Which APS elementary schools should close?

[Anonymous]

Montessori. Plus one of the far Northern ones with low enrollment, building in bad shape (needing lots of $$$), and extremely close to the others, so that they may also be walkable for some in that zone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Split ATS and make Drew the S. Arlington version and the current ATS the N. Arlington version, like Key and Claremont. It increases ATS spots, which is extremely popular, and will fill Drew. Then close Nottingham.

Not going to happen WRT Drew. It’s untouchable as a neighborhood school and with a seat deficit predicted in the adjacent Oakridge zone, it’s going to get more kids.

Redistricting students to Drew is just going to make parents unhappy. If you make it an option school, you don't reduce the number of seats and parents voluntarily enroll instead of kicking and screaming about being moved.

Stop beating a dead horse. You’re not incorrect that parents will be mad, but it is what it is.

The seat surplus is most acute in the NW. Just move Pre-K-6 Montessori there and close the 7-8 middle years and be done with it. Then we don’t need a crazy expensive build out at the Career Center site. Saves money there, frees up a little space at Gunston, and prevents APS from having to sell more land if they “close” a school in the NW. Why are we contorting ourselves and going into debt to expand an option program that is NOT desired by the overall community and taxpayers? There is NO waitlist for the MS years. It’s a ridiculous concept for that age group. Keep it through 6th since that’s the cohort grouping of 3 years. Tear down the old CC and Henry buildings and add some more green space for the kids at the CC and to offset the heat island along the Pike and for the community along the Pike to use when school isn’t in session.

+1

The North will be permanently under-enrolled with lots of buildings needing lots of money. The South will be permanently overcrowded. All this is the County's fault, but I don't see a trend reversal there. On the contrary. The only way to keep the Northern schools all open that would perhaps be feasible: Move all elementary aged Montessori to the North and offer and option to stay. Move all VPI to the North and offer an option to stay (like ATS already does with all their VPI). See what happens with enrollments. Close Montessori at the Secondary Level, close Spanish at the Secondary Level; there is literally no interest. No wait lists. All this money for ~25 students... of the 30K APS serves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Split ATS and make Drew the S. Arlington version and the current ATS the N. Arlington version, like Key and Claremont. It increases ATS spots, which is extremely popular, and will fill Drew. Then close Nottingham.

Not going to happen WRT Drew. It’s untouchable as a neighborhood school and with a seat deficit predicted in the adjacent Oakridge zone, it’s going to get more kids.

Redistricting students to Drew is just going to make parents unhappy. If you make it an option school, you don't reduce the number of seats and parents voluntarily enroll instead of kicking and screaming about being moved.

Stop beating a dead horse. You’re not incorrect that parents will be mad, but it is what it is.

The seat surplus is most acute in the NW. Just move Pre-K-6 Montessori there and close the 7-8 middle years and be done with it. Then we don’t need a crazy expensive build out at the Career Center site. Saves money there, frees up a little space at Gunston, and prevents APS from having to sell more land if they “close” a school in the NW. Why are we contorting ourselves and going into debt to expand an option program that is NOT desired by the overall community and taxpayers? There is NO waitlist for the MS years. It’s a ridiculous concept for that age group. Keep it through 6th since that’s the cohort grouping of 3 years. Tear down the old CC and Henry buildings and add some more green space for the kids at the CC and to offset the heat island along the Pike and for the community along the Pike to use when school isn’t in session.

+1

The North will be permanently under-enrolled with lots of buildings needing lots of money. The South will be permanently overcrowded. All this is the County's fault, but I don't see a trend reversal there. On the contrary. The only way to keep the Northern schools all open that would perhaps be feasible: Move all elementary aged Montessori to the North and offer and option to stay. Move all VPI to the North and offer an option to stay (like ATS already does with all their VPI). See what happens with enrollments. Close Montessori at the Secondary Level, close Spanish at the Secondary Level; there is literally no interest. No wait lists. All this money for ~25 students... of the 30K APS serves.

There is a waitlist for MS immersion. Not sure about Montessori

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Split ATS and make Drew the S. Arlington version and the current ATS the N. Arlington version, like Key and Claremont. It increases ATS spots, which is extremely popular, and will fill Drew. Then close Nottingham.

