APS Closing Nottingham

[Anonymous]

I supported the elementary school moves a few years ago, but man, this seems like a really tough pill to swallow. It’s one thing to move programs around. It’s quite another to eliminate a program altogether.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like a good plan. My kids are zoned for Nottingham but it makes sense to me. Nearby school are easy enough to get to and walkable for many, including the two busloads of kids who currently get bussed to Nottingham despite being in the walking zone for other schools.

m
Are your kids not there yet? It’s very disruptive to have to leave friends and go to a new school in 5th grade which is what would happen to the current 1st graders.

This stuff is always disruptive to someone. The only thing that isn’t disruptive is moving no one ever again for the rest of time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like a good plan. My kids are zoned for Nottingham but it makes sense to me. Nearby school are easy enough to get to and walkable for many, including the two busloads of kids who currently get bussed to Nottingham despite being in the walking zone for other schools.

m
Are your kids not there yet? It’s very disruptive to have to leave friends and go to a new school in 5th grade which is what would happen to the current 1st graders.

Yes, I have 2 at the school. I think the disruption would be minimal and, in any case, wouldn't outweigh the bigger concerns.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like a good plan. My kids are zoned for Nottingham but it makes sense to me. Nearby school are easy enough to get to and walkable for many, including the two busloads of kids who currently get bussed to Nottingham despite being in the walking zone for other schools.

Are you cool with the hundreds of cars and buses that are going to be speeding through our neighborhood from 7 am - 6 pm to accomplish this plan? I’m not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I supported the elementary school moves a few years ago, but man, this seems like a really tough pill to swallow. It’s one thing to move programs around. It’s quite another to eliminate a program altogether.

It’s hard to swallow when we opened two brand new schools within the last decade and now are shutting down this one. It’s almost as if they are trying to maximize disruption. Many districts don’t change boundaries but once a decade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm at Nottingham and I guess we'd be fine going to Tuckahoe, which is also really close. I'm trying to view this impartially - but I just don't get how Nottingham makes sense location-wise for a "swing." It's in the middle of a neighborhood that's already had traffic problems causing new recent 4-way stops (due to multiple fatalities), has limited street parking, and is hectic with the buses plus drop-off/pickup line that exists - and even now, SO many families are walkers. I can't imagine how that pivots to a 100% bus/car drop-off crowd.

+1. This is my main concern. Didn’t even feature in the 200+ page pre-CIP report.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like the idea, but what a cluster it will be to bus an entire school to Nottingham when that school needs a reno. And based on the list in the pdf, it looks like Randolph and Barcroft are the oldest with their last renos in the early 90s. That's a schlep for them.

I think Taylor and Jamestown need major HVAC renovations in addition to some other updates. It would be quite easy for them to get to Nottingham during the reno.

[Anonymous]

Why would you not just push out the population of the to-be renovated school into schools that are closer? Even if some kids are bussed to other schools, it is going to be better and shorter bus ride as opposed to trucking everyone to the north west corner of Arlington and destroying the heartbeat of an entire neighborhood?

Also, far less disruptive would be leasing office space as temporary swing space. They did this with the APS preschool, the one that provide space for APS employees- it seemed like a really nice space. Especially with the low occupancy rates of office space across Arlington

We don’t live in the immediate Nottingham surrounding neighborhood, and my child is old enough that he will not be impacted (he probably wants to be impacted and use the slide at Discovery). However, fundamentally, I don’t think students or neighborhoods should be sacrificed when there are other viable options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why would you not just push out the population of the to-be renovated school into schools that are closer? Even if some kids are bussed to other schools, it is going to be better and shorter bus ride as opposed to trucking everyone to the north west corner of Arlington and destroying the heartbeat of an entire neighborhood?

Also, far less disruptive would be leasing office space as temporary swing space. They did this with the APS preschool, the one that provide space for APS employees- it seemed like a really nice space. Especially with the low occupancy rates of office space across Arlington

We don’t live in the immediate Nottingham surrounding neighborhood, and my child is old enough that he will not be impacted (he probably wants to be impacted and use the slide at Discovery). However, fundamentally, I don’t think students or neighborhoods should be sacrificed when there are other viable options.

I think it be tough for an school to fit in an office building for what could be a year. With lack of outdoor space, a gym or cafeteri, etc.

