WTF, who has time to sort through that? PTA funds can’t be used for salaries, capital expenditures or core curriculum. Being able to take more field trips won’t bridge achievement gap Identify real academic needs, bring to SB, heck make a bond measure. You will find the help. |
So now you’re angry that I pointed out NA is hardly as generous as claimed? And now it’s uo to the school board to do it, not these generous north Arlington parents? Lol. SA schools are already social sector centers. The issue is not funds. The issue is that they are so imbalanced demographically that they can’t do anything but function as social service centers and teach to the bottom. |
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I don’t find that north Arlington parents “care deeply” about south Arlington schools. That’s ridiculous. Most don’t have any idea about the demographics or problems, nor do they care to.
Most parents care about “their” schools. End of story. |
So you only answer is busing to balance demographics? |
I talked for a long time to someone from ccpta about this. They have more funds that people could apply for, but some of the most in need schools don’t have a pta organized enough to do this. I agree with the pps though that field trips aren’t going to solve the type of disparity that people complain about here. My kids go one maybe four field trips a year, I don’t think that spending one or two hours at a museum a few times a year is going to make a dent. You need to identify exactly how the school is failing the average kid academically, and then take those identified needs to the sb. |
NP - you're right. Field trips aren't the elixir for achievement gaps. But they are a factor in opportunity gaps. What IS a real factor in the achievement gap is socioeconomic diversity: exposure to others with the experiences and opportunities that have given them the higher vocabulary and skill sets that start them off at a higher place, that have given them a wider perspective of the world and a broader awareness of the world beyond their own low-income and low-opportunity neighborhood and family history, that expand a child's thinking beyond what has always been for their family. If nobody wants to go to the purposeful busing approach of the past, then don't. But we sure as heck can do better with boundaries, locations of option schools, and option school admissions policies. |
Make all schools choice. Then everyone has to opt in and cap enrollment of people who live nearby to a certain percent and cap FARMs. |
So the kids who move to Arlington Mill in the middle of the year go to Jamestown or wherever because it’s the only place with FARMS spots? How would you provide buses under this scenario? |
They should stop providing buses to kids who live within a half mile or a mile of the school. That would free up some resources. Other ideas are to have teams of schools that pool resources/etc. so everyone is guaranteed admission of one of the schools in their team. Most people in Arlington are within a half mile of three elementary schools. At least then you don’t have a school with <30% farms (Ashlawn) within a quarter mile of one that is over 50% farms (Carlin springs). |
Wow. People who just don't want any change in the diversity of their school will come up with any scenario to discredit the entire effort to address the problem. Really, PP, I doubt that the only school with openings for the mid-year Arlington Mill arrival will be Jamestown. |
Those "teams" would HAVE to be made-up of schools that are not geographically next to each other. The 'team" system in the NE quadrant didn't work so well to diversify the schools. And there would still need to be admissions policies and practices that incorporate FRL%, otherwise people just choose the school closest to them and we're right where we are already. |
Ive seen their IRS form 990. It’s not like they are sitting on a pile of money that people aren’t asking for. It’s less than 20k over several years. It’s nothing compared to one annual online auction at one NA school. |
So your only answer is to throw money at the problem so that your school can stay under 15 percent FRL? |
Well my school is 25%, but I know busing will turn us into ACPS as non-FARMS flee to FFX and FFC. Basically all high FARMS schools need to be converted to sole attractive option, something compelling that will attract wealthier families. Lots of specialized equipment, great playgrounds, specialized faculty, and maybe an indoor slide. What programs do you suggest that would give you a field of dreams moment? |
A $200k+ PTA funded science lab seems to be a pretty good selling point for Science focus. Would be nice to have one of those at all the high frl schools, instead of just weedy playgrounds and winter coat drives. |