APS: New High School forum tonight 7-9 pm at Yorktown

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nobody in North Arlington seems to know why people in South Arlington hate the Kenmore idea. I'm sorry, but North Arlington people on my team, doesn't that give you pause a bit?

Did you hear Lois at the meeting last night saying a 4th Comprehensive probably wouldn't get a full football field or a pool? If we were putting a school like that in North Arlington, you think parents would sit for that?

The School Board came up with these 3 options of Kenmore, the Ed Center, and Arlington Tech space, but apparently there had been two others that were nixed because a high school would have been located too close to an elementary school. But that's essentially what Kenmore will be left with EVEN IF the middle school is eventually moved out of that space, which there is no immediate plan to do, meaning that there will be 3 schools basically on top of one another. Don't we care about that issue just as much if it's in the south?

It's all good and well of you to say to take the parking spaces out so high schoolers won't drive, but I don't see you rushing to take them out of W-L or Yorktown. So there is more inequity.

Is it true that there are no/few bike racks at Kenmore because traffic is so nuts that they don't want to encourage bike riding since it will result in accidents?

It is rich for people in the North to keep talking about "the greater good" when they are not being asked to sacrifice their parks and their amenities. I am one of those people in the North who is pro-Kenmore as a fourth site! But we can't keep dismissing the actual concerns of the people who live in the affected area! Did any of us go to the Glen Carlyn meeting to hear what those concerns were? No! WTF is wrong with us?

I don't know whether they have bike racks, but I believe they would discourage this mode of transport because it's definitely not safe to bike in this area. Even walkers face a safety challenge. The sidewalks are narrow and right up against the road. In most places there's not even a grassy strip separating cars whizzing past from the sidewalk. Just a curb. You are a foot or two from passing cars. People also drive like maniacs on this road, and I think we need more traffic calming measures now (lights, or something). I'd encourage everyone to drive down here and notice how close many of the homes are to the road. That could be an issue with being able to widen the road and/or improve sidewalks. Notice how many homes have boulders in front of their houses. This is because these homes have repeatedly had cars smash into them, or drive through their yards. Independent of the high school conversation, I think the county needs to make this area safer for the students who are walkers now.

Seems like a lot of people who are quickly dismissing this as a mere traffic issue haven't read comments like this one. It's a safety issue, specifically safety of the kids who are walking to school in the middle of the crazy traffic.

The County Board has said they have many options. They could, as an example build several pedestrian bridges. This would be an overall improvement for that entire neighborhood's safety, not just for the school. Lots of schools have bad traffic. If you have to cross Glebe Road, it is really scary! That is also what crossing guards are for.

Seriously, put in a strict speed limit and enforce with some cops, crossing guards and HAWK signals and you are set. They plan for Statfrod students to cross Lee Hwy with just a HAWK signal, so there are a lot of options. The space is here -- APS will use it, so lets use it right and soon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I don't get it why Kenmore has to be a neighborhood HS. If it won't have all the ammenities in the beginning, why not make it an option school? Then, those who don't care about a pool or would prefer a smaller school, can elect to go there. It seems so obvious!

When it is first built as 1300 seats it won't be a neighborhood school.

So the equity argument isn't valid.

APS and the School Board have explicitly stated that IF the Kenmore or Career Center sites are chosen, they would have a defined boundary. I don't believe they have explained WHY it could not be a choice program in either of those locations, but that is what they have decided.

This makes no sense to me. If it's only a 1300 seat school, why can't it be a choice program? I get that we will need another neighborhood school,but if the budget only allows for a "less than" school at THIS time, making it choice makes sense. Then, when they get more $/land, it can be converted to the full size and made into a neighborhood school.

This waiting until the next CIP idea is the same type of incompetence that got us in this situation.

