APS Closing Nottingham

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just so we're clear, y'all are not the same people who tell Nottingham parents to get over it because the APS administration only asks for things that make sense and for the good of the larger community right? 😂

Literally no one said that.

Dozens of people said that. “Closing Nottingham is good for the community, proposal makes sense to me, suck it up.” I doubt each poster performed their own individual analysis.

People said this proposal makes sense given what we know, not that every proposal makes sense. See the difference?

“What we know” lol. We know nothing. Seriously, APS Planning talks a big game but they “know” so little and have no plans to make up that knowledge gap. We spend a lot of money to be overcrowding classrooms and shutting down schools within a decade of opening two new ones without even asking if the people in charge have ANY competence whatsoever.

Class sizes are set. They have been slowly increasing them since before Covid, due to budget shortfalls. Should class sizes be smaller? Yes, I think so, but that’s not the discussion we’re having. The class sizes (max caps, same for all schools by grade level) won’t change, except maybe for Nottingham kids who’ve gotten the benefit of smaller class sizes the last few years because they planned for 3 K when only 2 were needed, for example. That’s not sustainable, and since you’re so close to other schools that are also projected to remain under capacity, I think it makes sense to use the building for another purpose in the short term and adjust boundaries to more evenly fill schools.

Look at it like this: Nottingham was your swing space while they built Discovery and Cardinal. Now it’s someone else’s turn to utilize the swing space.

Nottingham did not have 3 K classes last year - they had 2. Verdict is still out on this year but it appears another year of 24+ classes. No one is getting something you’re not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Championing everything Lucy Calkins WAS an effort led by Democrats. Let’s not revise history.

And it has had CATASTROPHIC results for many students, especially lower SES.

But yeah, let’s praise Democrats for finally figuring out that it was an epic failure. And blindly follow them with their SBG/no homework/SEL-first initiatives.

You know who hasn’t given up on actual academic instruction? China.

Not having an educated workforce is a security issue.

I guess that explains why the traitorous GOP is trying to kill our schools.

Anti-education, anti-science, anti-teacher, anti-democracy, anti-truth, anti-women, anti-poor, anti-laws, anti-equality traitors.

I know you don’t want to believe it, but some of us aren’t MAGA Republicans. It probably makes you feel better to pretend that we are, because then you don’t have to admit that a lot of people are being pushed toward the center (or toward the right) by asinine D initiatives.

Just look at Missing Middle. Was it just MAGA Republicans opposing it? Nope.

Arlington doesn’t have as many outwardly raging MAGA Rs as other places but the quieter Rs and DINOs who voted for Trump and Youngkin do a lot of damage too.

This is false. The democrats have controlled all levels of government in Arlington for decades. They are the only ones influencing the schools and our local government. It really is that cut and dry.

Stop pretending the state and fed govt have no impact on education.

That’s not untrue. But which state and federal actions have specifically impacted APS? The latest action I can think of is Youngkin’s trans policy, and Duran stood up for students and said he isn’t going to implement it at APS (unless I misunderstood his messaging). So which policies are you thinking of?

DP. NCLB has had huge impacts on education nationwide. It’s the main reason why public schools today are so test driven. It really reshaped K-12. Not in a good way.

Not to mention lack of funding. Ask the Rs for more money for schools and see how far you get .

At least one Arlington (D) county board member said she wouldn’t allocate one more dollar to the schools. APS already has a budget of around $20k per student, which is high. What would you suggest is a better number and why?

Yes, we already know the county board doesn’t value the schools.

Too bad Arlington doesn’t value schools as much as other affluent areas do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Championing everything Lucy Calkins WAS an effort led by Democrats. Let’s not revise history.

And it has had CATASTROPHIC results for many students, especially lower SES.

But yeah, let’s praise Democrats for finally figuring out that it was an epic failure. And blindly follow them with their SBG/no homework/SEL-first initiatives.

You know who hasn’t given up on actual academic instruction? China.

Not having an educated workforce is a security issue.

I guess that explains why the traitorous GOP is trying to kill our schools.

Anti-education, anti-science, anti-teacher, anti-democracy, anti-truth, anti-women, anti-poor, anti-laws, anti-equality traitors.

I know you don’t want to believe it, but some of us aren’t MAGA Republicans. It probably makes you feel better to pretend that we are, because then you don’t have to admit that a lot of people are being pushed toward the center (or toward the right) by asinine D initiatives.

Just look at Missing Middle. Was it just MAGA Republicans opposing it? Nope.

