Upcoming Taylor Renovation — Are we getting REAL classrooms??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m pretty sure the career center bond that pass last year takes up all of APS’s bond capacity. It could only be worse given current interest rates. APS isn’t going to be able build anything anytime soon. The swing space is putting the cart before the horse.

If there's a health issue at play, they can get emergency funding.

Duran and the principal specifically said there is no health risk at Taylor. Taylor closed because of a faulty electrical part that took a couple days to order. The claims that it was an hvac issue were unfounded and spread by the local hvac zealot.

Oh just stop with your APE conspiracy theories. Are you going to try to tell us Taylor's HVAC is in great shape? The APS spokesman said it was HVAC and that's what was reported in the news.

“There is an issue with the HVAC and electrical systems,” Arlington Public Schools spokesman Frank Bellavia tells ARLnow. https://www.arlnow.com/2023/01/25/taylor-elementary-school-closed-for-third-day-due-to-lack-of-heat-and-power/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m pretty sure the career center bond that pass last year takes up all of APS’s bond capacity. It could only be worse given current interest rates. APS isn’t going to be able build anything anytime soon. The swing space is putting the cart before the horse.

No, it isn't. Swing space isn't for building a new school. It facilitates renovations of existing buildings, enabling APS to move through projects more quickly because they can work year-round rather than just during summer when students aren't in the school.

I understand how the swing space is intended. I don’t disagree we need it if we are going to start to major overhauls or rebuilds of other schools. But there’s no bond capacity to do the type of overhauls that would necessitate moving a school to a swing space.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m pretty sure the career center bond that pass last year takes up all of APS’s bond capacity. It could only be worse given current interest rates. APS isn’t going to be able build anything anytime soon. The swing space is putting the cart before the horse.

No, it isn't. Swing space isn't for building a new school. It facilitates renovations of existing buildings, enabling APS to move through projects more quickly because they can work year-round rather than just during summer when students aren't in the school.

I understand how the swing space is intended. I don’t disagree we need it if we are going to start to major overhauls or rebuilds of other schools. But there’s no bond capacity to do the type of overhauls that would necessitate moving a school to a swing space.

We cannot sustain summer only renovations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m pretty sure the career center bond that pass last year takes up all of APS’s bond capacity. It could only be worse given current interest rates. APS isn’t going to be able build anything anytime soon. The swing space is putting the cart before the horse.

No, it isn't. Swing space isn't for building a new school. It facilitates renovations of existing buildings, enabling APS to move through projects more quickly because they can work year-round rather than just during summer when students aren't in the school.

I understand how the swing space is intended. I don’t disagree we need it if we are going to start to major overhauls or rebuilds of other schools. But there’s no bond capacity to do the type of overhauls that would necessitate moving a school to a swing space.

We cannot sustain summer only renovations.

We can do simple emergency repairs to address situations like what happened to Taylor last year. We do not have budget capacity for major renovations. This is why the career center bond was so controversial. It means no more funds for other significant projects.

[Anonymous]

Any bond capacity is for the timeframe projected, not eternity. APS and the county may be at its self-imposed 10% capacity limit during a bond.s tenure, but starting the next year and thereafter the capacity opens up again. It's the same thing as government budgets and proposals. Probably the ES with the most immediate, comprehensive need for overhaul is MPsA in Henry, but that is dealt with - MPSA will move into refurbished Old Career Center building and Henry get some torn down. By the time that is happening, other schools will hit their deadlines for major overhauls...when bond capacity opens up. It takes active, constant decision making to keep government bond issuance up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP there are likely bigger issues that have not yet been announced.

Yeah like MPSA getting torn down and rebuilt after career center is done

What’s wrong with MPSA (sorry I’m not in the loop on that).

It's in the old, crummy Henry building on the Career Center site that's being re-developed. Supposed to retrofit the existing Career Center building for Montessori; but that's almost as expensive as building a brand new school. So I wouldn't be surprised if they alter plans a bit and move MPSA to the swing space until they come up with something else for MPSA

That would be a colossal waste of money and very unfair for MpSA community due to constant moving since leaving Drew. But again, what a waste of money. Who ever moves into Career Centerr will spur a major refresh of that building - it's not Monssori costs alone doing that. Remember that the Career Center is also very old. So to pay to refresh it, but move MPSA to Nottingham, and then pay to site and build a new building for MPSA, would be doubling the ultimate expenditure.

[Anonymous]

What is MPSA?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So if Taylor is the school swung to Nottingham, they are surely working on HVAC and electrical.

But will they eliminate those horrible giant 70s open classrooms??? Maybe upgrade the 80s playgrounds?

What is the expectation here and can we advocate for making the best use of this disruption beyond just the smokin bits?

You should be able to find the playground renovation schedule. That is all written down somewhere, i can try to remember to look later. But we are at another school and know that our playground renovation is scheduled for like 26-27. You can probably reach out to your PTA president (that is who told me our schedule) and ask them to get you the renovations schedule. They should have access to that. If you don't have a security vestibule all that is on a schedule already too.

Different poster. I found the APS proposed security and kitchen renovation schedule. https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/2022-06-07-June-9-Info-FY2023-2034-CIP.pdf

I haven’t found the playground schedule. If anyone can share I would appreciate it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP there are likely bigger issues that have not yet been announced.

Yeah like MPSA getting torn down and rebuilt after career center is done

What’s wrong with MPSA (sorry I’m not in the loop on that).

