Who said there isn't a North-South divide?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ll tell you another symptom (cause? effect?) of the North/South divide in APS: teacher turnover.

Agreed. And the Board refuses to change the compensation scheme to incentivize teachers to stay in the Title I schools.

I wasn’t aware that turnover was high in south Arlignton. Everyone says the teachers are better in the south Arlington schools.

[Anonymous]

Hmm. Our NA school lost 2 really good teachers to a SA school bc they can be coaches there. There are more teacher resources in Title 1 schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ll tell you another symptom (cause? effect?) of the North/South divide in APS: teacher turnover.

Agreed. And the Board refuses to change the compensation scheme to incentivize teachers to stay in the Title I schools.

I wasn’t aware that turnover was high in south Arlignton. Everyone says the teachers are better in the south Arlington schools.

I work at one of the South Arlington schools and many of the teachers and assistants have been there 10+ years. Two retired this year after spending their whole careers there. I have taught in other Title I schools in other states and this was not the norm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ll tell you another symptom (cause? effect?) of the North/South divide in APS: teacher turnover.

Agreed. And the Board refuses to change the compensation scheme to incentivize teachers to stay in the Title I schools.

I wasn’t aware that turnover was high in south Arlignton. Everyone says the teachers are better in the south Arlington schools.

I work at one of the South Arlington schools and many of the teachers and assistants have been there 10+ years. Two retired this year after spending their whole careers there. I have taught in other Title I schools in other states and this was not the norm.

Thank you. I had always heard wonderful things about our neighborhood school ( Randolph). I’ve heard the teachers are great and it’s very warm and welcoming. I always see tons of parents at drop off, and when they have family activities, I always see huge turn out. Sure, these familes aren’t as well off, but it is clear they care about their children’s education. My friend does an arts program in the school and has said the kids are very engaged and well behaved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ll tell you another symptom (cause? effect?) of the North/South divide in APS: teacher turnover.

Agreed. And the Board refuses to change the compensation scheme to incentivize teachers to stay in the Title I schools.

I wasn’t aware that turnover was high in south Arlignton. Everyone says the teachers are better in the south Arlington schools.

It's been a huge issue at Drew (which is only one school--don't know about the others)

A lot of principal turnover too

[Anonymous]

Check the APS jobs page sometime. You’ll see very clearly where the openings are — and where they are not.

Working in SA schools has its special challenges. Granted, the parent population in NA can be challenging too, but overall, low-income populations are more draining to work with. (All of this is my own opinion, of course. But I’ve worked in both areas.)

And being in a NA school often means hefty bonuses from parents and benefits from the PTA.

I second what the PP said about principal turnover too. Often principals are the cause of SA teacher turnover.

I also agree with the PP who said the Randolph teachers are excellent, BTW. No doubt the several new (to that school) hires will be, too — they’ve posted for several positions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Randolph can be 100% filled with walkers. It’s boundary may even shrink in the upcoming changes. Hopefully the Board will do the right thing and extend Ashlawn south of 50, keep Long Branch partly south of 50, keep south of CP at Fleet, move some of Arlington Ridge to Drew, make key a neighborhood school but extend boundaries further up into Lyon Park. One Arlington. Start focusing on central Arlington and let other overcrowding continue one more year till Reed opens. Just do it all at once. Be bold APS.

There isn't a snowball's chance that APS won't move only the poorest kids and AH zoned to Oakridge -- all of which is in the Oakridge walk zone - to Drew. Including the Berkeley, which is currently being renovated to be twice its current size. When that happens, Arlington ridge will pretend to care about losing their school's diversity but they won't do anything meaningful to protect it. Drew will be well over 50% farms, and Oakridge will prob be 10 or lower.

How do you know this? Also, when is this decision expected to be made?

That boundary process begins this fall. Pay attention and stay engaged.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Randolph can be 100% filled with walkers. It’s boundary may even shrink in the upcoming changes. Hopefully the Board will do the right thing and extend Ashlawn south of 50, keep Long Branch partly south of 50, keep south of CP at Fleet, move some of Arlington Ridge to Drew, make key a neighborhood school but extend boundaries further up into Lyon Park. One Arlington. Start focusing on central Arlington and let other overcrowding continue one more year till Reed opens. Just do it all at once. Be bold APS.

There isn't a snowball's chance that APS won't move only the poorest kids and AH zoned to Oakridge -- all of which is in the Oakridge walk zone - to Drew. Including the Berkeley, which is currently being renovated to be twice its current size. When that happens, Arlington ridge will pretend to care about losing their school's diversity but they won't do anything meaningful to protect it. Drew will be well over 50% farms, and Oakridge will prob be 10 or lower.

How do you know this? Also, when is this decision expected to be made?

The zones for Drew and the surrounding schools will be presented this fall. I know they will move Arna Valley because of "proximity". Even though Arna Valley is entirely within the Oakridge walk zone walk zone and separated from Drew by an 8 lane freeway whose only crossing is Glebe Rd, itself a four lane artery that crosses highway exit ramps with no pedestrian signals. It's also the least well to do of the Oakridge zones neighborhood. APS wouldn't dare zone a neighborhood that is already riding buses to Oakridge and instead bus them to Drew, because they put up a huge fight and have the resources to do it.

I don't understand the proximity argument for moving Arna Valley to Drew. None of that is really walkable to Drew, and much of it is just as feasibly close to Oakridge. Both apparently require buses due to major roads; so split Arna Valley - it's a big development - and then also send a bunch of wealthy Oakridgers to HB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about barcroft and Carlin springs? Barcroft is a hot mess.