The trouble with a 1300 choice program is what will have the demand to immediately fill 1300 seats to relieve capacity when it is needed? I recall earlier info did talk about choice programs but there's been so much push about the need for a neighborhood school that the CC and Kenmore options were proposed to be neighborhood schools but they're still stuck with a funding/land/size situation that makes it hard to build an equitable comprehensive HS.

It was mentioned at the CCPTA meeting this week that whatever the decision, that new school would have some sort of 'focus' in addition to pulling from the neighborhood so it sounds like it would allow for some degree of transfer into it (just as WL has IB and Wakefield has immersion and AP Capstone). It was suggested that a Kenmore HS might continue the Arts/Communications focus that currently exists at the MS and a HS at the CC would naturally have a science/tech focus since Arlington Tech is already there.

Why not make it a new HB? I live near WL now and think 4000 hs students in that tiny campus would be horrible. I would definitely send my kid to Kenmore more if it was another B.B.
Also, do a damn lottery then for the new school boundary so groups like Arlington Forrest can't lobby the SB. Personally I was not offended because every parent should be able to advocate for their kid. I am more offended by the damn Nottingham pta woman who tries to keep her school under crowded while others are crammed like McKinley,but I digress.

The whole process sucks. Why not provide options with more info so people aren't pushing gor plans with incorrect assumptions. For example, let us work with the correct numbers 2800 in kenmore not 3800. Also, telling glencqrlyn that all of the space near them will be taken up so start with a vision now before having it happen in a haphazard way. And letting other parents who live outside if elected now know the rezoning could move more kids into the edcenter.

I suggested this earlier. Make it another H-B. For the west zone.

[Anonymous]

what happened to the idea of coverting Central Library into a school building? That would fit 1,300 easy? Accessible to WL amenities but not on top of each other like Ed Ctr? Swapping Ed Ctr with Ctr Lbry maybe?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:what happened to the idea of coverting Central Library into a school building? That would fit 1,300 easy? Accessible to WL amenities but not on top of each other like Ed Ctr? Swapping Ed Ctr with Ctr Lbry maybe?

When was that an idea?

Squashing the library into a smaller building with practically no message would really send a message to taxpayers without children that Arlington doesn't give a sheet about them.

[Anonymous]

I attended the meeting. I agree that one takeaway is that the SB will choose to construct something constructed at Kenmore, unless the County Board decides that it is willing to supply a lot of land somewhere else.

Re the Yorktown boosters- I think in some respects different people were there to attend different meetings. As I understand it, there are some YT parents, or soon-to-be YT parents, who think that the SB screwed up the recent HS boundary adjustments, because YT is now predicted to be overcapacity in some way. I have listened to the YT civic association president make the same comments at a prior meeting. I think last night’s meeting was originally conceived as an opportunity to discuss these issues with SB members, and that’s why there were a couple of people there loaded for bear on that topic. However, it seems rather misguided to continue talking about how YT is a special neighborhood and the traffic issues, etc. given the seriously stark options being presented to Glen Carlyn residents and/or future W-L students. Everybody thinks their neighborhood is special.

As for the fired up Glen Carlyn folks, I’m glad they came and spoke out forcefully, because I think it’s important to hear about the other side of things and to appreciate the extremely strong feelings outside the echo chamber of other parents. They’re not wrong. Carlin Springs backs up from people trying to turn onto 50 and it makes it difficult to get out of the neighborhood or school. GC is a very small neighborhood hemmed in by a busy road, and the surrounding areas and zoned schools haven’t really seen the improvement that other areas have. And now the county is talking about closing their little library. One man from W-L talked about declining property values, but the same argument could be made for those in GC as it becomes more of a thoroughfare and less of a neighborhood. And let’s face it- there also is a bit of resentment at the perception that the longtime residents should not have to sacrifice in service of the generally more affluent north Arlington families who have moved here in the past decade. I am not saying that all of these arguments are legitimate, but I think that they are understandable.

