Arlington school boundary petition

[Anonymous]

I LOLed at the mom complaining that her kids have to go past a school 1 minute away to....a school 5 minutes away. The horror! The horror of it all!

[Anonymous]

I'm a little confused about the Arlington Science Focus issue...if you are in the ASFS boundary, you are guaranteed a spot? Are people complaining that they aren't in the boundary and therefore aren't getting spots? ???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a little confused about the Arlington Science Focus issue...if you are in the ASFS boundary, you are guaranteed a spot? Are people complaining that they aren't in the boundary and therefore aren't getting spots? ???

Yep. They are in the team for Taylor or at other schools. They want guaranteed Key/ASFS boundary taken away yet those are neighborhood schools for in-boundary schools. They also want LV out of Taylor. The County already ruled there are new school options in Clarendon/Rosslyn so Key/ASFS is not being subject to boundary changes.

Ironically, their petition (which is too late anyway) would most likely backfire with all of LV taking Taylor spots and more of them being moved.

Don't ask for something when you don't know the consequences. Most of us have been in these boundary talks for ages this is way too late.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:According to one speaker at the More Seats meeting, Madison can't be used for an elementary now, but may be an option when they finally start addressing that the fact that all the elementary kids will be entering middle school and more space is needed there, too.

They'll never convert Madison back to an ES. Too many people would be displaced and it would be very costly to retrofit.

Aren't they closing down Madison anyway? Who would be displaced?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:According to one speaker at the More Seats meeting, Madison can't be used for an elementary now, but may be an option when they finally start addressing that the fact that all the elementary kids will be entering middle school and more space is needed there, too.

They'll never convert Madison back to an ES. Too many people would be displaced and it would be very costly to retrofit.

Aren't they closing down Madison anyway? Who would be displaced?

There is adult day care and preschool there.

[Anonymous]

I TRULY do not mean to start WWIII here, but what is the real value of spanish immersion? Why not scrap that, at least for Key, and convert it to a neighborhood school? I guess I just don't see the value in these themed schools in Arlington (but then I am rather disgruntled with APS these days anyway, so I may be biased).

[Anonymous]

I don't think people don't want a neighborhood school for Key folks. I *think* they was the Science Focus curriculum moved elsewhere and the building that houses ASFS become a regular elementary school. At least, that's the way it seemed from all the Taylor people who've been at the meetings I've attended. It's pretty clear that their efforts are in vain, but it doesn't mean it doesn't come up every time there is a group discussion.

[Anonymous]

was = want

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I TRULY do not mean to start WWIII here, but what is the real value of spanish immersion? Why not scrap that, at least for Key, and convert it to a neighborhood school? I guess I just don't see the value in these themed schools in Arlington (but then I am rather disgruntled with APS these days anyway, so I may be biased).

+1. The problem with the theme schools is that some become "hot" and others are viewed as second-rate and it leaves people in a perpetual state of anxiety as to whether they have fewer options than people who live just a mile or two away.

[Anonymous]

We live in Key, and we would actually be happy not to get involved with the hyper competitive momzilla rat-race which is ASFS. But we don't like immersion programs, so this is where we'll wind up because we have the option of one specialty school or the other and not a regular school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That must be the most poorly worded petition I've ever seen. Arlington County doesn't "must" have to do anything. A petition ASKS. It doesn't TELL.

Typical of certain Arlingtonians. Wow.

I do not even get why they are trying to throw this is so late in the game. I agree wholeheartedly with the posts that came before me--these people have no idea what they are asking for. They also appear to have hate/animosity towards one neighborhood. The few clueless ones that signed it because that thought they were protecting their spots at Taylor have no idea that what they were signing was asking for those in Key boundary to essentially have no school. Try telling that to people that paid a lot of frickin' money for a particular school.

The people I have met that are the most steamed up about this issue are the people that purchased a home outside of boundary for a specific school assuming they could just lottery into the one they wanted later. That assumption was a giant mistake. You always keep abreast of school zoning issues when purchasing and you should only buy into a school district you are satisfied with. I have seen the same mistake with DC residents that figure they will just go to X Charter school and then are astounded when their kid becomes school age and realize it is not an option.

I get the people living next door to one school and being zoned to one farther away. I also would not like that, but again you knew that when you bought your house.

Well yes, my read is "hate/animosity" is definitely the tone of the petition. The petitioners assume they know what's going on in Rosslyn/Clarendon. They're completely oblivious to the changes happening right under their noses and so they've taken a superior attitude towards people living in those neighborhood. But the county is aware of it's demographic. My 200+ unit building is considered a neighborhood in and of itself by the county with a price range of $900K to $9million per unit. Currently, about 10-15% of my building's unit owners have school age or will have school age children in the near future. We definitely bought with the school pyramid in mind and would never have made the mistake of thinking we could simply petition into the school district we'd like. Even the empty nesters, picked the area and building considering the school pyramid. We are also assessed a special luxury tax which goes to the neighborhood. Lion Village, CC Hills notwithstanding, I doubt the county would consider any boundary changes that would adversely affect Rosslyn. Now days, there are a lot of people in Rosslyn whom the county couldn't easily ignore, despite what the tone of the petition implies. I am surprised the petitioners are clueless of and assume they have the muscle to affect the kind of wrong minded changes they're seeking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We live in Key, and we would actually be happy not to get involved with the hyper competitive momzilla rat-race which is ASFS. But we don't like immersion programs, so this is where we'll wind up because we have the option of one specialty school or the other and not a regular school.

I am in the same boat. I wish I had another option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Aren't they closing down Madison anyway? Who would be displaced?

There is adult day care and preschool there.

Those programs use very little of the space at Madison. I don't see why they couldn't be relocated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live in Key, and we would actually be happy not to get involved with the hyper competitive momzilla rat-race which is ASFS. But we don't like immersion programs, so this is where we'll wind up because we have the option of one specialty school or the other and not a regular school.

I am in the same boat. I wish I had another option.

I'm really surprised people would be against a science focused school no matter how little the specialized focus is. I can't understand how ASFS is not viewed a "traditional" school simply because of the science program. isn't every APS ES trying to get some kind of emphasis to make itself stands out from the rest so all parents can feel special and secure? How is Taylor less special then ASFS or Nottingham?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live in Key, and we would actually be happy not to get involved with the hyper competitive momzilla rat-race which is ASFS. But we don't like immersion programs, so this is where we'll wind up because we have the option of one specialty school or the other and not a regular school.

I am in the same boat. I wish I had another option.

I'm really surprised people would be against a science focused school no matter how little the specialized focus is. I can't understand how ASFS is not viewed a "traditional" school simply because of the science program. isn't every APS ES trying to get some kind of emphasis to make itself stands out from the rest so all parents can feel special and secure? How is Taylor less special then ASFS or Nottingham?

It's not the science focus, per se, it's the craziness surrounding getting into that boundary. I've met quite a few preschool moms who are HYSTERICAL about the housing shortage in the Key/ASFS zone and are freaking out. They've also been Kumon-ing and "enriching" their children and competing over reading scores. I have a few friends with kids there, and they have told me the PTA is hardcore and exclusionary to working moms. I'd rather just have a "school" for my kid, not a trophy prize.