AAP Work Session Scheduled for Jan. 14, 3:30 pm
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Anonymous
| did anyone go to the meeting? what happened? |
Anonymous
This same twitter feed has two mentions of the Board's thinking that the number of trailers across FCPS are unacceptable. |
Anonymous
It seems like now that it is down to the wire, everyone has decided that whatever will be, will be. |
Anonymous
Watch the video online -- go to the part of the work session you are interested in: http://www.fcps.edu/schlbd/video/videoarchive.shtml direct link to the AAP Expansion portion of the work session: http://www.fcps.edu/DIT/streaming/SchoolBoardWorkSession1-14-13_Advanced_Academic_Program_Expansion.asx |
Anonymous
Thanks for the link. It seems that Haycock's Principal, many current teachers and many "base" families support Janie Strauss's amendment. I know that Patty Reed is trying to speak up for families who feel like "numbers," but she really doesn't make much sense. She seemed to argue that the Lemon Road addition was really intended to address overcrowding at Freedom Hill, but she then proposed, in some of her amendments, to move entire cohorts of Haycock AAP students to a Lemon Road "annex." Megan McLaughlin said she wasn't taking a position, but it seemed that she totally gets the issues at Haycock. I was really impressed with the fact that she seems to be looking at the facts after touring the school and speaking with current administrators and teachers. I was also impressed by the willingness of the two principals at Haycock and Lemon Road to step up and, in essence, tell the other Board members that they support Strauss's amendment and will make a Lemon Road center work. I wasn't sure where Schultz was coming from. She seemed supportive of Reed's idea of an annex, but ended up pointing out that she attended many different schools and that kids are resilient. |
Anonymous
I would think it's huge that the principal supports Janie Strauss's amendment. Who's voice in the matter should be stronger or more compelling to the Board than the school's principal? |
Anonymous
| I agree. It seemed clear that, if Haycock weren't also about to be renovated, both Janie Strauss and Kelly Shears would support additional grandfathering. It's really a "perfect storm" of sorts, with the increasing AAP participation, the growth in Tysons and West Falls Church, and the upcoming Haycock renovation. But I think people will look back in a year or so and be happy with the restoration of some balance between the AAP and GenEd populations at Haycock and the creation of a new AAP center at Lemon Road. |
Anonymous
| It seems they still have a lot to work out before the 24th. |
Anonymous
I agree. There will likely be more (or changed) amendments posted after Friday's 3 p.m. submission deadline. |
Anonymous
I think they'll look back in a year and see that removing 90 kids did not really help Haycock very much. It will still be overcrowded and they'll start targeting the next group. When will Fairfax County Public Schools actually start to PLAN rather than just reacting? It was incredibly frustrating to watch that discussion. They keep making the same mistakes over and over again!! They spoke about how they want a balance of AAP and non-AAP, yet they create a new AAP center in a school of 300 kids. It will be 50% AAP in no time and then the Lemon Road families will be upset. The overcrowding discussions were unbelievable. FCPS has no idea what it's doing. Whatever happens at Haycock, happens and I don't think the board is willing to think creatively about how to come up with the best policy solution for that community. What frustrates me is that they never actually solve any of the problems. They react once the probelm becomes a "crisis." I get it that much of the board is "new" but that's no excuse for the staff. How is it that facilities has no idea how many trailers are at the various middle schools and how they are used? How is it that projections are so wildly wrong and change by hundreds of students from year to year with no explanation? It's outrageous to me. |
Anonymous
| There are a lot of centers with 50/50 AAP/General Ed kids and I don't hear or read a lot of complaints about them. I think the complaints come when the numbers are very skewed such as 5 AAP classes and 2 general ed classes or the other way around. |
Anonymous
Haycock has 5 to 2 because 40% of the center is from Haycock's own boundaries, so 2 of those 5 classes are comprised entirely of Haycock's own kids. |
Anonymous
| I'm not sure it matters much whether these children are AAP kid base school kids verses AAP transfer kids to the general ed or special needs kid who feels overwhelmed by having so much of the school "smarter" than him or her. |
Anonymous
Not sll special needs children are less smart than AAP students. Some students are both AAP and have special needs. |
Anonymous
| Perhaps the special ed kids don't care then but some general ed students seem to feel marginalized when 80% of the school is AAP. |