APS - "Instructional Focus" for new high school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:if it's not a comprehensive HS that accommodate roughly 2,500 students and with a full compliment of facilities, then we must vote out every single member of the SB and the superintendent must be forced to resign.

James Lander is up for re-election and a woman has just announced she intends to oppose him and supports a 4th comprehensive HS. Reid Goldstein seems on board. Barbara Kanninen is coming around. Tannia Tallento is new and still sorting out her positions, I think. Nancy Van Doren is already stating the outcome of all of this will be 1,300 seats at the Ed Center.

If you care deeply, get involved. Write to Board members, visit them at office hours, ask your civic associations to speak up. Write a letter to the editor of the Sun Gazette. Don't just complain on DCUM - we need more loud voices demanding the best for our kids.

[Anonymous]

No seriously, those were the words from Murphy's mouth: "this will be a comprehensive neighborhood HS." For instructional model, think "responsive classroom" like what ESs have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No seriously, those were the words from Murphy's mouth: "this will be a comprehensive neighborhood HS." For instructional model, think "responsive classroom" like what ESs have.

When? Van Doren just said a few weeks ago that it will be a 1,300 seat program at the Ed Center no matter what comes out of the community engagement process this spring.

[Anonymous]

Does this mean Murphy got the job in Loudoun County? Promise big, then leave?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is there an online explanation anywhere of these properties? I can't swing a 3 hour bus tour. I'm curious for what use the county has for these very small parcels:

9:40 a.m. Walk exterior of properties, 5226-5275 Lee Highway**

These are a Bank of America and an office building on opposite sides of Lee Hwy from each other.

10 a.m. Travel to properties – drive-by, 5138 and 5130 16th St N.

These are two non-adjoining SFHs across from the hospital.

The Bank of America actually shares a parking lot with a preschool...and that parking lot is overwhelmed with 12 cars. So I have no idea what they could be looking at there.

[Anonymous]

The bus tour is being sponsored by the new County JFAC (Joint Faciltiy Advisory Committee)-- which is different from the APS FAC. The JFAC bus tour is focused much more broadly than just school locations- it is looking at several underutilized county sites, which could be used for a list of different things (e.g., ART bus storage, affordable housing, etc.). Just don't want to disappoint those of you who think this is a 3 hour tour focused on potential school sites.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:if it's not a comprehensive HS that accommodate roughly 2,500 students and with a full compliment of facilities, then we must vote out every single member of the SB and the superintendent must be forced to resign.

James Lander is up for re-election and a woman has just announced she intends to oppose him and supports a 4th comprehensive HS. Reid Goldstein seems on board. Barbara Kanninen is coming around. Tannia Tallento is new and still sorting out her positions, I think. Nancy Van Doren is already stating the outcome of all of this will be 1,300 seats at the Ed Center.

If you care deeply, get involved. Write to Board members, visit them at office hours, ask your civic associations to speak up. Write a letter to the editor of the Sun Gazette. Don't just complain on DCUM - we need more loud voices demanding the best for our kids.

This is so important. You need to put the pressure on Barbara, Reid and Tania. They can fight back against Nancy. I think James will go whatever way he thinks will help him with re-election. The fact of the matter is that Nancy thinks it's her way or the highway and it's going to take all 3 of the others to stand up to her. Show them that this matters!

[Anonymous]

I'm no fan of Barbara, but I think she might be able to listen to reason.
I do believe we need to get one of them out and show the board we mean business.
It's the only way they listen. Take the street car as an example.

Also: time to start fighting against "programs". They are schools. No more coming back to Wakefield or wherever for Track or basketball.
You want to go to the special school? You got it, but no more double dipping.
It seems punitive I know, but it is the only way to make the community face the reality of our stressed system. No more shell games with students and seats.
All of this shuffling around is masking a problem we need to be solving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No seriously, those were the words from Murphy's mouth: "this will be a comprehensive neighborhood HS." For instructional model, think "responsive classroom" like what ESs have.

When? Van Doren just said a few weeks ago that it will be a 1,300 seat program at the Ed Center no matter what comes out of the community engagement process this spring.

Nancy Van Doren has overstayed her welcome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No seriously, those were the words from Murphy's mouth: "this will be a comprehensive neighborhood HS." For instructional model, think "responsive classroom" like what ESs have.

When? Van Doren just said a few weeks ago that it will be a 1,300 seat program at the Ed Center no matter what comes out of the community engagement process this spring.

