APS Boundary tool--anyone get it to work yet?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The school board IS planning to build a 4th high school, just not a comprehensive school with fields and full facilities. But it's current plan has funding for a school facility with 1,300 seats.

Personally, I think we need a 4th comprehensive school given the numbers we're looking at, but to say that the board isn't planning on building a fourth school isn't strictly true.

that is semantics.
When people say they want a fourth high school, they are talking about the whole enchilada. I want to scream every time they mention 1300 seats coming on line.
I am fine with the votech, as I think it will largely draw from underperforming Wakefield. They become less crowded, their scores go up, and more people are willing to give it a shot and not cram into WL. Sounds great.
But it sounds great for other kids, certainly not mine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The school board IS planning to build a 4th high school, just not a comprehensive school with fields and full facilities. But it's current plan has funding for a school facility with 1,300 seats.

Personally, I think we need a 4th comprehensive school given the numbers we're looking at, but to say that the board isn't planning on building a fourth school isn't strictly true.

that is semantics.
When people say they want a fourth high school, they are talking about the whole enchilada. I want to scream every time they mention 1300 seats coming on line.
I am fine with the votech, as I think it will largely draw from underperforming Wakefield. They become less crowded, their scores go up, and more people are willing to give it a shot and not cram into WL. Sounds great.
But it sounds great for other kids, certainly not mine.

I was at a classroom size hearing back in 2009. I remember the Board acting like the increase in student population was a total surprise back then. It was not. Projections were continually showing how many more students /potential students were flooding APS. Every few years the Board acts "astonished" that their projections were way off and even more seats are needed. It's getting quite old at this point. The faux surprise. The pretense of making actual solutions. Lack of Transparency.

The phony polls and online play systems are distractions from the real problems. 7 years later and things keep getting worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The school board IS planning to build a 4th high school, just not a comprehensive school with fields and full facilities. But it's current plan has funding for a school facility with 1,300 seats.

Personally, I think we need a 4th comprehensive school given the numbers we're looking at, but to say that the board isn't planning on building a fourth school isn't strictly true.

that is semantics.
When people say they want a fourth high school, they are talking about the whole enchilada. I want to scream every time they mention 1300 seats coming on line.
I am fine with the votech, as I think it will largely draw from underperforming Wakefield. They become less crowded, their scores go up, and more people are willing to give it a shot and not cram into WL. Sounds great.
But it sounds great for other kids, certainly not mine.

+100

[Anonymous]

Weren't the #s for this year below projections?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Weren't the #s for this year below projections?

Yes, and I'm certain the numbers will go down every year from now on. There will be no need for a fourth school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Weren't the #s for this year below projections?

Yes, and I'm certain the numbers will go down every year from now on. There will be no need for a fourth school.

Hello school board.

They said that about middle school and Swanson is currently exploding.

The number of children in every SFH in our large neighborhood below age 5 is 2 with mom knocked up with the third.

Even the soccer teams went to 6 travel teams from 4 per age group and they are begging WMS for lights because there are no longer enough fields for all these players.

There is a population explosion in Arlington. These kids are all future APS students.

The Board seems to think whatever they say out loud makes it true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The school board IS planning to build a 4th high school, just not a comprehensive school with fields and full facilities. But it's current plan has funding for a school facility with 1,300 seats.

Personally, I think we need a 4th comprehensive school given the numbers we're looking at, but to say that the board isn't planning on building a fourth school isn't strictly true.

that is semantics.
When people say they want a fourth high school, they are talking about the whole enchilada. I want to scream every time they mention 1300 seats coming on line.
I am fine with the votech, as I think it will largely draw from underperforming Wakefield. They become less crowded, their scores go up, and more people are willing to give it a shot and not cram into WL. Sounds great.
But it sounds great for other kids, certainly not mine.

I was at a classroom size hearing back in 2009. I remember the Board acting like the increase in student population was a total surprise back then. It was not. Projections were continually showing how many more students /potential students were flooding APS. Every few years the Board acts "astonished" that their projections were way off and even more seats are needed. It's getting quite old at this point. The faux surprise. The pretense of making actual solutions. Lack of Transparency.

