Where is Carlin Springs in all of this?

[Anonymous]

Carlin Springs is 70% Hispanic. It might be a great place for Immersion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Except it has the highest rate of transfers out. Yes it's popular with those who choose it. But it is not serving its neighborhood as well as it could if families are voting with their feet.

First, if it "served its neighborhood as well as it could," it would be the most crowded elementary in the system. So I don't see the high transfers out as a problem in that regard.
Second, the calendar is not the sole reason people opt out. Everyone will cite it as a reason; but the overriding reason for high transfers out is because the families don't believe the school is good enough for their kids. If it better served its neighborhood, as you put it, and therefore most of those people no longer transferred out, the school's "performance" would rise significantly by way of test scores - and THAT's the strongest reason people opt out. The calendar is a reason; but it's also a frequent excuse people use to downplay their desire to avoid the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard Barcroft is in the mix because they want to nix the year round calendar, and the school has one of the highest transfer rates. Wouldn't be surprised to see them relocate immersion there. They have a ton of field space for trailers.

They still have ten trailers there now.
Nobody seems to have heard the SB members say they want to see the analysis after other factors are considered....like the accessibility to the site for vehicular traffic. Barcroft is not particularly accessible for a countywide program. And, it is also a very highly walkable school. I don't recall hearing them say a school's calendar is one of the factors for consideration of a change to an option program.

DP. Of course "Calendar" isn't going to be one of the considerations for identifying promising candidates for option school locations. But if they're faced with deciding between a few sites including Barcroft that all have their pros and cons, eliminating an unpopular school calendar could end up in the pro column for Barcroft. Other schools will have their own unique pros and cons.

The calendar seems to be unpopular by people who don't even attend the school and who have not even given it a try. I have not heard any outcry about the calendar from the families enrolled there. That does not necessarily mean the current enrolled families will fight to the death to keep it, or that all of them care strongly one way or the other. But while a school's instructional focus may not be popular among those who don't attend it, that doesn't mean it isn't popular among those who go there. Same with Barcroft's calendar.

And, despite the calendar, it remains a highly walkable school and many of its current students walk there now. Follow all the other discussions about how low-income families have to have walkable neighborhood schools? Well, Barcroft apartments is chock full of low-income families who walk to their neighborhood schools.

It may be under-enrolled now; but that doesn't mean it will remain that way when additional CAF projects are complete and boundaries are readjusted.

What CAF's are under construction in the Barcroft walk zone? None. It will be some crazy gerrymandered boundary of they pull the Columbia Hills kids over to Barcroft. And the Barcroft Apartments are neither in Barcroft nor in the walk zone. The majority of the Barcroft Apartments are zoned to Randolph. The majority of he Barcroft walk zone does not attend Barcroft and they don't want the calendar.

Why do the CAFs have to be in the walk zone? The point was about enrollment. Point is, enrollment is likely to rise with the addition of new housing within the attendance zone and with boundary shifts to alleviate overcrowding at the other schools. And, that even with a high number of transfers (not all of which are from the walk zone, by the way), it remains a highly walkable school and many of the currently enrolled students actually walk to and from every day. And I indicated Barcroft apartments residents walk to their neighborhood schoolS, not just to Barcroft. The broader comment was how these communities supposedly need walkable neighborhood schools. They currently have two. Make Barcroft an option school, and they only have one (Randolph). Make Carlin Springs an option school, and they still have two walkable neighborhood schools. Carlin Springs is very low on the walkability scale and has better vehicular access for cars and buses than Barcroft. Don't see why people think Barcroft would make a good option school site - the commenter seemed to be reaching for an easy rationale for eliminating a calendar that he/she personally would like to see eliminated. And perhaps a neighborhood program he/she doesn't believe "well serves" him/her or his/her neighborhood......

[Anonymous]

Carlin Springs is holding a parent meeting today about this per their website.

[Anonymous]

As a Claremont parent I am going to be disappointed if we move to Carlin Springs and lose access to the cool outdoor area at Claremont, but I guess other than that it is really just minor annoyances (it is farther from our house, so longer bus ride and no longer 5 minutes from my work, which would impact my ability to pop over for school activities).

So I guess not that big of a deal if that is what they want to do (for me anyway) but I think the Campbell parents are going to be pissed about a location change due to the school grounds at Campbell.

