APS Middle School Boundaries?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let's refresh everyone on what a neighborhood-school is supposed to be about. We are all supposed to live near each other and its supposed to be a community. If I am in a PU that gets bused to TJ I don't want to now get bused to freaking Williamsburg and not be with any people near me just so some N Arlington jerks can still walk to school.

I'm sure that's just a rumor but it's freaking outrageous.

Yeah it is hard for kids to remain friends with other kids who live close by when they go to different schools. This would be awful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's refresh everyone on what a neighborhood-school is supposed to be about. We are all supposed to live near each other and its supposed to be a community. If I am in a PU that gets bused to TJ I don't want to now get bused to freaking Williamsburg and not be with any people near me just so some N Arlington jerks can still walk to school.

I'm sure that's just a rumor but it's freaking outrageous.

Yeah it is hard for kids to remain friends with other kids who live close by when they go to different schools. This would be awful.

The community is defined by the boundaries drawn by by APS. Your neighbors would still go to the same school, unless you happen to be right on a boundary. And boundaries have to be somewhere. It's not really a change from the status quo. It's just a question of what methodology and inputs APS uses to decide the boundary map.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let's refresh everyone on what a neighborhood-school is supposed to be about. We are all supposed to live near each other and its supposed to be a community. If I am in a PU that gets bused to TJ I don't want to now get bused to freaking Williamsburg and not be with any people near me just so some N Arlington jerks can still walk to school.

I'm sure that's just a rumor but it's freaking outrageous.

These are children you’re talking about. On one hand, you discuss the importance of community, and on the other hand, you’re making some pretty solid judgment/stereotypes about a part of our own community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's refresh everyone on what a neighborhood-school is supposed to be about. We are all supposed to live near each other and its supposed to be a community. If I am in a PU that gets bused to TJ I don't want to now get bused to freaking Williamsburg and not be with any people near me just so some N Arlington jerks can still walk to school.

I'm sure that's just a rumor but it's freaking outrageous.

Yeah it is hard for kids to remain friends with other kids who live close by when they go to different schools. This would be awful.

The community is defined by the boundaries drawn by by APS. Your neighbors would still go to the same school, unless you happen to be right on a boundary. And boundaries have to be somewhere. It's not really a change from the status quo. It's just a question of what methodology and inputs APS uses to decide the boundary map.

When boundaries are not contiguous there is no community. Sorry but some bused island over by TJ or Kenmore is not going to be part of the school community no matter how you spin it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's refresh everyone on what a neighborhood-school is supposed to be about. We are all supposed to live near each other and its supposed to be a community. If I am in a PU that gets bused to TJ I don't want to now get bused to freaking Williamsburg and not be with any people near me just so some N Arlington jerks can still walk to school.

I'm sure that's just a rumor but it's freaking outrageous.

Yeah it is hard for kids to remain friends with other kids who live close by when they go to different schools. This would be awful.

The community is defined by the boundaries drawn by by APS. Your neighbors would still go to the same school, unless you happen to be right on a boundary. And boundaries have to be somewhere. It's not really a change from the status quo. It's just a question of what methodology and inputs APS uses to decide the boundary map.

In the immediate vicinity, yes. But overall, no. The kids who live closer to a school but are sent farther away will live farther from other kids who go to what was their neighborhood school. And they will be going to school with kids who live far from them too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's refresh everyone on what a neighborhood-school is supposed to be about. We are all supposed to live near each other and its supposed to be a community. If I am in a PU that gets bused to TJ I don't want to now get bused to freaking Williamsburg and not be with any people near me just so some N Arlington jerks can still walk to school.

I'm sure that's just a rumor but it's freaking outrageous.

These are children you’re talking about. On one hand, you discuss the importance of community, and on the other hand, you’re making some pretty solid judgment/stereotypes about a part of our own community.

The jerks are the adults. Adults that will throw just about anyone under the bus (no pun intended) to get what they have decided is best for themeselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's refresh everyone on what a neighborhood-school is supposed to be about. We are all supposed to live near each other and its supposed to be a community. If I am in a PU that gets bused to TJ I don't want to now get bused to freaking Williamsburg and not be with any people near me just so some N Arlington jerks can still walk to school.