Not going to happen WRT Drew. It’s untouchable as a neighborhood school and with a seat deficit predicted in the adjacent Oakridge zone, it’s going to get more kids.

Redistricting students to Drew is just going to make parents unhappy. If you make it an option school, you don't reduce the number of seats and parents voluntarily enroll instead of kicking and screaming about being moved.

Stop beating a dead horse. You’re not incorrect that parents will be mad, but it is what it is.

The seat surplus is most acute in the NW. Just move Pre-K-6 Montessori there and close the 7-8 middle years and be done with it. Then we don’t need a crazy expensive build out at the Career Center site. Saves money there, frees up a little space at Gunston, and prevents APS from having to sell more land if they “close” a school in the NW. Why are we contorting ourselves and going into debt to expand an option program that is NOT desired by the overall community and taxpayers? There is NO waitlist for the MS years. It’s a ridiculous concept for that age group. Keep it through 6th since that’s the cohort grouping of 3 years. Tear down the old CC and Henry buildings and add some more green space for the kids at the CC and to offset the heat island along the Pike and for the community along the Pike to use when school isn’t in session.

+1

The North will be permanently under-enrolled with lots of buildings needing lots of money. The South will be permanently overcrowded. All this is the County's fault, but I don't see a trend reversal there. On the contrary. The only way to keep the Northern schools all open that would perhaps be feasible: Move all elementary aged Montessori to the North and offer and option to stay. Move all VPI to the North and offer an option to stay (like ATS already does with all their VPI). See what happens with enrollments. Close Montessori at the Secondary Level, close Spanish at the Secondary Level; there is literally no interest. No wait lists. All this money for ~25 students... of the 30K APS serves.

The hundreds of students in the immersion and Montessori programs prove their is interest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Split ATS and make Drew the S. Arlington version and the current ATS the N. Arlington version, like Key and Claremont. It increases ATS spots, which is extremely popular, and will fill Drew. Then close Nottingham.

Not going to happen WRT Drew. It’s untouchable as a neighborhood school and with a seat deficit predicted in the adjacent Oakridge zone, it’s going to get more kids.

Redistricting students to Drew is just going to make parents unhappy. If you make it an option school, you don't reduce the number of seats and parents voluntarily enroll instead of kicking and screaming about being moved.

Stop beating a dead horse. You’re not incorrect that parents will be mad, but it is what it is.

The seat surplus is most acute in the NW. Just move Pre-K-6 Montessori there and close the 7-8 middle years and be done with it. Then we don’t need a crazy expensive build out at the Career Center site. Saves money there, frees up a little space at Gunston, and prevents APS from having to sell more land if they “close” a school in the NW. Why are we contorting ourselves and going into debt to expand an option program that is NOT desired by the overall community and taxpayers? There is NO waitlist for the MS years. It’s a ridiculous concept for that age group. Keep it through 6th since that’s the cohort grouping of 3 years. Tear down the old CC and Henry buildings and add some more green space for the kids at the CC and to offset the heat island along the Pike and for the community along the Pike to use when school isn’t in session.

+1

The North will be permanently under-enrolled with lots of buildings needing lots of money. The South will be permanently overcrowded. All this is the County's fault, but I don't see a trend reversal there. On the contrary. The only way to keep the Northern schools all open that would perhaps be feasible: Move all elementary aged Montessori to the North and offer and option to stay. Move all VPI to the North and offer an option to stay (like ATS already does with all their VPI). See what happens with enrollments. Close Montessori at the Secondary Level, close Spanish at the Secondary Level; there is literally no interest. No wait lists. All this money for ~25 students... of the 30K APS serves.

The hundreds of students in the immersion and Montessori programs prove their is interest.

There are 76 Montessori students at Gunston. Get rid of it.

[Anonymous]

As a first time APS parent of a child entering the Montessori Pre-K I had no idea we were walking into a situation with such a rich history of internet bickering haha

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a first time APS parent of a child entering the Montessori Pre-K I had no idea we were walking into a situation with such a rich history of internet bickering haha

Yes that’s because whatever Montessori wants, Montessori gets! They’re very “special”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Split ATS and make Drew the S. Arlington version and the current ATS the N. Arlington version, like Key and Claremont. It increases ATS spots, which is extremely popular, and will fill Drew. Then close Nottingham.