I just feel like moving schools around is just a game of whack-a-mole that doesn't really fix anything in the long run.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard Barcroft is in the mix because they want to nix the year round calendar, and the school has one of the highest transfer rates. Wouldn't be surprised to see them relocate immersion there. They have a ton of field space for trailers.

They still have ten trailers there now.
Nobody seems to have heard the SB members say they want to see the analysis after other factors are considered....like the accessibility to the site for vehicular traffic. Barcroft is not particularly accessible for a countywide program. And, it is also a very highly walkable school. I don't recall hearing them say a school's calendar is one of the factors for consideration of a change to an option program.

DP. Of course "Calendar" isn't going to be one of the considerations for identifying promising candidates for option school locations. But if they're faced with deciding between a few sites including Barcroft that all have their pros and cons, eliminating an unpopular school calendar could end up in the pro column for Barcroft. Other schools will have their own unique pros and cons.

The calendar seems to be unpopular by people who don't even attend the school and who have not even given it a try. I have not heard any outcry about the calendar from the families enrolled there. That does not necessarily mean the current enrolled families will fight to the death to keep it, or that all of them care strongly one way or the other. But while a school's instructional focus may not be popular among those who don't attend it, that doesn't mean it isn't popular among those who go there. Same with Barcroft's calendar.

And, despite the calendar, it remains a highly walkable school and many of its current students walk there now. Follow all the other discussions about how low-income families have to have walkable neighborhood schools? Well, Barcroft apartments is chock full of low-income families who walk to their neighborhood schools.

It may be under-enrolled now; but that doesn't mean it will remain that way when additional CAF projects are complete and boundaries are readjusted.

What CAF's are under construction in the Barcroft walk zone? None. It will be some crazy gerrymandered boundary of they pull the Columbia Hills kids over to Barcroft. And the Barcroft Apartments are neither in Barcroft nor in the walk zone. The majority of the Barcroft Apartments are zoned to Randolph. The majority of he Barcroft walk zone does not attend Barcroft and they don't want the calendar.

Why do the CAFs have to be in the walk zone? The point was about enrollment. Point is, enrollment is likely to rise with the addition of new housing within the attendance zone and with boundary shifts to alleviate overcrowding at the other schools. And, that even with a high number of transfers (not all of which are from the walk zone, by the way), it remains a highly walkable school and many of the currently enrolled students actually walk to and from every day. And I indicated Barcroft apartments residents walk to their neighborhood schoolS, not just to Barcroft. The broader comment was how these communities supposedly need walkable neighborhood schools. They currently have two. Make Barcroft an option school, and they only have one (Randolph). Make Carlin Springs an option school, and they still have two walkable neighborhood schools. Carlin Springs is very low on the walkability scale and has better vehicular access for cars and buses than Barcroft. Don't see why people think Barcroft would make a good option school site - the commenter seemed to be reaching for an easy rationale for eliminating a calendar that he/she personally would like to see eliminated. And perhaps a neighborhood program he/she doesn't believe "well serves" him/her or his/her neighborhood......

I don't think Barcroft is a good location for an option program. But that is why I also think it's not a good location for an alternative calendar.

My point about the CAFs was that the walk zone is really not being served if the point of the calendar is that it's better for low-income families, because there is only one CAF in the walk zone. If that is the point, this is not the right school for this calendar. And yes, I think the wishes and preferences of the actual neighborhood and walk zone should matter. They seem to matter every where else in Arlington. Can you imagine the outrage if APS pulled Buckingham into the Long Branch school boundary and then told Long Branch families they were getting an alternative calendar to better serve the students? It would never happen.

The communities south of Columbia Pike, if everyone thinks everyone needs to be able to walk to school, need a walkable neighborhood school. But it's not Barcroft, because it's not considered safe for Pre-K to 5th graders to cross Columbia Pike, and for good reason. They get bus service now. Maybe they should be rezoned to Randolph? They really need a neighborhood school S of the Pike but W of George Mason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Carlin Springs is 70% Hispanic. It might be a great place for Immersion.

No, those kids need to be immersed in English so they have at least a modicum of chance to break the poverty cycle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Carlin Springs is 70% Hispanic. It might be a great place for Immersion.

No, those kids need to be immersed in English so they have at least a modicum of chance to break the poverty cycle.