I also think it be hard to move kids into multiple other schools. Most schools in s. Arlington are at capacity. They can't really absorb 600 other kids. Nottingham is undercapacity and so are the surrounding schools so there is room to a absorb students

Plus they looked at all this and the PowerPoint lays it out. Repurposing an ES cost 5 million. Using office space, community centers, the WL annex or just building a new school next to an old one is 40 million plus.

I think logistically and financially it make the most sense but I know how hard it is and I am really sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would you not just push out the population of the to-be renovated school into schools that are closer? Even if some kids are bussed to other schools, it is going to be better and shorter bus ride as opposed to trucking everyone to the north west corner of Arlington and destroying the heartbeat of an entire neighborhood?

Also, far less disruptive would be leasing office space as temporary swing space. They did this with the APS preschool, the one that provide space for APS employees- it seemed like a really nice space. Especially with the low occupancy rates of office space across Arlington

We don’t live in the immediate Nottingham surrounding neighborhood, and my child is old enough that he will not be impacted (he probably wants to be impacted and use the slide at Discovery). However, fundamentally, I don’t think students or neighborhoods should be sacrificed when there are other viable options.

I think it be tough for an school to fit in an office building for what could be a year. With lack of outdoor space, a gym or cafeteri, etc.

I also think it be hard to move kids into multiple other schools. Most schools in s. Arlington are at capacity. They can't really absorb 600 other kids. Nottingham is undercapacity and so are the surrounding schools so there is room to a absorb students

Plus they looked at all this and the PowerPoint lays it out. Repurposing an ES cost 5 million. Using office space, community centers, the WL annex or just building a new school next to an old one is 40 million plus.

I think logistically and financially it make the most sense but I know how hard it is and I am really sorry.

I agree with most of this, unfortunately. Sorry to the Nottingham community. However, I think it’s very important that APS retain this site and never sell it, because there may come a time in the not-too-distant future where we need the permanent seats in this area again. Also, if the school being renovated right now is Barcroft or Randolph, I think they could use seats at Drew/Fleet temporarily rather than bus the kids so far from home en masse. If the school being renovated right now is Montessori or a N Arlington school, use Nottingham.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would you not just push out the population of the to-be renovated school into schools that are closer? Even if some kids are bussed to other schools, it is going to be better and shorter bus ride as opposed to trucking everyone to the north west corner of Arlington and destroying the heartbeat of an entire neighborhood?

Also, far less disruptive would be leasing office space as temporary swing space. They did this with the APS preschool, the one that provide space for APS employees- it seemed like a really nice space. Especially with the low occupancy rates of office space across Arlington

We don’t live in the immediate Nottingham surrounding neighborhood, and my child is old enough that he will not be impacted (he probably wants to be impacted and use the slide at Discovery). However, fundamentally, I don’t think students or neighborhoods should be sacrificed when there are other viable options.

I think it be tough for an school to fit in an office building for what could be a year. With lack of outdoor space, a gym or cafeteri, etc.

I also think it be hard to move kids into multiple other schools. Most schools in s. Arlington are at capacity. They can't really absorb 600 other kids. Nottingham is undercapacity and so are the surrounding schools so there is room to a absorb students

Plus they looked at all this and the PowerPoint lays it out. Repurposing an ES cost 5 million. Using office space, community centers, the WL annex or just building a new school next to an old one is 40 million plus.

I think logistically and financially it make the most sense but I know how hard it is and I am really sorry.

I agree with most of this, unfortunately. Sorry to the Nottingham community. However, I think it’s very important that APS retain this site and never sell it, because there may come a time in the not-too-distant future where we need the permanent seats in this area again. Also, if the school being renovated right now is Barcroft or Randolph, I think they could use seats at Drew/Fleet temporarily rather than bus the kids so far from home en masse. If the school being renovated right now is Montessori or a N Arlington school, use Nottingham.

Yeah, I watched the meeting (haven't read the entire report) but it doesn't' look like they said who was being renovated or what type of renovations. I know a lot of the schools are scheduled for getting security vestibules and I am not sure if this is a significant enough renovation to require switching schools temporarily.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would you not just push out the population of the to-be renovated school into schools that are closer? Even if some kids are bussed to other schools, it is going to be better and shorter bus ride as opposed to trucking everyone to the north west corner of Arlington and destroying the heartbeat of an entire neighborhood?