It's in the old, crummy Henry building on the Career Center site that's being re-developed. Supposed to retrofit the existing Career Center building for Montessori; but that's almost as expensive as building a brand new school. So I wouldn't be surprised if they alter plans a bit and move MPSA to the swing space until they come up with something else for MPSA

That would be a colossal waste of money and very unfair for MpSA community due to constant moving since leaving Drew. But again, what a waste of money. Who ever moves into Career Centerr will spur a major refresh of that building - it's not Monssori costs alone doing that. Remember that the Career Center is also very old. So to pay to refresh it, but move MPSA to Nottingham, and then pay to site and build a new building for MPSA, would be doubling the ultimate expenditure.

They should move it back to Drew. Isn't there enough space?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So if Taylor is the school swung to Nottingham, they are surely working on HVAC and electrical.

But will they eliminate those horrible giant 70s open classrooms??? Maybe upgrade the 80s playgrounds?

What is the expectation here and can we advocate for making the best use of this disruption beyond just the smokin bits?

You should be able to find the playground renovation schedule. That is all written down somewhere, i can try to remember to look later. But we are at another school and know that our playground renovation is scheduled for like 26-27. You can probably reach out to your PTA president (that is who told me our schedule) and ask them to get you the renovations schedule. They should have access to that. If you don't have a security vestibule all that is on a schedule already too.

Different poster. I found the APS proposed security and kitchen renovation schedule. https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/2022-06-07-June-9-Info-FY2023-2034-CIP.pdf

I haven’t found the playground schedule. If anyone can share I would appreciate it.

Who cares about the playground...thats not why they're moving to a swing space.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m pretty sure the career center bond that pass last year takes up all of APS’s bond capacity. It could only be worse given current interest rates. APS isn’t going to be able build anything anytime soon. The swing space is putting the cart before the horse.

If there's a health issue at play, they can get emergency funding.

Duran and the principal specifically said there is no health risk at Taylor. Taylor closed because of a faulty electrical part that took a couple days to order. The claims that it was an hvac issue were unfounded and spread by the local hvac zealot.

Oh just stop with your APE conspiracy theories. Are you going to try to tell us Taylor's HVAC is in great shape? The APS spokesman said it was HVAC and that's what was reported in the news.

“There is an issue with the HVAC and electrical systems,” Arlington Public Schools spokesman Frank Bellavia tells ARLnow. https://www.arlnow.com/2023/01/25/taylor-elementary-school-closed-for-third-day-due-to-lack-of-heat-and-power/

Do you go to Taylor? Were you at the pta mtg that took place not long after that event where Duran himself was there? At that meeting we were told that it was an electrical issue that someone from Dominion in Richmond had to travel up here to diagnose. It affected the HVAC but was primarily an electrical issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m pretty sure the career center bond that pass last year takes up all of APS’s bond capacity. It could only be worse given current interest rates. APS isn’t going to be able build anything anytime soon. The swing space is putting the cart before the horse.

No, it isn't. Swing space isn't for building a new school. It facilitates renovations of existing buildings, enabling APS to move through projects more quickly because they can work year-round rather than just during summer when students aren't in the school.

I understand how the swing space is intended. I don’t disagree we need it if we are going to start to major overhauls or rebuilds of other schools. But there’s no bond capacity to do the type of overhauls that would necessitate moving a school to a swing space.

All maintenance and renovations are not funded from the same pot as new builds. APS does have minor and major maintenance items in its regular budget.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is MPSA?

Montessori Public School of Arlington

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP there are likely bigger issues that have not yet been announced.

Yeah like MPSA getting torn down and rebuilt after career center is done

What’s wrong with MPSA (sorry I’m not in the loop on that).

It's in the old, crummy Henry building on the Career Center site that's being re-developed. Supposed to retrofit the existing Career Center building for Montessori; but that's almost as expensive as building a brand new school. So I wouldn't be surprised if they alter plans a bit and move MPSA to the swing space until they come up with something else for MPSA

That would be a colossal waste of money and very unfair for MpSA community due to constant moving since leaving Drew. But again, what a waste of money. Who ever moves into Career Centerr will spur a major refresh of that building - it's not Monssori costs alone doing that. Remember that the Career Center is also very old. So to pay to refresh it, but move MPSA to Nottingham, and then pay to site and build a new building for MPSA, would be doubling the ultimate expenditure.

They should move it back to Drew. Isn't there enough space?

No, they shouldn't. If there's space at Drew (which there is), boundaries should be shifted to better balance enrollments/capacity.
Montessori (and I'm not an APS Montessori advocate at all) is run differently - bell schedules, classroom make-up, administration and teacher qualifications, etc - and really does need to be in its own building. Being co-located with the Drew neighborhood program was a major negative impact on the neighborhood program and an absolute disservice to the neighborhood kids. Absolutely no reason to merge Montessori with anything else again, other than by dissolving the program and sending everyone back to their neighborhood programs. Which will not be happening any time soon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m pretty sure the career center bond that pass last year takes up all of APS’s bond capacity. It could only be worse given current interest rates. APS isn’t going to be able build anything anytime soon. The swing space is putting the cart before the horse.

If there's a health issue at play, they can get emergency funding.

Duran and the principal specifically said there is no health risk at Taylor. Taylor closed because of a faulty electrical part that took a couple days to order. The claims that it was an hvac issue were unfounded and spread by the local hvac zealot.

VENTILATION LADY