Powerful Letter to the Arlington County School Board about Diversity

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Matthew was on the news this afternoon!
Great job.
If you haven't taken the time to sign the petition, please do so. We've got some great momentum going.
Let's keep it up!

Or, if you object to diversity, do come to meetings and say that publicly.

False dichotomy. You are not against diversity if you don't want to lose the right to send your kids to neighborhood schools or see them bused to another part of the county when they should be able to attend a school closer to home.

Sorry. We are a tiny county. You didn't get a school promised to you when you signed the deed to your house. The only thing that should be happening is equal quality and opportunities for all APS students.
They need to draw lines vertically. It's the only way to get a mix.

They can do that once they build a high school that's actually in the eastern part of the county. Until then, put a lid on it.

They aren't going to build another high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Matthew was on the news this afternoon!
Great job.
If you haven't taken the time to sign the petition, please do so. We've got some great momentum going.
Let's keep it up!

Or, if you object to diversity, do come to meetings and say that publicly.

False dichotomy. You are not against diversity if you don't want to lose the right to send your kids to neighborhood schools or see them bused to another part of the county when they should be able to attend a school closer to home.

Sorry. We are a tiny county. You didn't get a school promised to you when you signed the deed to your house. The only thing that should be happening is equal quality and opportunities for all APS students.
They need to draw lines vertically. It's the only way to get a mix.

They can do that once they build a high school that's actually in the eastern part of the county. Until then, put a lid on it.

They aren't going to build another high school.

Correct. They are adding 1300 seats at the Ed Center. It will be a choice program. SB Members are already telling folks this in closed door meetings. There will be no 4th comprehensive HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Matthew was on the news this afternoon!
Great job.
If you haven't taken the time to sign the petition, please do so. We've got some great momentum going.
Let's keep it up!

Or, if you object to diversity, do come to meetings and say that publicly.

False dichotomy. You are not against diversity if you don't want to lose the right to send your kids to neighborhood schools or see them bused to another part of the county when they should be able to attend a school closer to home.

Sorry. We are a tiny county. You didn't get a school promised to you when you signed the deed to your house. The only thing that should be happening is equal quality and opportunities for all APS students.
They need to draw lines vertically. It's the only way to get a mix.

They can do that once they build a high school that's actually in the eastern part of the county. Until then, put a lid on it.

They aren't going to build another high school.

Correct. They are adding 1300 seats at the Ed Center. It will be a choice program. SB Members are already telling folks this in closed door meetings. There will be no 4th comprehensive HS.

And that is why there won't be any "putting a lid on it".
This conversation is going to lead to a county wide melt down. It needs to happen. It will be ugly and will likely make national news. Nothing more delicious than watching self proclaimed liberals cannibalize each other. It's decades of hypocrisy coming to a head. We deserve it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Matthew was on the news this afternoon!
Great job.
If you haven't taken the time to sign the petition, please do so. We've got some great momentum going.
Let's keep it up!

Or, if you object to diversity, do come to meetings and say that publicly.

False dichotomy. You are not against diversity if you don't want to lose the right to send your kids to neighborhood schools or see them bused to another part of the county when they should be able to attend a school closer to home.

Sorry. We are a tiny county. You didn't get a school promised to you when you signed the deed to your house. The only thing that should be happening is equal quality and opportunities for all APS students.
They need to draw lines vertically. It's the only way to get a mix.

They can do that once they build a high school that's actually in the eastern part of the county. Until then, put a lid on it.

No need. It's golf courses and cemetery. The three current schools can be redrawn very nicely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

They need to draw lines vertically. It's the only way to get a mix.

Trying to understand, as I am a Fairfax resident. Are you saying that the lines need to be drawn for the express purpose of diversity over convenience? In other words, that kids should not go to the closest schools?

No, I don't think that is what PP was saying. Since the 3 comprehensive HS in Arlington are not well placed, the boundaries are not like nice circles. I mean, half of Wakefield's walk zone is your county because it's built right on the border between our two counties.