I also agree the Kenmore site not at all conducive to biking and that walking is not ideal along that busy road. Unfortunately, it’s also that way at other sites around the county- for example, sites which require kids to cross or walk along Lee Highway, Washington Blvd, or Glebe Road (I’m sure there are others, but that is what I am most familiar with). Last fall a student was hit trying to cross Lee Highway. I also commute down Route 7, past TC Williams, and it’s also a mess in the morning with people coming out of the big intersection at Braddock/Quaker Lane, school walkers, commuters, all along a stretch that is hemmed in on the opposite side by houses which are close to the road. Alexandria recently reconfigured King St. to better accommodate bikers and corral traffic and it’s still not safe or ideal. But I just feel like I keep hearing that the same things are dealbreakers for every site – traffic, adjacent to a residential neighborhood, too close to another school.

In truth, I think that there are residents who raise traffic and safety when what they really mean is…the inn is full. There was an op-ed in ArlNow a couple of weeks ago to this effect- basically, we can’t keep constructing an infinite amount of school seats. I think there is a growing sentiment that a line needs to be drawn. And if it means that there are families who will choose not to live here, then so be it. I mean, there’s more than one way to solve this capacity issue- we could build, or we could reduce demand.

For me, for now, we’re in it for the long haul and a university sized W-L facility is just a non-starter. I’m also skeptical of any proposal to use the Ed Center as a temporary solution because I fear that the temporary will become the permanent so long as the sky doesn’t literally fall in. I wish that the SB members had more thoughtfully answered the questions about educating the whole child in such a large setting, and why it’s equitable or manageable to have one high school campus that is nearly twice the size of the others. They talked a lot about how 1800 YT students support a lot of different sports teams (for example), but didn’t talk at all about how 3500-4000 W-L students would have comparable or equal access when sharing the same facilities. I’m also curious as to how W-L’s neighbors feel about this proposal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I attended the meeting. I agree that one takeaway is that the SB will choose to construct something constructed at Kenmore, unless the County Board decides that it is willing to supply a lot of land somewhere else.

Re the Yorktown boosters- I think in some respects different people were there to attend different meetings. As I understand it, there are some YT parents, or soon-to-be YT parents, who think that the SB screwed up the recent HS boundary adjustments, because YT is now predicted to be overcapacity in some way. I have listened to the YT civic association president make the same comments at a prior meeting. I think last night’s meeting was originally conceived as an opportunity to discuss these issues with SB members, and that’s why there were a couple of people there loaded for bear on that topic. However, it seems rather misguided to continue talking about how YT is a special neighborhood and the traffic issues, etc. given the seriously stark options being presented to Glen Carlyn residents and/or future W-L students. Everybody thinks their neighborhood is special.

As for the fired up Glen Carlyn folks, I’m glad they came and spoke out forcefully, because I think it’s important to hear about the other side of things and to appreciate the extremely strong feelings outside the echo chamber of other parents. They’re not wrong. Carlin Springs backs up from people trying to turn onto 50 and it makes it difficult to get out of the neighborhood or school. GC is a very small neighborhood hemmed in by a busy road, and the surrounding areas and zoned schools haven’t really seen the improvement that other areas have. And now the county is talking about closing their little library. One man from W-L talked about declining property values, but the same argument could be made for those in GC as it becomes more of a thoroughfare and less of a neighborhood. And let’s face it- there also is a bit of resentment at the perception that the longtime residents should not have to sacrifice in service of the generally more affluent north Arlington families who have moved here in the past decade. I am not saying that all of these arguments are legitimate, but I think that they are understandable.

I also agree the Kenmore site not at all conducive to biking and that walking is not ideal along that busy road. Unfortunately, it’s also that way at other sites around the county- for example, sites which require kids to cross or walk along Lee Highway, Washington Blvd, or Glebe Road (I’m sure there are others, but that is what I am most familiar with). Last fall a student was hit trying to cross Lee Highway. I also commute down Route 7, past TC Williams, and it’s also a mess in the morning with people coming out of the big intersection at Braddock/Quaker Lane, school walkers, commuters, all along a stretch that is hemmed in on the opposite side by houses which are close to the road. Alexandria recently reconfigured King St. to better accommodate bikers and corral traffic and it’s still not safe or ideal. But I just feel like I keep hearing that the same things are dealbreakers for every site – traffic, adjacent to a residential neighborhood, too close to another school.