Not going to happen WRT Drew. It’s untouchable as a neighborhood school and with a seat deficit predicted in the adjacent Oakridge zone, it’s going to get more kids.

Redistricting students to Drew is just going to make parents unhappy. If you make it an option school, you don't reduce the number of seats and parents voluntarily enroll instead of kicking and screaming about being moved.

Stop beating a dead horse. You’re not incorrect that parents will be mad, but it is what it is.

The seat surplus is most acute in the NW. Just move Pre-K-6 Montessori there and close the 7-8 middle years and be done with it. Then we don’t need a crazy expensive build out at the Career Center site. Saves money there, frees up a little space at Gunston, and prevents APS from having to sell more land if they “close” a school in the NW. Why are we contorting ourselves and going into debt to expand an option program that is NOT desired by the overall community and taxpayers? There is NO waitlist for the MS years. It’s a ridiculous concept for that age group. Keep it through 6th since that’s the cohort grouping of 3 years. Tear down the old CC and Henry buildings and add some more green space for the kids at the CC and to offset the heat island along the Pike and for the community along the Pike to use when school isn’t in session.

+1

The North will be permanently under-enrolled with lots of buildings needing lots of money. The South will be permanently overcrowded. All this is the County's fault, but I don't see a trend reversal there. On the contrary. The only way to keep the Northern schools all open that would perhaps be feasible: Move all elementary aged Montessori to the North and offer and option to stay. Move all VPI to the North and offer an option to stay (like ATS already does with all their VPI). See what happens with enrollments. Close Montessori at the Secondary Level, close Spanish at the Secondary Level; there is literally no interest. No wait lists. All this money for ~25 students... of the 30K APS serves.

The hundreds of students in the immersion and Montessori programs prove their is interest.

There are 76 Montessori students at Gunston. Get rid of it.

What on earth? Why is there montessori in Middle School?! Isn't that what HB is meant for?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a first time APS parent of a child entering the Montessori Pre-K I had no idea we were walking into a situation with such a rich history of internet bickering haha

Yes that’s because whatever Montessori wants, Montessori gets! They’re very “special”

I swear I read something (maybe on here) about the main Montessori program being in a dilapidated building that's too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. That doesn't sound like they're running the show and getting all the things

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a first time APS parent of a child entering the Montessori Pre-K I had no idea we were walking into a situation with such a rich history of internet bickering haha

Yes that’s because whatever Montessori wants, Montessori gets! They’re very “special”

I swear I read something (maybe on here) about the main Montessori program being in a dilapidated building that's too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. That doesn't sound like they're running the show and getting all the things

Except they wanted that building. They knew it was going to be torn down for the new Career Center even back then. Now that Montessori will be housed within the Career Center complex, they get all the things, at the expense of the entire system.

But they can also have an entire building in N. Arlington which will be much less expensive, and won't have the same impact on the system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Montessori. Plus one of the far Northern ones with low enrollment, building in bad shape (needing lots of $$$), and extremely close to the others, so that they may also be walkable for some in that zone.

Jamestown is a really old building in not great shape that can't keep its numbers up. Taylor isn't so great either. It was built with open classrooms and has weird partitions that really don't block out noise. Either could close.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a first time APS parent of a child entering the Montessori Pre-K I had no idea we were walking into a situation with such a rich history of internet bickering haha

Welcome to APS parents. Sigh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a first time APS parent of a child entering the Montessori Pre-K I had no idea we were walking into a situation with such a rich history of internet bickering haha

Yes that’s because whatever Montessori wants, Montessori gets! They’re very “special”

I swear I read something (maybe on here) about the main Montessori program being in a dilapidated building that's too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. That doesn't sound like they're running the show and getting all the things

Omg you must be new here!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Montessori. Plus one of the far Northern ones with low enrollment, building in bad shape (needing lots of $$$), and extremely close to the others, so that they may also be walkable for some in that zone.

Jamestown is a really old building in not great shape that can't keep its numbers up. Taylor isn't so great either. It was built with open classrooms and has weird partitions that really don't block out noise. Either could close.

Taylor has one of the biggest boundaries of any elementary school and has over 500 kids. There aren’t any other elementary schools close by, like Nottingham and Discovery and Tuckahoe which are so close that their walk zones overlap. It’s an old dilapidated building for sure, but it makes zero sense to close it over other options (I’m not suggesting that any close).