APS Closing Nottingham

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do you propose as the alternative, Nottingham parents? Earnest question.

I haven’t seen one substantive argument in this entire thread against APS’s proposal. Their assumptions are all wrong is as much as we’ve gotten. I read their assumptions. They don’t sound all wrong to me.

I haven’t seen any good reason for APS’s proposal to shut down a well established and popular school when we are supposedly at capacity, and only a pandemic away from years of unexpected and significant growth. I don’t think they’ve even justified a need for “swing space” without an idea of the schools that are being renovated or the scope of work to be done with them.

Their data methodology- you can drive a truck through it.

It’s not my job to offer alternatives - it’s theirs to prove this is sound and reasoned decision. Not seeing it.

That’s not how this works. Lolz

Lolz at the idiot who doesn’t know how government is supposed to work. Google “arbitrary and capricious” and “abuse of discretion.”

I don’t think the Administrative Procedure Act applies to APS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Trying to understand why some Nottingham parents on this thread are proposing getting rid of ATS. I am an ATS parent who is very critical of APS’ new proposal. Little did I know that some Nottingham parents solution is to turn against ATS.

Bc fill in the blank:

APS should retain ATS because——————

[Anonymous]

Nottingham is a great school. It will be sad to see it dissolved (I’ve worked there for years) but as an APS parent, I think it will work out. We will all be ok!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good god you’re complaining about elementary cohorts being split too? That happens all over the County.

Yep. Full complaining. Do not like it and would prefer it not happen to my kid. Sorry you don’t care.

I am hoping you're a troll because if not, you are an awful person and an embarrassment to other (reasonable) Nottingham parents, including me. APS decisions should be based on what's best for the most kids, not just yours. The worst case scenario here for Nottingham students is that they will go to a different school nearby. Which will be TOTALLY FINE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good god you’re complaining about elementary cohorts being split too? That happens all over the County.

Yep. Full complaining. Do not like it and would prefer it not happen to my kid. Sorry you don’t care.

It’s genuinely good for them to have to adapt and meet new people.

You sound awful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good god you’re complaining about elementary cohorts being split too? That happens all over the County.

Yep. Full complaining. Do not like it and would prefer it not happen to my kid. Sorry you don’t care.

I am hoping you're a troll because if not, you are an awful person and an embarrassment to other (reasonable) Nottingham parents, including me. APS decisions should be based on what's best for the most kids, not just yours. The worst case scenario here for Nottingham students is that they will go to a different school nearby. Which will be TOTALLY FINE.

Keeping cohorts together is a stated goal of APS. Not a troll. Lots of parents want this. Duh. This, I am allowed to complain that Taylor — not Nottingham— is being split again after finally being cohorted together for middle school. Note that DHMS opened four years ago and the staff APS are now re-jiggering the boundaries because they couldn’t get it right a couple of years ago.

And what is best for all students is not what this process is at all about. APS has proven that time and time again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do you propose as the alternative, Nottingham parents? Earnest question.

Do away with ATS or close tuckahoe.

Close Taylor, that school is a dump. It has huge rooms with multiple classes taking place at once. Horrible learning environment.

But really Nottingham makes sense with discovery and tuckahoe all being in overlapping walk zones. Obviously Discovery was a mistake but they’re not going to take that in the chin.

The physical plant at Taylor is dumpy but it’s a great community that has been aided by Hamm. It would be a terrible shame to break it up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Good god you’re complaining about elementary cohorts being split too? That happens all over the County.

Yep. Full complaining. Do not like it and would prefer it not happen to my kid. Sorry you don’t care.

It’s genuinely good for them to have to adapt and meet new people.

You sound awful.

.

Let’s bus your child across the county to fill a seat! You seem to want to volunteer them. It’ll be good for them to have to adapt and meet new people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Trying to understand why some Nottingham parents on this thread are proposing getting rid of ATS. I am an ATS parent who is very critical of APS’ new proposal. Little did I know that some Nottingham parents solution is to turn against ATS.

Bc fill in the blank:

APS should retain ATS because——————

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do you propose as the alternative, Nottingham parents? Earnest question.

I haven’t seen one substantive argument in this entire thread against APS’s proposal. Their assumptions are all wrong is as much as we’ve gotten. I read their assumptions. They don’t sound all wrong to me.

I haven’t seen any good reason for APS’s proposal to shut down a well established and popular school when we are supposedly at capacity, and only a pandemic away from years of unexpected and significant growth. I don’t think they’ve even justified a need for “swing space” without an idea of the schools that are being renovated or the scope of work to be done with them.

Their data methodology- you can drive a truck through it.

It’s not my job to offer alternatives - it’s theirs to prove this is sound and reasoned decision. Not seeing it.

That’s not how this works. Lolz

Lolz at the idiot who doesn’t know how government is supposed to work. Google “arbitrary and capricious” and “abuse of discretion.”

I don’t think the Administrative Procedure Act applies to APS.

Here you go!

https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title22.1/chapter7/section22.1-87/

Granted, it doesn’t apply to sheer incompetence and bad decision making. That has to be addressed at the polls. But they have to at least pretend to make an informed decision.

[Anonymous]

Nobody wants their school stripped away from them. Unfortunately these decisions often feel like zero-sum scenarios, pitting different school communities against each other (each hoping to not “be it” by the time a decision is made). Nottingham did this (I think) back when they were a suggested site for an immersion school - I seem to recall them trying to throw out the names of lots of “preferable” sites in order to save their own skin. And I don’t blame them. They slipped by last time, but I think their luck ran out. APS clearly wants to repurpose Nottingham.

