APS middle school boundary process

[Anonymous]

LOL at all you people complaining. Yet year after year you check off that "D" candidate for School Board and County Board when you vote -- you know, the candidate who is in the pocket of developers, doesn't listen to community considerations, and turns your school system into a craphole in comparison to the ones right across the county line. Bet you will still check off that same D candidate in November rather than doing ANYTHING to empty out the current clown car. Whine away.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP speaks the truth. Arlington's lack of concern with diversity is coming home to roost. Lots of us in S. Arlington were complaining about this prior to the 2015 plan. Where were you McKinley & Ashlawn parents then? Welcome aboard.

CARD was talking about this 3 years ago. Where was everybody?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Was there a meeting last night?
Someone mentioned it on the real estate thread, and implying David Cristeal was there showing that AHMP up on screen. That didn’t happen did it?

It wasn't Cristeal. It was someone else (didn't take note of his name). He was at the poster boards with APS staff, actually he may even have been someone from APS staff but I thought he said he worked in housing. He did not give a presentation on stage. He responded with the AHMP when the McKinley parents asked why there isn't more affordable housing in the upper upper north. He simply said that there is a "plan," specifically for Lee Hwy for the "missing middle," but it hasn't come to fruition yet.

Missing middle is not the same as AH. Missing middle means people making $80K-$150K who complain that they can't afford to buy a starter home in Arlington anymore because prices start at $800K+. Just to be clear, if there is a plan to build "missing middle" housing along Lee Highway, they are not talking about FARMS families.

Westover *has* AH. In fact, APAH is in the process of converting a building there right now. This is also why Westover can't understand why any plan to "diversify" APS has to be *only* on the back of our walk zone. If this is truly a community priority, then let's just go full on with that demographics map that busted up Williamsburg too. We're not doing that because diversity is not really a community priority for most of Arlington-- we're not as liberal as we like to think. If we were, APAH and all the banks and developers who fund them would not be concentrating all of the AH construction into West Columbia Pike where it is most profitable, which is the root of the high FARMS rate at Kenmore and fights about Wakefield. Nina Janopaul pulls down her $200K/year salary running APAH and frankly doesn't care what her organization's decisions mean to APS diversity. This should not be Westover's problem to fix. The problem is the County's overall housing plan.

They're calling it "missing middle" to make it more palatable to that area. They told the Pike the same thing. Lo and behold, middle income people don't choose to live in subsidized housing. They'd rather drive in from West Virginia. It doesn't matter, it will never be built.

As to Westover "having" AH, we know. But let's not pretend 60 units of mostly 1 bedrooms is a fair share of the Arlington pie. It is what it is.

South Arlington isn't expecting to be the same as North Arlington. We know it's not possible, and we don't want that anyway. We like our schools to be diverse, because that's where the best learning is taking place. Look at the performance of the truly diverse schools in Arlington. They're doing better, for just about every subgroup, than their less diverse counterparts. That's why this matters. And you think we should just keep twiddling our thumbs as the economic divide grows, one percentage point here, six percentage points there, and then ten the next time, and so on and so forth. Then what? What are we doing? Why even maintain the false premise that we're one school system at that point? Come up with a plan that maintains diversity where it exists and promotes it where it does not, but that doesn't involve buses. Can you do that?

Also, we obviously travel in different circles. Because I can assure you that VERY many people I know are sincere about caring about diversity. I am aware that many do not. That's why they must strike a balance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP speaks the truth. Arlington's lack of concern with diversity is coming home to roost. Lots of us in S. Arlington were complaining about this prior to the 2015 plan. Where were you McKinley & Ashlawn parents then? Welcome aboard.

CARD was talking about this 3 years ago. Where was everybody?

Admiring how CARDholders pretended to care about diversity as a value when really they just wanted more wealthy/white kids in their schools to boost test scores and property values.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP speaks the truth. Arlington's lack of concern with diversity is coming home to roost. Lots of us in S. Arlington were complaining about this prior to the 2015 plan. Where were you McKinley & Ashlawn parents then? Welcome aboard.

They're not on board. Same as Arlington Forest. They'll talk about it now, during the boundary process, and then go back to their regularly scheduled lives as soon as it's over. Same story, different day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP speaks the truth. Arlington's lack of concern with diversity is coming home to roost. Lots of us in S. Arlington were complaining about this prior to the 2015 plan. Where were you McKinley & Ashlawn parents then? Welcome aboard.

CARD was talking about this 3 years ago. Where was everybody?

Admiring how CARDholders pretended to care about diversity as a value when really they just wanted more wealthy/white kids in their schools to boost test scores and property values.