I'm sure that's just a rumor but it's freaking outrageous.

These are children you’re talking about. On one hand, you discuss the importance of community, and on the other hand, you’re making some pretty solid judgment/stereotypes about a part of our own community.

I think we all know that PP was talking about the parents, not the kids. And many parents are more than willing to advocate for causes that are bad for other kids so there will be some small gain for their own children, and yes that makes them jerks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's refresh everyone on what a neighborhood-school is supposed to be about. We are all supposed to live near each other and its supposed to be a community. If I am in a PU that gets bused to TJ I don't want to now get bused to freaking Williamsburg and not be with any people near me just so some N Arlington jerks can still walk to school.

I'm sure that's just a rumor but it's freaking outrageous.

Yeah it is hard for kids to remain friends with other kids who live close by when they go to different schools. This would be awful.

The community is defined by the boundaries drawn by by APS. Your neighbors would still go to the same school, unless you happen to be right on a boundary. And boundaries have to be somewhere. It's not really a change from the status quo. It's just a question of what methodology and inputs APS uses to decide the boundary map.

When boundaries are not contiguous there is no community. Sorry but some bused island over by TJ or Kenmore is not going to be part of the school community no matter how you spin it.

That's crazy. Option schools have plenty of community. And MS and HS boundaries are already large. APS has already said it won't create small islands of PUs. Trying to preserve walk zones shouldn't do anything crazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Latest proposal I saw was basically preserving walk zones, and then just rotating bused PUs to balance enrollment. Seems likely they are ignoring alignment since it’s too difficult without more capacity in upper schools.

Where did you see this? How do they fill Williamsburg without dipping into some walk zones? There's nowhere to go but Swanson or Hamm walk zones. They need a lot of PUs to move to Williamsburg.

The diagram I saw imagined he bused PUs as a river, flowing around the walk zone islands. Basically bus for WMS could be coming from what used to be a Kenmore or TJ PU even, and just flow up to WMS around walkzones. It actually reduced the overall demand for buses in the system because the routes allowed for more effective utilization for each bus.

Um, that is bonkers. If you don't happen to be "lucky" enough to live in a walk zone you're going to get bused where ever you fit. Sure, no one will have any problem with that. We want neighborhood schools EXCEPT if you're not in the walk zone then you're not part of the neighborhood and go where ever you fit in. Also, option students you should also piss off and go where ever you fit. Walkers are the priority above all else. But also I will drive my kid a bunch whenever it works for me. Thanks APS.

Huge exaggeration. They wouldn't be bused wherever. You be bused to the closest school with room.

Oh, ok that's way better. (It's not.) I have to leave my school and community to go to Williamsburg so you can still walk? APS can certainly pass a policy saying above all else the priority is keeping walk zones going to their schools, but they haven't done so yet and would get a lot of objection for reasons obvious to most people. But whatever diagram is going around sounds well thought out.

Maximizing walkers dramatically cuts busing costs and drivers are impossible to hire.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's refresh everyone on what a neighborhood-school is supposed to be about. We are all supposed to live near each other and its supposed to be a community. If I am in a PU that gets bused to TJ I don't want to now get bused to freaking Williamsburg and not be with any people near me just so some N Arlington jerks can still walk to school.

I'm sure that's just a rumor but it's freaking outrageous.

Yeah it is hard for kids to remain friends with other kids who live close by when they go to different schools. This would be awful.

The community is defined by the boundaries drawn by by APS. Your neighbors would still go to the same school, unless you happen to be right on a boundary. And boundaries have to be somewhere. It's not really a change from the status quo. It's just a question of what methodology and inputs APS uses to decide the boundary map.

Exactly there have always been boundaries. And when talking about walkable boundaries, usually it means a major road or landmark — it’s not like your kids would be running across each others backyards but bused to opposite directions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's refresh everyone on what a neighborhood-school is supposed to be about. We are all supposed to live near each other and its supposed to be a community. If I am in a PU that gets bused to TJ I don't want to now get bused to freaking Williamsburg and not be with any people near me just so some N Arlington jerks can still walk to school.

I'm sure that's just a rumor but it's freaking outrageous.

