APS/SA boundary redrawing - meeting tonight

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Did the livestream capture the "Keep Henry Together" t-shirts?

The takeaway from these materials is that Columbia Forest didn't see it coming until it was too late, and that a mass of white parents wearing matching tshirts gets what they want from APS every time.

While I tend to agree and know it can be hard to change these maps once a true proposal is out, this map exposes APS on the “loud well off white people” get what they want criticism. Some of the decisions imbedded are going to be hard to justify.

And for anyone looking at the Drew boundary, do some research. On other occasions, APS has said that across the park situation didn’t create contiguous planning units.

??? Who are you talking about?

I really, really wish they hadn’t built Fleet and forced Henry to move. They should have just built another elementary in crystal city. Between this and the career center, it has been a planning disaster and tearing our community apart.

Huh? Fleet/Henry just got exactly what they wanted: a brand new school, with a lower farms rate and no one rezoned. Next up they'll have their own low farms high school.

Nope. Henry wanted to stay at Henry and build on. We were told it couldn’t be done (and this was before Reed), and that if we moved Nauck would finally get it’s own elementary that they were denied in the past.

Lol, so you are upset that you don't get to stay in an old ugly building, and have to move, student body entirely intact, to a brand new school building? Please spare me this bs.

p

Or is that you feel guilty about acting out of self interest, and your part in creating a school that is over 80% poor at Drew? I could see how that might bother you. You chose your side though.

No, I’m not upset. Just trying to say that it’s too bad that now south Arlington is fighting each other when we should be a solid front. Honestly though, I now get how north Arlington gets tired of us. I guess it’s all relative.

And I'm saying don't expect any solidarity from Drew when you print matching tshirts to avoid being rezoned to Drew.

Gotcha. FWIW, I’m 3 blocks from Fleet, so rezoning wouldn’t have personally affected me. Just supporting keeping my community together when we feel that that was promised to us. Although I see how your view that differently.

Everyone knows that the parents and homeowners in the PUs south of the pike zoned to Henry were scared and angry about the possibility of going to Drew because of its demographics. "Keep Henry together" is just messaging because the truth is unpalatable and embarassing. Other schools are going to lose a chunk of students that have been going there for years, why should Henry be different?

I don't disagree at all that nobody wanted to be sent to Drew. Nevertheless, why can't you believe that current Henry people simply wanted to stay with their school because -- like all you northern folks -- they really love their school. It's a high-performing school and a diverse community in an active civic association. And why aren't you harassing the Oakridge people? You don't think they've been fighting tooth and nail not to go to Drew (or to Hoffman Boston, though that is more palatable to them - and look where they're going: Hoffman Boston).

BTW, Hoffman Boston is only going to be 98% capacity - so what's in the next round for them?

No one is "harassing" anyone. Oakridge was a nonentity with regard to Drew. The schools and their walk zones are separated by an 8 lane freeway. Of course you want to stay at Henry. Henry's zone has shed most of its affordable housing over the last 10 years and in the process has achieved a concentration of wealth that has produced a strong well resources pta, and home values beginning to approach 1 million in Arlington heights. Your school used to be 65% farms. Today, your school having an abundance of those resources really does mean other south Arlington schools lose out. It is a zero sum game and you really screwed everyone else with your self interested lobbying. Especially Columbia Forest. You pulled he ladder up behind you, plain and simple.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry but no one is stopping Drew from having a PTA. Blaming Montessori is convenient but this move isn’t a surprise. Also not one single PU got rezoned from Oakridge to Drew. Interesting?

Oh you're right, Drew should just hold a silent auction and raise 50k to pay for extracurriculars and student enrichment! Why didn't they think of that?!

[Anonymous]

Drew/Randolph folks, I live in NA and am appalled by the stats on this proposal but don’t know what I don’t know. Are there things beyond what I’ve read here already I can address in the questionnaire that will help you? I don’t know how much they’ll credit the opinions of someone in 22207 on something that doesn’t directly affect my school, but I’d like to do what I can.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did the livestream capture the "Keep Henry Together" t-shirts?

The takeaway from these materials is that Columbia Forest didn't see it coming until it was too late, and that a mass of white parents wearing matching tshirts gets what they want from APS every time.

While I tend to agree and know it can be hard to change these maps once a true proposal is out, this map exposes APS on the “loud well off white people” get what they want criticism. Some of the decisions imbedded are going to be hard to justify.

And for anyone looking at the Drew boundary, do some research. On other occasions, APS has said that across the park situation didn’t create contiguous planning units.

??? Who are you talking about?