[Anonymous]

Parent of Nottingham student here. Mine will age out before any of this happens. However, I'm really sad about this turn of events, because I feel like this issue will dominate everyone's attention for the next several years. From the parents, to the PTA, to the teachers, to the administrators, why will anyone care about fostering a sense of community, fun, excitement, commitment, and school spirit in our school anymore? What about our amazing administrators and support staff? There is no plan for them, and there is not space for them at Tuckahoe and Discovery - they will have one foot out the door. What incentive do our teachers, especially our new teachers, have to put down classroom roots, establish traditions, and invest in our kids? This is going to be a three year distraction and dumpster fire, and our kids will pay the price. I wish we could just head to Tuckahoe now and get it over with instead of participating in this three year sh*t show that is about to go down between the parents and APS.

When we moved to Arlington, we settled in Courthouse because we could choice into Key. The following year, Key became fully lottery. This is my first rodeo, but it does seem insane to me that there is zero deference given to the fact that people make important decisions about where to live based on what kind of schooling experience they want. I'm sure the people who bought in the streets adjacent to Nottingham never imagined that they would not be able to send their kids to the school across the street.

Yes, I know these things aren't guaranteed, but this level of unpredictability is absurd. Just bc Nottingham sits in a wealthy area, it does not mean that the families who expected to be able to send their families to this school are racist snobs for being upset and apprehensive about these potential changes. For me, personally, I am bummed that my kid will spend his remaining years of elementary in a school that is circling the drain, with the people on this forum cheering for its demise. Nottingham is a great school with a great community of administrators, teachers, and families, and we are allowed to feel sad and apprehensive about what might happen to it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nobody wants their school stripped away from them. Unfortunately these decisions often feel like zero-sum scenarios, pitting different school communities against each other (each hoping to not “be it” by the time a decision is made). Nottingham did this (I think) back when they were a suggested site for an immersion school - I seem to recall them trying to throw out the names of lots of “preferable” sites in order to save their own skin. And I don’t blame them. They slipped by last time, but I think their luck ran out. APS clearly wants to repurpose Nottingham.

Aren’t they always n the chopping block because although the overall district is at/above capacity, tuckahoe/Nottingham/discovery/Jamestown are all facing dropping numbers rather than rising? Really, these neighborhoods should embrace MM if they want to keep their schools. But seriously, the degree to which APS decision making is f’d is at least partially due to Arlington parents who insist on lobbying/influencing/threatening every decision. Particularly in N Arlington, the school board doesn’t have the balls to make decisions best for the entire county when they are constantly harassed by the lawyers of North Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Trying to understand why some Nottingham parents on this thread are proposing getting rid of ATS. I am an ATS parent who is very critical of APS’ new proposal. Little did I know that some Nottingham parents solution is to turn against ATS.

Bc fill in the blank:

APS should retain ATS because——————

Because it is hands down the highest performing school in the district AND has an incredibly diverse student body (high El, high farms, majority minority). Everyone likes to pretend it’s wealthy white families going there but It’s not. Won’t be a good look if APS closes the one school that has the lowest achievement gaps for the diverse group that attends.

What does it offer that is different from the rest of APS? It remains true to its mission and doesn’t follow the shiny new fad. In the 70s that was schools without walls before walls came back. More recently it was teaching phonics before phonics came back. Now it’s not hopping on the bandwagon of so-called equitable grading.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parent of Nottingham student here. Mine will age out before any of this happens. However, I'm really sad about this turn of events, because I feel like this issue will dominate everyone's attention for the next several years. From the parents, to the PTA, to the teachers, to the administrators, why will anyone care about fostering a sense of community, fun, excitement, commitment, and school spirit in our school anymore? What about our amazing administrators and support staff? There is no plan for them, and there is not space for them at Tuckahoe and Discovery - they will have one foot out the door. What incentive do our teachers, especially our new teachers, have to put down classroom roots, establish traditions, and invest in our kids? This is going to be a three year distraction and dumpster fire, and our kids will pay the price. I wish we could just head to Tuckahoe now and get it over with instead of participating in this three year sh*t show that is about to go down between the parents and APS.

When we moved to Arlington, we settled in Courthouse because we could choice into Key. The following year, Key became fully lottery. This is my first rodeo, but it does seem insane to me that there is zero deference given to the fact that people make important decisions about where to live based on what kind of schooling experience they want. I'm sure the people who bought in the streets adjacent to Nottingham never imagined that they would not be able to send their kids to the school across the street.

Yes, I know these things aren't guaranteed, but this level of unpredictability is absurd. Just bc Nottingham sits in a wealthy area, it does not mean that the families who expected to be able to send their families to this school are racist snobs for being upset and apprehensive about these potential changes. For me, personally, I am bummed that my kid will spend his remaining years of elementary in a school that is circling the drain, with the people on this forum cheering for its demise. Nottingham is a great school with a great community of administrators, teachers, and families, and we are allowed to feel sad and apprehensive about what might happen to it.

THIS. I'm fine with Tuckahoe. I don't agree, I think it's crappy, but if they're going to do it, let's do it. This is going to be a mess for 3 years with everyone figuring out their own way to jump ship.