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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would it have been easier to just change the immersion admissions process? All kids apply for immersion and the lottery winners get a seat somewhere - Key, Claremont, #3.

Is there that much unmet demand? Key never had much of a wait list...

Yes. Claremont can't meet demand, so they are opening up Key to south Arlington families who are being underserved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would it have been easier to just change the immersion admissions process? All kids apply for immersion and the lottery winners get a seat somewhere - Key, Claremont, #3.

Is there that much unmet demand? Key never had much of a wait list...

Yes. Claremont can't meet demand, so they are opening up Key to south Arlington families who are being underserved.

Isn't the location part of the problem? I'll have to check the transfer report, but I would be it's not attracting as many Discovery/Nottingham/Tuck families b/c of the length of bus ride.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would it have been easier to just change the immersion admissions process? All kids apply for immersion and the lottery winners get a seat somewhere - Key, Claremont, #3.

Is there that much unmet demand? Key never had much of a wait list...

Yes. Claremont can't meet demand, so they are opening up Key to south Arlington families who are being underserved.

Isn't the location part of the problem? I'll have to check the transfer report, but I would be it's not attracting as many Discovery/Nottingham/Tuck families b/c of the length of bus ride.

Or because they bought very expensive houses to send their kids to Discovery/Nottingham/Tuckahoe?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is sad. Choice schools need to go away (OK, maybe except immersion).

Did anyone watch the meeting last night? Somebody on AEM was freaking out, but didn't say why.....just vaguebooking about it.

I'm guessing Nancy didn't get what she wanted -- there are some hardcore Nancy supporters there, so if she says twins must be united forever, thus it must be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is sad. Choice schools need to go away (OK, maybe except immersion).

Did anyone watch the meeting last night? Somebody on AEM was freaking out, but didn't say why.....just vaguebooking about it.

I'm guessing Nancy didn't get what she wanted -- there are some hardcore Nancy supporters there, so if she says twins must be united forever, thus it must be.

No, I think it was a hardcore James supporter lamenting that he's the only one who "gets it." Ha! He's very good at snowing people.

[Anonymous]

NOOOOOO

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree that the lottery, as structured, would negatively impact and diminish access to a whole slew of families who move into the county too late to participate in the lottery who otherwise would be prime candidates for the program. One of my frustrations watching this process is that Claremont and Key really do have a different enrollment dynamic, and much of the impetus to change things with Key has almost nothing to do with there being a need for change with Key's boundaries. It is driven more by a combination of Claremont's enrollment patterns (where surrounding neighborhoods seem to not like their local school option and they choose immersion to escape rather than out of a love for immersion, which creates an unnatural increase in the demand for immersion within the Claremont boundaries) and people's anger at the way ASFS transfers are managed. I get the need to level the playing field for choice schools, but the inability to register late for spanish speaking families who move in across the street from Key - at least that aspect of the proposed lottery system seems like a bad change, not a good change.

If you are correct, that spanish speaking families that register in the weeks before school, can't get in- then it is a bad change. That's not how I read the policy however- I read it as saying that 50% of the seats are set aside for Spanish speaking kids- so the only way late registrants aren't getting in is if 50% of the seats are already taken, a prospect that seems unlikely- and if it happens should result in a 3rd immersion school.

I don't think the policy changes were driven by Claremont- although Claremont's admissions are some of the most insane. You are currently guaranteed admission if you come from Abingdon, Oakridge or Hoffman-Boston. THose are three of the strongest South ARlington elementary schools. Oakridge and Hoffman-Boston aren't even close to Abingdon. It made no sense to prioritize kids in those school zones.

You got guaranteed admission if you were zoned for Drew too because drew shares zoning boundaries with Hoffman-Boston (which I realize this isn't in the policy book, but that is how it works).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:9:18 - I don't know anyone who has bought into Jamestown or Taylor hoping to get into ASFS. Jamestown and Taylor are very good in their own right, and I don't think much of the high property values are related to the potential to get into ASFS. (I do think it drives the property values around Key, but that is also driven by metro proximity and how close-in it is to DC.)

Clearly there is a big demand for a choice school with a science focus - perhaps they should build one (Reed?) and let ASFS revert back to a purely neighborhood school, albeit one with a nicer lab than most.