Arlington doesn’t have as many outwardly raging MAGA Rs as other places but the quieter Rs and DINOs who voted for Trump and Youngkin do a lot of damage too.

This is false. The democrats have controlled all levels of government in Arlington for decades. They are the only ones influencing the schools and our local government. It really is that cut and dry.

Stop pretending the state and fed govt have no impact on education.

That’s not untrue. But which state and federal actions have specifically impacted APS? The latest action I can think of is Youngkin’s trans policy, and Duran stood up for students and said he isn’t going to implement it at APS (unless I misunderstood his messaging). So which policies are you thinking of?

DP. NCLB has had huge impacts on education nationwide. It’s the main reason why public schools today are so test driven. It really reshaped K-12. Not in a good way.

Not to mention lack of funding. Ask the Rs for more money for schools and see how far you get .

At least one Arlington (D) county board member said she wouldn’t allocate one more dollar to the schools. APS already has a budget of around $20k per student, which is high. What would you suggest is a better number and why?

I would suggest that the feds fully fund the IDEA. And I would suggest that Virginia fund its local school divisions on par with states that actually value education.

Would love to see this but doubt you Republicans would ever let it happen.

+1

Rs don’t actually want to help schools. They just to tear them down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just so we're clear, y'all are not the same people who tell Nottingham parents to get over it because the APS administration only asks for things that make sense and for the good of the larger community right? 😂

Literally no one said that.

Dozens of people said that. “Closing Nottingham is good for the community, proposal makes sense to me, suck it up.” I doubt each poster performed their own individual analysis.

People said this proposal makes sense given what we know, not that every proposal makes sense. See the difference?

“What we know” lol. We know nothing. Seriously, APS Planning talks a big game but they “know” so little and have no plans to make up that knowledge gap. We spend a lot of money to be overcrowding classrooms and shutting down schools within a decade of opening two new ones without even asking if the people in charge have ANY competence whatsoever.

Class sizes are set. They have been slowly increasing them since before Covid, due to budget shortfalls. Should class sizes be smaller? Yes, I think so, but that’s not the discussion we’re having. The class sizes (max caps, same for all schools by grade level) won’t change, except maybe for Nottingham kids who’ve gotten the benefit of smaller class sizes the last few years because they planned for 3 K when only 2 were needed, for example. That’s not sustainable, and since you’re so close to other schools that are also projected to remain under capacity, I think it makes sense to use the building for another purpose in the short term and adjust boundaries to more evenly fill schools.

Look at it like this: Nottingham was your swing space while they built Discovery and Cardinal. Now it’s someone else’s turn to utilize the swing space.

Nottingham did not have 3 K classes last year - they had 2. Verdict is still out on this year but it appears another year of 24+ classes. No one is getting something you’re not.

Right, I was just using it as an example of the only way in which class size could be affected by this proposal. You did have 3 K classes of something like 15-16 kids each for a couple years, then when the max cap was raised they could take it down to only 2. The point on caps was they are the same whether you’re at Nottingham or Discovery or Tuckahoe or Jamestown. Consolidating schools will not affect class size. APS increasing class sizes is an unrelated conversation, and one that started years ago. I agree and I’m not in favor of larger class sizes, but that’s not pertinent to this discussion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just so we're clear, y'all are not the same people who tell Nottingham parents to get over it because the APS administration only asks for things that make sense and for the good of the larger community right? 😂

Literally no one said that.

Dozens of people said that. “Closing Nottingham is good for the community, proposal makes sense to me, suck it up.” I doubt each poster performed their own individual analysis.

People said this proposal makes sense given what we know, not that every proposal makes sense. See the difference?

“What we know” lol. We know nothing. Seriously, APS Planning talks a big game but they “know” so little and have no plans to make up that knowledge gap. We spend a lot of money to be overcrowding classrooms and shutting down schools within a decade of opening two new ones without even asking if the people in charge have ANY competence whatsoever.

Class sizes are set. They have been slowly increasing them since before Covid, due to budget shortfalls. Should class sizes be smaller? Yes, I think so, but that’s not the discussion we’re having. The class sizes (max caps, same for all schools by grade level) won’t change, except maybe for Nottingham kids who’ve gotten the benefit of smaller class sizes the last few years because they planned for 3 K when only 2 were needed, for example. That’s not sustainable, and since you’re so close to other schools that are also projected to remain under capacity, I think it makes sense to use the building for another purpose in the short term and adjust boundaries to more evenly fill schools.

Look at it like this: Nottingham was your swing space while they built Discovery and Cardinal. Now it’s someone else’s turn to utilize the swing space.

