Let’s Talk APS High Schools: 4th one or no?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The CC site map looks like it scoops up a very dense area in terms of future students, which is good. Just doesn't seem to leave Wakefield in a good place.

But why can't they build new facilities at the other schools? Doesn't need to be a trailer - just build a new wing. CC needs renovation, no question, but the phasing in and work seems like it will take a long time and cost a lot of money. This better be something amazing and not a monument to municipal stupidity.

Other than willingness, what is unique about CC site? Do we have a forgotten facility with historical relevance? I do like the spacing between all the schools if one is built there.

A wing? Have you been to Yorktown? Where would one put such wings? At W&L it would go where the Ed Center is. But now our moronic SB wants to change that.

Yorktown is not an attractive school, and adding another wing (assuming space could be found on such a small site) would make it look even more random.

W-L has a nice building but it feels overcrowded and cramped.

Wakefield is the only one of the three current facilities that looks well planned and appropriate to the number of students now at the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of parents, including myself, would be pushing harder for the CC site and solutions to the athletics concern if we had confidence that the farms rate at Wakefield would not shoot up even higher than it did in the last boundary change. Recall that the planning units along the western Pike area were added to Wakefield at the last minute. I, and many others, feel that the same type of switcharoo would happen here. And, wealthy areas at Arlington Ridge and Aurora Highlands would fight hard to exit the Wakefield zone.

Personally, I would support a high school at the Kenmore site over CC. I drive Carlin Springs everyday (because I live here) and totally understand the traffic mess - but that needs to be fixed and a new school would force the two counties to fix it. A site at Kenmore has the space and can draw easily from North Arlington to balance the demographics. I know that is somehow off the table, but that doesn't change my mind about it.

The Arlington Heights neighborhood - and any others lobbying for a 4th HS at the Cc site should commit to a plan that equalizes the farms rate between that school and Wakefield. True colors would be on display.

Yeesh. This is neighborhood PP, again. I beginning to feel like we should just fight any expansion of the CC site, period. We get attacked by North Arlington because we want equal facilities (too expensive!! you're taking away from our children!!) and we get attacked by South Arlington because we are apparently so desperate to get out of Wakefield (our true colors!!).

Actually, I've just decided to do everything I can to prevent the expansion of Arlington Tech and the addition of 800 high school seats at the Career Center. Now everyone will be happy! Thank you, DCUM, for helping me see the light.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of parents, including myself, would be pushing harder for the CC site and solutions to the athletics concern if we had confidence that the farms rate at Wakefield would not shoot up even higher than it did in the last boundary change. Recall that the planning units along the western Pike area were added to Wakefield at the last minute. I, and many others, feel that the same type of switcharoo would happen here. And, wealthy areas at Arlington Ridge and Aurora Highlands would fight hard to exit the Wakefield zone.

Personally, I would support a high school at the Kenmore site over CC. I drive Carlin Springs everyday (because I live here) and totally understand the traffic mess - but that needs to be fixed and a new school would force the two counties to fix it. A site at Kenmore has the space and can draw easily from North Arlington to balance the demographics. I know that is somehow off the table, but that doesn't change my mind about it.

The Arlington Heights neighborhood - and any others lobbying for a 4th HS at the Cc site should commit to a plan that equalizes the farms rate between that school and Wakefield. True colors would be on display.

Yes! This. If you look at the proposed map, the walk zones and the areas that aren't grayed out suggest a balanced student body in terms of income and ethnicity, at around 20-30%, if I'm getting the numbers right when looking at the density map at the same time. Wakefield will still have Pentagon/Crystal City and Shirlington to keep it from being too lower income, but I don't think the numbers work out better for them.

I would be concerned that the areas currently zoned Oakridge would go to the CC. That George Mason would be the dividing line between 50 and the Pike, and then South of the Pike everything W of Four Mile run would go Wakefield and E would go CC. That would be a disaster for Wakefield. Just because some areas aren't in the walk zone, I don't know that they won't be pulled into the boundary. If Nauck goes to the CC, they will have to take all of Oakridge along with it for boundary contiguity. If there can be some assurances that that won't happen, I would feel a lot better about this location for a 4th HS.

