New APS Elem Boundaries (ASFS)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are walking distance to Key, you will be walking distance to your middle and high schools. So if you have to take a bus to elementary school, so what?

I live in Rosslyn. The only way we're walking to middle and high school is if we lottery into HB Woodlawn at the new building. We will be fine if we have to take a bus to Taylor, Long Branch, or ASFS, but it certainly complicates the aftercare situation. Most families in our neighborhood have 2 working parents. Remember, they are taking away the by-right admission to Key that we had before.

Look, you bought in Key so you could go to ASFS anyway, and you would've been on a bus. You aren't fooling anyone. You bought into a neighborhood that didn't have walkable school. Deal with it. We don't have the resources to make life even easier for every white walker. Key is more accessible for families who need to use public transportation to even entertain the idea of immersion (remember, dual immersion doesn't work if you don't have enough native Spanish speakers, and there aren't enough native Spanish speakers living around Key any longer. They've been priced out.)

Ok so walkability is a right for every part of Arlington except the Rosslyn ballston corridor which is supposed to be planned careless. That makes sense. Remember the asfs building is just as accessible to metro. It's within half a mile of two metro stations.

Look, if you need a car to have kids, then the R-B corridor is NOT FOR YOU. Move already.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Efficiency and proximity should trump everything. If it is most efficient to bus Rosslyn to Taylor then let's do it. If it's most efficient to move asfs to the key building, let's do it. Long branch can't accommodate more kids even after offloading some kids to fleet. So it's just a question of who it makes more sense to bus to Taylor, glebe, reed, and Jamestown/discovery.
We have no idea what the most efficient solution might be. Aps staff might. Let's hope they try to do what's best for everyone and aren't as vindictive and vitriolic as you guys.

Except this is not how it goes down. Efficiency gets redefined so that one school can remain way under capacity while others lose their field space. Basically, wear some shirts, march on the SB and get your civic associations involved and you can have whatever you want. If you live in a neighborhood that can't or won't engage like that, too bad.

Sense and efficiency and alignment (except for the right neighborhoods) and diversity and all the other stuff be damned. You live in the right place, you get what you want. End of story.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are walking distance to Key, you will be walking distance to your middle and high schools. So if you have to take a bus to elementary school, so what?

Elementary school is the only time you need to explicitly pick your kid up from school -- they cannot walk by themselves. I don't own a car because my condo does not have a parking spot associated with it, right now my kids and I commute via metro. This is how my neighborhood was planned -- its supposed to be "carless". Look at the last county board meeting where they passed the parking restrictions. My area is supposed to be car free and walkable. Cherrydale is not supposed to be, new housing there can have as much parking as they want, and its all single family houses anyways. how am I supposed to pick my kid up from extended day if we get zoned to taylor? Actually come to rosslyn around rush hour and tell me that it makes sense to bus kids to taylor. All you are doing is changing the demographics of the neighborhood.

I will likely move if we get rezoned to Taylor, but don't try to convince yourself that what you're doing is not pandering. You're pandering to the people who live in that neighborhood who want to have a walkable school (when they all own cars and have plenty of parking in their neighborhood) when they are within 1.5 miles of 3 schools! 3! Glebe, Taylor, and the current ASFS building are all within a mile of most of that neighborhood. That neighborhood doesn't need another neighborhood school. Rosslyn is 3 miles from Taylor. 3 miles! In a 26 square mile county, that is really far. The key building is within a mile of my house. We would totally walk. But wait, the arlington way is that only rich kids who live in multimillion dollar houses should be able to walk, not people who live in apartments or condos. You're a transient anyways right?

And sorry but when I bought my condo in Rosslyn\Courthouse, I had a walkable neighborhood school. Key was my neighborhood school. There is plenty of parking in cherrydale. Everyone I know who lives in that neighborhood that goes to asfs actually drives the quarter mile walk. Those jerks totally monopolized the discussion last spring when we should have been arguing to keep key a neighborhood school. They kept spouting their "walk zone" and "keep the team" and so no one even understood the ramifications for my neighborhood.

Curious to know how you were planning to get your kid home from Swanson after hours, with no car? I guess you are fortunate that Stratford is accessible via Lee Highway buses, but what if they hadn't added a new middle school? Swanson is pretty far from Rosslyn-Courthouse even for a bike.

I am not unsympathetic. But I guess I just don't think it is particularly realistic, or common, for a family with kids to exist completely car-free in Arlington. Those "car-free" condos are targeted more at singles and DINKs. There has never been an expectation that all schools are walkable from K-12 in Rosslyn-Courthouse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are walking distance to Key, you will be walking distance to your middle and high schools. So if you have to take a bus to elementary school, so what?