Nottingham did not have 3 K classes last year - they had 2. Verdict is still out on this year but it appears another year of 24+ classes. No one is getting something you’re not.

Right, I was just using it as an example of the only way in which class size could be affected by this proposal. You did have 3 K classes of something like 15-16 kids each for a couple years, then when the max cap was raised they could take it down to only 2. The point on caps was they are the same whether you’re at Nottingham or Discovery or Tuckahoe or Jamestown. Consolidating schools will not affect class size. APS increasing class sizes is an unrelated conversation, and one that started years ago. I agree and I’m not in favor of larger class sizes, but that’s not pertinent to this discussion.

I mean, maybe if they weren’t spending $100m+ on schools that weren’t needed…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Championing everything Lucy Calkins WAS an effort led by Democrats. Let’s not revise history.

And it has had CATASTROPHIC results for many students, especially lower SES.

But yeah, let’s praise Democrats for finally figuring out that it was an epic failure. And blindly follow them with their SBG/no homework/SEL-first initiatives.

You know who hasn’t given up on actual academic instruction? China.

Not having an educated workforce is a security issue.

I guess that explains why the traitorous GOP is trying to kill our schools.

Anti-education, anti-science, anti-teacher, anti-democracy, anti-truth, anti-women, anti-poor, anti-laws, anti-equality traitors.

I know you don’t want to believe it, but some of us aren’t MAGA Republicans. It probably makes you feel better to pretend that we are, because then you don’t have to admit that a lot of people are being pushed toward the center (or toward the right) by asinine D initiatives.

Just look at Missing Middle. Was it just MAGA Republicans opposing it? Nope.

Arlington doesn’t have as many outwardly raging MAGA Rs as other places but the quieter Rs and DINOs who voted for Trump and Youngkin do a lot of damage too.

This is false. The democrats have controlled all levels of government in Arlington for decades. They are the only ones influencing the schools and our local government. It really is that cut and dry.

Stop pretending the state and fed govt have no impact on education.

That’s not untrue. But which state and federal actions have specifically impacted APS? The latest action I can think of is Youngkin’s trans policy, and Duran stood up for students and said he isn’t going to implement it at APS (unless I misunderstood his messaging). So which policies are you thinking of?

DP. NCLB has had huge impacts on education nationwide. It’s the main reason why public schools today are so test driven. It really reshaped K-12. Not in a good way.

Not to mention lack of funding. Ask the Rs for more money for schools and see how far you get .

At least one Arlington (D) county board member said she wouldn’t allocate one more dollar to the schools. APS already has a budget of around $20k per student, which is high. What would you suggest is a better number and why?

Yes, we already know the county board doesn’t value the schools.

Too bad Arlington doesn’t value schools as much as other affluent areas do.

It’s not that they don’t value schools. It’s that they are balancing the needs of the rest of the county. Most Arlington voters don’t have kids at APS. They don’t have kids at all. So that’s the dynamic here. You can’t compare Arlington to smaller more homogenous wealthy areas. I don’t like the situation with the schools either, but I understand why it’s happening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Championing everything Lucy Calkins WAS an effort led by Democrats. Let’s not revise history.

And it has had CATASTROPHIC results for many students, especially lower SES.

But yeah, let’s praise Democrats for finally figuring out that it was an epic failure. And blindly follow them with their SBG/no homework/SEL-first initiatives.

You know who hasn’t given up on actual academic instruction? China.

Not having an educated workforce is a security issue.

I guess that explains why the traitorous GOP is trying to kill our schools.

Anti-education, anti-science, anti-teacher, anti-democracy, anti-truth, anti-women, anti-poor, anti-laws, anti-equality traitors.

I know you don’t want to believe it, but some of us aren’t MAGA Republicans. It probably makes you feel better to pretend that we are, because then you don’t have to admit that a lot of people are being pushed toward the center (or toward the right) by asinine D initiatives.

Just look at Missing Middle. Was it just MAGA Republicans opposing it? Nope.

Arlington doesn’t have as many outwardly raging MAGA Rs as other places but the quieter Rs and DINOs who voted for Trump and Youngkin do a lot of damage too.

This is false. The democrats have controlled all levels of government in Arlington for decades. They are the only ones influencing the schools and our local government. It really is that cut and dry.

Stop pretending the state and fed govt have no impact on education.

That’s not untrue. But which state and federal actions have specifically impacted APS? The latest action I can think of is Youngkin’s trans policy, and Duran stood up for students and said he isn’t going to implement it at APS (unless I misunderstood his messaging). So which policies are you thinking of?