You are a quite a piece of work. How proud your mother must be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP speaks the truth. Arlington's lack of concern with diversity is coming home to roost. Lots of us in S. Arlington were complaining about this prior to the 2015 plan. Where were you McKinley & Ashlawn parents then? Welcome aboard.

CARD was talking about this 3 years ago. Where was everybody?

Admiring how CARDholders pretended to care about diversity as a value when really they just wanted more wealthy/white kids in their schools to boost test scores and property values.

You sound like a retard

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Was there a meeting last night?
Someone mentioned it on the real estate thread, and implying David Cristeal was there showing that AHMP up on screen. That didn’t happen did it?

It wasn't Cristeal. It was someone else (didn't take note of his name). He was at the poster boards with APS staff, actually he may even have been someone from APS staff but I thought he said he worked in housing. He did not give a presentation on stage. He responded with the AHMP when the McKinley parents asked why there isn't more affordable housing in the upper upper north. He simply said that there is a "plan," specifically for Lee Hwy for the "missing middle," but it hasn't come to fruition yet.

Missing middle is not the same as AH. Missing middle means people making $80K-$150K who complain that they can't afford to buy a starter home in Arlington anymore because prices start at $800K+. Just to be clear, if there is a plan to build "missing middle" housing along Lee Highway, they are not talking about FARMS families.

Westover *has* AH. In fact, APAH is in the process of converting a building there right now. This is also why Westover can't understand why any plan to "diversify" APS has to be *only* on the back of our walk zone. If this is truly a community priority, then let's just go full on with that demographics map that busted up Williamsburg too. We're not doing that because diversity is not really a community priority for most of Arlington-- we're not as liberal as we like to think. If we were, APAH and all the banks and developers who fund them would not be concentrating all of the AH construction into West Columbia Pike where it is most profitable, which is the root of the high FARMS rate at Kenmore and fights about Wakefield. Nina Janopaul pulls down her $200K/year salary running APAH and frankly doesn't care what her organization's decisions mean to APS diversity. This should not be Westover's problem to fix. The problem is the County's overall housing plan.

They're calling it "missing middle" to make it more palatable to that area. They told the Pike the same thing. Lo and behold, middle income people don't choose to live in subsidized housing. They'd rather drive in from West Virginia. It doesn't matter, it will never be built.

As to Westover "having" AH, we know. But let's not pretend 60 units of mostly 1 bedrooms is a fair share of the Arlington pie. It is what it is.

South Arlington isn't expecting to be the same as North Arlington. We know it's not possible, and we don't want that anyway. We like our schools to be diverse, because that's where the best learning is taking place. Look at the performance of the truly diverse schools in Arlington. They're doing better, for just about every subgroup, than their less diverse counterparts. That's why this matters. And you think we should just keep twiddling our thumbs as the economic divide grows, one percentage point here, six percentage points there, and then ten the next time, and so on and so forth. Then what? What are we doing? Why even maintain the false premise that we're one school system at that point? Come up with a plan that maintains diversity where it exists and promotes it where it does not, but that doesn't involve buses. Can you do that?

Also, we obviously travel in different circles. Because I can assure you that VERY many people I know are sincere about caring about diversity. I am aware that many do not. That's why they must strike a balance.

South Arlington doesn't really value diversity either, or you guys would be lobbying for the "illustrative" map that would create diversity in every middle school. You guys in South Arlington don't want to be riding the bus to Williamsburg or Stratford any more than we want to be riding the bus south-- it is a PITA for most families. The Williamsburg "island" to create diversity at Williamsburg & Yorktown-- and now the plan to split the Swanson walk zone to bring Kenmore FARMS down by a marginal percentage are not doing *anything* to fundamentally alter housing patterns in the County- these are symbolic moves only but they make everybody in county feel like we can pat our backs and say that we believe in diversity. As long as it is not your kid on the bus, who cares?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP speaks the truth. Arlington's lack of concern with diversity is coming home to roost. Lots of us in S. Arlington were complaining about this prior to the 2015 plan. Where were you McKinley & Ashlawn parents then? Welcome aboard.

CARD was talking about this 3 years ago. Where was everybody?

Admiring how CARDholders pretended to care about diversity as a value when really they just wanted more wealthy/white kids in their schools to boost test scores and property values.

You sound like a retard

Are you kidding me with this?

[Anonymous]

I live in Planning Unit 4613 and I will happily put my child on the bus to Williamsburg. He/she would even provide some diversity for Williamsburg

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP speaks the truth. Arlington's lack of concern with diversity is coming home to roost. Lots of us in S. Arlington were complaining about this prior to the 2015 plan. Where were you McKinley & Ashlawn parents then? Welcome aboard.

CARD was talking about this 3 years ago. Where was everybody?

Admiring how CARDholders pretended to care about diversity as a value when really they just wanted more wealthy/white kids in their schools to boost test scores and property values.

