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

[Anonymous]

Discovery has no room!! Ha ha Ha I needed a good laugh today. Don't forget that Jamestown has space, too!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think VHC lands helicopters at that site. They have to have clear fields.

There is a lot of space on that site. They can have helicopter room and still have space for a larger/taller building.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At last night's SB meeting, they said they would grandfather all current students. (You can watch the meeting on-line.)

I'm not sure how the boundary redrawing will work though, since Taylor and Glebe are also overcapacity-- and you can't really shift the Glebe kids anywhere to create space for ASFS kids, because McKinley is also too crowded and that's where the Glebe kids would likely go. The only way this works is to put all boundaries on the table and push all the way across North Arlington into Discovery and Nottingham (which are the two schools with space). My kids aren't at ASFS or Key, but I've been watching this unfold because I don't know how they can pull it off without pretty substantial boundary changes across the entirety of North Arlington. APS is such a cluster right now.

NO!!! We certainly do not have space at Discovery. Anyone who tries to navigate past all the cars up there each morning can tell you that. A move like this will cause property values north of Yorktown Blvd to plummet, further devastating the tax base.

Maybe more of these parents need to make their kids walk or take the bus. Discovery is projected to be at 94% of capacity. If boundaries are shifted some will have to go to Discovery.

I live in N. Arlington (not close to your precious Discovery), and I think that you represent the absolute worst of Arlington parents (including that PTA President at Nottingham that screwed over McKinley families). You need to stop just thinking of yourselves. The students should be evenly distributed as best as possible. it shouldn't be that only some ES are severely overcrowded and others aren't. Your anecdote about cars isn't that convincing either. You can just look and see from APS data which ESs are the most overcrowded and which aren't. As for property values, unless you've been living under a rock, the last SB work session showed just how many more schools are needed and the upcoming increase in students. So i have news for you, all of the schools will be full. Start to accept that now, or move/transfer to private.

[Anonymous]

Just FYI- I live in north Arlington and know there are some painful people, but there is a person who trolls virtually every thread about Arlington schools. So in this thread, her contributions were the long post about choosing schools based on ranking property values, and the little follow up you're quoting about property values north of Yorktown Blvd. see also any post about john vihstadt and Libby Garvey. I like reading comments on these boards and you can learn some things about the process and different perspectives, but recognize some posts are just attempts at making a point or (possibly?) entertainment

[Anonymous]

I just watched the school board meeting. The ASFS parents really didn't come off well.
I know that it is a hard temptation to resist, but I wish we could collectively resist thinking that the current space capacity issue is someone's 'fault' and that there are other schools less burdened, in a better position to be overcrowded, etc.
The fact of the matter is- all the schools are overcrowded. ASFS really isn't special. ASFS is a relatively small building- with a capacity of 553, and an enrollment of 652. But the site is pretty typical- 6.6 acres
https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/FAC_1300-Analysis_Final_20170214-1.pdf
http://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Capacity_Utilization_FallProjections17-26_Final_Web.pdf

It really falls in the middle of the pack in terms of overcrowding.

We need more schools.

[Anonymous]

No, not schools are overcrowded. Furthermore, in some instances, there is a group of people to blame. Sometimes a small group of people from one school decide that they don't need to have full enrollment like other nearby schools. They start a petition and lie. They admit publicly that they do not need to be at 100% capacity because of their overall was higher in the past. They do not care what it does to the school that takes on those students. All they care about is theirs. While there is the obnoxious N Arl troll, that troll is based on parents from Nottingham.

[Anonymous]

APS currently has 23 elementary schools. Please consider this and take a comprehensive view when looking at the pros and cons of a policy change.

The enrollment and transfer policy is outdated and is part of the problem, given the increase in enrollment. It must be changed.

That said, there is no perfect solution and there will be some areas/schools that will be negatively affected by the changes. However, there will be more good to come out of the changes than bad and folks need to remember to see the big picture. (Think 23 elementary schools.)

APS must do everything it can to help mitigate the negative impacts of changing policy, but this does not mean to delay or avoid making the hard decisions.