DP. NCLB has had huge impacts on education nationwide. It’s the main reason why public schools today are so test driven. It really reshaped K-12. Not in a good way.

Not to mention lack of funding. Ask the Rs for more money for schools and see how far you get .

At least one Arlington (D) county board member said she wouldn’t allocate one more dollar to the schools. APS already has a budget of around $20k per student, which is high. What would you suggest is a better number and why?

Yes, we already know the county board doesn’t value the schools.

Too bad Arlington doesn’t value schools as much as other affluent areas do.

It’s not that they don’t value schools. It’s that they are balancing the needs of the rest of the county. Most Arlington voters don’t have kids at APS. They don’t have kids at all. So that’s the dynamic here. You can’t compare Arlington to smaller more homogenous wealthy areas. I don’t like the situation with the schools either, but I understand why it’s happening.

Well, the County's big push to upzone and maximize density at the expense of families will ultimately make schools less important and then the County will have tons of money for all the other things it is trying to "balance."

FWIW, I don't think they need to raise the revenue %age they allocate to APS. Instead, I think the County should take care of APS' capital needs and leave the APS budget for teachers, instruction, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Championing everything Lucy Calkins WAS an effort led by Democrats. Let’s not revise history.

And it has had CATASTROPHIC results for many students, especially lower SES.

But yeah, let’s praise Democrats for finally figuring out that it was an epic failure. And blindly follow them with their SBG/no homework/SEL-first initiatives.

You know who hasn’t given up on actual academic instruction? China.

Not having an educated workforce is a security issue.

I guess that explains why the traitorous GOP is trying to kill our schools.

Anti-education, anti-science, anti-teacher, anti-democracy, anti-truth, anti-women, anti-poor, anti-laws, anti-equality traitors.

I know you don’t want to believe it, but some of us aren’t MAGA Republicans. It probably makes you feel better to pretend that we are, because then you don’t have to admit that a lot of people are being pushed toward the center (or toward the right) by asinine D initiatives.

Just look at Missing Middle. Was it just MAGA Republicans opposing it? Nope.

Arlington doesn’t have as many outwardly raging MAGA Rs as other places but the quieter Rs and DINOs who voted for Trump and Youngkin do a lot of damage too.

This is false. The democrats have controlled all levels of government in Arlington for decades. They are the only ones influencing the schools and our local government. It really is that cut and dry.

Stop pretending the state and fed govt have no impact on education.

That’s not untrue. But which state and federal actions have specifically impacted APS? The latest action I can think of is Youngkin’s trans policy, and Duran stood up for students and said he isn’t going to implement it at APS (unless I misunderstood his messaging). So which policies are you thinking of?

DP. NCLB has had huge impacts on education nationwide. It’s the main reason why public schools today are so test driven. It really reshaped K-12. Not in a good way.

Not to mention lack of funding. Ask the Rs for more money for schools and see how far you get .

At least one Arlington (D) county board member said she wouldn’t allocate one more dollar to the schools. APS already has a budget of around $20k per student, which is high. What would you suggest is a better number and why?

Yes, we already know the county board doesn’t value the schools.

Too bad Arlington doesn’t value schools as much as other affluent areas do.

It’s not that they don’t value schools. It’s that they are balancing the needs of the rest of the county. Most Arlington voters don’t have kids at APS. They don’t have kids at all. So that’s the dynamic here. You can’t compare Arlington to smaller more homogenous wealthy areas. I don’t like the situation with the schools either, but I understand why it’s happening.

Which is short-sighted. The county pours so much money into frivolous things (dog park! bus stop!) and doesn’t prioritize education, which has a huge impact on our society. Even for people without kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Championing everything Lucy Calkins WAS an effort led by Democrats. Let’s not revise history.

And it has had CATASTROPHIC results for many students, especially lower SES.

But yeah, let’s praise Democrats for finally figuring out that it was an epic failure. And blindly follow them with their SBG/no homework/SEL-first initiatives.

You know who hasn’t given up on actual academic instruction? China.

Not having an educated workforce is a security issue.

I guess that explains why the traitorous GOP is trying to kill our schools.

Anti-education, anti-science, anti-teacher, anti-democracy, anti-truth, anti-women, anti-poor, anti-laws, anti-equality traitors.

I know you don’t want to believe it, but some of us aren’t MAGA Republicans. It probably makes you feel better to pretend that we are, because then you don’t have to admit that a lot of people are being pushed toward the center (or toward the right) by asinine D initiatives.

Just look at Missing Middle. Was it just MAGA Republicans opposing it? Nope.