Nancy Van Doren has overstayed her welcome.

Well where was that sentiment last spring when we could actually do something about her? She was literally just reelected.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm no fan of Barbara, but I think she might be able to listen to reason.
I do believe we need to get one of them out and show the board we mean business.
It's the only way they listen. Take the street car as an example.

Also: time to start fighting against "programs". They are schools. No more coming back to Wakefield or wherever for Track or basketball.
You want to go to the special school? You got it, but no more double dipping.
It seems punitive I know, but it is the only way to make the community face the reality of our stressed system. No more shell games with students and seats.
All of this shuffling around is masking a problem we need to be solving.

Also: time to start fighting against economic segregation. We have one school system. No more drawing "neighborhood boundaries" that create one high school with 12% FARMS and one with 47% FARMS. You want to go to a high SES school? You pay for it out of your own pocket. You want to go to public school, you go to a school that reflects the demographics of the community it is located in.
It seems punitive I know, but it is the only way to make the community face the reality of our segregated system. No more shell games with "walkability" and "property values."
All of this shuffling planning units around is masking a problem we need to be solving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm no fan of Barbara, but I think she might be able to listen to reason.
I do believe we need to get one of them out and show the board we mean business.
It's the only way they listen. Take the street car as an example.

Also: time to start fighting against "programs". They are schools. No more coming back to Wakefield or wherever for Track or basketball.
You want to go to the special school? You got it, but no more double dipping.
It seems punitive I know, but it is the only way to make the community face the reality of our stressed system. No more shell games with students and seats.
All of this shuffling around is masking a problem we need to be solving.

Also: time to start fighting against economic segregation. We have one school system. No more drawing "neighborhood boundaries" that create one high school with 12% FARMS and one with 47% FARMS. You want to go to a high SES school? You pay for it out of your own pocket. You want to go to public school, you go to a school that reflects the demographics of the community it is located in.
It seems punitive I know, but it is the only way to make the community face the reality of our segregated system. No more shell games with "walkability" and "property values."
All of this shuffling planning units around is masking a problem we need to be solving.

I'm the poster who wrote the above. I don't see these things as mutually exclusive. In fact the programs exacerbate the inequalities in our current system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Also: time to start fighting against economic segregation. We have one school system. No more drawing "neighborhood boundaries" that create one high school with 12% FARMS and one with 47% FARMS. You want to go to a high SES school? You pay for it out of your own pocket. You want to go to public school, you go to a school that reflects the demographics of the community it is located in.
It seems punitive I know, but it is the only way to make the community face the reality of our segregated system. No more shell games with "walkability" and "property values."
All of this shuffling planning units around is masking a problem we need to be solving.

Vouchers, charters, and secretary DeVos are your friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Also: time to start fighting against economic segregation. We have one school system. No more drawing "neighborhood boundaries" that create one high school with 12% FARMS and one with 47% FARMS. You want to go to a high SES school? You pay for it out of your own pocket. You want to go to public school, you go to a school that reflects the demographics of the community it is located in.
It seems punitive I know, but it is the only way to make the community face the reality of our segregated system. No more shell games with "walkability" and "property values."
All of this shuffling planning units around is masking a problem we need to be solving.

Vouchers, charters, and secretary DeVos are your friends.

What are you smoking? In any area that has employed charters or vouchers, the neighborhood schools have become MORE segregated. And the charter schools (and private schools) are not integrated either.

DeVos is a friend to no public student or school system. She is a vampire, siphoning public money towards privatize gain. I'm not paying for your kids to learn about Jesus. You can do that on your own dime.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It will be a comprehensive high school. An instructional focus just means what instructional model it will follow. A different focus can change things at the margin, but the new HS will be a general, comprehensive HS.

No, that's not what it means. Many in the community include a vocal core of us, are calling for a comprehensive HS. That phrase means a stand-alone school with all its own facilities including sports fields, auditorium, etc. HB Woodlawn and Arlington Tech are examples of programs that are not comprehensive. The kids return to their home schools for sports and many/most extracurriculars.

Because of the cost and dirth of space, the SB is looking to put those 1,300 seats likely at the Ed Center as some kind of instructional focus school be it IB, World Language, or some other concept. To many of us, that doesn't solve the capacity problem since the kids are still placing strain on the infrastructure of their home schools - especially W-L if the Ed Center ends up being the chosen location.

Exactly (and unfortunately) correct. Whoever said this would be a comprehensive high school is full of crap.