Let’s Talk APS High Schools: 4th one or no?

[Anonymous]

Yorktown will not get to opt out of the overcrowding that’s wishful thinking. WL will be the most overcrowded and Yorktown will have class sizes of 40 if they can’t use trailers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yorktown will not get to opt out of the overcrowding that’s wishful thinking. WL will be the most overcrowded and Yorktown will have class sizes of 40 if they can’t use trailers.

Dream on...

[Anonymous]

Here is a link to the study:
https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Facilities-Optimization-Study.pdf

[Anonymous]

Yep- increased class sizes for Yorktown.
The entire community needs to get onboard with pushing for a fully comparable 4th high school at the career center.

[Anonymous]

APS isn’t going to change class size policy just for Yorktown. If they start having to to go over policy, that’s going to push a boundary redraw to shift more planning units to schools that can take trailers.

[Anonymous]

I think its all in your definition of 'comprehensive.'
Do we need more high school seats- of course.
Is that best served through a 4th neighborhood high school? maybe.
Does that 4th high school need green space- yes.
Does the 4th high school need a pool- not when you look at the tradeoffs.
The pool is one of the most important things to be put in. Clearly it is a community benefit, but it is not really a 'school' benefit. I can't see spending funds and land that are desperately needed elsewhere to put in a 4th pool, especially given the long branch aquatics center.

[Anonymous]

I’m late to this thread, but I live close to the Career Center (though south of the Pike). Like the rest of the neighborhood I’d be thrilled by a 4th comprehensive high school walkable to us. The demographic issue for Wakefield is concerning, but until the boundaries (or the advent of affordable housing) change in a meaningful way that’s going to be stuck where it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:APS isn’t going to change class size policy just for Yorktown. If they start having to to go over policy, that’s going to push a boundary redraw to shift more planning units to schools that can take trailers.

APS isn’t going to keep shrinking the Yorktown boundary to keep it a nice size. They will change policy if need be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:APS isn’t going to change class size policy just for Yorktown. If they start having to to go over policy, that’s going to push a boundary redraw to shift more planning units to schools that can take trailers.

APS isn’t going to keep shrinking the Yorktown boundary to keep it a nice size. They will change policy if need be.

Would it be a Yorktown specific policy or would it apply to the other schools as well?

[Anonymous]

Well if Yorktown can’t take trailers they still need to do their part... pick your poison. Watching that video of upper east dodgers in NY easily could have been confused with Yorktown parents!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:APS isn’t going to change class size policy just for Yorktown. If they start having to to go over policy, that’s going to push a boundary redraw to shift more planning units to schools that can take trailers.

There would be huge push back if APS allowed the richest whitest high school to maintain class size and overall school size while the other high schools become trailer parks with 3,000+ students. Maybe Yorktown will get to be the guinea pig and have two shifts of students going to school from 6am to 11pm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:APS isn’t going to change class size policy just for Yorktown. If they start having to to go over policy, that’s going to push a boundary redraw to shift more planning units to schools that can take trailers.

There would be huge push back if APS allowed the richest whitest high school to maintain class size and overall school size while the other high schools become trailer parks with 3,000+ students. Maybe Yorktown will get to be the guinea pig and have two shifts of students going to school from 6am to 11pm.

Sorry, but the acreage is the acreage. At some level, this also reflected in the common space capacity. The answer to these issues is a fourth high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:APS isn’t going to change class size policy just for Yorktown. If they start having to to go over policy, that’s going to push a boundary redraw to shift more planning units to schools that can take trailers.

APS isn’t going to keep shrinking the Yorktown boundary to keep it a nice size. They will change policy if need be.

Would it be a Yorktown specific policy or would it apply to the other schools as well?

The policy will be every school carries 130 % capacity. Whatever it means for that school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think its all in your definition of 'comprehensive.'
Do we need more high school seats- of course.
Is that best served through a 4th neighborhood high school? maybe.
Does that 4th high school need green space- yes.
Does the 4th high school need a pool- not when you look at the tradeoffs.
The pool is one of the most important things to be put in. Clearly it is a community benefit, but it is not really a 'school' benefit. I can't see spending funds and land that are desperately needed elsewhere to put in a 4th pool, especially given the long branch aquatics center.

Yes, the 4th high school needs an aquatic center for school AND community use, same as the other high schools, and they are all heavily used.
It will be in the perfect walkable location, which is a great benefit for high school students as well as seniors.
The Long Branch aquatic center on the other hand is a vanity project that we cannot afford right now. It would end up serving a ton of DC residents, subsidized by the Arlington taxpayer. I really don’t know what they were thinking, approving this project to move forward, when we have so many more important projects to finance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:APS isn’t going to change class size policy just for Yorktown. If they start having to to go over policy, that’s going to push a boundary redraw to shift more planning units to schools that can take trailers.

APS isn’t going to keep shrinking the Yorktown boundary to keep it a nice size. They will change policy if need be.

Would it be a Yorktown specific policy or would it apply to the other schools as well?

The policy will be every school carries 130 % capacity. Whatever it means for that school.

No, it won’t be. If the whole system is over capacity, it will be that each school carries roughly the same percent of their max preferred capacity. If you think otherwise, you’re dreaming. Whatever justice you might find in it, APS is not going to use Yorktown as a guinea pig for a new alternative capacity management plan while leaving themselves no ability to change course if it doesn’t work because there’s no place to put all of the bodies. Especially since, given the relative proximities of all the schools, they know the Ed Center and Career Center sites will be the hardest sell for Yorktown families. So get over it and start thinking about a fourth high school.