You sound like a retard

Are you kidding me with this?

+1 CARD member here. Stop with the name-calling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Was there a meeting last night?
Someone mentioned it on the real estate thread, and implying David Cristeal was there showing that AHMP up on screen. That didn’t happen did it?

It wasn't Cristeal. It was someone else (didn't take note of his name). He was at the poster boards with APS staff, actually he may even have been someone from APS staff but I thought he said he worked in housing. He did not give a presentation on stage. He responded with the AHMP when the McKinley parents asked why there isn't more affordable housing in the upper upper north. He simply said that there is a "plan," specifically for Lee Hwy for the "missing middle," but it hasn't come to fruition yet.

Missing middle is not the same as AH. Missing middle means people making $80K-$150K who complain that they can't afford to buy a starter home in Arlington anymore because prices start at $800K+. Just to be clear, if there is a plan to build "missing middle" housing along Lee Highway, they are not talking about FARMS families.

Westover *has* AH. In fact, APAH is in the process of converting a building there right now. This is also why Westover can't understand why any plan to "diversify" APS has to be *only* on the back of our walk zone. If this is truly a community priority, then let's just go full on with that demographics map that busted up Williamsburg too. We're not doing that because diversity is not really a community priority for most of Arlington-- we're not as liberal as we like to think. If we were, APAH and all the banks and developers who fund them would not be concentrating all of the AH construction into West Columbia Pike where it is most profitable, which is the root of the high FARMS rate at Kenmore and fights about Wakefield. Nina Janopaul pulls down her $200K/year salary running APAH and frankly doesn't care what her organization's decisions mean to APS diversity. This should not be Westover's problem to fix. The problem is the County's overall housing plan.

They're calling it "missing middle" to make it more palatable to that area. They told the Pike the same thing. Lo and behold, middle income people don't choose to live in subsidized housing. They'd rather drive in from West Virginia. It doesn't matter, it will never be built.

As to Westover "having" AH, we know. But let's not pretend 60 units of mostly 1 bedrooms is a fair share of the Arlington pie. It is what it is.

South Arlington isn't expecting to be the same as North Arlington. We know it's not possible, and we don't want that anyway. We like our schools to be diverse, because that's where the best learning is taking place. Look at the performance of the truly diverse schools in Arlington. They're doing better, for just about every subgroup, than their less diverse counterparts. That's why this matters. And you think we should just keep twiddling our thumbs as the economic divide grows, one percentage point here, six percentage points there, and then ten the next time, and so on and so forth. Then what? What are we doing? Why even maintain the false premise that we're one school system at that point? Come up with a plan that maintains diversity where it exists and promotes it where it does not, but that doesn't involve buses. Can you do that?

Also, we obviously travel in different circles. Because I can assure you that VERY many people I know are sincere about caring about diversity. I am aware that many do not. That's why they must strike a balance.

South Arlington doesn't really value diversity either, or you guys would be lobbying for the "illustrative" map that would create diversity in every middle school. You guys in South Arlington don't want to be riding the bus to Williamsburg or Stratford any more than we want to be riding the bus south-- it is a PITA for most families. The Williamsburg "island" to create diversity at Williamsburg & Yorktown-- and now the plan to split the Swanson walk zone to bring Kenmore FARMS down by a marginal percentage are not doing *anything* to fundamentally alter housing patterns in the County- these are symbolic moves only but they make everybody in county feel like we can pat our backs and say that we believe in diversity. As long as it is not your kid on the bus, who cares?

Umm no. “ us guys” in south Arlington would happily take the diversity map that has equitable distribution across the county. We aren’t even going there because we know that it’s a useless fight. “ you guys “ will never allow it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Was there a meeting last night?
Someone mentioned it on the real estate thread, and implying David Cristeal was there showing that AHMP up on screen. That didn’t happen did it?

It wasn't Cristeal. It was someone else (didn't take note of his name). He was at the poster boards with APS staff, actually he may even have been someone from APS staff but I thought he said he worked in housing. He did not give a presentation on stage. He responded with the AHMP when the McKinley parents asked why there isn't more affordable housing in the upper upper north. He simply said that there is a "plan," specifically for Lee Hwy for the "missing middle," but it hasn't come to fruition yet.

Missing middle is not the same as AH. Missing middle means people making $80K-$150K who complain that they can't afford to buy a starter home in Arlington anymore because prices start at $800K+. Just to be clear, if there is a plan to build "missing middle" housing along Lee Highway, they are not talking about FARMS families.

