APS: I can't keep up! (ASFS)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When, years ago, we toured ASFS, Ms. Begley made a big deal about how she knew ALL the students and ALL the families because it was such a big decision to entrust your children to ASFS.

We didn't go.

In my 16 years at the school she actually did seem to know all the kids names.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the ASFS families are so concerned with diversity, I propose we bus Barcroft apts ( zoned Randolph and Barcroft) to ASFS. They will get the diversity they so cherish and those 2 schools will get a fighting chance to improve.
Win-win.

Which kids will be displaced? Are those parents are ok with a long bus ride?

It's 3.6 miles away.
Honestly I think anywhere the Farms rate is over 50% should be broken up. This is going to get me majorly flammed, but I think those extremely poor enclaves in south Arlington should be broken up and blocks of those complexes should be shipped to schools with a lower Farms rate. No, I don't think north Arlington families who pay the lions share of taxes should have to put their kids on a bus. They should get the walkable school they paid for.
But it's not good to clump all that poverty together. Break it up. Let the affordable housing slush fund pay for shuttles for parents on back to school nights etc...
The county is going to need $$$. And it's going to need middle class homebuyers to look elsewhere ( not Westover!). We need more taxes pulled from south Arlington. We need the county to stop talking about seniors not paying their taxes AND not collecting deferred tax plus interest once the home is sold. Deferred taxes? Fine, but they need to square with the county when it sells. We are going to need 2-3 more elementary schools ( not including the new Henry and Reed) another new middle school and a comprehensive high school on top of all the extra seats we're looking at now.
Having schools rated 2/3 hurts property taxes. We simply can't afford it anymore.

The CB needs to push AH into the school boundaries with FARMS under 5%.
They are talking about converting community centers into AH... so start by converting Madison into AH.
Seriously. Or wake up and stop AH altogether. Convert to mixed income.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When, years ago, we toured ASFS, Ms. Begley made a big deal about how she knew ALL the students and ALL the families because it was such a big decision to entrust your children to ASFS.

We didn't go.

In my 16 years at the school she actually did seem to know all the kids names.

16 years?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, ASFS has a lot of parents that can afford to make a $1K donation to their school and don't want to lose their investment. They pat themselves on the back about the diversity, but they really couldn't care less if the diversity went away.

But do they seem scared that more diversity is heading their way?

No, they don't. If they shift the boundaries to make those closer to the school, it will get richer and whiter.

It sounded to me more like, uh oh, kids who would be guaranteed Key from the "urban" corridor would need other schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, ASFS has a lot of parents that can afford to make a $1K donation to their school and don't want to lose their investment. They pat themselves on the back about the diversity, but they really couldn't care less if the diversity went away.

But do they seem scared that more diversity is heading their way?

No, they don't. If they shift the boundaries to make those closer to the school, it will get richer and whiter.

Most parents we know greatly value the diversity.

Socioeconomic diversity?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the ASFS families are so concerned with diversity, I propose we bus Barcroft apts ( zoned Randolph and Barcroft) to ASFS. They will get the diversity they so cherish and those 2 schools will get a fighting chance to improve.
Win-win.

Which kids will be displaced? Are those parents are ok with a long bus ride?

It's 3.6 miles away.
Honestly I think anywhere the Farms rate is over 50% should be broken up. This is going to get me majorly flammed, but I think those extremely poor enclaves in south Arlington should be broken up and blocks of those complexes should be shipped to schools with a lower Farms rate. No, I don't think north Arlington families who pay the lions share of taxes should have to put their kids on a bus. They should get the walkable school they paid for.
But it's not good to clump all that poverty together. Break it up. Let the affordable housing slush fund pay for shuttles for parents on back to school nights etc...
The county is going to need $$$. And it's going to need middle class homebuyers to look elsewhere ( not Westover!). We need more taxes pulled from south Arlington. We need the county to stop talking about seniors not paying their taxes AND not collecting deferred tax plus interest once the home is sold. Deferred taxes? Fine, but they need to square with the county when it sells. We are going to need 2-3 more elementary schools ( not including the new Henry and Reed) another new middle school and a comprehensive high school on top of all the extra seats we're looking at now.
Having schools rated 2/3 hurts property taxes. We simply can't afford it anymore.