Arlington doesn’t have as many outwardly raging MAGA Rs as other places but the quieter Rs and DINOs who voted for Trump and Youngkin do a lot of damage too.

This is false. The democrats have controlled all levels of government in Arlington for decades. They are the only ones influencing the schools and our local government. It really is that cut and dry.

Stop pretending the state and fed govt have no impact on education.

That’s not untrue. But which state and federal actions have specifically impacted APS? The latest action I can think of is Youngkin’s trans policy, and Duran stood up for students and said he isn’t going to implement it at APS (unless I misunderstood his messaging). So which policies are you thinking of?

DP. NCLB has had huge impacts on education nationwide. It’s the main reason why public schools today are so test driven. It really reshaped K-12. Not in a good way.

Not to mention lack of funding. Ask the Rs for more money for schools and see how far you get .

At least one Arlington (D) county board member said she wouldn’t allocate one more dollar to the schools. APS already has a budget of around $20k per student, which is high. What would you suggest is a better number and why?

Yes, we already know the county board doesn’t value the schools.

Too bad Arlington doesn’t value schools as much as other affluent areas do.

It’s not that they don’t value schools. It’s that they are balancing the needs of the rest of the county. Most Arlington voters don’t have kids at APS. They don’t have kids at all. So that’s the dynamic here. You can’t compare Arlington to smaller more homogenous wealthy areas. I don’t like the situation with the schools either, but I understand why it’s happening.

Well, the County's big push to upzone and maximize density at the expense of families will ultimately make schools less important and then the County will have tons of money for all the other things it is trying to "balance."

FWIW, I don't think they need to raise the revenue %age they allocate to APS. Instead, I think the County should take care of APS' capital needs and leave the APS budget for teachers, instruction, etc.

Agreed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Championing everything Lucy Calkins WAS an effort led by Democrats. Let’s not revise history.

And it has had CATASTROPHIC results for many students, especially lower SES.

But yeah, let’s praise Democrats for finally figuring out that it was an epic failure. And blindly follow them with their SBG/no homework/SEL-first initiatives.

You know who hasn’t given up on actual academic instruction? China.

Not having an educated workforce is a security issue.

I guess that explains why the traitorous GOP is trying to kill our schools.

Anti-education, anti-science, anti-teacher, anti-democracy, anti-truth, anti-women, anti-poor, anti-laws, anti-equality traitors.

I know you don’t want to believe it, but some of us aren’t MAGA Republicans. It probably makes you feel better to pretend that we are, because then you don’t have to admit that a lot of people are being pushed toward the center (or toward the right) by asinine D initiatives.

Just look at Missing Middle. Was it just MAGA Republicans opposing it? Nope.

Arlington doesn’t have as many outwardly raging MAGA Rs as other places but the quieter Rs and DINOs who voted for Trump and Youngkin do a lot of damage too.

This is false. The democrats have controlled all levels of government in Arlington for decades. They are the only ones influencing the schools and our local government. It really is that cut and dry.

Stop pretending the state and fed govt have no impact on education.

That’s not untrue. But which state and federal actions have specifically impacted APS? The latest action I can think of is Youngkin’s trans policy, and Duran stood up for students and said he isn’t going to implement it at APS (unless I misunderstood his messaging). So which policies are you thinking of?

DP. NCLB has had huge impacts on education nationwide. It’s the main reason why public schools today are so test driven. It really reshaped K-12. Not in a good way.

Not to mention lack of funding. Ask the Rs for more money for schools and see how far you get .

At least one Arlington (D) county board member said she wouldn’t allocate one more dollar to the schools. APS already has a budget of around $20k per student, which is high. What would you suggest is a better number and why?

Yes, we already know the county board doesn’t value the schools.

Too bad Arlington doesn’t value schools as much as other affluent areas do.

It’s not that they don’t value schools. It’s that they are balancing the needs of the rest of the county. Most Arlington voters don’t have kids at APS. They don’t have kids at all. So that’s the dynamic here. You can’t compare Arlington to smaller more homogenous wealthy areas. I don’t like the situation with the schools either, but I understand why it’s happening.

Well, the County's big push to upzone and maximize density at the expense of families will ultimately make schools less important and then the County will have tons of money for all the other things it is trying to "balance."

FWIW, I don't think they need to raise the revenue %age they allocate to APS. Instead, I think the County should take care of APS' capital needs and leave the APS budget for teachers, instruction, etc.