In truth, I think that there are residents who raise traffic and safety when what they really mean is…the inn is full. There was an op-ed in ArlNow a couple of weeks ago to this effect- basically, we can’t keep constructing an infinite amount of school seats. I think there is a growing sentiment that a line needs to be drawn. And if it means that there are families who will choose not to live here, then so be it. I mean, there’s more than one way to solve this capacity issue- we could build, or we could reduce demand.

For me, for now, we’re in it for the long haul and a university sized W-L facility is just a non-starter. I’m also skeptical of any proposal to use the Ed Center as a temporary solution because I fear that the temporary will become the permanent so long as the sky doesn’t literally fall in. I wish that the SB members had more thoughtfully answered the questions about educating the whole child in such a large setting, and why it’s equitable or manageable to have one high school campus that is nearly twice the size of the others. They talked a lot about how 1800 YT students support a lot of different sports teams (for example), but didn’t talk at all about how 3500-4000 W-L students would have comparable or equal access when sharing the same facilities. I’m also curious as to how W-L’s neighbors feel about this proposal.

I have 2 future WL students (a current 3rd and 5th grader) and I agree with everything I bolded. We actively sought out WL for our children's HS because I attended a very similar demographic HS in Fairfax and I wanted my kids to attend a school with students from many different ethnic backgrounds and SES levels. It was a great experience for me. However, when we moved here in 2007 we never anticipated that the County would conceive of making a 4,000 student HS. I also STRONGLY FEEL that if they get that Ed center with the 1300---it will become a permanent solution pushing the HS to 4,000.

I will not send my kids to a 4,000 person HS. My 5th grader has 4 close friends all attending private school next year because the parents were concerned about the over-crowded MS. We would have stayed in DC if we were going to pay for private anyways.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I attended the meeting. I agree that one takeaway is that the SB will choose to construct something constructed at Kenmore, unless the County Board decides that it is willing to supply a lot of land somewhere else.

Re the Yorktown boosters- I think in some respects different people were there to attend different meetings. As I understand it, there are some YT parents, or soon-to-be YT parents, who think that the SB screwed up the recent HS boundary adjustments, because YT is now predicted to be overcapacity in some way. I have listened to the YT civic association president make the same comments at a prior meeting. I think last night’s meeting was originally conceived as an opportunity to discuss these issues with SB members, and that’s why there were a couple of people there loaded for bear on that topic. However, it seems rather misguided to continue talking about how YT is a special neighborhood and the traffic issues, etc. given the seriously stark options being presented to Glen Carlyn residents and/or future W-L students. Everybody thinks their neighborhood is special.

As for the fired up Glen Carlyn folks, I’m glad they came and spoke out forcefully, because I think it’s important to hear about the other side of things and to appreciate the extremely strong feelings outside the echo chamber of other parents. They’re not wrong. Carlin Springs backs up from people trying to turn onto 50 and it makes it difficult to get out of the neighborhood or school. GC is a very small neighborhood hemmed in by a busy road, and the surrounding areas and zoned schools haven’t really seen the improvement that other areas have. And now the county is talking about closing their little library. One man from W-L talked about declining property values, but the same argument could be made for those in GC as it becomes more of a thoroughfare and less of a neighborhood. And let’s face it- there also is a bit of resentment at the perception that the longtime residents should not have to sacrifice in service of the generally more affluent north Arlington families who have moved here in the past decade. I am not saying that all of these arguments are legitimate, but I think that they are understandable.