The CB needs to push AH into the school boundaries with FARMS under 5%.
They are talking about converting community centers into AH... so start by converting Madison into AH.
Seriously. Or wake up and stop AH altogether. Convert to mixed income.

Mixed income IS affordable housing. Oh, and it's the SFHs that are driving up school enrollment, FWIW. Not the AH nor the poors.
[[/i]i]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the ASFS families are so concerned with diversity, I propose we bus Barcroft apts ( zoned Randolph and Barcroft) to ASFS. They will get the diversity they so cherish and those 2 schools will get a fighting chance to improve.
Win-win.

Which kids will be displaced? Are those parents are ok with a long bus ride?

It's 3.6 miles away.
Honestly I think anywhere the Farms rate is over 50% should be broken up. This is going to get me majorly flammed, but I think those extremely poor enclaves in south Arlington should be broken up and blocks of those complexes should be shipped to schools with a lower Farms rate. No, I don't think north Arlington families who pay the lions share of taxes should have to put their kids on a bus. They should get the walkable school they paid for.
But it's not good to clump all that poverty together. Break it up. Let the affordable housing slush fund pay for shuttles for parents on back to school nights etc...
The county is going to need $$$. And it's going to need middle class homebuyers to look elsewhere ( not Westover!). We need more taxes pulled from south Arlington. We need the county to stop talking about seniors not paying their taxes AND not collecting deferred tax plus interest once the home is sold. Deferred taxes? Fine, but they need to square with the county when it sells. We are going to need 2-3 more elementary schools ( not including the new Henry and Reed) another new middle school and a comprehensive high school on top of all the extra seats we're looking at now.
Having schools rated 2/3 hurts property taxes. We simply can't afford it anymore.

The CB needs to push AH into the school boundaries with FARMS under 5%.
They are talking about converting community centers into AH... so start by converting Madison into AH.
Seriously. Or wake up and stop AH altogether. Convert to mixed income.

Mixed income IS affordable housing. Oh, and it's the SFHs that are driving up school enrollment, FWIW. Not the AH nor the poors.
[[/i]i]

That's a very simple minded statement. Concentrated AH has secondary effects. Don't rely on AHC and APAH for your talking points.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the ASFS families are so concerned with diversity, I propose we bus Barcroft apts ( zoned Randolph and Barcroft) to ASFS. They will get the diversity they so cherish and those 2 schools will get a fighting chance to improve.
Win-win.

Which kids will be displaced? Are those parents are ok with a long bus ride?

It's 3.6 miles away.
Honestly I think anywhere the Farms rate is over 50% should be broken up. This is going to get me majorly flammed, but I think those extremely poor enclaves in south Arlington should be broken up and blocks of those complexes should be shipped to schools with a lower Farms rate. No, I don't think north Arlington families who pay the lions share of taxes should have to put their kids on a bus. They should get the walkable school they paid for.
But it's not good to clump all that poverty together. Break it up. Let the affordable housing slush fund pay for shuttles for parents on back to school nights etc...
The county is going to need $$$. And it's going to need middle class homebuyers to look elsewhere ( not Westover!). We need more taxes pulled from south Arlington. We need the county to stop talking about seniors not paying their taxes AND not collecting deferred tax plus interest once the home is sold. Deferred taxes? Fine, but they need to square with the county when it sells. We are going to need 2-3 more elementary schools ( not including the new Henry and Reed) another new middle school and a comprehensive high school on top of all the extra seats we're looking at now.
Having schools rated 2/3 hurts property taxes. We simply can't afford it anymore.

The CB needs to push AH into the school boundaries with FARMS under 5%.
They are talking about converting community centers into AH... so start by converting Madison into AH.
Seriously. Or wake up and stop AH altogether. Convert to mixed income.

Mixed income IS affordable housing. Oh, and it's the SFHs that are driving up school enrollment, FWIW. Not the AH nor the poors.
[[/i]i]

I'm not a developer, but if they are raising an apartment complex that will only be accessible by qualifying for affordable housing, that's AH to me. OTOH, if a developer builds a large building that has some units set aside for AH qualifications, but everything else, is different sized condos at market rate, that's mixed income to me.

