Alexandria HSs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The churn has less to do with the board or central office and more to do with the fact that a huge chunk of the school is comprised of the offspring of feral inhabitants of public housing. School is free lunch to these people and nothing else. Generations and generations of impoverished, illiterate, criminals living off our tax dollars and contributing nothing positive. Disagree all you want but it's the truth and we all know it. TC is a de facto juvenile detention facility for many.

Which member of the TC admin team is this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree with the ^^PP. Most of the teachers leave TC and other ACPS schools because of ACPS administration and not the students. If you talk to teachers then you know that most of them are attracted to some of our most difficult Alexandria schools because of, not in spite of, the challenging demographics. There should be exit interviews of all departing teachers. There is something very wrong going on in Alexandria.

Someone would have to want to hear the truth for this to be anything but a waste of time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with the ^^PP. Most of the teachers leave TC and other ACPS schools because of ACPS administration and not the students. If you talk to teachers then you know that most of them are attracted to some of our most difficult Alexandria schools because of, not in spite of, the challenging demographics. There should be exit interviews of all departing teachers. There is something very wrong going on in Alexandria.

I'm speaking from experience. One friend left TC because she was tired of being called a "white bitch" by multiple black boys and another left Macarthur after being punched in the face by an adult-sized 5th grader.

One, if not both, of those things are exacerbated by poor admin/central office.

Did that 5th grader get expelled? If not, there is no reason for the teacher to be back. If yes, then it is still understandable as to why the teacher left. I would bet even money that the kid did not get expelled, much less suspended for more than 10 days.

Kids cursing at the teacher in that manner should also result in suspension in a decent running school. Nothing probably happened to the kid with respect to discipline and therefore the teacher left. Lack of disciplinary accountability is a problem wholly in the hands of admin and central office.

Macarthur kid did not get expelled or suspended. TC teacher was told, basically, that her white privilege (pretty, UMC white woman) 'provoked' the students ans to 'deal with it.

Can you imagine a black female teacher at ACDS or SSSAS or BI being told to deal with it if white boys were calling her a ni**ger bitch? It would be front page of everything in DC for two weeks.

Happens to a white mom from Rosemont and the board tells her to buck up. Think about that double standard for two seconds.

[Anonymous]

Why does Alexandria City (2017 estimates:155,810) not have a similarly robust discussion on ACPS schools like Arlington County (Population estimates, July 1, 2017, (V2017)234,965) residents do? What is wrong with us that we don't discuss ACPS with regularity?

12,341 replies here in Arlington Country: "Who said there isn't a North-South divide"http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/736028.page

versus

8566 on Alexandria HSs
http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/709108.page
(which I'm glad and reassured to see is a significant increase in responses for Alexandria City).

Seriously, we need to have these same conversations, especially since the mandate discussion for a new second high school has been released (by probable) new mayor Justin Wilson on July 1, 2018.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why does Alexandria City (2017 estimates:155,810) not have a similarly robust discussion on ACPS schools like Arlington County (Population estimates, July 1, 2017, (V2017)234,965) residents do? What is wrong with us that we don't discuss ACPS with regularity?

12,341 replies here in Arlington Country: "Who said there isn't a North-South divide"http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/736028.page

versus

8566 on Alexandria HSs
http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/709108.page
(which I'm glad and reassured to see is a significant increase in responses for Alexandria City).

Seriously, we need to have these same conversations, especially since the mandate discussion for a new second high school has been released (by probable) new mayor Justin Wilson on July 1, 2018.

PP, can you provide a link to the highlighted item? Or more information - was it posted by Wilson, or by City Council, or on ACPS's web site?

[Anonymous]

I agree with you 16:05. Unfortunately we seem to have a lot of people like 16:09 who would prefer to shut down any discussion. I am not sure why it is so scary to talk about our school system but it is certainly a good indicator as to why we have such poor results compared to the amount of money we sink into the system each year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why does Alexandria City (2017 estimates:155,810) not have a similarly robust discussion on ACPS schools like Arlington County (Population estimates, July 1, 2017, (V2017)234,965) residents do? What is wrong with us that we don't discuss ACPS with regularity?

12,341 replies here in Arlington Country: "Who said there isn't a North-South divide"http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/736028.page

versus

8566 on Alexandria HSs
http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/709108.page
(which I'm glad and reassured to see is a significant increase in responses for Alexandria City).

Seriously, we need to have these same conversations, especially since the mandate discussion for a new second high school has been released (by probable) new mayor Justin Wilson on July 1, 2018.

PP, can you provide a link to the highlighted item? Or more information - was it posted by Wilson, or by City Council, or on ACPS's web site?




The Council Connection
your connection to City Council by:
Vice Mayor Justin M. Wilson
Alexandria, Virginia
July 1, 2018



http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?m=1109043704255&ca=922413a2-5727-4996-a5d9-06a78426eec0

High School Capacity

When Alexandria's students came back to school in the fall of 2009, there were 2,233 students at T. C. Williams High School's King Street campus (10th, 11th and 12th grades) and 688 students at the Minnie Howard campus (9th grade). The combined 2,921 students across four grades was after several years of stagnant enrollment numbers.

When school started this past fall, there were 3,949 students across the four grades at T. C. Williams High School. Not only is T. C. Williams High School the largest four grade high school in the Commonwealth of Virginia, the next largest school has a thousand less students!

The configuration of the future of high school capacity will be one of the most important issues that our City works through over the next few years. In approving the most recent 10-year Capital Improvement Program, the School Board included $124 million spread over 3 years to address high school capacity. This is a portion of the overall capital funding that the City Council provided for the School Board in our most recently approved budget.

