Challenge: Can someone explain the Arlington school zoning issues to us w/o being mean?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also, "near Virginia Square" could fall into different school zones right now. I'd describe us as "near VA square' because we are in Ashton Heights-- zoned for Long Branch, not Ashlawn. You can find your current assignment in the boundary locator:

http://gis.arlingtonva.us/Html5Viewer/Index.html?configBase=http://gis.arlingtonva.us/Geocortex/Essentials/REST/sites/APS_Attendance_Locator/viewers/APS_School_Boundary_Locator/virtualdirectory/Resources/Config/Default/


It also tells you your planning unit number which you may find useful to know when following the boundary debate as it pans out this Fall.

This is very good advice. Depending on where you live "near Virginia Square" you could be zoned to one of four different schools (Long Branch, Ashlawn, Glebe, Taylor)
This map (https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/ESZones_Letter_2017_Revised2-1.pdf) shows the current zones, but some or most of those zones will change in the next few years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, "near Virginia Square" could fall into different school zones right now. I'd describe us as "near VA square' because we are in Ashton Heights-- zoned for Long Branch, not Ashlawn. You can find your current assignment in the boundary locator:

http://gis.arlingtonva.us/Html5Viewer/Index.html?configBase=http://gis.arlingtonva.us/Geocortex/Essentials/REST/sites/APS_Attendance_Locator/viewers/APS_School_Boundary_Locator/virtualdirectory/Resources/Config/Default/


It also tells you your planning unit number which you may find useful to know when following the boundary debate as it pans out this Fall.

This is very good advice. Depending on where you live "near Virginia Square" you could be zoned to one of four different schools (Long Branch, Ashlawn, Glebe, Taylor)
This map (https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/ESZones_Letter_2017_Revised2-1.pdf) shows the current zones, but some or most of those zones will change in the next few years.

and you could land at ASFS, Barrett, or even Fleet if you're in Ashton Heights! Yeah, it's really that wide open right now. We won't know which way the wind is blowing until the preliminary maps come out from the board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP here. Also there is no money for anything (e.g., buses, a new HS, etc.) and barely any available land. The County Board is disinclined to do much about this situation, because while it is true that most votes are in North Arlington vs. South, it is really true that most votes are older and/or child-free residents. Arlington has (relative to other nearby counties) a low percentage of families with children.

There are also many (including me) who believe that County housing policies cause or at least contribute to certain APS issues, including school segregation and overcrowding.

I really do agree with this. The County Board is greenlighting affordable housing and high rise high density units at a very rapid clip. At the same time the county has not allocated money for land acquisition and capital investments to fund its essential services--schools, emergency responders, street infastructure. Now. these two things are on a collision path as current overenrollement rates will keep climbing and the County has no addressed its longer term needs.

Another component here is that parents do not vote at the same rates as seniors. Seniors are complaining about not wanting any cuts to their rec centers and not seeing any property tax increases. Parents--who may want to see the county fund these important future investments--tend to be very tired and unable to speak up as loudly about the ways that the current county's land use (greenlighting affordable housing and large condos) isn't being supporting with longer range infrastructure investments...