APS: Four options for Ed Center seats: STEAM, Performing Arts, Early College or IB expansion

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So why isn't this being done in conjunction with the seats going to the Career Center? Does W-L get first dibs and then the Career Center gets the runner-up program? Or did they already decide that the Career Center seats are going to be folded into Arlington Tech, in which case both STEAM academy/Early College at W-L seems redundant.

I don't know why these aren't being done at the same time. The website doesn't say much except it looks like the decisions will be made for the Ed Center first. I didn't attend the meeting last night--I only streamed it afterward--and I don't recall any mention of the Career Ctr.

There were incredibly few ppl there last night from what I could see. I didn't even know this was haopening until I randomly saw a tweet about it.

At the beginning there were a number of neighborhood baby boomers complaining about traffic. Only about 5 or so actual current parents of APS students were present. Unfortunate since this is hugely important, but my guess is so many people are focused on the MS boundaries and are stretched thin.

I rolled my eyes so hard at the traffic comments. So sick of them. And not even remotely germane to the discussion.

Seriously, they come to every meeting. I saw them at the Statford middle school planning meetings, the high school capacity meetings; they are essentially retired, so why does traffic even bother them?

but honestly, no one goes b/c almost all the parents were championing a comprehensive high school, at either Kenmore or VHC parcel, and all that input was ignored and we are supsersizing W-L. It definitely feels like this is all for show, and that they already have made all the decisions before a drop of input comes in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So why isn't this being done in conjunction with the seats going to the Career Center? Does W-L get first dibs and then the Career Center gets the runner-up program? Or did they already decide that the Career Center seats are going to be folded into Arlington Tech, in which case both STEAM academy/Early College at W-L seems redundant.

I don't know why these aren't being done at the same time. The website doesn't say much except it looks like the decisions will be made for the Ed Center first. I didn't attend the meeting last night--I only streamed it afterward--and I don't recall any mention of the Career Ctr.

There were incredibly few ppl there last night from what I could see. I didn't even know this was haopening until I randomly saw a tweet about it.

I don't believe anything's been decided but I recall hearing/reading somewhere that there is a group evaluating turning the CC into the 4th comprehensive HS everyone is asking for. I agree that the STEAM/Early College thing makes no sense at the Ed Center since it strongly overlaps with existing Arl Tech and other CC programs.

[Anonymous]

the neighborhood around the CC is lobbying for a 4th comprehensive high school so they can get out of wakefield.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:the neighborhood around the CC is lobbying for a 4th comprehensive high school so they can get out of wakefield.

Yeah, thanks School Board for creating yet another opportunity to segregate poor and ELL students. Smart planning.

[Anonymous]

The neighborhood around the CC is advocating for a comprehensive high school there because the country ruled out VHC and the Kenmore neighborhood threw a fit and rejected that site. The 4th high school has to go somewhere. Placing another school on the east end of the county is not a terrible idea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The neighborhood around the CC is advocating for a comprehensive high school there because the country ruled out VHC and the Kenmore neighborhood threw a fit and rejected that site. The 4th high school has to go somewhere. Placing another school on the east end of the county is not a terrible idea.

The neighborhood is advocating for a 4th high school at the CC because that site currently has 950 seats and APS has planned to add another 450 seats to Arlington Tech, and 700-800 seats to the Career Center. That would bring the total of high school seats to 2100-2200 seats on 12 acres with limited parking and no field space. (These numbers do not include the Patrick Henry building, which will have add an additional 500 seats).

So please don't make any assumptions about what the neighborhood is doing. They are trying to get adequate parking and some amenities/modernization added to the site that they might actually get to use and enjoy. If they are going to get screwed, they might as well ask for something in return.

[Anonymous]

Please, I have heard too many neighborhood people say that one of the objectives is to get a high performing (aka low fr/l) school next to them so they can get out of Wakefield. They talk about the other uses, but it is all just an excuse. Not that those are not all good reasons, I would do the same if I were them.

And, don't rule out a 4th high school at Kenmore. There are some who are still thinking about it. VHC has too many site problems for a school.

[Anonymous]

TJ and the CC are only a few blocks away from each other and the county has already figured out how to screw TJ and give them the worst concentration of poverty in the county in the majority of new middle school boundary options.

There's no reason to assume they wouldn't do the same to a high school at the CC if that came to pass.