The map looked as if Arlington Mill, around Dinwiddie St S was the dividing line.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The CC site map looks like it scoops up a very dense area in terms of future students, which is good. Just doesn't seem to leave Wakefield in a good place.

But why can't they build new facilities at the other schools? Doesn't need to be a trailer - just build a new wing. CC needs renovation, no question, but the phasing in and work seems like it will take a long time and cost a lot of money. This better be something amazing and not a monument to municipal stupidity.

Other than willingness, what is unique about CC site? Do we have a forgotten facility with historical relevance? I do like the spacing between all the schools if one is built there.

A wing? Have you been to Yorktown? Where would one put such wings? At W&L it would go where the Ed Center is. But now our moronic SB wants to change that.

Yorktown is not an attractive school, and adding another wing (assuming space could be found on such a small site) would make it look even more random.

W-L has a nice building but it feels overcrowded and cramped.

Wakefield is the only one of the three current facilities that looks well planned and appropriate to the number of students now at the school.

I don't deny those facts. All three still have way more space than the proposed school at the CC. Before people start talking about making it equal, I think it makes more sense to expand there. I think that doing that would be more equal that trying to shoehorn all those things on to such a small site.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of parents, including myself, would be pushing harder for the CC site and solutions to the athletics concern if we had confidence that the farms rate at Wakefield would not shoot up even higher than it did in the last boundary change. Recall that the planning units along the western Pike area were added to Wakefield at the last minute. I, and many others, feel that the same type of switcharoo would happen here. And, wealthy areas at Arlington Ridge and Aurora Highlands would fight hard to exit the Wakefield zone.

Personally, I would support a high school at the Kenmore site over CC. I drive Carlin Springs everyday (because I live here) and totally understand the traffic mess - but that needs to be fixed and a new school would force the two counties to fix it. A site at Kenmore has the space and can draw easily from North Arlington to balance the demographics. I know that is somehow off the table, but that doesn't change my mind about it.

The Arlington Heights neighborhood - and any others lobbying for a 4th HS at the Cc site should commit to a plan that equalizes the farms rate between that school and Wakefield. True colors would be on display.

Yes! This. If you look at the proposed map, the walk zones and the areas that aren't grayed out suggest a balanced student body in terms of income and ethnicity, at around 20-30%, if I'm getting the numbers right when looking at the density map at the same time. Wakefield will still have Pentagon/Crystal City and Shirlington to keep it from being too lower income, but I don't think the numbers work out better for them.

I actually think they could, it really depends. TJ is not fairing well after the last boundary redraw with free lunch nearly the same as Kenmore (high!). So I think that both Wakefield, and the new CC high school have reasons to want to balance diversity between them, and perhaps it would be possible to draw it down to 33% for both. Wouldn't that be ideal and preferable to the status quo?

But why not equalize the FRL numbers across all schools?? Why is it just south of 50?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of parents, including myself, would be pushing harder for the CC site and solutions to the athletics concern if we had confidence that the farms rate at Wakefield would not shoot up even higher than it did in the last boundary change. Recall that the planning units along the western Pike area were added to Wakefield at the last minute. I, and many others, feel that the same type of switcharoo would happen here. And, wealthy areas at Arlington Ridge and Aurora Highlands would fight hard to exit the Wakefield zone.

Personally, I would support a high school at the Kenmore site over CC. I drive Carlin Springs everyday (because I live here) and totally understand the traffic mess - but that needs to be fixed and a new school would force the two counties to fix it. A site at Kenmore has the space and can draw easily from North Arlington to balance the demographics. I know that is somehow off the table, but that doesn't change my mind about it.

The Arlington Heights neighborhood - and any others lobbying for a 4th HS at the Cc site should commit to a plan that equalizes the farms rate between that school and Wakefield. True colors would be on display.