As far as your comment that rentals are not driving up enrollment, I'd like to see that statistic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The parents started the petition because APS and the SB are rushing this decision and not looking at impacts before moving forward. They aren't even looking at numbers until the fall. Parents also want to be grandfathered in and want to establish a walk zone. Is that really all so terrible and unreasonable?

Here’s the problem with petitions: Parents don’t usually have the time (or sometimes even the interest) to stay abreast of everything that APS is doing or planning to do. So people who sign petitions usually take it on faith that the initiator of the petition has the same goals/perspectives as they do AND is well informed. When this is the case, a petition can be very powerful. However, when this is not the case, the petition isn’t very meaningful. Also, if people are not well informed, they can be easily swayed by a very compelling argument that actually isn’t.

A good example of this would be the petition to ban Dihydrogen Monoxide (http://www.dhmo.org/) that garnered thousands of fervent supporters. People heard the argument and signed on the dotted line, not realizing that the petition did not tell the whole story.

In the case of the ASFS/Team petition, the initiator of the petition, AC, was at best poorly informed. If you look at the text of the petition, it is clear that he has taken a very narrow view when he says “our schools”. He does not mean all 23 elementary schools (or even the affected secondary programs). He means ASFS and the Jamestown/Taylor Team. If you take such a limited and myopic view of the changes, then you might be opposed to the policy changes. However, if you understand the changes in totality and you want what is in the best interest of all APS students, then the answer is very different.

Worse yet, there are false narratives put forth about APS rushing this through or not looking at the numbers. If you see the big picture and understand how long these changes have been in the works, you will know the truth.

This is not to defend APS and say that they are blameless and have done everything right. They haven’t. One of the biggest mistakes they have made has been delaying these changes for as long as they have.

In the end, the proposed changes to the Enrollment and Transfer Policy are intended to BEGIN solving some really, really hard problems and it is long overdue. It is just the beginning and the solution is not perfect, but it is a step in the right direction. And even if it will stress certain areas a bit more, on the whole, it will begin the process of addressing some systemic problems that ultimately affect us all.

APS has been seriously considering changes to the Enrollment and Transfer Policy for quite a few years. APS has also been looking at the numbers very carefully. It may not always seem like it, when it may negatively affect a specific area that you care about, but it is true.

One last thing, APS has a pretty good idea how the policy changes will affect enrollment at each school, but given the complexity of the situation, it is unlikely that their estimates to be 100% accurate. This is a key reason why the policy changes should come BEFORE the larger boundary changes. It will allow APS to include unforeseen enrollment issues in the boundary changes, so all schools get the relief that they need.

[Anonymous]

The woman who runs the numbers said they won't really get into it until after the decision is made in June. Was she lying?

And even then I doubt they have the capability to effectively analyze the numbers. Did you see their attempt for the HS planning. Pathetic.

They need to bring in some professionals to help them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The woman who runs the numbers said they won't really get into it until after the decision is made in June. Was she lying?

And even then I doubt they have the capability to effectively analyze the numbers. Did you see their attempt for the HS planning. Pathetic.

They need to bring in some professionals to help them.

I'm not entirely sure what you mean by "get into it".

If you are asking, does APS know what the exact enrollment numbers will be at each of the elementary schools (including ASFS, Jamestown and Taylor) for 2018 when this policy would take effect, I'm sure the answer is no. But that doesn't mean that they haven't looked at the historical numbers and also the trends. And from that they have built a reasonably good estimate that they will refine when they see the 2017 enrollment numbers. The estimates are not perfect, but the problem is lot more complex than some people appreciate.

Regarding bringing in some professionals to help them, they just did that. Did you not find any of Dr. Grip's findings of value?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The woman who runs the numbers said they won't really get into it until after the decision is made in June. Was she lying?

And even then I doubt they have the capability to effectively analyze the numbers. Did you see their attempt for the HS planning. Pathetic.

They need to bring in some professionals to help them.

I'm not entirely sure what you mean by "get into it".

