school board work session on enrollment and transfers in options schools(and also a new high school)

[Anonymous]

Why should anyone have to opt for IB just to escape an overcrowded school? Why is APS proposing a choice that nobody is asking for?

[Anonymous]

So we can get at least some minimal integration in our schools which improves outcomes for EVERYONE. This is the best way to it without forced busing. And no this is not an escape hatch for my family. I want better outcomes for my kids" friends.

[Anonymous]

THe county, not the schools, needs to deal with this "integration" "problem" by putting affordable housing in North Arlington. Sorry that this is not a priority for the county.

[Anonymous]

If you want more integration, move to PG county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you want more integration, move to PG county.

Quiet now, the grown ups are talking.

[Anonymous]

It seems that some people argue that Reed, if an IB choice program, will be filled with neighborhood kids. If that is the case, then why not make it a neighborhood school and allow transfers to fill any excess space that exists. Then we can get the boundary process to include diversity as a goal. A choice IB program for Reed cannot guarantee a majority neighborhood enrollment when the school opens, but especially in years to come. Fix the problem at its core.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why should anyone have to opt for IB just to escape an overcrowded school? Why is APS proposing a choice that nobody is asking for?

Right! You shouldn't have to transfer to a choice school to avoid overcrowding. You should transfer IN because you like the philosophy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems that some people argue that Reed, if an IB choice program, will be filled with neighborhood kids. If that is the case, then why not make it a neighborhood school and allow transfers to fill any excess space that exists. Then we can get the boundary process to include diversity as a goal. A choice IB program for Reed cannot guarantee a majority neighborhood enrollment when the school opens, but especially in years to come. Fix the problem at its core.

Bravo!

[Anonymous]

The whole IB thing in elementary and middle school is odd. No one is clamoring for it. Why is APS pushing it on people who are perfectly happy with neighborhood schools (Westover--via Reed and Swanson)? I get making the HS IB program equally accessible to everyone in the county. I don't get creating "IB" schools out of whole cloth. Jefferson chose to adopt an IB focus, but it is not a county wide program. We've never had county wide elementary or middle school IB. Can we put this rest? While we're at it, why are we watering down the immersion program by spreading it across another middle school? There can't be "increased demand" if we only have 2 immersion elementaries and they stay the same size. Why do we need more middle school specialty programs? Why can't we just work on having good middle schools?

[Anonymous]

Randolph has been an IB elementary school for at least 10 years.

[Anonymous]

^ that's nice. Most people haven't asked for anymore elementary IB programs. No thanks, SB. SB is just trying to pour smoke over the problem and deflect. They cannot manage what they have, and I have zero confidence that they can start to effectively manage anytime soon. They are just trying to cover their tracks. It just sucks.

[Anonymous]

No additional choice schools. Don't allow those that got into choice in elementary apply for choice in MS or HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No additional choice schools. Don't allow those that got into choice in elementary apply for choice in MS or HS.

I don't think these are the most effective arguments to make together. The only reason to prevent families from entering both lotteries is to allow more people entry into a choice school. If there is greater interest in choice schools, then why not build another one?

If you genuinely don't think we need another choice school, why drag the second statement into it? It just makes people sound bitter that their kids didn't get in one of them. Just my two cents.

[Anonymous]

Why not make clusters (with some minor boundary changes), and give everyone within the boundary four choices: immersion, Montessori, STEAM, or traditional/neighborhood. Then take three buildings and have an immersion/Montessori building, a STEAM building, and a neighborhood building. Everyone in the three-school boundary would rank their three choices and hopefully everyone would get their first or second choice. A good number of kids should be able to walk and APS would provide busing to all three but it wouldn't have to be cross-county. It wouldn't help diversity a ton if you wanted the boundaries to be contiguous but you could do east-west clusters and cross 50 where possible. Possible clusters could be Tuckahoe/McKinley/Ashlawn, Nottingham/Reed/ATS, Discovery/Glebe/ASF, Jamestown/Taylor/Key, Carlin Springs/Campbell/Barrett, Claremont/Abingdon/Drew, Barcroft/Randolph/New ES, and Long Branch/Patrick Henry/Hoffman Boston/Oakridge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why not make clusters (with some minor boundary changes), and give everyone within the boundary four choices: immersion, Montessori, STEAM, or traditional/neighborhood. Then take three buildings and have an immersion/Montessori building, a STEAM building, and a neighborhood building. Everyone in the three-school boundary would rank their three choices and hopefully everyone would get their first or second choice. A good number of kids should be able to walk and APS would provide busing to all three but it wouldn't have to be cross-county. It wouldn't help diversity a ton if you wanted the boundaries to be contiguous but you could do east-west clusters and cross 50 where possible. Possible clusters could be Tuckahoe/McKinley/Ashlawn, Nottingham/Reed/ATS, Discovery/Glebe/ASF, Jamestown/Taylor/Key, Carlin Springs/Campbell/Barrett, Claremont/Abingdon/Drew, Barcroft/Randolph/New ES, and Long Branch/Patrick Henry/Hoffman Boston/Oakridge.

Way too much upheaval.