Yes! This. If you look at the proposed map, the walk zones and the areas that aren't grayed out suggest a balanced student body in terms of income and ethnicity, at around 20-30%, if I'm getting the numbers right when looking at the density map at the same time. Wakefield will still have Pentagon/Crystal City and Shirlington to keep it from being too lower income, but I don't think the numbers work out better for them.

I would be concerned that the areas currently zoned Oakridge would go to the CC. That George Mason would be the dividing line between 50 and the Pike, and then South of the Pike everything W of Four Mile run would go Wakefield and E would go CC. That would be a disaster for Wakefield. Just because some areas aren't in the walk zone, I don't know that they won't be pulled into the boundary. If Nauck goes to the CC, they will have to take all of Oakridge along with it for boundary contiguity. If there can be some assurances that that won't happen, I would feel a lot better about this location for a 4th HS.

The map looked as if Arlington Mill, around Dinwiddie St S was the dividing line.

Well, that's even worse for Wakefield because those PU's are currently W-L. If they divide South Arlington E/W, and move SW Arlington to Wakefield, this will be a very large increase in fr/l at that school. It would also result in W-L becoming substantially less diverse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of parents, including myself, would be pushing harder for the CC site and solutions to the athletics concern if we had confidence that the farms rate at Wakefield would not shoot up even higher than it did in the last boundary change. Recall that the planning units along the western Pike area were added to Wakefield at the last minute. I, and many others, feel that the same type of switcharoo would happen here. And, wealthy areas at Arlington Ridge and Aurora Highlands would fight hard to exit the Wakefield zone.

Personally, I would support a high school at the Kenmore site over CC. I drive Carlin Springs everyday (because I live here) and totally understand the traffic mess - but that needs to be fixed and a new school would force the two counties to fix it. A site at Kenmore has the space and can draw easily from North Arlington to balance the demographics. I know that is somehow off the table, but that doesn't change my mind about it.

The Arlington Heights neighborhood - and any others lobbying for a 4th HS at the Cc site should commit to a plan that equalizes the farms rate between that school and Wakefield. True colors would be on display.

Yes! This. If you look at the proposed map, the walk zones and the areas that aren't grayed out suggest a balanced student body in terms of income and ethnicity, at around 20-30%, if I'm getting the numbers right when looking at the density map at the same time. Wakefield will still have Pentagon/Crystal City and Shirlington to keep it from being too lower income, but I don't think the numbers work out better for them.

I actually think they could, it really depends. TJ is not fairing well after the last boundary redraw with free lunch nearly the same as Kenmore (high!). So I think that both Wakefield, and the new CC high school have reasons to want to balance diversity between them, and perhaps it would be possible to draw it down to 33% for both. Wouldn't that be ideal and preferable to the status quo?

But why not equalize the FRL numbers across all schools?? Why is it just south of 50?

Because they can't. Not without moving away from a neighborhood/geography-based system.

[Anonymous]

Can we just make a magnet highschool that students test into like TJ? Put it in an office building and be done with this saving $100 million dollars?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can we just make a magnet highschool that students test into like TJ? Put it in an office building and be done with this saving $100 million dollars?

THIS!!!! Just put it in Crystal City or Ballston...even along Columbia Pike. Give it a fancy name (Science Focus will be available) and move on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of parents, including myself, would be pushing harder for the CC site and solutions to the athletics concern if we had confidence that the farms rate at Wakefield would not shoot up even higher than it did in the last boundary change. Recall that the planning units along the western Pike area were added to Wakefield at the last minute. I, and many others, feel that the same type of switcharoo would happen here. And, wealthy areas at Arlington Ridge and Aurora Highlands would fight hard to exit the Wakefield zone.

Personally, I would support a high school at the Kenmore site over CC. I drive Carlin Springs everyday (because I live here) and totally understand the traffic mess - but that needs to be fixed and a new school would force the two counties to fix it. A site at Kenmore has the space and can draw easily from North Arlington to balance the demographics. I know that is somehow off the table, but that doesn't change my mind about it.