I also agree the Kenmore site not at all conducive to biking and that walking is not ideal along that busy road. Unfortunately, it’s also that way at other sites around the county- for example, sites which require kids to cross or walk along Lee Highway, Washington Blvd, or Glebe Road (I’m sure there are others, but that is what I am most familiar with). Last fall a student was hit trying to cross Lee Highway. I also commute down Route 7, past TC Williams, and it’s also a mess in the morning with people coming out of the big intersection at Braddock/Quaker Lane, school walkers, commuters, all along a stretch that is hemmed in on the opposite side by houses which are close to the road. Alexandria recently reconfigured King St. to better accommodate bikers and corral traffic and it’s still not safe or ideal. But I just feel like I keep hearing that the same things are dealbreakers for every site – traffic, adjacent to a residential neighborhood, too close to another school.

In truth, I think that there are residents who raise traffic and safety when what they really mean is…the inn is full. There was an op-ed in ArlNow a couple of weeks ago to this effect- basically, we can’t keep constructing an infinite amount of school seats. I think there is a growing sentiment that a line needs to be drawn. And if it means that there are families who will choose not to live here, then so be it. I mean, there’s more than one way to solve this capacity issue- we could build, or we could reduce demand.

For me, for now, we’re in it for the long haul and a university sized W-L facility is just a non-starter. I’m also skeptical of any proposal to use the Ed Center as a temporary solution because I fear that the temporary will become the permanent so long as the sky doesn’t literally fall in. I wish that the SB members had more thoughtfully answered the questions about educating the whole child in such a large setting, and why it’s equitable or manageable to have one high school campus that is nearly twice the size of the others. They talked a lot about how 1800 YT students support a lot of different sports teams (for example), but didn’t talk at all about how 3500-4000 W-L students would have comparable or equal access when sharing the same facilities. I’m also curious as to how W-L’s neighbors feel about this proposal.

But we already live here. The Greatest Generation built the schools you needed, Gramps. Now pay it forward.

P.S. We're not slated for W-L, but I find the Boomers to be unspeakably selfish. They want increased tax abatement, while they're sitting on hundreds of thousands in real estate equity.

[Anonymous]

But I just feel like I keep hearing that the same things are dealbreakers for every site – traffic, adjacent to a residential neighborhood, too close to another school.

Thank you so much for this long and thoughtful, considered comment. I am the PP who has been defending the Glen Carlyn speakers -- in general I support a 4th comprehensive at the Kenmore site, but I'm a bit appalled at the privilege and snobbery that my team has been showing in this thread.

I think in general my "team" needs to get more familiar with and better understand the real concerns of the Kenmore residents so that we can better understand the real problems in order to work with them to offer real solutions. The end game for me is that it's a 32 acre site and it's going to have to get used for a bigger school. Let's do that while preserving space and trying to remediate the traffic issues as best we can. But we'd definitely better not scoff and pretend the problems aren't real. In this thread, you have been one of the few people to recognize that and attempt to deal with it, and I appreciate that very much.

[Anonymous]

Re: "the inn is full" comment above-- true, we've got to deal with the families that are already here. But we don't have to keep approving new development. Right now, the County is predicting that school enrollment won't peak until 2030. Those kids aren't born yet, so they are obviously factoring in some sort of continued housing growth. But they could also just stop capitulating to the demands of developers-- no more subdividing lots, no more trading density for donations to the AH slush fund, no more rezoning commercial to residential. And while they can't control by right development, they can still make the review process a bit more rigorous. (Ironically, it is harder to get approval to renovate your home now than it is tear down an older garden style apartment building and replace it with high-end townhomes.) But all of this would mean that property taxes for the rest of us would go up to offset that developer revenue loss, but we've got to pick our poison.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
P.S. We're not slated for W-L, but I find the Boomers to be unspeakably selfish. They want increased tax abatement, while they're sitting on hundreds of thousands in real estate equity.