I did a career day there a few years ago. All the kids speak English. There is very little diversity there though. Hardly saw any white faces.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there is something in store from APS staff regarding the immersion program at Claremont and Carlin Springs. No one has dropped that bombshell, yet. Parents and staff at Carlin Springs have been informed of possible changes in the county and Carlin Springs will defiantly be in the mix. APS staff already have there mind made up how this will play out.

They very well may already have their answer in mind, and that's not necessarily a bad thing (which I say as a parent who isn't personally happy with the staff's short list). We all may know the ins and outs and needs and interests of our little pockets of Arlington better than the staff does, but the staff knows the ins and outs and needs and interests of the county as a whole better than the vast majority of us. If we're being honest with ourselves, we are all cherry picking priorities based on whether they are most favorable to our own community (or, in some cases, seemingly based on whether we can stick it to another community we have a grudge against) and saying those should be the top priorities. The staff, with a little more distance from it all and a bit of a broader perspective, probably can better integrate all of these priorities and find a solution that, yes, will be a compromise and, yes, will mean some communities get the short end of it, but is probably closest to what someone with zero personal interest in any of it would design as an optimal solution.

Some of us are going to win in this and some of us are going to lose, but let's try not to be assholes to each other. Of course we're all going to advocate for our own kids and our own communities, but let's try to treat other communities the way we would want to be treated. We can acknowledge the needs of other communities even if we think ours are even greater. We can give other communities the benefit of the doubt instead of demonizing them. And if we look at the solution we're pushing and realize that getting our way will screw a community that can't afford to be screwed but may not have the resources we do to advocate for themselves, perhaps we should back off that solution and come up with something a little more fair.

I'm sorry, but that's naive. This county, especially the northern half, is full of lawyers and people who spend their day persuading people of their point of view. The staff is completely exposed to political pressure via the school board, as the arlington forest / Wakefield fiasco showed, and the kenmore / glen carlyn one before that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard Barcroft is in the mix because they want to nix the year round calendar, and the school has one of the highest transfer rates. Wouldn't be surprised to see them relocate immersion there. They have a ton of field space for trailers.

They still have ten trailers there now.
Nobody seems to have heard the SB members say they want to see the analysis after other factors are considered....like the accessibility to the site for vehicular traffic. Barcroft is not particularly accessible for a countywide program. And, it is also a very highly walkable school. I don't recall hearing them say a school's calendar is one of the factors for consideration of a change to an option program.

DP. Of course "Calendar" isn't going to be one of the considerations for identifying promising candidates for option school locations. But if they're faced with deciding between a few sites including Barcroft that all have their pros and cons, eliminating an unpopular school calendar could end up in the pro column for Barcroft. Other schools will have their own unique pros and cons.

The calendar seems to be unpopular by people who don't even attend the school and who have not even given it a try. I have not heard any outcry about the calendar from the families enrolled there. That does not necessarily mean the current enrolled families will fight to the death to keep it, or that all of them care strongly one way or the other. But while a school's instructional focus may not be popular among those who don't attend it, that doesn't mean it isn't popular among those who go there. Same with Barcroft's calendar.

And, despite the calendar, it remains a highly walkable school and many of its current students walk there now. Follow all the other discussions about how low-income families have to have walkable neighborhood schools? Well, Barcroft apartments is chock full of low-income families who walk to their neighborhood schools.

It may be under-enrolled now; but that doesn't mean it will remain that way when additional CAF projects are complete and boundaries are readjusted.

What CAF's are under construction in the Barcroft walk zone? None. It will be some crazy gerrymandered boundary of they pull the Columbia Hills kids over to Barcroft. And the Barcroft Apartments are neither in Barcroft nor in the walk zone. The majority of the Barcroft Apartments are zoned to Randolph. The majority of he Barcroft walk zone does not attend Barcroft and they don't want the calendar.

Why do the CAFs have to be in the walk zone? The point was about enrollment. Point is, enrollment is likely to rise with the addition of new housing within the attendance zone and with boundary shifts to alleviate overcrowding at the other schools. And, that even with a high number of transfers (not all of which are from the walk zone, by the way), it remains a highly walkable school and many of the currently enrolled students actually walk to and from every day. And I indicated Barcroft apartments residents walk to their neighborhood schoolS, not just to Barcroft. The broader comment was how these communities supposedly need walkable neighborhood schools. They currently have two. Make Barcroft an option school, and they only have one (Randolph). Make Carlin Springs an option school, and they still have two walkable neighborhood schools. Carlin Springs is very low on the walkability scale and has better vehicular access for cars and buses than Barcroft. Don't see why people think Barcroft would make a good option school site - the commenter seemed to be reaching for an easy rationale for eliminating a calendar that he/she personally would like to see eliminated. And perhaps a neighborhood program he/she doesn't believe "well serves" him/her or his/her neighborhood......

