyone.

Lol, the "activists" live in north Arlington, not south.

School capacity crisis will prob lead to more John V. type republicans on the CB in the years to come. Eventually there will be a reckoning regarding AH. Not the idea of it, but the cost. Arlington has always been among the richest counties in America. It's a new thing for it to not be able to buy everything it's leaders say it should buy. Bond issues pass without notice, for decades. Arlington really hasn't had to choose between AH and other things but now it's becoming very obvious that AH spending is pretty high compared to basic services like schools. When NA liberals actually have to give up something in order to fund the AH that they foist upon SA, then they'll vote like the republicans they secretly are.

What exactly will NA liberals have to give up? If you go across lee highway they have Yorktown, Williamsburg and a bunch of highly rated Elementary Schools. Worst case scenario for true NA is a little bit of overcrowding and maybe an option school - true NA will never have to sacrifice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This! If we stopped giving all our annual budget surplus to AHIF, we'd probably have the money to pay for this school. AND, we'd have fewer kids. But don't say that out loud. VOICE advocates and S. Arlington old timers will call you a racist because you don't want your tax dollars squandered on things that cause capacity crises and worsen educational outcomes for everyone.

Lol, the "activists" live in north Arlington, not south.

School capacity crisis will prob lead to more John V. type republicans on the CB in the years to come. Eventually there will be a reckoning regarding AH. Not the idea of it, but the cost. Arlington has always been among the richest counties in America. It's a new thing for it to not be able to buy everything it's leaders say it should buy. Bond issues pass without notice, for decades. Arlington really hasn't had to choose between AH and other things but now it's becoming very obvious that AH spending is pretty high compared to basic services like schools. When NA liberals actually have to give up something in order to fund the AH that they foist upon SA, then they'll vote like the republicans they secretly are.

What exactly will NA liberals have to give up? If you go across lee highway they have Yorktown, Williamsburg and a bunch of highly rated Elementary Schools. Worst case scenario for true NA is a little bit of overcrowding and maybe an option school - true NA will never have to sacrifice.

DP - We’ll cannibalize ourselves. It’s been stated here before, Yorktown can only hold so many students due to size and topography. North Arlington families will get zoned out of the schools they “paid” for. People are paying a huge price to live in Arlington. Both north and south. I’m a liberal, but it’s obvious we need a new direction. What we are doing now isn’t working.
It won’t chnage over night, and perhaps the damage is done.