Ideas of How APS Can Solve High School Overcrowding

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What??? I live in Arlington so my kids won't have to deal with the DCPS kids.

Whether you are parodying others or just being honest, you have accurately summarized the views of almost every white and Asian parent in Arlington (whether they care to believe it or not).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What??? I live in Arlington so my kids won't have to deal with the DCPS kids.

Whether you are parodying others or just being honest, you have accurately summarized the views of almost every white and Asian parent in Arlington (whether they care to believe it or not).

Which is part of the reason why population isn't going to peak and level off any time soon. As long as the DC Metro area continues to grow, new residents who come to DC for the jobs but don't want to live in DC and tangle with DCPS, but who don't want intolerable commutes, are going to move into Arlington. I don't see that trend reversing anytime soon, and as south Arlington "gentrifies" the number of kids moving in is going to go WAY up (which is probably not accounted for in the APS projections). We're already seeing it in the "best" school zones in south Arlington: Henry, Oakridge, Claremont. Those populations have boomed. As soon as some other school zones see a critical mass of affluent families who enroll instead of opting for private, choice, or moving, those schools zones will explode, too. Coupled with an increase in multi-family housing across Arlington, and the building of new AH targeted at families, I don't see how this trend of increasing student population reverses. We need to prepare for the students who are here, and the ones that are most assuredly coming in the future. Good luck trying to wish them away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What??? I live in Arlington so my kids won't have to deal with the DCPS kids.

Whether you are parodying others or just being honest, you have accurately summarized the views of almost every white and Asian parent in Arlington (whether they care to believe it or not).

Which is part of the reason why population isn't going to peak and level off any time soon. As long as the DC Metro area continues to grow, new residents who come to DC for the jobs but don't want to live in DC and tangle with DCPS, but who don't want intolerable commutes, are going to move into Arlington. I don't see that trend reversing anytime soon, and as south Arlington "gentrifies" the number of kids moving in is going to go WAY up (which is probably not
accounted for in the APS projections). We're already seeing it in the "best" school zones in south Arlington: Henry, Oakridge, Claremont. Those populations have boomed. As soon as some other school zones see a critical mass of affluent families who enroll instead of opting for private, choice, or moving, those schools zones will explode, too. Coupled with an increase in multi-family housing across Arlington, and the building of new AH targeted at families, I don't see how this trend of increasing student population reverses. We need to prepare for the students who are here, and the ones that are most assuredly coming in the future. Good luck trying to wish them away.

When the new south Arlington elementary school opens, school boundaries will be redrawn. If there is a better distribution of affluent homes, it's going to push the student population up even more. Abingdon, Hoffman Boston and even possibly Randolph suddenly become much more palatable. Not that middle class families aren't sending kids there now, but if those schools see a shift toward 25% "white" middle class- those neighborhoods will blow up even more, and those families aren't going to move.
I can't imagine the projections are taking that into account.
My south Arlington neighborhood has changed dramatically in the 7-8 years we've lived here. My street went from elderly and dinks, to 12 kids under 5. It's crazy.
I honestly wonder if the county wants to keep some underperforming schools for that reason. It encourages families to move away. That's crazy. I know...

[Anonymous]

What about imminent domain? Force the sale of one of the crappy shopping centers on the west end of the Pike and put a school there? Or lean on a commercial space to rent to the county at a good rate?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about imminent domain? Force the sale of one of the crappy shopping centers on the west end of the Pike and put a school there? Or lean on a commercial space to rent to the county at a good rate?

Great. Let's have a school 100% poor. Great suggestion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about imminent domain? Force the sale of one of the crappy shopping centers on the west end of the Pike and put a school there? Or lean on a commercial space to rent to the county at a good rate?

Great. Let's have a school 100% poor. Great suggestion.

...or it could be a choice school, or move Woodlawn there.

[Anonymous]

Just build a GD high school. Build smart. Build right near Long Bridge so the teams can play. Repurpose some of the crappy seventies buildings. Just spend the money to aquire the property and build a simple school. Enough with the fancy schmancy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about imminent domain? Force the sale of one of the crappy shopping centers on the west end of the Pike and put a school there? Or lean on a commercial space to rent to the county at a good rate?

Great. Let's have a school 100% poor. Great suggestion.

...or it could be a choice school, or move Woodlawn there.

Ok. I hear you.
But that area has very little retail serving it as is...
Of course it's already a shitty situation and no businesses have an interest in moving in.
Move a choice school there. Why the fuck not.

[Anonymous]

A lot of the problem is that we are relying on APS to solve what is essentially a community infrastructure issue. Most of our APS senior staff are trained educators. They are not experts in construction or solving capacity issues. IMO, the County Board doesn't have enough skin in the game here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about imminent domain? Force the sale of one of the crappy shopping centers on the west end of the Pike and put a school there? Or lean on a commercial space to rent to the county at a good rate?

Great. Let's have a school 100% poor. Great suggestion.

...or it could be a choice school, or move Woodlawn there.

Ok. I hear you.
But that area has very little retail serving it as is...
Of course it's already a shitty situation and no businesses have an interest in moving in.
Move a choice school there. Why the fuck not.

"Arlington County High School for the Retail Arts:" a school where future entrepreneurs learn to run and work in local businesses.

But yeah, it would be a hard sell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A lot of the problem is that we are relying on APS to solve what is essentially a community infrastructure issue. Most of our APS senior staff are trained educators. They are not experts in construction or solving capacity issues. IMO, the County Board doesn't have enough skin in the game here.

Agree. And I think citizens are at a disadvantage as well, because we don't have a good grasp of the county's capital planning process, the capital financing process, or of the arcane jurisdictional interworkings of the County Board vis-a-vis the School Board.

I send emails to the School Board and the County Board, and I get back what is basically a form reply telling me that they are working hard on these issues. Uh huh.

[Anonymous]

I'll say out loud and proud I don't want my kids in DCPS. Fuck that shit show

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A lot of the problem is that we are relying on APS to solve what is essentially a community infrastructure issue. Most of our APS senior staff are trained educators. They are not experts in construction or solving capacity issues. IMO, the County Board doesn't have enough skin in the game here.

Agree. And I think citizens are at a disadvantage as well, because we don't have a good grasp of the county's capital planning process, the capital financing process, or of the arcane jurisdictional interworkings of the County Board vis-a-vis the School Board.

I send emails to the School Board and the County Board, and I get back what is basically a form reply telling me that they are working hard on these issues. Uh huh.

Yup. What else can we do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'll say out loud and proud I don't want my kids in DCPS. Fuck that shit show

Yup, no issue with telling people we didn't even consider houses in the District because of the schools. They just nod knowingly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'll say out loud and proud I don't want my kids in DCPS. Fuck that shit show

Yup, no issue with telling people we didn't even consider houses in the District because of the schools. They just nod knowingly.

That's what we tell our neighbors about Arlington if it ever comes up, which isn't very often.