I don't think Barcroft is a good location for an option program. But that is why I also think it's not a good location for an alternative calendar.

My point about the CAFs was that the walk zone is really not being served if the point of the calendar is that it's better for low-income families, because there is only one CAF in the walk zone. If that is the point, this is not the right school for this calendar. And yes, I think the wishes and preferences of the actual neighborhood and walk zone should matter. They seem to matter every where else in Arlington. Can you imagine the outrage if APS pulled Buckingham into the Long Branch school boundary and then told Long Branch families they were getting an alternative calendar to better serve the students? It would never happen.

The communities south of Columbia Pike, if everyone thinks everyone needs to be able to walk to school, need a walkable neighborhood school. But it's not Barcroft, because it's not considered safe for Pre-K to 5th graders to cross Columbia Pike, and for good reason. They get bus service now. Maybe they should be rezoned to Randolph? They really need a neighborhood school S of the Pike but W of George Mason.

But the school is just under 60% FRL (ie, low-income). Doesn't matter how many CAF buildings in the zone - units, not buildings; # of students, not # of CAF projects (and another one is opening in 2019, btw - with 172 more CAF UNITS). The calendar was not forced upon the school. At least 80% of the parents agreed to it. Yeah, those parents are mostly gone now. But it was agreed to by the families who were actually enrolled in the school - THEIR opinions were rightly viewed more relevant than those of the families in the attendance zone who had already OPTED OUT of the school under the TRADITIONAL calendar! So instead, you want to tell the families who have committed to, and invested in, actually attending the school that their calendar is being replaced because a different one will better serve the families who are NOT attending the school?

[Anonymous]

FYI- caf’s Are not the majority of low income housing. The majority is market rate and there is tons of it zoned to Barcroft.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard Barcroft is in the mix because they want to nix the year round calendar, and the school has one of the highest transfer rates. Wouldn't be surprised to see them relocate immersion there. They have a ton of field space for trailers.

They still have ten trailers there now.
Nobody seems to have heard the SB members say they want to see the analysis after other factors are considered....like the accessibility to the site for vehicular traffic. Barcroft is not particularly accessible for a countywide program. And, it is also a very highly walkable school. I don't recall hearing them say a school's calendar is one of the factors for consideration of a change to an option program.

DP. Of course "Calendar" isn't going to be one of the considerations for identifying promising candidates for option school locations. But if they're faced with deciding between a few sites including Barcroft that all have their pros and cons, eliminating an unpopular school calendar could end up in the pro column for Barcroft. Other schools will have their own unique pros and cons.

The calendar seems to be unpopular by people who don't even attend the school and who have not even given it a try. I have not heard any outcry about the calendar from the families enrolled there. That does not necessarily mean the current enrolled families will fight to the death to keep it, or that all of them care strongly one way or the other. But while a school's instructional focus may not be popular among those who don't attend it, that doesn't mean it isn't popular among those who go there. Same with Barcroft's calendar.

And, despite the calendar, it remains a highly walkable school and many of its current students walk there now. Follow all the other discussions about how low-income families have to have walkable neighborhood schools? Well, Barcroft apartments is chock full of low-income families who walk to their neighborhood schools.

It may be under-enrolled now; but that doesn't mean it will remain that way when additional CAF projects are complete and boundaries are readjusted.

What CAF's are under construction in the Barcroft walk zone? None. It will be some crazy gerrymandered boundary of they pull the Columbia Hills kids over to Barcroft. And the Barcroft Apartments are neither in Barcroft nor in the walk zone. The majority of the Barcroft Apartments are zoned to Randolph. The majority of he Barcroft walk zone does not attend Barcroft and they don't want the calendar.

