Uniting for the next round of boundary changes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about scheduling a meet-up to take this discussion off-line. (gasp!)

And I'm not sure early engagement is useful. Doesn't seem to have turned out that well for Henry parents.... (sorry).

I'm game.

We need to decide a place and a time and date

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Okay, here's something maybe we can unite on. Let's revise the APS policy. It's clear we're going to prioritize walkers. Why not come right out and say so? APS Policy No. 1, all students in the walk zone for a school shall be zoned to attend that school. Policy No. 2, any students not in a walk zone or in more than one walk zone shall be zoned to attend a school on the basis of the following factors. Policy No. 3, in drawing boundaries, APS will consider the following factors, in order of priority. Policy No. 4, where factors conflict or are inconsistent with each other, APS will consider these additional factors. Or SOMETHING. Let's change the policy to resemble what actually happens with these processes.

As an added bonus, implementing a new policy would be a great time for a quasi referendum on demographics. Let's see if the community cares about demographics, once walkability is protected. Because if the community does care, I see two Board members up for re-election in 2020 who will be well out of step with that sentiment.

Changing policy doesn't make sense. The six considerations are out there, and the current policy gives APS the flexibility to prioritize them as appropriate to the given circumstances. Changing policies means spending a year debating the policy changes, which is a waste of time.

What? It gives APS the "flexibility" to constantly side in favor of communities that are more engaged and more threatening, often changing definitions of previously agreed upon terminology to bow and scrape to the right constituents. They don't need flexibility in deciding how to move boundaries. The need consistency. But yeah, I get it. When things always work in your favor, you don't want them to change.

DP, but you’re being ridiculous.

Here's some advice: don't engage, the school board is dirty. Go buy a house exactly 1 block (no more) from the school you want to go to. If that is not possible, move out of Arlington. Engagement doesn't matter, APS creates these maps years in advance and wastes taxes and resources pretending to "engage" with the community. The entire board is useless. the process is fake.

That won’t help if they decide to turn that school into a choice school with no neighborhood preference.

Good point. Add stay as far away as possible from option schools or schools rumored to become option schools when looking for your new house. Basically live in Kanninen’s planning unit. If you can’t go to Fairfax.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about scheduling a meet-up to take this discussion off-line. (gasp!)

And I'm not sure early engagement is useful. Doesn't seem to have turned out that well for Henry parents.... (sorry).

I'm game.

We need to decide a place and a time and date

This exchange perfectly encapsulates why this isn’t going anywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about scheduling a meet-up to take this discussion off-line. (gasp!)

And I'm not sure early engagement is useful. Doesn't seem to have turned out that well for Henry parents.... (sorry).

I'm game.

We need to decide a place and a time and date

This exchange perfectly encapsulates why this isn’t going anywhere.

You're right.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2228256494124079/

Let's try this as a gathering spot. It's public.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about scheduling a meet-up to take this discussion off-line. (gasp!)

And I'm not sure early engagement is useful. Doesn't seem to have turned out that well for Henry parents.... (sorry).

I'm game.

We need to decide a place and a time and date

This exchange perfectly encapsulates why this isn’t going anywhere.

You're right.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2228256494124079/

Let's try this as a gathering spot. It's public.

bump

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about scheduling a meet-up to take this discussion off-line. (gasp!)

And I'm not sure early engagement is useful. Doesn't seem to have turned out that well for Henry parents.... (sorry).

I'm game.

We need to decide a place and a time and date

This exchange perfectly encapsulates why this isn’t going anywhere.

You're right.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2228256494124079/

Let's try this as a gathering spot. It's public.

bump

FWIW, I don't know if this group will collaborate on school boundary issues per se; but there is a West End Columbia Pike Coalition. They are advocating for improvements on the West End, and I know at least some are aware of and concerned about the impacts on schools. Even if it isn't to serve the specific goal of 2020 boundaries, perhaps uniting forces will help elevate the issues and concerns in general. de Ferranti is the featured guest at the next meeting this Thursday.



Join Us for a Meeting to Discuss

Pike Art, Beautification Projects, Wandering the Pike Recap, and Upcoming Events at the West End
Featured Guest:
County Board Member Elect Matt de Ferranti – this is an opportunity for west end Pike residents to inform him of our concerns
Thursday, November 15, 2018 - 7:00 p.m.
Arlington Mill Community Center Room 525
909 S. Dinwiddie St, Arlington, VA
(free 4 hour parking in garage)

[Anonymous]

^^^ Yes I saw that on 22204. I hope people will go and ask him about concentrated poverty and schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^^ Yes I saw that on 22204. I hope people will go and ask him about concentrated poverty and schools.

But do any of you actually live on the West End?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about scheduling a meet-up to take this discussion off-line. (gasp!)

And I'm not sure early engagement is useful. Doesn't seem to have turned out that well for Henry parents.... (sorry).

It was obvious not everyone zoned to Henry could go to Fleet. That was a stupid thing for APS to even consider. We could sit on our porch and watch kids walk from south of Columbia Pike up Glebe to Fleet, while our kids who can see the school get bused? That was silly. And it will be just as silly when my kid has to get on a bus to go half a block because Alcova can't walk anywhere. I think with the walk policies, we were doomed to fail. They might as well take the non-walkable communities and bus them all over.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^^ Yes I saw that on 22204. I hope people will go and ask him about concentrated poverty and schools.

Pshhh. Anyone who voted for him doesn't actually care about those things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^^ Yes I saw that on 22204. I hope people will go and ask him about concentrated poverty and schools.

But do any of you actually live on the West End?

I do.

[Anonymous]

FR/L stats are out. Barcroft is at 67.65% this year, so before Map 6 kneecaps it by taking Alcova.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2228256494124079/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FR/L stats are out. Barcroft is at 67.65% this year, so before Map 6 kneecaps it by taking Alcova.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2228256494124079/

Exactly. Here comes the next 80% school. Staff tried to warn us, but we had to have pretty maps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FR/L stats are out. Barcroft is at 67.65% this year, so before Map 6 kneecaps it by taking Alcova.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2228256494124079/

Exactly. Here comes the next 80% school. Staff tried to warn us, but we had to have pretty maps.

TBF what the Staff first tried to do was tank Drew for reasons unknown. This theory that the Staff really thought Map 2 was the best, but only issued the subsequent maps to show us how wrong we really were about Columbia Heights, is called into question when you recall the Staff's first proposal was Map 1.

[Anonymous]

Seriously, I don't think it's possible to unite. These processes are set up by APS in ways that incentivize different schools to fight against each other.