LAST APS meeting on new high school and countywide rezoning (4/4, 7 pm Yorktown)

[Anonymous]

Happy to be rezoned from Yorktown to Kenmore! Best idea on the table!

[Anonymous]

If done right, couldn't the Kenmore option become another W-L? The boundaries could be drawn to alleviate overcrowding at W-L and Yorktown, while also siphoning off some of the FARMs from Wakefield. End result is much more balanced high schools. Seems like a win-win, so the cynic in me doubts that option will be chosen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If done right, couldn't the Kenmore option become another W-L? The boundaries could be drawn to alleviate overcrowding at W-L and Yorktown, while also siphoning off some of the FARMs from Wakefield. End result is much more balanced high schools. Seems like a win-win, so the cynic in me doubts that option will be chosen.

More likely WL will become YT and KM become WL and WF remain WF. YT might become LL of Arl.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If done right, couldn't the Kenmore option become another W-L? The boundaries could be drawn to alleviate overcrowding at W-L and Yorktown, while also siphoning off some of the FARMs from Wakefield. End result is much more balanced high schools. Seems like a win-win, so the cynic in me doubts that option will be chosen.

Yes, this is exactly what could be implemented if we choose Kenmore. It could address so many issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If done right, couldn't the Kenmore option become another W-L? The boundaries could be drawn to alleviate overcrowding at W-L and Yorktown, while also siphoning off some of the FARMs from Wakefield. End result is much more balanced high schools. Seems like a win-win, so the cynic in me doubts that option will be chosen.

Yes, this is exactly what could be implemented if we choose Kenmore. It could address so many issues.

If done right, they could keep the diversity already at Yorktown and siphon off some Yorktown kids to mix with Wakefield at a Kenmore to give better diversity countywide!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If done right, couldn't the Kenmore option become another W-L? The boundaries could be drawn to alleviate overcrowding at W-L and Yorktown, while also siphoning off some of the FARMs from Wakefield. End result is much more balanced high schools. Seems like a win-win, so the cynic in me doubts that option will be chosen.

More likely WL will become YT and KM become WL and WF remain WF. YT might become LL of Arl.

What is LL?

[Anonymous]

Langley

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:move to where?

It is likely we can get the Virginia Hospital Center urgent care land just down the street.

Likely?? I would disagree with that assessment. It's a long shot at best. There are many many legitimate county needs competing for that land, and the community is lamentably (and in my view, stupidly) opposed to a school there. For whatever reason the civic association is more okay with bus parking than a school.
see the slides from the JFAC subcommittee on the VHC site for a discussion of the uses being considered- https://arlingtonva.s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2017/03/JFAC_SubComm_CarlinSprings_MasterSlide_023117.pdf

I can't see the county giving APS this land when the current need is for 1300 HS seats, and that can be accommodated in three different APS owned sites.
While the option of relocating Kenmore is attractive from a ability to build a new 2500 seat HS- that is not what is currently needed.

Couldn't it become a multipurpose site? Add a community center with swimming pool, add a middle school, add space for the Children's School and Integration Station.

I am going to snap at some point and it will probably be in response to someone talking about how bad the traffic is on any given street in Arlington (if you've complained about how you don't want Lee Highway to be developed because it will make traffic worse, I'm talking to you. Traffic is bad all over Northern Virginia. It's going to get worse.)

[Anonymous]

traffic is already particularly difficult at Kenmore with 900 non-driving students. if you built a 2,500 seat HS there and built a 1K seat MS at VHC, on top of 600+ at Campbell ES, and 600+ at Carling Spring ES, you're talking about a lot of students all within half a mile stretch on Carlin Spring rd. you're going nowhere if you discount this concern. i'm not kidding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:traffic is already particularly difficult at Kenmore with 900 non-driving students. if you built a 2,500 seat HS there and built a 1K seat MS at VHC, on top of 600+ at Campbell ES, and 600+ at Carling Spring ES, you're talking about a lot of students all within half a mile stretch on Carlin Spring rd. you're going nowhere if you discount this concern. i'm not kidding.

A few thoughts. First, the County would definitely have to do some road improvements and widening there. Keep in mind, you have not dissimilar situation in north Arlington with Williamsburg and Discovery sharing a campus, and Yorktown just a few blocks away.

This is a congested area, no two ways about it.

To the PP who said choice schools are the answer, how would you ensure that? One option is to allocate seats at choice schools based on the size of the neighborhood elementary schools. Do the same for things like HB. More kids from McKinley or Oakridge get spots at HB (or some theoretical other choice school at ES, MS, or HS level) than kids at Discovery or Jamestown. Otherwise, you aren't getting kids off the neighborhood campuses and easing the crowding. Also, you then need to place those choice schools in parts of the county that aren't as heavily burdened by neighborhood capacity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:traffic is already particularly difficult at Kenmore with 900 non-driving students. if you built a 2,500 seat HS there and built a 1K seat MS at VHC, on top of 600+ at Campbell ES, and 600+ at Carling Spring ES, you're talking about a lot of students all within half a mile stretch on Carlin Spring rd. you're going nowhere if you discount this concern. i'm not kidding.