Why do the CAFs have to be in the walk zone? The point was about enrollment. Point is, enrollment is likely to rise with the addition of new housing within the attendance zone and with boundary shifts to alleviate overcrowding at the other schools. And, that even with a high number of transfers (not all of which are from the walk zone, by the way), it remains a highly walkable school and many of the currently enrolled students actually walk to and from every day. And I indicated Barcroft apartments residents walk to their neighborhood schoolS, not just to Barcroft. The broader comment was how these communities supposedly need walkable neighborhood schools. They currently have two. Make Barcroft an option school, and they only have one (Randolph). Make Carlin Springs an option school, and they still have two walkable neighborhood schools. Carlin Springs is very low on the walkability scale and has better vehicular access for cars and buses than Barcroft. Don't see why people think Barcroft would make a good option school site - the commenter seemed to be reaching for an easy rationale for eliminating a calendar that he/she personally would like to see eliminated. And perhaps a neighborhood program he/she doesn't believe "well serves" him/her or his/her neighborhood......

I don't think Barcroft is a good location for an option program. But that is why I also think it's not a good location for an alternative calendar.

My point about the CAFs was that the walk zone is really not being served if the point of the calendar is that it's better for low-income families, because there is only one CAF in the walk zone. If that is the point, this is not the right school for this calendar. And yes, I think the wishes and preferences of the actual neighborhood and walk zone should matter. They seem to matter every where else in Arlington. Can you imagine the outrage if APS pulled Buckingham into the Long Branch school boundary and then told Long Branch families they were getting an alternative calendar to better serve the students? It would never happen.

The communities south of Columbia Pike, if everyone thinks everyone needs to be able to walk to school, need a walkable neighborhood school. But it's not Barcroft, because it's not considered safe for Pre-K to 5th graders to cross Columbia Pike, and for good reason. They get bus service now. Maybe they should be rezoned to Randolph? They really need a neighborhood school S of the Pike but W of George Mason.

A school south of the Pike and west of Mason? That would essentially serve Barcroft Apartments, maybe part of the SFHs in Columbia Forest. It would be a FRL % to rival Carlin Springs, exchanging one (Randolph) for another. Do you realize how close together all the schools in that part of Arlington are? Barcroft, Randolph, Henry (Fleet will be a few blocks farther)? Carlin Springs isn't very far, Barrett is just across 50, Long Branch is right across 50 from future Fleet. We already have Route 50 and do not need to spend money on another elementary school to make Columbia Pike a second impenetrable barrier. Not everyone can have a walkable elementary school; even fewer will have a walkable middle school, and fewer still a walkable high school. So, no, not everyone thinks everyone needs to be able to walk to school - because I sure don't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard Barcroft is in the mix because they want to nix the year round calendar, and the school has one of the highest transfer rates. Wouldn't be surprised to see them relocate immersion there. They have a ton of field space for trailers.

They still have ten trailers there now.
Nobody seems to have heard the SB members say they want to see the analysis after other factors are considered....like the accessibility to the site for vehicular traffic. Barcroft is not particularly accessible for a countywide program. And, it is also a very highly walkable school. I don't recall hearing them say a school's calendar is one of the factors for consideration of a change to an option program.

DP. Of course "Calendar" isn't going to be one of the considerations for identifying promising candidates for option school locations. But if they're faced with deciding between a few sites including Barcroft that all have their pros and cons, eliminating an unpopular school calendar could end up in the pro column for Barcroft. Other schools will have their own unique pros and cons.

The calendar seems to be unpopular by people who don't even attend the school and who have not even given it a try. I have not heard any outcry about the calendar from the families enrolled there. That does not necessarily mean the current enrolled families will fight to the death to keep it, or that all of them care strongly one way or the other. But while a school's instructional focus may not be popular among those who don't attend it, that doesn't mean it isn't popular among those who go there. Same with Barcroft's calendar.

And, despite the calendar, it remains a highly walkable school and many of its current students walk there now. Follow all the other discussions about how low-income families have to have walkable neighborhood schools? Well, Barcroft apartments is chock full of low-income families who walk to their neighborhood schools.

It may be under-enrolled now; but that doesn't mean it will remain that way when additional CAF projects are complete and boundaries are readjusted.

What CAF's are under construction in the Barcroft walk zone? None. It will be some crazy gerrymandered boundary of they pull the Columbia Hills kids over to Barcroft. And the Barcroft Apartments are neither in Barcroft nor in the walk zone. The majority of the Barcroft Apartments are zoned to Randolph. The majority of he Barcroft walk zone does not attend Barcroft and they don't want the calendar.