With this boundary change, they made the boundaries look more like horizontal stripes. So, top 1/3 of the county goes to Yorktown, middle 1/3 goes to W-L, and bottom 1/3 goes to Wakefield. They could have moved the boundaries in a more vertical way. They couldn't have made them completely vertical with this limited boundary change, but they could have moved in that general direction. Ultimately, if APS's future growth projections are correct, they are going to have to shift the boundaries this way. Yorktown will be undercapacity, and W-L and Wakefield will be way over. They will have to shift some more W-L and some Wakefield students to Yorktown within 5 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Matthew was on the news this afternoon!
Great job.
If you haven't taken the time to sign the petition, please do so. We've got some great momentum going.
Let's keep it up!

Or, if you object to diversity, do come to meetings and say that publicly.

False dichotomy. You are not against diversity if you don't want to lose the right to send your kids to neighborhood schools or see them bused to another part of the county when they should be able to attend a school closer to home.

Sorry. We are a tiny county. You didn't get a school promised to you when you signed the deed to your house. The only thing that should be happening is equal quality and opportunities for all APS students.
They need to draw lines vertically. It's the only way to get a mix.

They can do that once they build a high school that's actually in the eastern part of the county. Until then, put a lid on it.

They aren't going to build another high school.

Correct. They are adding 1300 seats at the Ed Center. It will be a choice program. SB Members are already telling folks this in closed door meetings. There will be no 4th comprehensive HS.

Correction: It will be a choice program that will end up pulling wealthier students from the Wakefield district, making Wakefield poorer and less white.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Matthew was on the news this afternoon!
Great job.
If you haven't taken the time to sign the petition, please do so. We've got some great momentum going.
Let's keep it up!

Or, if you object to diversity, do come to meetings and say that publicly.

False dichotomy. You are not against diversity if you don't want to lose the right to send your kids to neighborhood schools or see them bused to another part of the county when they should be able to attend a school closer to home.

Sorry. We are a tiny county. You didn't get a school promised to you when you signed the deed to your house. The only thing that should be happening is equal quality and opportunities for all APS students.
They need to draw lines vertically. It's the only way to get a mix.

They can do that once they build a high school that's actually in the eastern part of the county. Until then, put a lid on it.

They aren't going to build another high school.

Correct. They are adding 1300 seats at the Ed Center. It will be a choice program. SB Members are already telling folks this in closed door meetings. There will be no 4th comprehensive HS.

Correction: It will be a choice program that will end up pulling wealthier students from the Wakefield district, making Wakefield poorer and less white.

Haven't we heard this tune before? Didn't the county get sued over the racial makeup of H-B?

Has anyone looked at the demographic breakdown of the IB transfers to W-L? How many of the transfers from Wakefield are F/RL? How many are nonwhite? Even with the elementary-specific lottery for HB--what share of students at HB are F/RL? It shouldn't be too difficult to make some educated guesses about what is likely to happen with a new choice program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Matthew was on the news this afternoon!
Great job.
If you haven't taken the time to sign the petition, please do so. We've got some great momentum going.
Let's keep it up!

Or, if you object to diversity, do come to meetings and say that publicly.

False dichotomy. You are not against diversity if you don't want to lose the right to send your kids to neighborhood schools or see them bused to another part of the county when they should be able to attend a school closer to home.

Sorry. We are a tiny county. You didn't get a school promised to you when you signed the deed to your house. The only thing that should be happening is equal quality and opportunities for all APS students.
They need to draw lines vertically. It's the only way to get a mix.

They can do that once they build a high school that's actually in the eastern part of the county. Until then, put a lid on it.

They aren't going to build another high school.

Correct. They are adding 1300 seats at the Ed Center. It will be a choice program. SB Members are already telling folks this in closed door meetings. There will be no 4th comprehensive HS.

Correction: It will be a choice program that will end up pulling wealthier students from the Wakefield district, making Wakefield poorer and less white.

I feel like everytime I ask one of my south Arlington neighbors how they like Wakefield, they are like, " we're IB at WL" or "we're at HB"
You have to wonder if the SB's plan has always been - add enough "choice" space ( tech/ib etc) to appease south side white flight. Then pat themselves on the back about what a great job they are doing for the immigrant communities, ignoring their test scores, because poor ESOL kids have low scores. That's just how it is. They never complain, they're just happy to be here.
Too cynical?

[Anonymous]

Can anyone shed any light on Kanninen's behavior during this process? Why was she so intent on creating a new option? What were her complaints about the original 3, and how did the new option 4 address those complaints? This was the one SB meeting I missed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Matthew was on the news this afternoon!
Great job.
If you haven't taken the time to sign the petition, please do so. We've got some great momentum going.
Let's keep it up!