The Board's approved Capital Improvement Program assumes an opening of a new high school facility during Fiscal Year 2023 (begins July 1, 2022). With the money in place, we must now determine the location and configuration of that new capacity.

The City's decision to allocate significant resources to high school capacity began several years ago with requests for resources to add classrooms to the Minnie Howard campus. Ultimately that request would have only been a stop-gap, as we would have spent tens of millions of dollars to add capacity to a building that was not intended for high school use and would not have resolved the capacity challenges.

With the funding now in place for a more comprehensive answer to high school capacity, the School Board is now commencing a process to develop options and explore alternatives as to how high school capacity might be accomodated in the future.

The City Council and School Board recently approved the second phase of the Long Range Educational Facilities Plan. This phase focused on high school and early childhood education facilities and provided a series of recommendations for addressing capacity challenges for both.

The Ad Hoc Joint City-Schools Facilities Investment Task Force included resources to address high school capacity in their recommendations, but paired the resources with policy recommendations.

The residents of our City have offered a variety of ideas for how we might configure this additional capacity. Some residents support a rebuild of Minnie Howard, with a transition from a 9th grade center to one that houses 9th and 10th grades. Others have suggested that additional capacity be built on the existing King Street campus: either the site of the existing stadium, in conjunction with a rebuild of the Chinquapin Recreation Center or on the Chinquapin Park circle. Other residents have advocated a totally separate four-grade high school elsewhere in the City. Some have suggested that we obtain capacity outside of the King Street and Minnie Howard campuses for discrete programs (STEM Academy, International Academy, etc) to relieve pressure.

As we enter a new era of joint collaboration and investment in partnership with the Alexandria City Public Schools, this project will be a crucial test of our ability to work together and work to satisfy multiple municipal needs on a single site.

While I do believe we must consider all options, I do begin the process skeptical that sufficient property could be identified for a separate four-grade high school, and the equity issues arising from such an effort would not be insignificant.

This is a project that will serve the students of our City for a few generations to come, and the process must reflect the importance of the investment.

Please let me know your thoughts!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree with you 16:05. Unfortunately we seem to have a lot of people like 16:09 who would prefer to shut down any discussion. I am not sure why it is so scary to talk about our school system but it is certainly a good indicator as to why we have such poor results compared to the amount of money we sink into the system each year.

This is the 16:09 PP. I didn’t realize that asking for the reference, so that I can read it, constitutes shutting down the discussion. If it does, then I guess asking any question does.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with you 16:05. Unfortunately we seem to have a lot of people like 16:09 who would prefer to shut down any discussion. I am not sure why it is so scary to talk about our school system but it is certainly a good indicator as to why we have such poor results compared to the amount of money we sink into the system each year.

This is the 16:09 PP. I didn’t realize that asking for the reference, so that I can read it, constitutes shutting down the discussion. If it does, then I guess asking any question does.

16:09, I think the pp was confused as to your request. Please be patient with us in Alexandria City. It's hard to discuss ACPS in real terms. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why does Alexandria City (2017 estimates:155,810) not have a similarly robust discussion on ACPS schools like Arlington County (Population estimates, July 1, 2017, (V2017)234,965) residents do? What is wrong with us that we don't discuss ACPS with regularity?

Because so many of us have realized ACPS is a dumpster fire and have given up, whereas APS parents/teachers have a quality, functioning system and still feel passionately about it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why does Alexandria City (2017 estimates:155,810) not have a similarly robust discussion on ACPS schools like Arlington County (Population estimates, July 1, 2017, (V2017)234,965) residents do? What is wrong with us that we don't discuss ACPS with regularity?

Because so many of us have realized ACPS is a dumpster fire and have given up, whereas APS parents/teachers have a quality, functioning system and still feel passionately about it?

https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/never_give_up

Too many luminaries to post. Stay verbal and strong Alexandria City!

[Anonymous]

Perhaps a greater percentage of people in Arlington send their kids to public school, whereas many people in Alexandria choose private/parochial over ACPS. This may explain the difference in the number of comments.

[Anonymous]

If and when ACPS and Alexandria City Council addresses the quality of education at Alexandria City schools, we residents will benefit! Don't buy into City Council saying "we have to raise your taxes as Alexandria is worthy" (think 70% tax on residents, 30% on businesses) and "we can't get businesses into Alexandria City" (think hostile business and ACPS school environment as well as developer givaways-see 2017 2018 council notes on bid etc).

Alexandria City is majorly messed up on ACPS! Council must intervene via zoning.

Alexandria City: Bright MLS; June 2018 over June 2017 sales: (year over year) "minus 4.4%."

https://wtop.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/0711_JUNESALES.jpg

[Anonymous]

I see ACPS Comms has the new Super doing the media rounds- they've got the "Local Hero Returns Home To Save Us All!" narrative going full-tilt. Will he have the courage to tackle the problem areas? Will he look at the school administrators practicing scorched earth with faculty? Will he address the central office management who run their departments like Boss Hogg ran Hazard County?

I'm not optimistic, personally. I think it'll be SSDD and ACPS will continue to crater.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I see ACPS Comms has the new Super doing the media rounds- they've got the "Local Hero Returns Home To Save Us All!" narrative going full-tilt. Will he have the courage to tackle the problem areas? Will he look at the school administrators practicing scorched earth with faculty? Will he address the central office management who run their departments like Boss Hogg ran Hazard County?

I'm not optimistic, personally. I think it'll be SSDD and ACPS will continue to crater.

Unfortunately, agreed. The problem is that we will still be dealing with the same CO and in material part the same school board. After the usual period of time, the new Supt will leave, another no-progress insider will be named as interim, another board pushover will become the “permanent” Supt, etc, etc. unless most of the school board goes, nothing will change.