There are a huge number of Jamestown kids at ASF--always has been. I have to drive my kids to play dates because so many of their friends live in CCH.

This has started to change with the opening of Discovery and many now choosing the brand new school.

^^ the Taylor kids going to ASF live right next to the school. I would want to go there as well if it was just a block or 2 away without having to cross busy streets.

The neighborhood surrounding ASFS is still zoned for Taylor. The kids who aren't able to lottery in end up having to bus up to Taylor, instead of walk across the street to school. We need a neighborhood school, regardless of the curriculum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I cannot believe I am saying this, but I am ready for vouchers.

Unless those vouchers are for $30k/kid, I don't know that it will help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree that the SB needs to redraw districts and consider ALL schools and boundaries when they do so. However, I believe all schools that they add will be "choice" schools. SB or Murphy said they need 2 to 3 new elementary schools. Every last one of those schools will be choice. Part of the reason is that it looks great in a nation-wide press release "Look, Arlington kids have so many options - that SB is awesome." and the other part is that they do not have to deal with boundaries again. So much easier. And with O'Grady (lover of choice schools), it is a given. So sad.

It wouldn't be a bad way to go if access to the choice schools were equal. When it becomes a magical lottery ticket to a good school, versus having to choose between a good neighborhood school and a good choice one, it becomes unfair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree that the SB needs to redraw districts and consider ALL schools and boundaries when they do so. However, I believe all schools that they add will be "choice" schools. SB or Murphy said they need 2 to 3 new elementary schools. Every last one of those schools will be choice. Part of the reason is that it looks great in a nation-wide press release "Look, Arlington kids have so many options - that SB is awesome." and the other part is that they do not have to deal with boundaries again. So much easier. And with O'Grady (lover of choice schools), it is a given. So sad.

It wouldn't be a bad way to go if access to the choice schools were equal. When it becomes a magical lottery ticket to a good school, versus having to choose between a good neighborhood school and a good choice one, it becomes unfair.

Try that again.
For many of us it becomes a magical ticket between a great choice school and an underperforming, poverty saturated neighborhood school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree that the SB needs to redraw districts and consider ALL schools and boundaries when they do so. However, I believe all schools that they add will be "choice" schools. SB or Murphy said they need 2 to 3 new elementary schools. Every last one of those schools will be choice. Part of the reason is that it looks great in a nation-wide press release "Look, Arlington kids have so many options - that SB is awesome." and the other part is that they do not have to deal with boundaries again. So much easier. And with O'Grady (lover of choice schools), it is a given. So sad.

It wouldn't be a bad way to go if access to the choice schools were equal. When it becomes a magical lottery ticket to a good school, versus having to choose between a good neighborhood school and a good choice one, it becomes unfair.

What say we allow only the choice schools with demographics that mirror those of the school age population, and that all choice schools must be as much over capacity as the most crowded school of the same type (elementary, MS, HS)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree that the SB needs to redraw districts and consider ALL schools and boundaries when they do so. However, I believe all schools that they add will be "choice" schools. SB or Murphy said they need 2 to 3 new elementary schools. Every last one of those schools will be choice. Part of the reason is that it looks great in a nation-wide press release "Look, Arlington kids have so many options - that SB is awesome." and the other part is that they do not have to deal with boundaries again. So much easier. And with O'Grady (lover of choice schools), it is a given. So sad.

It wouldn't be a bad way to go if access to the choice schools were equal. When it becomes a magical lottery ticket to a good school, versus having to choose between a good neighborhood school and a good choice one, it becomes unfair.

Try that again.
For many of us it becomes a magical ticket between a great choice school and an underperforming, poverty saturated neighborhood school.

Okay.

1) Right now, getting into a choice school = magical ticket
2) It would be more equitable if we had a choice between applying to a good choice school and a good neighborhood school, ie if you don't get into a choice, feeling like your kid lost out - there should be no difference in quality, otherwise the kids who get into choice schools are winners and the rest of the students in parts of Arlington are "losers"

[Anonymous]

The parents at ASFS are insufferable.

[Anonymous]

I assume that buying into Jamestown or Taylor and then choosing to go to ASF is similar to buying into a good school boundary and then deciding to lottery into ATS. I imagine that many families are perfectly happy about Jamestown, but figure "why not take the opportunity to attend a school with a science focus?"