Or, if you object to diversity, do come to meetings and say that publicly.

False dichotomy. You are not against diversity if you don't want to lose the right to send your kids to neighborhood schools or see them bused to another part of the county when they should be able to attend a school closer to home.

Sorry. We are a tiny county. You didn't get a school promised to you when you signed the deed to your house. The only thing that should be happening is equal quality and opportunities for all APS students.
They need to draw lines vertically. It's the only way to get a mix.

They can do that once they build a high school that's actually in the eastern part of the county. Until then, put a lid on it.

They aren't going to build another high school.

Correct. They are adding 1300 seats at the Ed Center. It will be a choice program. SB Members are already telling folks this in closed door meetings. There will be no 4th comprehensive HS.

Correction: It will be a choice program that will end up pulling wealthier students from the Wakefield district, making Wakefield poorer and less white.

I feel like everytime I ask one of my south Arlington neighbors how they like Wakefield, they are like, " we're IB at WL" or "we're at HB"
You have to wonder if the SB's plan has always been - add enough "choice" space ( tech/ib etc) to appease south side white flight. Then pat themselves on the back about what a great job they are doing for the immigrant communities, ignoring their test scores, because poor ESOL kids have low scores. That's just how it is. They never complain, they're just happy to be here.
Too cynical?

PP who wrote the comment right above yours. You may be cynical, but IMO you're also correct.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Matthew was on the news this afternoon!
Great job.
If you haven't taken the time to sign the petition, please do so. We've got some great momentum going.
Let's keep it up!

Or, if you object to diversity, do come to meetings and say that publicly.

False dichotomy. You are not against diversity if you don't want to lose the right to send your kids to neighborhood schools or see them bused to another part of the county when they should be able to attend a school closer to home.

Sorry. We are a tiny county. You didn't get a school promised to you when you signed the deed to your house. The only thing that should be happening is equal quality and opportunities for all APS students.
They need to draw lines vertically. It's the only way to get a mix.

They can do that once they build a high school that's actually in the eastern part of the county. Until then, put a lid on it.

They aren't going to build another high school.

Correct. They are adding 1300 seats at the Ed Center. It will be a choice program. SB Members are already telling folks this in closed door meetings. There will be no 4th comprehensive HS.

Correction: It will be a choice program that will end up pulling wealthier students from the Wakefield district, making Wakefield poorer and less white.

I feel like everytime I ask one of my south Arlington neighbors how they like Wakefield, they are like, " we're IB at WL" or "we're at HB"
You have to wonder if the SB's plan has always been - add enough "choice" space ( tech/ib etc) to appease south side white flight. Then pat themselves on the back about what a great job they are doing for the immigrant communities, ignoring their test scores, because poor ESOL kids have low scores. That's just how it is. They never complain, they're just happy to be here.
Too cynical?

And don't worry, if you do complain, James Landers will never ask you how much you make. Because income doesn't matter. It's a post-poverty world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Matthew was on the news this afternoon!
Great job.
If you haven't taken the time to sign the petition, please do so. We've got some great momentum going.
Let's keep it up!

Or, if you object to diversity, do come to meetings and say that publicly.

False dichotomy. You are not against diversity if you don't want to lose the right to send your kids to neighborhood schools or see them bused to another part of the county when they should be able to attend a school closer to home.

Sorry. We are a tiny county. You didn't get a school promised to you when you signed the deed to your house. The only thing that should be happening is equal quality and opportunities for all APS students.
They need to draw lines vertically. It's the only way to get a mix.

They can do that once they build a high school that's actually in the eastern part of the county. Until then, put a lid on it.

They aren't going to build another high school.

Correct. They are adding 1300 seats at the Ed Center. It will be a choice program. SB Members are already telling folks this in closed door meetings. There will be no 4th comprehensive HS.

And that is why there won't be any "putting a lid on it".
This conversation is going to lead to a county wide melt down. It needs to happen. It will be ugly and will likely make national news. Nothing more delicious than watching self proclaimed liberals cannibalize each other. It's decades of hypocrisy coming to a head. We deserve it.