Why do the CAFs have to be in the walk zone? The point was about enrollment. Point is, enrollment is likely to rise with the addition of new housing within the attendance zone and with boundary shifts to alleviate overcrowding at the other schools. And, that even with a high number of transfers (not all of which are from the walk zone, by the way), it remains a highly walkable school and many of the currently enrolled students actually walk to and from every day. And I indicated Barcroft apartments residents walk to their neighborhood schoolS, not just to Barcroft. The broader comment was how these communities supposedly need walkable neighborhood schools. They currently have two. Make Barcroft an option school, and they only have one (Randolph). Make Carlin Springs an option school, and they still have two walkable neighborhood schools. Carlin Springs is very low on the walkability scale and has better vehicular access for cars and buses than Barcroft. Don't see why people think Barcroft would make a good option school site - the commenter seemed to be reaching for an easy rationale for eliminating a calendar that he/she personally would like to see eliminated. And perhaps a neighborhood program he/she doesn't believe "well serves" him/her or his/her neighborhood......

I don't think Barcroft is a good location for an option program. But that is why I also think it's not a good location for an alternative calendar.

My point about the CAFs was that the walk zone is really not being served if the point of the calendar is that it's better for low-income families, because there is only one CAF in the walk zone. If that is the point, this is not the right school for this calendar. And yes, I think the wishes and preferences of the actual neighborhood and walk zone should matter. They seem to matter every where else in Arlington. Can you imagine the outrage if APS pulled Buckingham into the Long Branch school boundary and then told Long Branch families they were getting an alternative calendar to better serve the students? It would never happen.

The communities south of Columbia Pike, if everyone thinks everyone needs to be able to walk to school, need a walkable neighborhood school. But it's not Barcroft, because it's not considered safe for Pre-K to 5th graders to cross Columbia Pike, and for good reason. They get bus service now. Maybe they should be rezoned to Randolph? They really need a neighborhood school S of the Pike but W of George Mason.

A school south of the Pike and west of Mason? That would essentially serve Barcroft Apartments, maybe part of the SFHs in Columbia Forest. It would be a FRL % to rival Carlin Springs, exchanging one (Randolph) for another. Do you realize how close together all the schools in that part of Arlington are? Barcroft, Randolph, Henry (Fleet will be a few blocks farther)? Carlin Springs isn't very far, Barrett is just across 50, Long Branch is right across 50 from future Fleet. We already have Route 50 and do not need to spend money on another elementary school to make Columbia Pike a second impenetrable barrier. Not everyone can have a walkable elementary school; even fewer will have a walkable middle school, and fewer still a walkable high school. So, no, not everyone thinks everyone needs to be able to walk to school - because I sure don't.

Densely populated areas need schools
They are planning to add buildings to Barcroft apts. a new school there might be unavoidable. I don’t understand your point about Columbia pike. Lower income families need walkable schools the most.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard Barcroft is in the mix because they want to nix the year round calendar, and the school has one of the highest transfer rates. Wouldn't be surprised to see them relocate immersion there. They have a ton of field space for trailers.

They still have ten trailers there now.
Nobody seems to have heard the SB members say they want to see the analysis after other factors are considered....like the accessibility to the site for vehicular traffic. Barcroft is not particularly accessible for a countywide program. And, it is also a very highly walkable school. I don't recall hearing them say a school's calendar is one of the factors for consideration of a change to an option program.

DP. Of course "Calendar" isn't going to be one of the considerations for identifying promising candidates for option school locations. But if they're faced with deciding between a few sites including Barcroft that all have their pros and cons, eliminating an unpopular school calendar could end up in the pro column for Barcroft. Other schools will have their own unique pros and cons.

The calendar seems to be unpopular by people who don't even attend the school and who have not even given it a try. I have not heard any outcry about the calendar from the families enrolled there. That does not necessarily mean the current enrolled families will fight to the death to keep it, or that all of them care strongly one way or the other. But while a school's instructional focus may not be popular among those who don't attend it, that doesn't mean it isn't popular among those who go there. Same with Barcroft's calendar.

And, despite the calendar, it remains a highly walkable school and many of its current students walk there now. Follow all the other discussions about how low-income families have to have walkable neighborhood schools? Well, Barcroft apartments is chock full of low-income families who walk to their neighborhood schools.

It may be under-enrolled now; but that doesn't mean it will remain that way when additional CAF projects are complete and boundaries are readjusted.