I think it's a mistake to think that one generation or another has cornered the market on selfishness. I think boomers would be happy to pay for schools that look like the ones they attended -- some classrooms, labs, a library, a theater, a gym or two. But sheesh, W-L didn't even have a cafeteria until 1984, according to wikipedia. Can you see how cybercafes and atriums and six foreign languages might seem a little excessive to a 70-something, even if you think all those things are a worth it?

I hear parents complaining about who has the nicer building and how they can't possibly let their kids walk to school, and it's hard to think that Boomers have cornered the market on whining.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:what happened to the idea of coverting Central Library into a school building? That would fit 1,300 easy? Accessible to WL amenities but not on top of each other like Ed Ctr? Swapping Ed Ctr with Ctr Lbry maybe?

When was that an idea?

Squashing the library into a smaller building with practically no message would really send a message to taxpayers without children that Arlington doesn't give a sheet about them.

taxpayers without children would be jumping for joys for not having to fund yet another $50M facility.

but i get it. you want WL to stay the way it is, because you like it that way!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I attended the meeting. I agree that one takeaway is that the SB will choose to construct something constructed at Kenmore, unless the County Board decides that it is willing to supply a lot of land somewhere else.

Re the Yorktown boosters- I think in some respects different people were there to attend different meetings. As I understand it, there are some YT parents, or soon-to-be YT parents, who think that the SB screwed up the recent HS boundary adjustments, because YT is now predicted to be overcapacity in some way. I have listened to the YT civic association president make the same comments at a prior meeting. I think last night’s meeting was originally conceived as an opportunity to discuss these issues with SB members, and that’s why there were a couple of people there loaded for bear on that topic. However, it seems rather misguided to continue talking about how YT is a special neighborhood and the traffic issues, etc. given the seriously stark options being presented to Glen Carlyn residents and/or future W-L students. Everybody thinks their neighborhood is special.

As for the fired up Glen Carlyn folks, I’m glad they came and spoke out forcefully, because I think it’s important to hear about the other side of things and to appreciate the extremely strong feelings outside the echo chamber of other parents. They’re not wrong. Carlin Springs backs up from people trying to turn onto 50 and it makes it difficult to get out of the neighborhood or school. GC is a very small neighborhood hemmed in by a busy road, and the surrounding areas and zoned schools haven’t really seen the improvement that other areas have. And now the county is talking about closing their little library. One man from W-L talked about declining property values, but the same argument could be made for those in GC as it becomes more of a thoroughfare and less of a neighborhood. And let’s face it- there also is a bit of resentment at the perception that the longtime residents should not have to sacrifice in service of the generally more affluent north Arlington families who have moved here in the past decade. I am not saying that all of these arguments are legitimate, but I think that they are understandable.

I also agree the Kenmore site not at all conducive to biking and that walking is not ideal along that busy road. Unfortunately, it’s also that way at other sites around the county- for example, sites which require kids to cross or walk along Lee Highway, Washington Blvd, or Glebe Road (I’m sure there are others, but that is what I am most familiar with). Last fall a student was hit trying to cross Lee Highway. I also commute down Route 7, past TC Williams, and it’s also a mess in the morning with people coming out of the big intersection at Braddock/Quaker Lane, school walkers, commuters, all along a stretch that is hemmed in on the opposite side by houses which are close to the road. Alexandria recently reconfigured King St. to better accommodate bikers and corral traffic and it’s still not safe or ideal. But I just feel like I keep hearing that the same things are dealbreakers for every site – traffic, adjacent to a residential neighborhood, too close to another school.

In truth, I think that there are residents who raise traffic and safety when what they really mean is…the inn is full. There was an op-ed in ArlNow a couple of weeks ago to this effect- basically, we can’t keep constructing an infinite amount of school seats. I think there is a growing sentiment that a line needs to be drawn. And if it means that there are families who will choose not to live here, then so be it. I mean, there’s more than one way to solve this capacity issue- we could build, or we could reduce demand.