[Anonymous]

A performing arts school would be silly, if they want a performing arts program that could be rolled into STEAM (after all, if they're not going to include art, it should just be STEM). I think STEAM would be a great option because it would provide an option for kids who would prefer a STEAM focus but don't want to go to/don't get into TJHSST. Early college would also be a great alternative, especially for students who aren't planning on college but for whom an associate's degree would provide a valuable boost in the job market. I wouldn't protest an IB expansion, but I'm not particularly enthused about it either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please, I have heard too many neighborhood people say that one of the objectives is to get a high performing (aka low fr/l) school next to them so they can get out of Wakefield. They talk about the other uses, but it is all just an excuse. Not that those are not all good reasons, I would do the same if I were them.

And, don't rule out a 4th high school at Kenmore. There are some who are still thinking about it. VHC has too many site problems for a school.

i live in the neighborhood. I don't believe this. We (the neighborhood) happily send our kids to TJ, a high FARMS school. I'm pretty sure a neighborhood high school at CC will have a similarly diverse community. There is a lot of market rate and affordable housing in our surrounding neighborhoods (with more to come).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please, I have heard too many neighborhood people say that one of the objectives is to get a high performing (aka low fr/l) school next to them so they can get out of Wakefield. They talk about the other uses, but it is all just an excuse. Not that those are not all good reasons, I would do the same if I were them.

And, don't rule out a 4th high school at Kenmore. There are some who are still thinking about it. VHC has too many site problems for a school.

i live in the neighborhood. I don't believe this. We (the neighborhood) happily send our kids to TJ, a high FARMS school. I'm pretty sure a neighborhood high school at CC will have a similarly diverse community. There is a lot of market rate and affordable housing in our surrounding neighborhoods (with more to come).

But you'd probably also carve out all of SE Arlington, like everything as of Glebe, taking most of the high income neighborhoods out of Wakefield. I don't blame the neighborhood for trying to make lemonade out of the lemons that are being shoved their way. But I am concerned about what happens to Wakefield in the process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please, I have heard too many neighborhood people say that one of the objectives is to get a high performing (aka low fr/l) school next to them so they can get out of Wakefield. They talk about the other uses, but it is all just an excuse. Not that those are not all good reasons, I would do the same if I were them.

And, don't rule out a 4th high school at Kenmore. There are some who are still thinking about it. VHC has too many site problems for a school.

i live in the neighborhood. I don't believe this. We (the neighborhood) happily send our kids to TJ, a high FARMS school. I'm pretty sure a neighborhood high school at CC will have a similarly diverse community. There is a lot of market rate and affordable housing in our surrounding neighborhoods (with more to come).

But you'd probably also carve out all of SE Arlington, like everything as of Glebe, taking most of the high income neighborhoods out of Wakefield. I don't blame the neighborhood for trying to make lemonade out of the lemons that are being shoved their way. But I am concerned about what happens to Wakefield in the process.

Maybe Wakefield actually needs to fail. APS doesn’t seem to be concerned about it.

[Anonymous]

SB is perfectly fine with failing schools, as long as they keep accreditation. As far as they are concerned, all aps school's are excellent.

Making TJ a predominately low income school is a problem. Hey folks in those maps, make some serious noise or you are screwed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:SB is perfectly fine with failing schools, as long as they keep accreditation. As far as they are concerned, all aps school's are excellent.

Making TJ a predominately low income school is a problem. Hey folks in those maps, make some serious noise or you are screwed.

That was said over on the middle school boundary thread multiple times, and no one seemed interested. People who are happy with Jefferson seem pretty ignorant of how much of an impact 2-5% more f/RL students will have on test scores. It’s not a pretty cycle and not easy to reverse.

[Anonymous]

Everyone on this listserv says the county will never create another HB Woodlawn. I frankly think after taking the survey that people need to ask that this be considered. What is the point of an expansion of an Ed Center if it ends up underenrolled? We want an option that people want, so that overenrollments in existing comprehensive schools drops. This is not complicated! If 4% of the list gets into HBWoodlawn right now, open up a second school on a progressive education model, and reduce overcrowding with a school that parents want to send their children to.

I could not get into any of the four options listed. If IB continues at WL, how does IB at Ed Center change anything? None of the other options make a lot of sense to me. They smell to me like programs begging to be under-filled, while enrollments surge at the other schools.