The Arlington Heights neighborhood - and any others lobbying for a 4th HS at the Cc site should commit to a plan that equalizes the farms rate between that school and Wakefield. True colors would be on display.

Yes! This. If you look at the proposed map, the walk zones and the areas that aren't grayed out suggest a balanced student body in terms of income and ethnicity, at around 20-30%, if I'm getting the numbers right when looking at the density map at the same time. Wakefield will still have Pentagon/Crystal City and Shirlington to keep it from being too lower income, but I don't think the numbers work out better for them.

I actually think they could, it really depends. TJ is not fairing well after the last boundary redraw with free lunch nearly the same as Kenmore (high!). So I think that both Wakefield, and the new CC high school have reasons to want to balance diversity between them, and perhaps it would be possible to draw it down to 33% for both. Wouldn't that be ideal and preferable to the status quo?

But why not equalize the FRL numbers across all schools?? Why is it just south of 50?

Yes, I think you can equalize with all schools, or at least with W-L for 35% or so each, but balancing with Yorktown will always be the hardest, because once you get north of Lee Highway, the FLR drops to under 2% and all these students have to go somewhere. - in the past that's been Yorktown. But I agree, that it COULD be balanced much better, than what we have now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I think you can equalize with all schools, or at least with W-L for 35% or so each, but balancing with Yorktown will always be the hardest, because once you get north of Lee Highway, the FLR drops to under 2% and all these students have to go somewhere. - in the past that's been Yorktown. But I agree, that it COULD be balanced much better, than what we have now.

This is where the MS boundary argument broke down last fall. Some scenarios would have increased bussing across only parts of the county in order to improve the demographic balance, but APS was not going to full-on make everyone bus to achieve that end. The end result was partly a result of the need to apply the criteria to everyone fairly.

If you're going to make it a priority to move kids around and increase bus requirements for the prime goal of diversifying then you cannot reasonably leave untouched the whitest and wealthiest portion of the county. I don't think that will ever happen in Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I think you can equalize with all schools, or at least with W-L for 35% or so each, but balancing with Yorktown will always be the hardest, because once you get north of Lee Highway, the FLR drops to under 2% and all these students have to go somewhere. - in the past that's been Yorktown. But I agree, that it COULD be balanced much better, than what we have now.

This is where the MS boundary argument broke down last fall. Some scenarios would have increased bussing across only parts of the county in order to improve the demographic balance, but APS was not going to full-on make everyone bus to achieve that end. The end result was partly a result of the need to apply the criteria to everyone fairly.

If you're going to make it a priority to move kids around and increase bus requirements for the prime goal of diversifying then you cannot reasonably leave untouched the whitest and wealthiest portion of the county. I don't think that will ever happen in Arlington.

Transit subsidies and a few extra special ART buses might go a long way to helping with that, since APS has a hard time recruiting and retaining bus drivers.

I suspect that the fear concerning full out busing is that it will trigger flight and a loss of tax revenue. Still, something needs to change.

The goal should be equitable seats for all and getting rid of this idea that you "bought into" a certain school. It would certainly be more affordable to spread out students or even build a whole 4th school on a current high school lot, save for logistics.

[Anonymous]

This whole amenities thing - I think the school should have what is reasonable, but I think the academics should come first.

This location will be equidistant between W-L and Wakefield, which both have pools, or even use a neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can we just make a magnet highschool that students test into like TJ? Put it in an office building and be done with this saving $100 million dollars?

THIS!!!! Just put it in Crystal City or Ballston...even along Columbia Pike. Give it a fancy name (Science Focus will be available) and move on.

They already did this. It's called Arlington Tech. Not a lot of kids go there. And when they do, a lot leave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This whole amenities thing - I think the school should have what is reasonable, but I think the academics should come first.

This location will be equidistant between W-L and Wakefield, which both have pools, or even use a neighborhood.

Says the person of no risk of being zoned to the lesser than school. Oh, and what neighborhood pool are the kids supposed to use? The fancy north arlington ones built to keep black kids out?