I agree, but only to an extent. I think the county is increasingly viewing APS as being frivolous with the significant money they get. As a taxpayer who has paid over $30k so far for schools that I haven’t even used and am now wondering why we built 2 new elementary schools that apparently were never even needed, I am starting to agree. The increasing asks for the back office, such as real estate, paid holidays, and coaching staff, are the reason why we are not investing in the schools, and there is no assurance that additional money APS gets won’t go right to Syphax for things that do nothing to advance educational outcomes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Championing everything Lucy Calkins WAS an effort led by Democrats. Let’s not revise history.

And it has had CATASTROPHIC results for many students, especially lower SES.

But yeah, let’s praise Democrats for finally figuring out that it was an epic failure. And blindly follow them with their SBG/no homework/SEL-first initiatives.

You know who hasn’t given up on actual academic instruction? China.

Not having an educated workforce is a security issue.

I guess that explains why the traitorous GOP is trying to kill our schools.

Anti-education, anti-science, anti-teacher, anti-democracy, anti-truth, anti-women, anti-poor, anti-laws, anti-equality traitors.

I know you don’t want to believe it, but some of us aren’t MAGA Republicans. It probably makes you feel better to pretend that we are, because then you don’t have to admit that a lot of people are being pushed toward the center (or toward the right) by asinine D initiatives.

Just look at Missing Middle. Was it just MAGA Republicans opposing it? Nope.

Arlington doesn’t have as many outwardly raging MAGA Rs as other places but the quieter Rs and DINOs who voted for Trump and Youngkin do a lot of damage too.

This is false. The democrats have controlled all levels of government in Arlington for decades. They are the only ones influencing the schools and our local government. It really is that cut and dry.

Stop pretending the state and fed govt have no impact on education.

That’s not untrue. But which state and federal actions have specifically impacted APS? The latest action I can think of is Youngkin’s trans policy, and Duran stood up for students and said he isn’t going to implement it at APS (unless I misunderstood his messaging). So which policies are you thinking of?

DP. NCLB has had huge impacts on education nationwide. It’s the main reason why public schools today are so test driven. It really reshaped K-12. Not in a good way.

Not to mention lack of funding. Ask the Rs for more money for schools and see how far you get .

At least one Arlington (D) county board member said she wouldn’t allocate one more dollar to the schools. APS already has a budget of around $20k per student, which is high. What would you suggest is a better number and why?

Yes, we already know the county board doesn’t value the schools.

Too bad Arlington doesn’t value schools as much as other affluent areas do.

It’s not that they don’t value schools. It’s that they are balancing the needs of the rest of the county. Most Arlington voters don’t have kids at APS. They don’t have kids at all. So that’s the dynamic here. You can’t compare Arlington to smaller more homogenous wealthy areas. I don’t like the situation with the schools either, but I understand why it’s happening.

Well, the County's big push to upzone and maximize density at the expense of families will ultimately make schools less important and then the County will have tons of money for all the other things it is trying to "balance."

FWIW, I don't think they need to raise the revenue %age they allocate to APS. Instead, I think the County should take care of APS' capital needs and leave the APS budget for teachers, instruction, etc.

Do you know how the system currently works? Capital improvements are funded via separate bonds, not out of the APS operating budget.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Championing everything Lucy Calkins WAS an effort led by Democrats. Let’s not revise history.

And it has had CATASTROPHIC results for many students, especially lower SES.

But yeah, let’s praise Democrats for finally figuring out that it was an epic failure. And blindly follow them with their SBG/no homework/SEL-first initiatives.

You know who hasn’t given up on actual academic instruction? China.

Not having an educated workforce is a security issue.

I guess that explains why the traitorous GOP is trying to kill our schools.

Anti-education, anti-science, anti-teacher, anti-democracy, anti-truth, anti-women, anti-poor, anti-laws, anti-equality traitors.

I know you don’t want to believe it, but some of us aren’t MAGA Republicans. It probably makes you feel better to pretend that we are, because then you don’t have to admit that a lot of people are being pushed toward the center (or toward the right) by asinine D initiatives.

Just look at Missing Middle. Was it just MAGA Republicans opposing it? Nope.

Arlington doesn’t have as many outwardly raging MAGA Rs as other places but the quieter Rs and DINOs who voted for Trump and Youngkin do a lot of damage too.

This is false. The democrats have controlled all levels of government in Arlington for decades. They are the only ones influencing the schools and our local government. It really is that cut and dry.

Stop pretending the state and fed govt have no impact on education.

That’s not untrue. But which state and federal actions have specifically impacted APS? The latest action I can think of is Youngkin’s trans policy, and Duran stood up for students and said he isn’t going to implement it at APS (unless I misunderstood his messaging). So which policies are you thinking of?