This is long overdue and if you've been affected by the outdated policy you know that it's time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just FYI- I live in north Arlington and know there are some painful people, but there is a person who trolls virtually every thread about Arlington schools. So in this thread, her contributions were the long post about choosing schools based on ranking property values, and the little follow up you're quoting about property values north of Yorktown Blvd. see also any post about john vihstadt and Libby Garvey. I like reading comments on these boards and you can learn some things about the process and different perspectives, but recognize some posts are just attempts at making a point or (possibly?) entertainment

Maybe I'm wrong, but I think the point that particular poster is making is sort of true.

When you take the time to look at the projections, and see the past decisions, you can conclude a few things... for all of our liberal talk, we don't have the will to do what's best for everyone. We are a very small county and it is easy to see who comes out ahead. That poster is suggesting we go all in and be out and proud with our terrible decision making.
Members of the county board and Violand- Sanchez have publically said shift schedules are what our less affluent neighbors want. I don't even know what to think of that.
All of the poor people want to live together and go to school second shift. Isn't that so wonderful and vibrant?
Is it, though?
The people with the most "skin in the game" (vomit) do get their pick. The rest of us have to make due with whatever they cobble together.

[Anonymous]

Some ASFS parents want to delay the changes so they can lobby for ASFS to become the option school, rather than Key.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just watched the school board meeting. The ASFS parents really didn't come off well.
I know that it is a hard temptation to resist, but I wish we could collectively resist thinking that the current space capacity issue is someone's 'fault' and that there are other schools less burdened, in a better position to be overcrowded, etc.
The fact of the matter is- all the schools are overcrowded. ASFS really isn't special. ASFS is a relatively small building- with a capacity of 553, and an enrollment of 652. But the site is pretty typical- 6.6 acres
https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/FAC_1300-Analysis_Final_20170214-1.pdf
http://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Capacity_Utilization_FallProjections17-26_Final_Web.pdf

It really falls in the middle of the pack in terms of overcrowding.

We need more schools.

You don't understand, at a PTA meeting with a school board member who is just voted out of office.they told us that SFS numbers would double when they convert key to a countywide program. It is only moderately over capacity it now, maybe 130%? That is totally tolerable. It's this policy change that will turn science focus into an 800 students school that is what we want to put the brakes on. Just to give the county and schoolboard time to actually do analysis and projections and plan. They should just do the boundary changes that they are proposing across all north Arlington and then make key countywide program at that point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just FYI- I live in north Arlington and know there are some painful people, but there is a person who trolls virtually every thread about Arlington schools. So in this thread, her contributions were the long post about choosing schools based on ranking property values, and the little follow up you're quoting about property values north of Yorktown Blvd. see also any post about john vihstadt and Libby Garvey. I like reading comments on these boards and you can learn some things about the process and different perspectives, but recognize some posts are just attempts at making a point or (possibly?) entertainment

Maybe I'm wrong, but I think the point that particular poster is making is sort of true.

When you take the time to look at the projections, and see the past decisions, you can conclude a few things... for all of our liberal talk, we don't have the will to do what's best for everyone. We are a very small county and it is easy to see who comes out ahead. That poster is suggesting we go all in and be out and proud with our terrible decision making.
Members of the county board and Violand- Sanchez have publically said shift schedules are what our less affluent neighbors want. I don't even know what to think of that.
All of the poor people want to live together and go to school second shift. Isn't that so wonderful and vibrant?
Is it, though?
The people with the most "skin in the game" (vomit) do get their pick. The rest of us have to make due with whatever they cobble together.

I understand the point the poster is trying to make, and if she put it as well as you did, maybe every single thread would not get derailed with outraged responses like what's above. Unfortunately I think the point also goes over the head of people without a whole lot of background or knowledge about APS/county politics. There are a whole lot of people interested in what's going on who may not know what various county officials or groups said or did in the past or who may not immediately recognize where some of these debates fit into the ongoing, larger issues. I know it's a random message board but I wish someone who is apparently so well informed would put the time she spends on writing facetious posts into clearly communicating the point she's trying to make. It's all a little more complicated than poking fun at monas.