Elementary school is the only time you need to explicitly pick your kid up from school -- they cannot walk by themselves. I don't own a car because my condo does not have a parking spot associated with it, right now my kids and I commute via metro. This is how my neighborhood was planned -- its supposed to be "carless". Look at the last county board meeting where they passed the parking restrictions. My area is supposed to be car free and walkable. Cherrydale is not supposed to be, new housing there can have as much parking as they want, and its all single family houses anyways. how am I supposed to pick my kid up from extended day if we get zoned to taylor? Actually come to rosslyn around rush hour and tell me that it makes sense to bus kids to taylor. All you are doing is changing the demographics of the neighborhood.

I will likely move if we get rezoned to Taylor, but don't try to convince yourself that what you're doing is not pandering. You're pandering to the people who live in that neighborhood who want to have a walkable school (when they all own cars and have plenty of parking in their neighborhood) when they are within 1.5 miles of 3 schools! 3! Glebe, Taylor, and the current ASFS building are all within a mile of most of that neighborhood. That neighborhood doesn't need another neighborhood school. Rosslyn is 3 miles from Taylor. 3 miles! In a 26 square mile county, that is really far. The key building is within a mile of my house. We would totally walk. But wait, the arlington way is that only rich kids who live in multimillion dollar houses should be able to walk, not people who live in apartments or condos. You're a transient anyways right?

And sorry but when I bought my condo in Rosslyn\Courthouse, I had a walkable neighborhood school. Key was my neighborhood school. There is plenty of parking in cherrydale. Everyone I know who lives in that neighborhood that goes to asfs actually drives the quarter mile walk. Those jerks totally monopolized the discussion last spring when we should have been arguing to keep key a neighborhood school. They kept spouting their "walk zone" and "keep the team" and so no one even understood the ramifications for my neighborhood.

Curious to know how you were planning to get your kid home from Swanson after hours, with no car? I guess you are fortunate that Stratford is accessible via Lee Highway buses, but what if they hadn't added a new middle school? Swanson is pretty far from Rosslyn-Courthouse even for a bike.

I am not unsympathetic. But I guess I just don't think it is particularly realistic, or common, for a family with kids to exist completely car-free in Arlington. Those "car-free" condos are targeted more at singles and DINKs. There has never been an expectation that all schools are walkable from K-12 in Rosslyn-Courthouse.

I was a latch key kid growing up so I assumed a middle schooler could take the late bus home and let themselves in. When I was growing up if I couldn't take the bus home I didn't do something. An elementary school can't get home independently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are walking distance to Key, you will be walking distance to your middle and high schools. So if you have to take a bus to elementary school, so what?

Elementary school is the only time you need to explicitly pick your kid up from school -- they cannot walk by themselves. I don't own a car because my condo does not have a parking spot associated with it, right now my kids and I commute via metro. This is how my neighborhood was planned -- its supposed to be "carless". Look at the last county board meeting where they passed the parking restrictions. My area is supposed to be car free and walkable. Cherrydale is not supposed to be, new housing there can have as much parking as they want, and its all single family houses anyways. how am I supposed to pick my kid up from extended day if we get zoned to taylor? Actually come to rosslyn around rush hour and tell me that it makes sense to bus kids to taylor. All you are doing is changing the demographics of the neighborhood.

I will likely move if we get rezoned to Taylor, but don't try to convince yourself that what you're doing is not pandering. You're pandering to the people who live in that neighborhood who want to have a walkable school (when they all own cars and have plenty of parking in their neighborhood) when they are within 1.5 miles of 3 schools! 3! Glebe, Taylor, and the current ASFS building are all within a mile of most of that neighborhood. That neighborhood doesn't need another neighborhood school. Rosslyn is 3 miles from Taylor. 3 miles! In a 26 square mile county, that is really far. The key building is within a mile of my house. We would totally walk. But wait, the arlington way is that only rich kids who live in multimillion dollar houses should be able to walk, not people who live in apartments or condos. You're a transient anyways right?

And sorry but when I bought my condo in Rosslyn\Courthouse, I had a walkable neighborhood school. Key was my neighborhood school. There is plenty of parking in cherrydale. Everyone I know who lives in that neighborhood that goes to asfs actually drives the quarter mile walk. Those jerks totally monopolized the discussion last spring when we should have been arguing to keep key a neighborhood school. They kept spouting their "walk zone" and "keep the team" and so no one even understood the ramifications for my neighborhood.

It would help your cause more if you didn't exaggerate.

I live in Cherrydale and my kids are past elementary age (attended ASFS) so whatever happens with ASFS's boundaries does not matter to me but we were part of that community for many years.