DP. NCLB has had huge impacts on education nationwide. It’s the main reason why public schools today are so test driven. It really reshaped K-12. Not in a good way.

Not to mention lack of funding. Ask the Rs for more money for schools and see how far you get .

At least one Arlington (D) county board member said she wouldn’t allocate one more dollar to the schools. APS already has a budget of around $20k per student, which is high. What would you suggest is a better number and why?

Yes, we already know the county board doesn’t value the schools.

Too bad Arlington doesn’t value schools as much as other affluent areas do.

It’s not that they don’t value schools. It’s that they are balancing the needs of the rest of the county. Most Arlington voters don’t have kids at APS. They don’t have kids at all. So that’s the dynamic here. You can’t compare Arlington to smaller more homogenous wealthy areas. I don’t like the situation with the schools either, but I understand why it’s happening.

Well, the County's big push to upzone and maximize density at the expense of families will ultimately make schools less important and then the County will have tons of money for all the other things it is trying to "balance."

FWIW, I don't think they need to raise the revenue %age they allocate to APS. Instead, I think the County should take care of APS' capital needs and leave the APS budget for teachers, instruction, etc.

Do you know how the system currently works? Capital improvements are funded via separate bonds, not out of the APS operating budget.

And the repayments on bonds, including growing debt service, comes out of operating budget

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Championing everything Lucy Calkins WAS an effort led by Democrats. Let’s not revise history.

And it has had CATASTROPHIC results for many students, especially lower SES.

But yeah, let’s praise Democrats for finally figuring out that it was an epic failure. And blindly follow them with their SBG/no homework/SEL-first initiatives.

You know who hasn’t given up on actual academic instruction? China.

Not having an educated workforce is a security issue.

I guess that explains why the traitorous GOP is trying to kill our schools.

Anti-education, anti-science, anti-teacher, anti-democracy, anti-truth, anti-women, anti-poor, anti-laws, anti-equality traitors.

I know you don’t want to believe it, but some of us aren’t MAGA Republicans. It probably makes you feel better to pretend that we are, because then you don’t have to admit that a lot of people are being pushed toward the center (or toward the right) by asinine D initiatives.

Just look at Missing Middle. Was it just MAGA Republicans opposing it? Nope.

Arlington doesn’t have as many outwardly raging MAGA Rs as other places but the quieter Rs and DINOs who voted for Trump and Youngkin do a lot of damage too.

This is false. The democrats have controlled all levels of government in Arlington for decades. They are the only ones influencing the schools and our local government. It really is that cut and dry.

Stop pretending the state and fed govt have no impact on education.

That’s not untrue. But which state and federal actions have specifically impacted APS? The latest action I can think of is Youngkin’s trans policy, and Duran stood up for students and said he isn’t going to implement it at APS (unless I misunderstood his messaging). So which policies are you thinking of?

DP. NCLB has had huge impacts on education nationwide. It’s the main reason why public schools today are so test driven. It really reshaped K-12. Not in a good way.

Not to mention lack of funding. Ask the Rs for more money for schools and see how far you get .

At least one Arlington (D) county board member said she wouldn’t allocate one more dollar to the schools. APS already has a budget of around $20k per student, which is high. What would you suggest is a better number and why?

Yes, we already know the county board doesn’t value the schools.

Too bad Arlington doesn’t value schools as much as other affluent areas do.

It’s not that they don’t value schools. It’s that they are balancing the needs of the rest of the county. Most Arlington voters don’t have kids at APS. They don’t have kids at all. So that’s the dynamic here. You can’t compare Arlington to smaller more homogenous wealthy areas. I don’t like the situation with the schools either, but I understand why it’s happening.

Well, the County's big push to upzone and maximize density at the expense of families will ultimately make schools less important and then the County will have tons of money for all the other things it is trying to "balance."

FWIW, I don't think they need to raise the revenue %age they allocate to APS. Instead, I think the County should take care of APS' capital needs and leave the APS budget for teachers, instruction, etc.

I agree, but only to an extent. I think the county is increasingly viewing APS as being frivolous with the significant money they get. As a taxpayer who has paid over $30k so far for schools that I haven’t even used and am now wondering why we built 2 new elementary schools that apparently were never even needed, I am starting to agree. The increasing asks for the back office, such as real estate, paid holidays, and coaching staff, are the reason why we are not investing in the schools, and there is no assurance that additional money APS gets won’t go right to Syphax for things that do nothing to advance educational outcomes.