Barcroft is not a hot mess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: When that happens, Arlington ridge will pretend to care about losing their school's diversity but they won't do anything meaningful to protect it. Drew will be well over 50% farms, and Oakridge will prob be 10 or lower.

I live in Arlington Ridge and for us the school's diversity is a huge plus. PLease tell me how to meaningfully protect it, because I am there.

Keep your eyes and ears out for the start of the boundary process. Provide your input and ideas and suggestions. Organize an advocacy effort from Oakridge parents. Know that many who say they value the diversity at Oakridge and don't want to lose it, are ones who will have to be moved in order to retain it. Therefore, they will fight being moved rather than fight for retaining the diversity at Oakridge. Help them see that they will have still that valuable diversity at Hoffman Boston or Drew. Especially if APS is influenced enough into actually doing the right thing regarding boundaries for a change, all three of those schools will have a very healthy balance of diversity and the same academic excellence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about barcroft and Carlin springs? Barcroft is a hot mess.

I don’t know why people think Barcroft is for some reason more deserving than other south Arlington schools. Really puzzling to me.

More deserving of what?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: When that happens, Arlington ridge will pretend to care about losing their school's diversity but they won't do anything meaningful to protect it. Drew will be well over 50% farms, and Oakridge will prob be 10 or lower.

I live in Arlington Ridge and for us the school's diversity is a huge plus. PLease tell me how to meaningfully protect it, because I am there.

Keep your eyes and ears out for the start of the boundary process. Provide your input and ideas and suggestions. Organize an advocacy effort from Oakridge parents. Know that many who say they value the diversity at Oakridge and don't want to lose it, are ones who will have to be moved in order to retain it. Therefore, they will fight being moved rather than fight for retaining the diversity at Oakridge. Help them see that they will have still that valuable diversity at Hoffman Boston or Drew. Especially if APS is influenced enough into actually doing the right thing regarding boundaries for a change, all three of those schools will have a very healthy balance of diversity and the same academic excellence.

Just as a heads up, the August work session hasn't been scheduled yet but it looks like that's the next meeting at which they're planning to work on the boundary process. At that meeting, the staff is supposed to respond to the board's request for an alternative process plan that would draw new boundaries for all of APS this fall rather than the phased plan the staff proposed previously, and the board should be deciding which approach they want to take. There is nothing (yet) to suggest we'll get anything substantive about what boundaries might look like, but this is still an important decision point. First, whether they draw all of the boundaries this fall or if they do the phased approach will likely determine whether an option schools will be moved. Second, the larger the area to be considered this fall, the less time that can be spent making sure they any particular zone right. Depending on where you live, these considerations may or may not cut against each other.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Check the APS jobs page sometime. You’ll see very clearly where the openings are — and where they are not.

Working in SA schools has its special challenges. Granted, the parent population in NA can be challenging too, but overall, low-income populations are more draining to work with. (All of this is my own opinion, of course. But I’ve worked in both areas.)

And being in a NA school often means hefty bonuses from parents and benefits from the PTA.

I second what the PP said about principal turnover too. Often principals are the cause of SA teacher turnover.

I also agree with the PP who said the Randolph teachers are excellent, BTW. No doubt the several new (to that school) hires will be, too — they’ve posted for several positions.

Ok... but there is more faculty in title 1 schools. The ratios are smaller, so wouldn’t they naturally have more openings? More possibilities for turn over?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Check the APS jobs page sometime. You’ll see very clearly where the openings are — and where they are not.

Working in SA schools has its special challenges. Granted, the parent population in NA can be challenging too, but overall, low-income populations are more draining to work with. (All of this is my own opinion, of course. But I’ve worked in both areas.)

And being in a NA school often means hefty bonuses from parents and benefits from the PTA.

I second what the PP said about principal turnover too. Often principals are the cause of SA teacher turnover.

I also agree with the PP who said the Randolph teachers are excellent, BTW. No doubt the several new (to that school) hires will be, too — they’ve posted for several positions.

Ok... but there is more faculty in title 1 schools. The ratios are smaller, so wouldn’t they naturally have more openings? More possibilities for turn over?

Fair point. But even after accounting for that, there is still a true difference. Also, even though Barcroft and Randolph, for example, have higher staff ratios they are small schools and therefore have small total staff numbers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Check the APS jobs page sometime. You’ll see very clearly where the openings are — and where they are not.

Working in SA schools has its special challenges. Granted, the parent population in NA can be challenging too, but overall, low-income populations are more draining to work with. (All of this is my own opinion, of course. But I’ve worked in both areas.)

And being in a NA school often means hefty bonuses from parents and benefits from the PTA.

I second what the PP said about principal turnover too. Often principals are the cause of SA teacher turnover.

I also agree with the PP who said the Randolph teachers are excellent, BTW. No doubt the several new (to that school) hires will be, too — they’ve posted for several positions.

Ok... but there is more faculty in title 1 schools. The ratios are smaller, so wouldn’t they naturally have more openings? More possibilities for turn over?

Fair point. But even after accounting for that, there is still a true difference. Also, even though Barcroft and Randolph, for example, have higher staff ratios they are small schools and therefore have small total staff numbers.

Randolph had a HUGE baby boom this year which is why some aren't returning, of course others are leaving for a variety of different reasons.