The phony polls and online play systems are distractions from the real problems. 7 years later and things keep getting worse.

Well said.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Weren't the #s for this year below projections?

Yes, and I'm certain the numbers will go down every year from now on. There will be no need for a fourth school.

No, the projections were off by a fraction; they were 99.5% accurate according to APS staff. We grew 3.6% this year. That's almost double what is considered "high growth." It's been like this for years now, and since Millennials have only just started having kids, I don't expect these numbers to go down. Even if they just hold steady, we will still need a fourth comprehensive HS, and soon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Weren't the #s for this year below projections?

Yes, and I'm certain the numbers will go down every year from now on. There will be no need for a fourth school.

Are you high? There is a need for a 4th high school *right now.* Even without the 900 extra students that came into the system this fall. Even if the number of new students goes down every year, it will be many years til we get to negative growth (if ever). Meanwhile, we need a 4th comprehensive high school with the numbers we have right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Weren't the #s for this year below projections?

Yes, and I'm certain the numbers will go down every year from now on. There will be no need for a fourth school.

Are you high? There is a need for a 4th high school *right now.* Even without the 900 extra students that came into the system this fall. Even if the number of new students goes down every year, it will be many years til we get to negative growth (if ever). Meanwhile, we need a 4th comprehensive high school with the numbers we have right now.

I think the pp above was being sarcastic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Weren't the #s for this year below projections?

Yes, and I'm certain the numbers will go down every year from now on. There will be no need for a fourth school.

Are you high? There is a need for a 4th high school *right now.* Even without the 900 extra students that came into the system this fall. Even if the number of new students goes down every year, it will be many years til we get to negative growth (if ever). Meanwhile, we need a 4th comprehensive high school with the numbers we have right now.

I think the pp above was being sarcastic.

I just assumed it was a Board member.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Weren't the #s for this year below projections?

Yes, and I'm certain the numbers will go down every year from now on. There will be no need for a fourth school.

Are you high? There is a need for a 4th high school *right now.* Even without the 900 extra students that came into the system this fall. Even if the number of new students goes down every year, it will be many years til we get to negative growth (if ever). Meanwhile, we need a 4th comprehensive high school with the numbers we have right now.

I think the pp above was being sarcastic.

I just assumed it was a Board member.

LOL, me too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Weren't the #s for this year below projections?

Yes, and I'm certain the numbers will go down every year from now on. There will be no need for a fourth school.

Are you high? There is a need for a 4th high school *right now.* Even without the 900 extra students that came into the system this fall. Even if the number of new students goes down every year, it will be many years til we get to negative growth (if ever). Meanwhile, we need a 4th comprehensive high school with the numbers we have right now.

I think the pp above was being sarcastic.

I just assumed it was a Board member.

LOL, me too.

Up until 2008, there was a steady trend of people having babies in Arlington and then moving to fairfax once they hit school to get the bigger house etc. but during the financial crisis many people were caught in condos and starter homes underwater, and ended up staying longer into school years.

I think PP thinks that exodus will resume again (and it might bc housing is so expensive for milenials) and i don't know if they will settle for hipster with kids for that long; it's one think for a two bedroom apt with a kindergarten, a whole other thing with high school kids, especially when moving 10 miles gives them 5x the space. But commutes suck more now so who knows.

[Anonymous]

I connected the Yorktown "island" to the rest of Yorktown. Then I clicked on all of the stuff on that EAST end of Columbia Pike. There are some farm's students but not the high numbers that are on the WEST end. I also thought it would add a fair number of SFH's.

Anyone else doing this?
It puts Wakefield below capacity for the first year, but everything else works.

[Anonymous]

This is an out-there idea, but why doesn't arlington invite some charters to operate? Then it would be their issue to find the space and create compelling curricula for parents to want to send their kids there? Seems that it would take some burden off the overcrowded schools, and help parents pick educations that better fit their needs.