Yeah it is hard for kids to remain friends with other kids who live close by when they go to different schools. This would be awful.

The community is defined by the boundaries drawn by by APS. Your neighbors would still go to the same school, unless you happen to be right on a boundary. And boundaries have to be somewhere. It's not really a change from the status quo. It's just a question of what methodology and inputs APS uses to decide the boundary map.

In the immediate vicinity, yes. But overall, no. The kids who live closer to a school but are sent farther away will live farther from other kids who go to what was their neighborhood school. And they will be going to school with kids who live far from them too.

And this plan minimizes the number of kids who are bused further away. We had to bus people away from neighborhood school because of capacity mismatch, but this minimizes the impact and the cost.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's refresh everyone on what a neighborhood-school is supposed to be about. We are all supposed to live near each other and its supposed to be a community. If I am in a PU that gets bused to TJ I don't want to now get bused to freaking Williamsburg and not be with any people near me just so some N Arlington jerks can still walk to school.

I'm sure that's just a rumor but it's freaking outrageous.

These are children you’re talking about. On one hand, you discuss the importance of community, and on the other hand, you’re making some pretty solid judgment/stereotypes about a part of our own community.

The jerks are the adults. Adults that will throw just about anyone under the bus (no pun intended) to get what they have decided is best for themeselves.

So again back to name calling and calling people crazy. Some things never change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's refresh everyone on what a neighborhood-school is supposed to be about. We are all supposed to live near each other and its supposed to be a community. If I am in a PU that gets bused to TJ I don't want to now get bused to freaking Williamsburg and not be with any people near me just so some N Arlington jerks can still walk to school.

I'm sure that's just a rumor but it's freaking outrageous.

Yeah it is hard for kids to remain friends with other kids who live close by when they go to different schools. This would be awful.

The community is defined by the boundaries drawn by by APS. Your neighbors would still go to the same school, unless you happen to be right on a boundary. And boundaries have to be somewhere. It's not really a change from the status quo. It's just a question of what methodology and inputs APS uses to decide the boundary map.

When boundaries are not contiguous there is no community. Sorry but some bused island over by TJ or Kenmore is not going to be part of the school community no matter how you spin it.

That's crazy. Option schools have plenty of community. And MS and HS boundaries are already large. APS has already said it won't create small islands of PUs. Trying to preserve walk zones shouldn't do anything crazy.

I bet you're talking about elementary option schools. Things get different in middle school when your parents aren't scheduling playdates, and option schools have made an effort to build community. A non-options school isn't going to do that.

[Anonymous]

What imaginary plan are people talking about and what diagram? A plan that creates a swirl of kids (per some PP who first floated this whole magical plan) who get bused to Williamsburg while Hamm and Swanson walk zones don't get touched will in fact create isalnds. So which is it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let's refresh everyone on what a neighborhood-school is supposed to be about. We are all supposed to live near each other and its supposed to be a community. If I am in a PU that gets bused to TJ I don't want to now get bused to freaking Williamsburg and not be with any people near me just so some N Arlington jerks can still walk to school.

I'm sure that's just a rumor but it's freaking outrageous.

Yeah it is hard for kids to remain friends with other kids who live close by when they go to different schools. This would be awful.

The community is defined by the boundaries drawn by by APS. Your neighbors would still go to the same school, unless you happen to be right on a boundary. And boundaries have to be somewhere. It's not really a change from the status quo. It's just a question of what methodology and inputs APS uses to decide the boundary map.

When boundaries are not contiguous there is no community. Sorry but some bused island over by TJ or Kenmore is not going to be part of the school community no matter how you spin it.

That's crazy. Option schools have plenty of community. And MS and HS boundaries are already large. APS has already said it won't create small islands of PUs. Trying to preserve walk zones shouldn't do anything crazy.

I bet you're talking about elementary option schools. Things get different in middle school when your parents aren't scheduling playdates, and option schools have made an effort to build community. A non-options school isn't going to do that.

Why sort of community do you even talk about in middle school or high school? Our kids stay on campus for activities and then take late bus home. Or they walk to get some food and then take ART home. It’s not like the whole families get together, and these schools are HUGE — so kids come from miles apart no matter what you do. Parents just aren’t in the picture that much.