The demise of McKinley ES (APS)

[Anonymous]

You are basically turning Ashlawn into McK....minimal diversity and single family homes. Now if you were being sent to Carlin Springs...that could be life changing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only way McKinley wasn't going to be broken up was if Reed was an option school, and apparently Westover made a deal that that won't ever happen.

Yup. It was inevitable in any scenario. Even if they somehow made Reed option over 100 kids would be peeled off McKinley to another school to relieve the overcrowding.

Yes. You can have a school so overcrowded, complain about and then complain when APS does something to fix it. Not a good plan, McKinley.

[Anonymous]

The sign makers aren’t very good at math. McKinley was always going to be broken up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only way McKinley wasn't going to be broken up was if Reed was an option school, and apparently Westover made a deal that that won't ever happen.

Yup. It was inevitable in any scenario. Even if they somehow made Reed option over 100 kids would be peeled off McKinley to another school to relieve the overcrowding.

Yes. You can have a school so overcrowded, complain about and then complain when APS does something to fix it. Not a good plan, McKinley.

+ 1.

50 bucks says half of McK now suddenly decides they are perfectly ok with their 10:30 am lunches and no field. LOL - what did they think was going to happen?

[Anonymous]

OP I have a question for you. If your children were being sent to Reed with the majority of kids from Mckinley would you still be upset? Would you care about the other Mckinley kids being sent to a different school or do you only care if it’s your kids?
Mckinley is overcrowded and whether it stays in the current building or moves to Reed, not everyone can fit.

Almost very school in APS will have kids that will have to move schools. Are you concerned about them?

[Anonymous]

OP- I am a McK parent too. However, we've known for years that Reed opening was going to result in the McKinley community getting broken up. McKinley had teachers and parent reps on the Reed building planning committee for that reason. I think you need to come to PTA tonight and get up to speed on the history. The bigger issue is that this plan, as presented, doesn't deal with the overcrowding. Proposal #2 in particular opens Reed at full capacity and Glebe and Ashlawn at a seat deficit, while at the same time leaving over 350 empty seats in the other NW schools. They need to be breaking up all the school boundaries to balance capacity better. That's the major problem with this proposal, or we'll be back to drawing boundaries again in less than five years (which is what is happening with middle school boundaries next year).

[Anonymous]

The Nottingham community was split in half a few years ago when Discovery opened. Yes it sucked to have friends go to a different school. But the school was at 140%, so really there was no alternative and everyone knew that. Same with McK now. Would you rather stay overcrowded?

As someone who lived the Nottingham - Discovery split, my advice is to focus on building your new school community as soon as boundaries are set.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Elementary school is 6 years. Lots of people move around at least once during elementary anyhow. You will look back in a few and realize this is not as much of a big deal as everyone is making it out to be, moving to a new school with a lot of the same kids in the same zip code.

+100

Honestly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The only way McKinley wasn't going to be broken up was if Reed was an option school, and apparently Westover made a deal that that won't ever happen.

Yup. It was inevitable in any scenario. Even if they somehow made Reed option over 100 kids would be peeled off McKinley to another school to relieve the overcrowding.

Yes. You can have a school so overcrowded, complain about and then complain when APS does something to fix it. Not a good plan, McKinley.

But I think the overcrowding will just be moved over to Ashlawn along with the McKinley students. From my involvement in attending SB meetings (and interactions with SB), I believe that certain groups lobbied hard to be/stay within Ashlawn boundary and will continue to do so. As some eastern border communities will lobby to stay with the McKinley contingent and move over to Reed rather than shift to Glebe or ASFS.

For a quick and equitable process, APS should not cave into any group's desires and just go ahead to redraw the borders sensibly (as in drawing a circle 1 mile around each school and sweeping in those students, as the crow flies).

--signed current McKinley parent (likely future Ashlawn parent)

[Anonymous]

Is McKinley really complaining? Really?

After complaining for years about the overcrowding, now they are complaining that there's a solution?! Priceless.

[Anonymous]

Of all the horrible things the children of the world have to endure, this is not one of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Of all the horrible things the children of the world have to endure, this is not one of them.

#whitewalkers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is McKinley really complaining? Really?

After complaining for years about the overcrowding, now they are complaining that there's a solution?! Priceless.

The whole proposed elementary school swap is like a 180 on everything parents have been saying for years. The school board proposes a plan that:

--moves option schools to the edges of the county
--makes option programs grow
--makes walkable neighborhood schools
--balances enrollment so there aren't overcapacity and undercapacity schools near each other
--does it all in one fell swoop instead of a bunch of incremental painful changes year after year with no strategy

and everyone loses their shit

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is McKinley really complaining? Really?

After complaining for years about the overcrowding, now they are complaining that there's a solution?! Priceless.

The whole proposed elementary school swap is like a 180 on everything parents have been saying for years. The school board proposes a plan that:

--moves option schools to the edges of the county
--makes option programs grow
--makes walkable neighborhood schools
--balances enrollment so there aren't overcapacity and undercapacity schools near each other
--does it all in one fell swoop instead of a bunch of incremental painful changes year after year with no strategy

and everyone loses their shit

I mean, they are trying to give parents everything they want, and all of a sudden no one wants it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Nottingham community was split in half a few years ago when Discovery opened. Yes it sucked to have friends go to a different school. But the school was at 140%, so really there was no alternative and everyone knew that. Same with McK now. Would you rather stay overcrowded?

As someone who lived the Nottingham - Discovery split, my advice is to focus on building your new school community as soon as boundaries are set.

Yes, all energy should be funneled towards making these positive changes for our communities.