What CAF's are under construction in the Barcroft walk zone? None. It will be some crazy gerrymandered boundary of they pull the Columbia Hills kids over to Barcroft. And the Barcroft Apartments are neither in Barcroft nor in the walk zone. The majority of the Barcroft Apartments are zoned to Randolph. The majority of he Barcroft walk zone does not attend Barcroft and they don't want the calendar.

Why do the CAFs have to be in the walk zone? The point was about enrollment. Point is, enrollment is likely to rise with the addition of new housing within the attendance zone and with boundary shifts to alleviate overcrowding at the other schools. And, that even with a high number of transfers (not all of which are from the walk zone, by the way), it remains a highly walkable school and many of the currently enrolled students actually walk to and from every day. And I indicated Barcroft apartments residents walk to their neighborhood schoolS, not just to Barcroft. The broader comment was how these communities supposedly need walkable neighborhood schools. They currently have two. Make Barcroft an option school, and they only have one (Randolph). Make Carlin Springs an option school, and they still have two walkable neighborhood schools. Carlin Springs is very low on the walkability scale and has better vehicular access for cars and buses than Barcroft. Don't see why people think Barcroft would make a good option school site - the commenter seemed to be reaching for an easy rationale for eliminating a calendar that he/she personally would like to see eliminated. And perhaps a neighborhood program he/she doesn't believe "well serves" him/her or his/her neighborhood......

I don't think Barcroft is a good location for an option program. But that is why I also think it's not a good location for an alternative calendar.

My point about the CAFs was that the walk zone is really not being served if the point of the calendar is that it's better for low-income families, because there is only one CAF in the walk zone. If that is the point, this is not the right school for this calendar. And yes, I think the wishes and preferences of the actual neighborhood and walk zone should matter. They seem to matter every where else in Arlington. Can you imagine the outrage if APS pulled Buckingham into the Long Branch school boundary and then told Long Branch families they were getting an alternative calendar to better serve the students? It would never happen.

The communities south of Columbia Pike, if everyone thinks everyone needs to be able to walk to school, need a walkable neighborhood school. But it's not Barcroft, because it's not considered safe for Pre-K to 5th graders to cross Columbia Pike, and for good reason. They get bus service now. Maybe they should be rezoned to Randolph? They really need a neighborhood school S of the Pike but W of George Mason.

A school south of the Pike and west of Mason? That would essentially serve Barcroft Apartments, maybe part of the SFHs in Columbia Forest. It would be a FRL % to rival Carlin Springs, exchanging one (Randolph) for another. Do you realize how close together all the schools in that part of Arlington are? Barcroft, Randolph, Henry (Fleet will be a few blocks farther)? Carlin Springs isn't very far, Barrett is just across 50, Long Branch is right across 50 from future Fleet. We already have Route 50 and do not need to spend money on another elementary school to make Columbia Pike a second impenetrable barrier. Not everyone can have a walkable elementary school; even fewer will have a walkable middle school, and fewer still a walkable high school. So, no, not everyone thinks everyone needs to be able to walk to school - because I sure don't.

They need a neighborhood school in that general area because of the planned density. Columbis Hills is phase one of four. And the County Board just said they want to reduce the cost of AH by reducing the amount of parking mandated. So, the developers are going to build on the parking lots of the pre-existing CAF's when they can't afford to buy new land. They cannot just send those kids to the surrounding neighborhood schools, which are already full or overfull, because they also pull from high density housing that is chock-a-bloc full of kids. Did you see that density relief map that APS put out at the start of this ES Engage process? They should be scared out of their minds about the SW corner of Arlington. I'm not saying build a new school now (they probably should but don't have the land or money). But maybe Claremont needs to be reconsidered for a neighborhood school, especially if they're thinking about making Carlin Springs an option school and Campbell the neighborhood school. That is a tiny school and can't take on many additional students beyond the current capacity without losing all its green space. I don't think everyone needs to be able to walk to school, but APS certainly seems to think they do or they capitulate to the parents who demand it, and they seem not to give a rat's patootie whether or not this means some schools are over 90% fr/l while others are under 5%. So, this quadrant needs more neighborhood seats. They're going to have fewer if they move forward with the plan to make Carlin Springs option and Campbell neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

What density plan are you talking about?

Barcroft apartments plans to add more buildings? They already sold their development rights. What is your source?