For me, for now, we’re in it for the long haul and a university sized W-L facility is just a non-starter. I’m also skeptical of any proposal to use the Ed Center as a temporary solution because I fear that the temporary will become the permanent so long as the sky doesn’t literally fall in. I wish that the SB members had more thoughtfully answered the questions about educating the whole child in such a large setting, and why it’s equitable or manageable to have one high school campus that is nearly twice the size of the others. They talked a lot about how 1800 YT students support a lot of different sports teams (for example), but didn’t talk at all about how 3500-4000 W-L students would have comparable or equal access when sharing the same facilities. I’m also curious as to how W-L’s neighbors feel about this proposal.

But we already live here. The Greatest Generation built the schools you needed, Gramps. Now pay it forward.

P.S. We're not slated for W-L, but I find the Boomers to be unspeakably selfish. They want increased tax abatement, while they're sitting on hundreds of thousands in real estate equity.

Yes, I totally agree with this. One of my neighbors sold their shitshack for close to $1M and didn't pay more than $200K for it when they raised their 3 kids here. They also mentioned they have two other properties elsewhere, one of which they are planning to live in. Must be nice to have 3 homes so you can leave one to each grown child. Another neighbor bought his shitshack for $100K more than 45 years ago and has a full govt pension. They have so much money they pay for their grand child's private school in another state. That neighbor regales me with tales about how they had to close the madison center b/c there weren't enough students. Cool story bro.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:what happened to the idea of coverting Central Library into a school building? That would fit 1,300 easy? Accessible to WL amenities but not on top of each other like Ed Ctr? Swapping Ed Ctr with Ctr Lbry maybe?

When was that an idea?

Squashing the library into a smaller building with practically no message would really send a message to taxpayers without children that Arlington doesn't give a sheet about them.

taxpayers without children would be jumping for joys for not having to fund yet another $50M facility.

but i get it. you want WL to stay the way it is, because you like it that way!

No shit head. I do not want my kids attending HS on a campus with 4000 kids. How is that so f---king hard for anyone to understand? They talk about inequities b/c there's no pool or football field. I could give a shit about those two amenities. How is it fair for 4000 students to have to share a campus when the other 2 comprehensive HS's will be much smaller?

I also agree that building up the Ed Center pretty much guarantees the students for many years after will be stuck there. Is this really the best that Arlington can do? This is like a real freaking nightmare scenario.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Re: "the inn is full" comment above-- true, we've got to deal with the families that are already here. But we don't have to keep approving new development. Right now, the County is predicting that school enrollment won't peak until 2030. Those kids aren't born yet, so they are obviously factoring in some sort of continued housing growth. But they could also just stop capitulating to the demands of developers-- no more subdividing lots, no more trading density for donations to the AH slush fund, no more rezoning commercial to residential. And while they can't control by right development, they can still make the review process a bit more rigorous. (Ironically, it is harder to get approval to renovate your home now than it is tear down an older garden style apartment building and replace it with high-end townhomes.) But all of this would mean that property taxes for the rest of us would go up to offset that developer revenue loss, but we've got to pick our poison.

Given that real estate taxes in Arlington are not oppressive, I would support an increase. What type of development are we talking about here? More of those dense affordable units that pours 1000s of poor kids into Arlington when their families can't afford to live here without being subsidized. Before you call me racist, I do not care. I am a minority also, but my spouse and I sacrificed for many many years to pay for the house we did. We did not get any handouts nor do we expect any. I have tons of family members that would love to live this close in to DC, but they cannot afford it. Where do they live? Much much further out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I attended the meeting. I agree that one takeaway is that the SB will choose to construct something constructed at Kenmore, unless the County Board decides that it is willing to supply a lot of land somewhere else.