^^^
Ditto this. Lots of DCUMers who call themselves liberal but will fight tooth and nail to keep their kids in segregated schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Matthew was on the news this afternoon!
Great job.
If you haven't taken the time to sign the petition, please do so. We've got some great momentum going.
Let's keep it up!

Or, if you object to diversity, do come to meetings and say that publicly.

False dichotomy. You are not against diversity if you don't want to lose the right to send your kids to neighborhood schools or see them bused to another part of the county when they should be able to attend a school closer to home.

Sorry. We are a tiny county. You didn't get a school promised to you when you signed the deed to your house. The only thing that should be happening is equal quality and opportunities for all APS students.
They need to draw lines vertically. It's the only way to get a mix.

They can do that once they build a high school that's actually in the eastern part of the county. Until then, put a lid on it.

They aren't going to build another high school.

Correct. They are adding 1300 seats at the Ed Center. It will be a choice program. SB Members are already telling folks this in closed door meetings. There will be no 4th comprehensive HS.

And that is why there won't be any "putting a lid on it".
This conversation is going to lead to a county wide melt down. It needs to happen. It will be ugly and will likely make national news. Nothing more delicious than watching self proclaimed liberals cannibalize each other. It's decades of hypocrisy coming to a head. We deserve it.

^^^
Ditto this. Lots of DCUMers who call themselves liberal but will fight tooth and nail to keep their kids in segregated schools.

Okay, but let's acknowledge that there do seem to be a fair number of residents who don't want segregated schools. One thing I know for sure--calling people racist will not generate additional support.

I keep thinking about that wonderful article in the Post a while back about the scion of the alt-right movement who renounced all ties to them...and his conversion started when an orthodox Jewish college student reached out and invited him to a Shabbat dinner.

We need to connect with people to change minds. Disparaging them is not going to do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Matthew was on the news this afternoon!
Great job.
If you haven't taken the time to sign the petition, please do so. We've got some great momentum going.
Let's keep it up!

Or, if you object to diversity, do come to meetings and say that publicly.

False dichotomy. You are not against diversity if you don't want to lose the right to send your kids to neighborhood schools or see them bused to another part of the county when they should be able to attend a school closer to home.

Sorry. We are a tiny county. You didn't get a school promised to you when you signed the deed to your house. The only thing that should be happening is equal quality and opportunities for all APS students.
They need to draw lines vertically. It's the only way to get a mix.

They can do that once they build a high school that's actually in the eastern part of the county. Until then, put a lid on it.

They aren't going to build another high school.

Correct. They are adding 1300 seats at the Ed Center. It will be a choice program. SB Members are already telling folks this in closed door meetings. There will be no 4th comprehensive HS.

And that is why there won't be any "putting a lid on it".
This conversation is going to lead to a county wide melt down. It needs to happen. It will be ugly and will likely make national news. Nothing more delicious than watching self proclaimed liberals cannibalize each other. It's decades of hypocrisy coming to a head. We deserve it.

^^^
Ditto this. Lots of DCUMers who call themselves liberal but will fight tooth and nail to keep their kids in segregated schools.

Okay, but let's acknowledge that there do seem to be a fair number of residents who don't want segregated schools. One thing I know for sure--calling people racist will not generate additional support.

I keep thinking about that wonderful article in the Post a while back about the scion of the alt-right movement who renounced all ties to them...and his conversion started when an orthodox Jewish college student reached out and invited him to a Shabbat dinner.

We need to connect with people to change minds. Disparaging them is not going to do it.

Oh absolutely there are people who want integrated schools. Hopefully we've reached a critical mass on that. It was amazing watching Nancy Van Doren on the news tonight. She seems like a nice well meaning person, but she is so deeply detached. She and Landers are not capable of having an honest conversation about what are admittedly uncomfortable issues. They just aren't able to do it.
We need different leadership, but citizens need to show up to the caucuses for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Oh absolutely there are people who want integrated schools. Hopefully we've reached a critical mass on that. It was amazing watching Nancy Van Doren on the news tonight. She seems like a nice well meaning person, but she is so deeply detached. She and Landers are not capable of having an honest conversation about what are admittedly uncomfortable issues. They just aren't able to do it.
We need different leadership, but citizens need to show up to the caucuses for that.

The caucus system needs to go away because Arlington Democrats aren't looking for anyone who will criticize its past picks, and that needs to happen.