ACPS Needs More High Schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is inequitable about another high school?

That the location (probably West End) would be considerably less wealthy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. It does. Alexandria first needs to figure out how to separate its schools from politics. Until then, good luck.

+1

and now lobbying groups are involved in almost everything that is decided at ACHS. Tenants and Workers United would never let it happen, just like they conspired to get rid of SROs. According to them, Hutchings and Justin Wilson, additional high schools = segregation = racism.

So they take the position, if we go down, then we go down together. To the bitter end. (unless of course you're Hutchings kids who go to BI so he doesn't need to worry about them getting hurt at school).

I knew the TWU hater would show up, never fails.

GMAFB. What good have they ever done? Why are lobbying groups involved in school decisions? The way Alexandria runs their high school is 100% political and TWU only supports that belief. And yes, I live here.

[Anonymous]

Tell me more about this lobbying group? Do they donate to city council? This is making a lot of sense now. We're they behind that nonsense about building affordable housing on school grounds?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tell me more about this lobbying group? Do they donate to city council? This is making a lot of sense now. We're they behind that nonsense about building affordable housing on school grounds?

Yes, they do.

[Anonymous]

What does having only one HS have to do with this? Or is it just that your want a second HS so that your kids won’t be zoned to the same school as the kids who were involved in this incident?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tell me more about this lobbying group? Do they donate to city council? This is making a lot of sense now. We're they behind that nonsense about building affordable housing on school grounds?

Yes, they do.

Do you have a source showing they make contributions to politicians?

I believe Tenants and Workers United is a nonprofit community grassroots organization. They have helped tenants in Arlandria organize against slumlords and things of that nature. Advocacy for a community is very different from what you are suggesting, which is that TWU uses money to influence City Council. Hard to believe they even have a large enough budget for that!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tell me more about this lobbying group? Do they donate to city council? This is making a lot of sense now. We're they behind that nonsense about building affordable housing on school grounds?

Yes, they do.

Do you have a source showing they make contributions to politicians?

I believe Tenants and Workers United is a nonprofit community grassroots organization. They have helped tenants in Arlandria organize against slumlords and things of that nature. Advocacy for a community is very different from what you are suggesting, which is that TWU uses money to influence City Council. Hard to believe they even have a large enough budget for that!

If you just go to their website, it is very clear they are activists, and not just a charity. https://www.tenantsandworkers.org/ They are activists who happen to have a seat on the safety advisory board the Superintendent hand-selected. It is so twisted and scary, and now we have a dead child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tell me more about this lobbying group? Do they donate to city council? This is making a lot of sense now. We're they behind that nonsense about building affordable housing on school grounds?

Yes, they do.

Do you have a source showing they make contributions to politicians?

I believe Tenants and Workers United is a nonprofit community grassroots organization. They have helped tenants in Arlandria organize against slumlords and things of that nature. Advocacy for a community is very different from what you are suggesting, which is that TWU uses money to influence City Council. Hard to believe they even have a large enough budget for that!

NP here but PP who brought up TWU lobbying too much in the schools (and is it working, I’d say no). I didn’t write that they contribute money, that’s someone else. I don’t think they do. Their advocacy is lobbying in an extreme political way. And they wouldn’t have to make financial contributions to city council or the school board because the board, council and mayor have such an extreme progressive agenda they can’t see the forest for the trees or ever admit when they’re wrong. All of them. This one party extreme rule is severely hurting the students. There is never any middle group, not pivoting, no rational discussions.

One school, because if there were neighborhood high schools that would be not equitable because all the wealthy kids would be in certain schools because they tend to live in certain neighborhoods and the poor kids in others (ex: Lyles Crouch vs Jeff Houston). And that’s not fair. Also no buying into TJ because the smartest kids are not allowed to leave ACPS and commit brain drain. Everyone must be on the level playing field no matter what the cost. So the only fair solution is to crane every single high school student in the City into ONE building that can’t even fit 3 grades. ALL OF THEM. So if they go down, they go down together. That’s only fair, right?!

[Anonymous]

I agree that they need more high schools, but I don't think that separating students out by demographics is the answer. They need another high school because it is too crowded, and because it is tough for kids to get involved in sports and activities with so many kids enrolled in one school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What does having only one HS have to do with this? Or is it just that your want a second HS so that your kids won’t be zoned to the same school as the kids who were involved in this incident?

Having over 4000 kids in one school amplifies any problem because you have twice as many people to get involved in conflicts. It's much harder to spot and identify problems because there are just too many kids to manage. People fall through the cracks because when you have 4000+ kids the cracks are bigger and easier too all through (not just with this type of incident, but also with general academic and emotional support). It's easier to hide bad behavior when you're one of a large faceless number.

FWIW I also think that there are ways to divide the district that don't just fall along a geographic divide.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tell me more about this lobbying group? Do they donate to city council? This is making a lot of sense now. We're they behind that nonsense about building affordable housing on school grounds?

Yes, they do.

One school, because if there were neighborhood high schools that would be not equitable because all the wealthy kids would be in certain schools because they tend to live in certain neighborhoods and the poor kids in others (ex: Lyles Crouch vs Jeff Houston). And that’s not fair. Also no buying into TJ because the smartest kids are not allowed to leave ACPS and commit brain drain. Everyone must be on the level playing field no matter what the cost. So the only fair solution is to crane every single high school student in the City into ONE building that can’t even fit 3 grades. ALL OF THEM. So if they go down, they go down together. That’s only fair, right?!

I think this is exactly why the superintendent and others supported one school. Equity! "So if they go down, they go down together."

[Anonymous]

The MH building should just be a second high school. My spouse went to HS in a town with two HSs about half a mile from each other, as that was the only way to draw boundaries in a way to make them socio-economically diverse. They are huge rivals, and, there are some boundary exceptions that seem to coincide with the skill at a certain sport, but it works. There is just no desire in this town to deviate from one huge, dysfunctional, equitably mediocre school.

[Anonymous]

My kids are still in ES but my understanding is that ACHS is very much segregated. I hear this all the time from white parents as they defend ACHS and ACPS. They describe it as their kids are "safe". They "don't see" the violence because they are in honors or AP classes and not with the general population. These parents have described with relief how their kids are in an entire separate section of the building.

Are their descriptions accurate?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tell me more about this lobbying group? Do they donate to city council? This is making a lot of sense now. We're they behind that nonsense about building affordable housing on school grounds?

I don't know but I don't think TWU needed to be "behind" the housing on school grounds. Wilson and Hutchings were in support of housing on school grounds. Just take a look at the Alexandria Housing Summit in January of 2020. It's all online.

All those GM moms were soooooo upset, could tell that they were being lied to and then voted for Wilson anyway and defend Hutchings against criticism.

That issue is not going away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids are still in ES but my understanding is that ACHS is very much segregated. I hear this all the time from white parents as they defend ACHS and ACPS. They describe it as their kids are "safe". They "don't see" the violence because they are in honors or AP classes and not with the general population. These parents have described with relief how their kids are in an entire separate section of the building.

Are their descriptions accurate?

It is somewhat, but not for electives, sports, and lunch and learn. We actually very much value the integrated aspects of the school. With that, it is a very small percentage of the student population causing any issues, but there is a constant worry of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, so not targeted violence, but just caught up in the melee.