Re the Yorktown boosters- I think in some respects different people were there to attend different meetings. As I understand it, there are some YT parents, or soon-to-be YT parents, who think that the SB screwed up the recent HS boundary adjustments, because YT is now predicted to be overcapacity in some way. I have listened to the YT civic association president make the same comments at a prior meeting. I think last night’s meeting was originally conceived as an opportunity to discuss these issues with SB members, and that’s why there were a couple of people there loaded for bear on that topic. However, it seems rather misguided to continue talking about how YT is a special neighborhood and the traffic issues, etc. given the seriously stark options being presented to Glen Carlyn residents and/or future W-L students. Everybody thinks their neighborhood is special.

As for the fired up Glen Carlyn folks, I’m glad they came and spoke out forcefully, because I think it’s important to hear about the other side of things and to appreciate the extremely strong feelings outside the echo chamber of other parents. They’re not wrong. Carlin Springs backs up from people trying to turn onto 50 and it makes it difficult to get out of the neighborhood or school. GC is a very small neighborhood hemmed in by a busy road, and the surrounding areas and zoned schools haven’t really seen the improvement that other areas have. And now the county is talking about closing their little library. One man from W-L talked about declining property values, but the same argument could be made for those in GC as it becomes more of a thoroughfare and less of a neighborhood. And let’s face it- there also is a bit of resentment at the perception that the longtime residents should not have to sacrifice in service of the generally more affluent north Arlington families who have moved here in the past decade. I am not saying that all of these arguments are legitimate, but I think that they are understandable.

I also agree the Kenmore site not at all conducive to biking and that walking is not ideal along that busy road. Unfortunately, it’s also that way at other sites around the county- for example, sites which require kids to cross or walk along Lee Highway, Washington Blvd, or Glebe Road (I’m sure there are others, but that is what I am most familiar with). Last fall a student was hit trying to cross Lee Highway. I also commute down Route 7, past TC Williams, and it’s also a mess in the morning with people coming out of the big intersection at Braddock/Quaker Lane, school walkers, commuters, all along a stretch that is hemmed in on the opposite side by houses which are close to the road. Alexandria recently reconfigured King St. to better accommodate bikers and corral traffic and it’s still not safe or ideal. But I just feel like I keep hearing that the same things are dealbreakers for every site – traffic, adjacent to a residential neighborhood, too close to another school.

In truth, I think that there are residents who raise traffic and safety when what they really mean is…the inn is full. There was an op-ed in ArlNow a couple of weeks ago to this effect- basically, we can’t keep constructing an infinite amount of school seats. I think there is a growing sentiment that a line needs to be drawn. And if it means that there are families who will choose not to live here, then so be it. I mean, there’s more than one way to solve this capacity issue- we could build, or we could reduce demand.

For me, for now, we’re in it for the long haul and a university sized W-L facility is just a non-starter. I’m also skeptical of any proposal to use the Ed Center as a temporary solution because I fear that the temporary will become the permanent so long as the sky doesn’t literally fall in. I wish that the SB members had more thoughtfully answered the questions about educating the whole child in such a large setting, and why it’s equitable or manageable to have one high school campus that is nearly twice the size of the others. They talked a lot about how 1800 YT students support a lot of different sports teams (for example), but didn’t talk at all about how 3500-4000 W-L students would have comparable or equal access when sharing the same facilities. I’m also curious as to how W-L’s neighbors feel about this proposal.

I have 2 future WL students (a current 3rd and 5th grader) and I agree with everything I bolded. We actively sought out WL for our children's HS because I attended a very similar demographic HS in Fairfax and I wanted my kids to attend a school with students from many different ethnic backgrounds and SES levels. It was a great experience for me. However, when we moved here in 2007 we never anticipated that the County would conceive of making a 4,000 student HS. I also STRONGLY FEEL that if they get that Ed center with the 1300---it will become a permanent solution pushing the HS to 4,000.

I will not send my kids to a 4,000 person HS. My 5th grader has 4 close friends all attending private school next year because the parents were concerned about the over-crowded MS. We would have stayed in DC if we were going to pay for private anyways.

I agree with the PPs. We are currently zoned for WL and have two kids even younger than PP. This has become a total shit show. Either we'll move or save up for private school.