Elementary students, can in fact, walk back and forth to school on their own and by third grade many do. In fact, I know a family in my neighborhood that lets their kindergartner walk back and forth to ASFS alone. Extended day is another story.

Almost everyone I know in Cherrydale whose kids attend(ed) ASFS do walk to ASFS. Families that use extended day and drive to work are the only exception I know of, and what they do makes sense - what are they supposed to do, drive from their job in Tyson's to their house in Cherrydale, park and then walk to ASFS by the 6pm pick up time. Almost everyone I know/knew who lives in Courthouse/Rosslyn and sends their kids to ASFS, drives them to and from rather than putting them on a bus.

While Cherrydale is mostly single family homes, there are two relatively large apartment complexes as well as three townhouse complexes (in Cherrydale) within a couple blocks of my house. And yes, children do live in them.

Elementary students in Cherrydale attend Glebe and Taylor but those are not "neighborhood schools" for Cherrydale any more than ASFS is a "neighborhood school" for Courthouse/Rosslyn. And the ASFS building was Cherrydale's neighborhood school for many years.

I'm sorry that you are losing Key as your neighborhood school that you could walk to with your children. Unfortunately, APS tends to do that - just look at ATS, ASFS, Stratford before it became HB. Personally, I think the solution is to get rid of the choice schools, period. But I also think it's unrealistic to live in Arlington for the long run with kids and not own a car.

[Anonymous]

And ps- Arlington doesn’t really want your family. Bring us your dinks, you singles, your child free Retirees yearning to CAR FREE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are walking distance to Key, you will be walking distance to your middle and high schools. So if you have to take a bus to elementary school, so what?

Elementary school is the only time you need to explicitly pick your kid up from school -- they cannot walk by themselves. I don't own a car because my condo does not have a parking spot associated with it, right now my kids and I commute via metro. This is how my neighborhood was planned -- its supposed to be "carless". Look at the last county board meeting where they passed the parking restrictions. My area is supposed to be car free and walkable. Cherrydale is not supposed to be, new housing there can have as much parking as they want, and its all single family houses anyways. how am I supposed to pick my kid up from extended day if we get zoned to taylor? Actually come to rosslyn around rush hour and tell me that it makes sense to bus kids to taylor. All you are doing is changing the demographics of the neighborhood.

I will likely move if we get rezoned to Taylor, but don't try to convince yourself that what you're doing is not pandering. You're pandering to the people who live in that neighborhood who want to have a walkable school (when they all own cars and have plenty of parking in their neighborhood) when they are within 1.5 miles of 3 schools! 3! Glebe, Taylor, and the current ASFS building are all within a mile of most of that neighborhood. That neighborhood doesn't need another neighborhood school. Rosslyn is 3 miles from Taylor. 3 miles! In a 26 square mile county, that is really far. The key building is within a mile of my house. We would totally walk. But wait, the arlington way is that only rich kids who live in multimillion dollar houses should be able to walk, not people who live in apartments or condos. You're a transient anyways right?

And sorry but when I bought my condo in Rosslyn\Courthouse, I had a walkable neighborhood school. Key was my neighborhood school. There is plenty of parking in cherrydale. Everyone I know who lives in that neighborhood that goes to asfs actually drives the quarter mile walk. Those jerks totally monopolized the discussion last spring when we should have been arguing to keep key a neighborhood school. They kept spouting their "walk zone" and "keep the team" and so no one even understood the ramifications for my neighborhood.

It would help your cause more if you didn't exaggerate.

I live in Cherrydale and my kids are past elementary age (attended ASFS) so whatever happens with ASFS's boundaries does not matter to me but we were part of that community for many years.

Elementary students, can in fact, walk back and forth to school on their own and by third grade many do. In fact, I know a family in my neighborhood that lets their kindergartner walk back and forth to ASFS alone. Extended day is another story.

Almost everyone I know in Cherrydale whose kids attend(ed) ASFS do walk to ASFS. Families that use extended day and drive to work are the only exception I know of, and what they do makes sense - what are they supposed to do, drive from their job in Tyson's to their house in Cherrydale, park and then walk to ASFS by the 6pm pick up time. Almost everyone I know/knew who lives in Courthouse/Rosslyn and sends their kids to ASFS, drives them to and from rather than putting them on a bus.

While Cherrydale is mostly single family homes, there are two relatively large apartment complexes as well as three townhouse complexes (in Cherrydale) within a couple blocks of my house. And yes, children do live in them.