I really, really wish they hadn’t built Fleet and forced Henry to move. They should have just built another elementary in crystal city. Between this and the career center, it has been a planning disaster and tearing our community apart.

Huh? Fleet/Henry just got exactly what they wanted: a brand new school, with a lower farms rate and no one rezoned. Next up they'll have their own low farms high school.

Nope. Henry wanted to stay at Henry and build on. We were told it couldn’t be done (and this was before Reed), and that if we moved Nauck would finally get it’s own elementary that they were denied in the past.

Lol, so you are upset that you don't get to stay in an old ugly building, and have to move, student body entirely intact, to a brand new school building? Please spare me this bs.

p

Or is that you feel guilty about acting out of self interest, and your part in creating a school that is over 80% poor at Drew? I could see how that might bother you. You chose your side though.

No, I’m not upset. Just trying to say that it’s too bad that now south Arlington is fighting each other when we should be a solid front. Honestly though, I now get how north Arlington gets tired of us. I guess it’s all relative.

And I'm saying don't expect any solidarity from Drew when you print matching tshirts to avoid being rezoned to Drew.

Gotcha. FWIW, I’m 3 blocks from Fleet, so rezoning wouldn’t have personally affected me. Just supporting keeping my community together when we feel that that was promised to us. Although I see how your view that differently.

Everyone knows that the parents and homeowners in the PUs south of the pike zoned to Henry were scared and angry about the possibility of going to Drew because of its demographics. "Keep Henry together" is just messaging because the truth is unpalatable and embarassing. Other schools are going to lose a chunk of students that have been going there for years, why should Henry be different?

I don't disagree at all that nobody wanted to be sent to Drew. Nevertheless, why can't you believe that current Henry people simply wanted to stay with their school because -- like all you northern folks -- they really love their school. It's a high-performing school and a diverse community in an active civic association. And why aren't you harassing the Oakridge people? You don't think they've been fighting tooth and nail not to go to Drew (or to Hoffman Boston, though that is more palatable to them - and look where they're going: Hoffman Boston).

BTW, Hoffman Boston is only going to be 98% capacity - so what's in the next round for them?

No one is "harassing" anyone. Oakridge was a nonentity with regard to Drew. The schools and their walk zones are separated by an 8 lane freeway. Of course you want to stay at Henry. Henry's zone has shed most of its affordable housing over the last 10 years and in the process has achieved a concentration of wealth that has produced a strong well resources pta, and home values beginning to approach 1 million in Arlington heights. Your school used to be 65% farms. Today, your school having an abundance of those resources really does mean other south Arlington schools lose out. It is a zero sum game and you really screwed everyone else with your self interested lobbying. Especially Columbia Forest. You pulled he ladder up behind you, plain and simple.

Amen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Drew/Randolph folks, I live in NA and am appalled by the stats on this proposal but don’t know what I don’t know. Are there things beyond what I’ve read here already I can address in the questionnaire that will help you? I don’t know how much they’ll credit the opinions of someone in 22207 on something that doesn’t directly affect my school, but I’d like to do what I can.

Yes, please fill out the questionnaire or contact the school board to communicate your dismay. Drew needs the help. There was an army of satisfied Henry parents at the event last night, and a handful of people from Drew.

One of the consequences of intentionally creating a school that is 85% poor is that it basically prevents the formation of a PTA that can effectively advocate for the school and provide it with resources.

When 85% of parents are on food stamps, working several part time jobs with uncertain schedules, they don't have time or awareness to show up on a rainy Wednesday evening in matching tshirts to tell APS what's best for their kids. And forget about raising money to provide students with zero resources at home a window on the world.

[Anonymous]

We can’t afford free pre k.

[Anonymous]

Somebody needs to check ALL the numbers. Barcroft is listed with a K-5 enrollment of 572 in the "school level data table" for 2019. But its June 2018 enrollment was just 439 INCLUDING preK.

Numbers don't make sense. Where are those kids coming from within the existing boundaries?

Those numbers are what the FRL percentages are based on. If Barcroft is that far off, I bet others are too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Somebody needs to check ALL the numbers. Barcroft is listed with a K-5 enrollment of 572 in the "school level data table" for 2019. But its June 2018 enrollment was just 439 INCLUDING preK.

Numbers don't make sense. Where are those kids coming from within the existing boundaries?

Those numbers are what the FRL percentages are based on. If Barcroft is that far off, I bet others are too.

I think those numbers include kids that go to option schools. So it’s the number of kids in APS that live in that zone.