A few thoughts. First, the County would definitely have to do some road improvements and widening there. Keep in mind, you have not dissimilar situation in north Arlington with Williamsburg and Discovery sharing a campus, and Yorktown just a few blocks away.

This is a congested area, no two ways about it.

To the PP who said choice schools are the answer, how would you ensure that? One option is to allocate seats at choice schools based on the size of the neighborhood elementary schools. Do the same for things like HB. More kids from McKinley or Oakridge get spots at HB (or some theoretical other choice school at ES, MS, or HS level) than kids at Discovery or Jamestown. Otherwise, you aren't getting kids off the neighborhood campuses and easing the crowding. Also, you then need to place those choice schools in parts of the county that aren't as heavily burdened by neighborhood capacity.

that's BS. they are NOT not dissimilar. this is what i'm talking about, you're going nowhere if you discount this concern.

[Anonymous]

I COMPLETELY agree that choice schools should have variable admissions based on overcrowding in the neighorhood schools. So, give away more ATS seats to Oakridge and McKinley, and restrict seats from under capacity schools. Revisit the K class for choice schools each year based on the situation (is Barcroft getting more crowded--open up more choice seats to them).
At least then these choice schools (looking at you, ATS) would be contributing something to the community capacity crisis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:move to where?

It is likely we can get the Virginia Hospital Center urgent care land just down the street.

Likely?? I would disagree with that assessment. It's a long shot at best. There are many many legitimate county needs competing for that land, and the community is lamentably (and in my view, stupidly) opposed to a school there. For whatever reason the civic association is more okay with bus parking than a school.
see the slides from the JFAC subcommittee on the VHC site for a discussion of the uses being considered- https://arlingtonva.s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2017/03/JFAC_SubComm_CarlinSprings_MasterSlide_023117.pdf

I can't see the county giving APS this land when the current need is for 1300 HS seats, and that can be accommodated in three different APS owned sites.
While the option of relocating Kenmore is attractive from a ability to build a new 2500 seat HS- that is not what is currently needed.

Couldn't it become a multipurpose site? Add a community center with swimming pool, add a middle school, add space for the Children's School and Integration Station.

I am going to snap at some point and it will probably be in response to someone talking about how bad the traffic is on any given street in Arlington (if you've complained about how you don't want Lee Highway to be developed because it will make traffic worse, I'm talking to you. Traffic is bad all over Northern Virginia. It's going to get worse.)

NIMBYism is alive and well in Arlington

[Anonymous]

HB slots are already allocated by population of feeder neighborhood elementary zones. Elementary schools with more kids get more slots. So Oakridge would get more than Nottingham. However, currently Choice school, private and homeschool kids who live in a zone also take up those spots. So - you could have a year where no kids who actually attend a neighborhood school get to go to HB because Choice, private and home school kids take all slots. School Board is considering allocating by school (neighborhood or choice$. I'd like to see something similar to Fairfax where private and homeschool kids don't count toward neighborhood school slots. Give them a couple of slots to compete for outside of public schools.

ATS is a lottery. Agree that it might make sense to allocate based on elementary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:move to where?

It is likely we can get the Virginia Hospital Center urgent care land just down the street.

Likely?? I would disagree with that assessment. It's a long shot at best. There are many many legitimate county needs competing for that land, and the community is lamentably (and in my view, stupidly) opposed to a school there. For whatever reason the civic association is more okay with bus parking than a school.
see the slides from the JFAC subcommittee on the VHC site for a discussion of the uses being considered- https://arlingtonva.s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2017/03/JFAC_SubComm_CarlinSprings_MasterSlide_023117.pdf

I can't see the county giving APS this land when the current need is for 1300 HS seats, and that can be accommodated in three different APS owned sites.
While the option of relocating Kenmore is attractive from a ability to build a new 2500 seat HS- that is not what is currently needed.

Couldn't it become a multipurpose site? Add a community center with swimming pool, add a middle school, add space for the Children's School and Integration Station.

I am going to snap at some point and it will probably be in response to someone talking about how bad the traffic is on any given street in Arlington (if you've complained about how you don't want Lee Highway to be developed because it will make traffic worse, I'm talking to you. Traffic is bad all over Northern Virginia. It's going to get worse.)

YES JFAC is very open to multipurpose sites! Great ideas on adding TCS and Integration Station there. Some of the high schools already have on-site preschool that are used to teach high schoolers early childhood development skills.