Elementary students in Cherrydale attend Glebe and Taylor but those are not "neighborhood schools" for Cherrydale any more than ASFS is a "neighborhood school" for Courthouse/Rosslyn. And the ASFS building was Cherrydale's neighborhood school for many years.

I'm sorry that you are losing Key as your neighborhood school that you could walk to with your children. Unfortunately, APS tends to do that - just look at ATS, ASFS, Stratford before it became HB. Personally, I think the solution is to get rid of the choice schools, period. But I also think it's unrealistic to live in Arlington for the long run with kids and not own a car.

I know 6 families in that neighborhood. Only one walks, the ones more than a block away all drive. I'm not saying more wouldn't walk if more of the area became zoned for the school. I'm just saying that of the current people I know from that neighborhood, most drive to school and all own a car.
Fifth grade is the only age where you can walk independently according to recent emails home from the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No way they should "swap" Key with ASFS. The whole idea is to make choice schools more central, because they're serving kids from a larger geographic footprint. That needs to be a priority over whatever that one neighborhood is clamoring for now. Moving Immersion deeper into N Arlington doesn't cut it, especially since the Immersion "split" is designed to be East/West, not North/South.

+1. I agree with this logic. And I have no dog in the Key/ASFS fight. Although I hope my younger kid doesn't get re-zoned to ASFS (older kid at Taylor now).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No way they should "swap" Key with ASFS. The whole idea is to make choice schools more central, because they're serving kids from a larger geographic footprint. That needs to be a priority over whatever that one neighborhood is clamoring for now. Moving Immersion deeper into N Arlington doesn't cut it, especially since the Immersion "split" is designed to be East/West, not North/South.

+1. I agree with this logic. And I have no dog in the Key/ASFS fight. Although I hope my younger kid doesn't get re-zoned to ASFS (older kid at Taylor now).

Here's the immersion zone map: https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/ES_ImmerZone_2017.pdf

The ASFS building is closer to the center of that zone than the Key building, particularly when you note that the entire SE Corner of the blue boundary is Arlington Cemetery and the Pentagon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No way they should "swap" Key with ASFS. The whole idea is to make choice schools more central, because they're serving kids from a larger geographic footprint. That needs to be a priority over whatever that one neighborhood is clamoring for now. Moving Immersion deeper into N Arlington doesn't cut it, especially since the Immersion "split" is designed to be East/West, not North/South.

+1. I agree with this logic. And I have no dog in the Key/ASFS fight. Although I hope my younger kid doesn't get re-zoned to ASFS (older kid at Taylor now).

Two things:
1) Asfs and key are parallel with one another, approximately one mile apart. Both are within half a mile of two metro stations respectively. Asfs is not more in north Arlington, and neither is less accessible to Spanish speakers.
2) they have said no grandfathering for upcoming boundary changes. So unless your eldest is currently in fourth grade, there is a good chance he will be rezoned to Asfs too. Or since roughly half of Taylor is in the immediate walkzone for Asfs, the area immediately below, or the area of Lyon village next to the walk zone, a good chunk of his friends will be effected.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No way they should "swap" Key with ASFS. The whole idea is to make choice schools more central, because they're serving kids from a larger geographic footprint. That needs to be a priority over whatever that one neighborhood is clamoring for now. Moving Immersion deeper into N Arlington doesn't cut it, especially since the Immersion "split" is designed to be East/West, not North/South.

The ASFS building is exactly parallel with Key -- its only 0.5 miles west. So you're not moving the immersion program further north, if you switch facilities, you're just moving it west closer to ballston.

Sorry but 2300 Key Blvd to 1501 N Lincoln is about a mile and a-half ...no matter what sort of voodoo dust you try to sprinkle on it.

[Anonymous]

8:48 - both are pretty metro accessible, though. Just because one poster has chosen not to have a car (which is kind of unrealistic when you have a kid) doesn't mean that she is excused from using any sort of transportation to get her child to/from school. It's unrealistic to expect that you will always be within a few blocks of your school.

Also, 1.5 miles is a bus zone. So in theory, your kid can take the bus in the morning and then you just have to use metro rail or bus to get him/her in the evening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:8:48 - both are pretty metro accessible, though. Just because one poster has chosen not to have a car (which is kind of unrealistic when you have a kid) doesn't mean that she is excused from using any sort of transportation to get her child to/from school. It's unrealistic to expect that you will always be within a few blocks of your school.

Also, 1.5 miles is a bus zone. So in theory, your kid can take the bus in the morning and then you just have to use metro rail or bus to get him/her in the evening.

We're getting bussed to Key anyway, so either location wouldn't be walkable. I just don't understand the logic behind wanting to move two schools, when it's a lot easier to simply adjust some of the boundaries and move the kids.