If you are asking, does APS know what the exact enrollment numbers will be at each of the elementary schools (including ASFS, Jamestown and Taylor) for 2018 when this policy would take effect, I'm sure the answer is no. But that doesn't mean that they haven't looked at the historical numbers and also the trends. And from that they have built a reasonably good estimate that they will refine when they see the 2017 enrollment numbers. The estimates are not perfect, but the problem is lot more complex than some people appreciate.

Regarding bringing in some professionals to help them, they just did that. Did you not find any of Dr. Grip's findings of value?

I wish the data was public. I'd love to dig through it.

Did the consultant do that much? Basically said they were OK and provided some recommendations. Did APS implement any of those? Will they bring him back as they make more big decisions?

Well, one rec was to wait until the Fall to run #s again...

Clearly, they will just do what they want to do so the #s don't matter much anyway (please refer to McKinley). They make other school districts look more appealing with each gaffe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The parents started the petition because APS and the SB are rushing this decision and not looking at impacts before moving forward. They aren't even looking at numbers until the fall. Parents also want to be grandfathered in and want to establish a walk zone. Is that really all so terrible and unreasonable?

Here’s the problem with petitions: Parents don’t usually have the time (or sometimes even the interest) to stay abreast of everything that APS is doing or planning to do. So people who sign petitions usually take it on faith that the initiator of the petition has the same goals/perspectives as they do AND is well informed. When this is the case, a petition can be very powerful. However, when this is not the case, the petition isn’t very meaningful. Also, if people are not well informed, they can be easily swayed by a very compelling argument that actually isn’t.

A good example of this would be the petition to ban Dihydrogen Monoxide (http://www.dhmo.org/) that garnered thousands of fervent supporters. People heard the argument and signed on the dotted line, not realizing that the petition did not tell the whole story.

In the case of the ASFS/Team petition, the initiator of the petition, AC, was at best poorly informed. If you look at the text of the petition, it is clear that he has taken a very narrow view when he says “our schools”. He does not mean all 23 elementary schools (or even the affected secondary programs). He means ASFS and the Jamestown/Taylor Team. If you take such a limited and myopic view of the changes, then you might be opposed to the policy changes. However, if you understand the changes in totality and you want what is in the best interest of all APS students, then the answer is very different.

Worse yet, there are false narratives put forth about APS rushing this through or not looking at the numbers. If you see the big picture and understand how long these changes have been in the works, you will know the truth.

This is not to defend APS and say that they are blameless and have done everything right. They haven’t. One of the biggest mistakes they have made has been delaying these changes for as long as they have.

In the end, the proposed changes to the Enrollment and Transfer Policy are intended to BEGIN solving some really, really hard problems and it is long overdue. It is just the beginning and the solution is not perfect, but it is a step in the right direction. And even if it will stress certain areas a bit more, on the whole, it will begin the process of addressing some systemic problems that ultimately affect us all.

APS has been seriously considering changes to the Enrollment and Transfer Policy for quite a few years. APS has also been looking at the numbers very carefully. It may not always seem like it, when it may negatively affect a specific area that you care about, but it is true.

One last thing, APS has a pretty good idea how the policy changes will affect enrollment at each school, but given the complexity of the situation, it is unlikely that their estimates to be 100% accurate. This is a key reason why the policy changes should come BEFORE the larger boundary changes. It will allow APS to include unforeseen enrollment issues in the boundary changes, so all schools get the relief that they need.

DMHO is scary!!!!

[Anonymous]

OMG! These people are insufferable:

https://www.arlnow.com/2017/05/31/letter-to-the-editor-arlington-public-schools-turns-its-focus-away-from-science/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OMG! These people are insufferable:

https://www.arlnow.com/2017/05/31/letter-to-the-editor-arlington-public-schools-turns-its-focus-away-from-science/

Well, they live in Doanldson Run, so they're just trying to protect their own access to ASFS. The rest is a smokescreen. Like The Chopras cared about any of this before junior's spot at ASFS was threatened. Hint: they did not. They were perfectly happy to engage in opportunity hoarding, just as long as they were part of the group with access to ASFS.

And yes, countywide there is more demand for Spanish Immersion than ASFS, and we can't have two option schools hoarded by one geographic area, so one has to become the neighborhood school.