[Anonymous]

^ SALA AGREES!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just watched the school board meeting. The ASFS parents really didn't come off well.
I know that it is a hard temptation to resist, but I wish we could collectively resist thinking that the current space capacity issue is someone's 'fault' and that there are other schools less burdened, in a better position to be overcrowded, etc.
The fact of the matter is- all the schools are overcrowded. ASFS really isn't special. ASFS is a relatively small building- with a capacity of 553, and an enrollment of 652. But the site is pretty typical- 6.6 acres
https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/FAC_1300-Analysis_Final_20170214-1.pdf
http://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Capacity_Utilization_FallProjections17-26_Final_Web.pdf

It really falls in the middle of the pack in terms of overcrowding.

We need more schools.

You don't understand, at a PTA meeting with a school board member who is just voted out of office.they told us that SFS numbers would double when they convert key to a countywide program. It is only moderately over capacity it now, maybe 130%? That is totally tolerable. It's this policy change that will turn science focus into an 800 students school that is what we want to put the brakes on. Just to give the county and schoolboard time to actually do analysis and projections and plan. They should just do the boundary changes that they are proposing across all north Arlington and then make key countywide program at that point.

This is not correct. If JL said this, he is mistaken. Look at the data. First off, there will no longer be Jamestown and Taylor students in the incoming class as ASFS in 2018, since the team is going away. Then if you look at the additional number of students that *could* attend ASFS from the neighborhood, if there weren't any transfers elsewhere, and you get about 40 total kids. Then figure that there will be transfers out (to option schools) from this pool and we are talking about maybe an additional kindergarten class, give or take. That is what the numbers say.

ASFS is not going to go from 563 to 800. Pure crazy talk.

Certainly adding an additional kindergarten at ASFS is not ideal, but it does not approach the missing seats at McKinley (before addition) or Claremont or Henry or Oakridge. Nor does it create an 820+ elementary school, which is what Oakridge currently is.

[Anonymous]

Poor Oakridge. Don't nobody be givin' a damn about Oakridge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just watched the school board meeting. The ASFS parents really didn't come off well.
I know that it is a hard temptation to resist, but I wish we could collectively resist thinking that the current space capacity issue is someone's 'fault' and that there are other schools less burdened, in a better position to be overcrowded, etc.
The fact of the matter is- all the schools are overcrowded. ASFS really isn't special. ASFS is a relatively small building- with a capacity of 553, and an enrollment of 652. But the site is pretty typical- 6.6 acres
https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/FAC_1300-Analysis_Final_20170214-1.pdf
http://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Capacity_Utilization_FallProjections17-26_Final_Web.pdf

It really falls in the middle of the pack in terms of overcrowding.

We need more schools.

You don't understand, at a PTA meeting with a school board member who is just voted out of office.they told us that SFS numbers would double when they convert key to a countywide program. It is only moderately over capacity it now, maybe 130%? That is totally tolerable. It's this policy change that will turn science focus into an 800 students school that is what we want to put the brakes on. Just to give the county and schoolboard time to actually do analysis and projections and plan. They should just do the boundary changes that they are proposing across all north Arlington and then make key countywide program at that point.

This is not correct. If JL said this, he is mistaken. Look at the data. First off, there will no longer be Jamestown and Taylor students in the incoming class as ASFS in 2018, since the team is going away. Then if you look at the additional number of students that *could* attend ASFS from the neighborhood, if there weren't any transfers elsewhere, and you get about 40 total kids. Then figure that there will be transfers out (to option schools) from this pool and we are talking about maybe an additional kindergarten class, give or take. That is what the numbers say.

ASFS is not going to go from 563 to 800. Pure crazy talk.

Certainly adding an additional kindergarten at ASFS is not ideal, but it does not approach the missing seats at McKinley (before addition) or Claremont or Henry or Oakridge. Nor does it create an 820+ elementary school, which is what Oakridge currently is.

Oops. Typed too fast. Meant to say ASFS is not going to go from 653 to 800.