Also, far less disruptive would be leasing office space as temporary swing space. They did this with the APS preschool, the one that provide space for APS employees- it seemed like a really nice space. Especially with the low occupancy rates of office space across Arlington

We don’t live in the immediate Nottingham surrounding neighborhood, and my child is old enough that he will not be impacted (he probably wants to be impacted and use the slide at Discovery). However, fundamentally, I don’t think students or neighborhoods should be sacrificed when there are other viable options.

I think it be tough for an school to fit in an office building for what could be a year. With lack of outdoor space, a gym or cafeteri, etc.

I also think it be hard to move kids into multiple other schools. Most schools in s. Arlington are at capacity. They can't really absorb 600 other kids. Nottingham is undercapacity and so are the surrounding schools so there is room to a absorb students

Plus they looked at all this and the PowerPoint lays it out. Repurposing an ES cost 5 million. Using office space, community centers, the WL annex or just building a new school next to an old one is 40 million plus.

I think logistically and financially it make the most sense but I know how hard it is and I am really sorry.

I agree with most of this, unfortunately. Sorry to the Nottingham community. However, I think it’s very important that APS retain this site and never sell it, because there may come a time in the not-too-distant future where we need the permanent seats in this area again. Also, if the school being renovated right now is Barcroft or Randolph, I think they could use seats at Drew/Fleet temporarily rather than bus the kids so far from home en masse. If the school being renovated right now is Montessori or a N Arlington school, use Nottingham.

Yeah, I watched the meeting (haven't read the entire report) but it doesn't' look like they said who was being renovated or what type of renovations. I know a lot of the schools are scheduled for getting security vestibules and I am not sure if this is a significant enough renovation to require switching schools temporarily.

Taylor is getting a new vestibule right now, and they're able to do it over the summer. Not a significant disruption.

[Anonymous]

What would be the feasibility of simply sending the children of the school that is to be renovated to other nearby area schools, hiring more teachers for those particular schools as needed, and putting trailers on the properties? Or using the existing trailers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would you not just push out the population of the to-be renovated school into schools that are closer? Even if some kids are bussed to other schools, it is going to be better and shorter bus ride as opposed to trucking everyone to the north west corner of Arlington and destroying the heartbeat of an entire neighborhood?

Also, far less disruptive would be leasing office space as temporary swing space. They did this with the APS preschool, the one that provide space for APS employees- it seemed like a really nice space. Especially with the low occupancy rates of office space across Arlington

We don’t live in the immediate Nottingham surrounding neighborhood, and my child is old enough that he will not be impacted (he probably wants to be impacted and use the slide at Discovery). However, fundamentally, I don’t think students or neighborhoods should be sacrificed when there are other viable options.

I think it be tough for an school to fit in an office building for what could be a year. With lack of outdoor space, a gym or cafeteri, etc.

I also think it be hard to move kids into multiple other schools. Most schools in s. Arlington are at capacity. They can't really absorb 600 other kids. Nottingham is undercapacity and so are the surrounding schools so there is room to a absorb students

Plus they looked at all this and the PowerPoint lays it out. Repurposing an ES cost 5 million. Using office space, community centers, the WL annex or just building a new school next to an old one is 40 million plus.

I think logistically and financially it make the most sense but I know how hard it is and I am really sorry.

I agree with most of this, unfortunately. Sorry to the Nottingham community. However, I think it’s very important that APS retain this site and never sell it, because there may come a time in the not-too-distant future where we need the permanent seats in this area again. Also, if the school being renovated right now is Barcroft or Randolph, I think they could use seats at Drew/Fleet temporarily rather than bus the kids so far from home en masse. If the school being renovated right now is Montessori or a N Arlington school, use Nottingham.

Yeah, I watched the meeting (haven't read the entire report) but it doesn't' look like they said who was being renovated or what type of renovations. I know a lot of the schools are scheduled for getting security vestibules and I am not sure if this is a significant enough renovation to require switching schools temporarily.

Campbell is getting a security vestibule and isn’t closing for that.

[Anonymous]

MontCo does this. It actually works really well because you can gut and renovate an entire school. You're only in the new school for a semester or year, at most. But I say this as someone who is in a newer school whose kids wouldn't be bussed across the county.