Arlington overcrowding - why is Reed expansion "off the table"? politics?

[Anonymous]

just curious from outside looking in that expanding Reed is the most logical option but shot down every time. i wonder if it's not politics. can anyone shed the light? tks.

[Anonymous]

By Reed, do you mean the building in Westover that attaches to the library? I think it was just recently remodeled for a large special ed program in that building and a daycare center. I guess its hard to justify adding on to a new building.

[Anonymous]

yes, that site used to be Reed school i believe. i know it's a new building and 'hard to justify' another expansion - but that sounded to me someone is refusing to admit shortsightedness and lacks the backbone to fix the mistake. that's politics to me.

[Anonymous]

The thing of it is, there are going to have to be multiple expansions/new buildings so really it all exemplifies shortsightedness. Don't know why it's any more/less possible of an option than anything else.

I thought by "politics" you might mean North Arlington NIMBY types....

[Anonymous]

seems like it would be less disruptive to put a 600 student school at Reed than 3 additions on existing schools at 200 seats each...Also, why are the new schools only 600 seats, but the schools getting additions will go to 700? Why not make the new schools 700, they are already breaking the 600 seat rule/lens on the expansions.

[Anonymous]

An addition requires a new teachers.

A brand new school requires teachers, but also, administration, facilities, and support staff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:seems like it would be less disruptive to put a 600 student school at Reed than 3 additions on existing schools at 200 seats each...Also, why are the new schools only 600 seats, but the schools getting additions will go to 700? Why not make the new schools 700, they are already breaking the 600 seat rule/lens on the expansions.

I guess you would also need to find space somewhere else for all the programs that are in the building now (there is a high school program for teen moms in there, too).

[Anonymous]

Putting a 600-seat elementary school in the middle of a business district didn't seem like the best idea to me - the traffic and parking impact on the 20 or so businesses in Westover would have been severe. The roads surrounding the parcel are small and widening them to accomodate extra traffic and bus parking would have added significantly to the cost of the project. Also, it would displace several existing programs at Reed (pre-school for ACPS employees' children, teen parenting program, Head Start program) and would require re-building a campus that was extensively rebuilt 2 years ago. There are other schools with enough open space to expand, and the parents in those neighborhoods may actually prefer getting a new school closer to home.

[Anonymous]

They're more likely to reopen Madison or something and make it an arts school or something to lure kids from the N. Arlington neighborhood programs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Putting a 600-seat elementary school in the middle of a business district didn't seem like the best idea to me - the traffic and parking impact on the 20 or so businesses in Westover would have been severe. The roads surrounding the parcel are small and widening them to accomodate extra traffic and bus parking would have added significantly to the cost of the project. Also, it would displace several existing programs at Reed (pre-school for ACPS employees' children, teen parenting program, Head Start program) and would require re-building a campus that was extensively rebuilt 2 years ago. There are other schools with enough open space to expand, and the parents in those neighborhoods may actually prefer getting a new school closer to home.

All good points by a Nimby but that's also where overcrowding is most serious. Can't have your cake and eat it too.

[Anonymous]

I'm not eating the cake...my taxes go to Arlington and my kids go to a parochial school. I do live nearby, and I wouldn't have minded at all if they had built a much bigger school when they redeveloped the site two years ago - but to undo two years and $18MM+ of construction would be a huge waste when there are other options. An Ashlawn parent told me that their school is thrilled at the prospect of being brought up to the standards of other N. Arlington schools - I'd rather see the investment in a site that needs it. If your kid is in an overcrowded school, and you're going to get an all-new school to alleviate the crowding, does it matter where that other location is, as long as it's a reasonable bus ride away?

[Anonymous]

I live near Arlington forrest and see no upside to losing playing fields so another building can be put alongside Barrett. They really did screw up by putting that expensive facility in Westover.

Right now, nearly all the children in Arlington attend the public schools (that is a fact). Yes, the schools are crowded. I hope they don't "solve" this based on more bad predictions about future growth.

As for "addition is cheaper" - yeah, but only more efficient if kids learn as well in enormous elementary schools as they do in schools of a more appropriate size.