[Anonymous]

Not according to their chart. It explicitly says it "excludes them."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Drew/Randolph folks, I live in NA and am appalled by the stats on this proposal but don’t know what I don’t know. Are there things beyond what I’ve read here already I can address in the questionnaire that will help you? I don’t know how much they’ll credit the opinions of someone in 22207 on something that doesn’t directly affect my school, but I’d like to do what I can.

Tranfer your kid to Drew or just stfu.

[Anonymous]

The problem with Columbia forest with regards to Drew that you really can’t get around is that Abingdon is VERY crowded and it’s set to get worse because they changed the admissions policy at Claremont.

They are going to HAVE to split up Abingdon some how and there really isn’t anywhere else to put kids. Drew is going to have lots of open seats and it’s the logical place to put people.

The park makes it more difficult in general because anywhere into the Abingdon Zone you go you’re going to make and island. If you go into Claremont instead of Columbia Forest for example than now Columbia forest becomes an Abingdon island. You have a whole stretch right there along 4 mile run that has not residential housing so it’s going to cut someone off.


I still think they should cut into the fleet zone for Drrew as well and those tee shirts just screamed white privilege especially since your zone was largely untouched.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not according to their chart. It explicitly says it "excludes them."

Oh there were so many off charts and numbers it’s hard to keep track.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Drew/Randolph folks, I live in NA and am appalled by the stats on this proposal but don’t know what I don’t know. Are there things beyond what I’ve read here already I can address in the questionnaire that will help you? I don’t know how much they’ll credit the opinions of someone in 22207 on something that doesn’t directly affect my school, but I’d like to do what I can.

Tranfer your kid to Drew or just stfu.

Pp, take your sorry butt back out of this thread.

North Arlington, if you want to help, ask APS not to treat the Henry folks as an immovable bloc and use common sense and proximity to move the adjacent PUs to Drew rather than busing kids from the other side of south Arlington to balance the fr/l rate. If you don't like busing, you don't like this proposal. They can achieve a better economic balance and proximity by taking some of the bus riders to Fleet to Drew instead.

Another question I have is why is efficiency given a different definition in this process than in the MS process? For the MS process, efficiency was about transportation. Stop moving the goal posts to suit wealthy neighborhoods, whether they are N or S!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not according to their chart. It explicitly says it "excludes them."

It says that, but can it be corect? Are all those kids homeschooled or in private school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Drew/Randolph folks, I live in NA and am appalled by the stats on this proposal but don’t know what I don’t know. Are there things beyond what I’ve read here already I can address in the questionnaire that will help you? I don’t know how much they’ll credit the opinions of someone in 22207 on something that doesn’t directly affect my school, but I’d like to do what I can.

I am a Drew parent, but I have weighed in on all South Arlington boundary issues at every level for the past several years, many of which haven't directly affected my planning unit. I don't think one needs to be directly affected by a decision in order to have a valid opinion on it. We all pay taxes to the schools here and we all want our entire county to succeed. Indeed, arguably one can be more rational and reasonable if one isn't worried about the direct effect on their own kid.

Points you can make in the questionnaire: This proposal does not honor APS's own criteria for Drew. Alignment: Drew goes from sending to one MS to sending to three. Why are those Abingdon units zoned Kenmore being moved to Drew? Those kids in that small corner will be the only Drew-Kenmore students in the county. Demographics: 'nuff said. Drew will be 83% on a good day. Note, the Drew planning units (like many others) have more fr/l kids as of 2017 than total students that APS is projecting for 2019. In other words, APS is assuming that fewer total students will attend those schools in 2019 even though it knows that more kids are actually attending in 2017, and that every single one of those kids is low-income. So it could be worse than the projected figures. Further, Drew is 51% this year. Yes, that's because of Montessori being there as well -- but don't put Drew in your presentation, APS, and brag on lowering its fr/l rate. Don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining. Proximity: Drew has a small walk zone and must draw from outside of the walk zone, but this map is absurd on its face. It looks like it was drawn by the Maryland state legislature. Kids from all the way out to the Pike and Four Mile will be going to Drew. Color me not surprised when it's harder for those families to participate in activities (yes, I know Abingdon is also far for them). Contiguity: Drew's proposed boundary runs through Jennie Dean Park and Barcroft Park, not through neighborhoods. There are *zero* students in one of those planning units. That's an island and APS said no more islands.

No one is asking for a miracle here. Nauck is a generally lower income neighborhood. But for all the importance of school communities, folks are showing a lot of disregard to the future Drew community by proposing to open it under these circumstances. Tell some of your friends who live in other counties that Arlington has elementary schools that are 80+ percent low income and see what they say. You don't have to live down south to think that Arlington should not tolerate this.