Such strong opinions for someone so totally clueless.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Just so we're clear, y'all are not the same people who tell Nottingham parents to get over it because the APS administration only asks for things that make sense and for the good of the larger community right? 😂

Literally no one said that.

Dozens of people said that. “Closing Nottingham is good for the community, proposal makes sense to me, suck it up.” I doubt each poster performed their own individual analysis.

People said this proposal makes sense given what we know, not that every proposal makes sense. See the difference?

“What we know” lol. We know nothing. Seriously, APS Planning talks a big game but they “know” so little and have no plans to make up that knowledge gap. We spend a lot of money to be overcrowding classrooms and shutting down schools within a decade of opening two new ones without even asking if the people in charge have ANY competence whatsoever.

You make not like what is known, but we know a lot. Did you attend or watch the APS PreCip table sessions July 31? Data from 3-4 plans or teams provided, including joint county. There are also references to guidance mandated by past CIPs, which involved lots of work. I'm not APS staff but I am so so tired of out-of-touch parents or residents who para hire into these debates across the county and assert nobody knows anything. Almost every single issue has been debated and mulled for years in this county. Swing space goes back at least a decade as the county mulled the VHC swap on Carlin Springs (which county decided to use for mental health and not APS.) the mandate to find swing space came out of last CIP. You probably don't know any of this (nor care) but please know other residents like me find your claims of "nobody knows anything). Advocate for your self interest all you want, but don't waste our time with straw man deflection.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Championing everything Lucy Calkins WAS an effort led by Democrats. Let’s not revise history.

And it has had CATASTROPHIC results for many students, especially lower SES.

But yeah, let’s praise Democrats for finally figuring out that it was an epic failure. And blindly follow them with their SBG/no homework/SEL-first initiatives.

You know who hasn’t given up on actual academic instruction? China.

Not having an educated workforce is a security issue.

I guess that explains why the traitorous GOP is trying to kill our schools.

Anti-education, anti-science, anti-teacher, anti-democracy, anti-truth, anti-women, anti-poor, anti-laws, anti-equality traitors.

I know you don’t want to believe it, but some of us aren’t MAGA Republicans. It probably makes you feel better to pretend that we are, because then you don’t have to admit that a lot of people are being pushed toward the center (or toward the right) by asinine D initiatives.

Just look at Missing Middle. Was it just MAGA Republicans opposing it? Nope.

Arlington doesn’t have as many outwardly raging MAGA Rs as other places but the quieter Rs and DINOs who voted for Trump and Youngkin do a lot of damage too.

This is false. The democrats have controlled all levels of government in Arlington for decades. They are the only ones influencing the schools and our local government. It really is that cut and dry.

Stop pretending the state and fed govt have no impact on education.

That’s not untrue. But which state and federal actions have specifically impacted APS? The latest action I can think of is Youngkin’s trans policy, and Duran stood up for students and said he isn’t going to implement it at APS (unless I misunderstood his messaging). So which policies are you thinking of?

DP. NCLB has had huge impacts on education nationwide. It’s the main reason why public schools today are so test driven. It really reshaped K-12. Not in a good way.

Not to mention lack of funding. Ask the Rs for more money for schools and see how far you get .

At least one Arlington (D) county board member said she wouldn’t allocate one more dollar to the schools. APS already has a budget of around $20k per student, which is high. What would you suggest is a better number and why?

Yes, we already know the county board doesn’t value the schools.

Too bad Arlington doesn’t value schools as much as other affluent areas do.

It’s not that they don’t value schools. It’s that they are balancing the needs of the rest of the county. Most Arlington voters don’t have kids at APS. They don’t have kids at all. So that’s the dynamic here. You can’t compare Arlington to smaller more homogenous wealthy areas. I don’t like the situation with the schools either, but I understand why it’s happening.

Well, the County's big push to upzone and maximize density at the expense of families will ultimately make schools less important and then the County will have tons of money for all the other things it is trying to "balance."

FWIW, I don't think they need to raise the revenue %age they allocate to APS. Instead, I think the County should take care of APS' capital needs and leave the APS budget for teachers, instruction, etc.

Do you know how the system currently works? Capital improvements are funded via separate bonds, not out of the APS operating budget.

And the repayments on bonds, including growing debt service, comes out of operating budget

Well actually not the school operating fund technically but I take your overall point that the county should do more. I would not give the county any control over funding capital improvement projects though. Can you imagine needing to negotiate with the county when APS needs to upgrade a building or build a new one? the county won't even approve parking for schools these days.

Instead, the county should just allocated more $ to APS. This gives APS more $ without giving up control.