Westover *has* AH. In fact, APAH is in the process of converting a building there right now. This is also why Westover can't understand why any plan to "diversify" APS has to be *only* on the back of our walk zone. If this is truly a community priority, then let's just go full on with that demographics map that busted up Williamsburg too. We're not doing that because diversity is not really a community priority for most of Arlington-- we're not as liberal as we like to think. If we were, APAH and all the banks and developers who fund them would not be concentrating all of the AH construction into West Columbia Pike where it is most profitable, which is the root of the high FARMS rate at Kenmore and fights about Wakefield. Nina Janopaul pulls down her $200K/year salary running APAH and frankly doesn't care what her organization's decisions mean to APS diversity. This should not be Westover's problem to fix. The problem is the County's overall housing plan.

They're calling it "missing middle" to make it more palatable to that area. They told the Pike the same thing. Lo and behold, middle income people don't choose to live in subsidized housing. They'd rather drive in from West Virginia. It doesn't matter, it will never be built.

As to Westover "having" AH, we know. But let's not pretend 60 units of mostly 1 bedrooms is a fair share of the Arlington pie. It is what it is.

South Arlington isn't expecting to be the same as North Arlington. We know it's not possible, and we don't want that anyway. We like our schools to be diverse, because that's where the best learning is taking place. Look at the performance of the truly diverse schools in Arlington. They're doing better, for just about every subgroup, than their less diverse counterparts. That's why this matters. And you think we should just keep twiddling our thumbs as the economic divide grows, one percentage point here, six percentage points there, and then ten the next time, and so on and so forth. Then what? What are we doing? Why even maintain the false premise that we're one school system at that point? Come up with a plan that maintains diversity where it exists and promotes it where it does not, but that doesn't involve buses. Can you do that?

Also, we obviously travel in different circles. Because I can assure you that VERY many people I know are sincere about caring about diversity. I am aware that many do not. That's why they must strike a balance.

South Arlington doesn't really value diversity either, or you guys would be lobbying for the "illustrative" map that would create diversity in every middle school. You guys in South Arlington don't want to be riding the bus to Williamsburg or Stratford any more than we want to be riding the bus south-- it is a PITA for most families. The Williamsburg "island" to create diversity at Williamsburg & Yorktown-- and now the plan to split the Swanson walk zone to bring Kenmore FARMS down by a marginal percentage are not doing *anything* to fundamentally alter housing patterns in the County- these are symbolic moves only but they make everybody in county feel like we can pat our backs and say that we believe in diversity. As long as it is not your kid on the bus, who cares?

Hundreds of us put our kids on the bus to Stratford now...it's called H-B

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Was there a meeting last night?
Someone mentioned it on the real estate thread, and implying David Cristeal was there showing that AHMP up on screen. That didn’t happen did it?

It wasn't Cristeal. It was someone else (didn't take note of his name). He was at the poster boards with APS staff, actually he may even have been someone from APS staff but I thought he said he worked in housing. He did not give a presentation on stage. He responded with the AHMP when the McKinley parents asked why there isn't more affordable housing in the upper upper north. He simply said that there is a "plan," specifically for Lee Hwy for the "missing middle," but it hasn't come to fruition yet.

Missing middle is not the same as AH. Missing middle means people making $80K-$150K who complain that they can't afford to buy a starter home in Arlington anymore because prices start at $800K+. Just to be clear, if there is a plan to build "missing middle" housing along Lee Highway, they are not talking about FARMS families.

Westover *has* AH. In fact, APAH is in the process of converting a building there right now. This is also why Westover can't understand why any plan to "diversify" APS has to be *only* on the back of our walk zone. If this is truly a community priority, then let's just go full on with that demographics map that busted up Williamsburg too. We're not doing that because diversity is not really a community priority for most of Arlington-- we're not as liberal as we like to think. If we were, APAH and all the banks and developers who fund them would not be concentrating all of the AH construction into West Columbia Pike where it is most profitable, which is the root of the high FARMS rate at Kenmore and fights about Wakefield. Nina Janopaul pulls down her $200K/year salary running APAH and frankly doesn't care what her organization's decisions mean to APS diversity. This should not be Westover's problem to fix. The problem is the County's overall housing plan.

They're calling it "missing middle" to make it more palatable to that area. They told the Pike the same thing. Lo and behold, middle income people don't choose to live in subsidized housing. They'd rather drive in from West Virginia. It doesn't matter, it will never be built.

As to Westover "having" AH, we know. But let's not pretend 60 units of mostly 1 bedrooms is a fair share of the Arlington pie. It is what it is.

South Arlington isn't expecting to be the same as North Arlington. We know it's not possible, and we don't want that anyway. We like our schools to be diverse, because that's where the best learning is taking place. Look at the performance of the truly diverse schools in Arlington. They're doing better, for just about every subgroup, than their less diverse counterparts. That's why this matters. And you think we should just keep twiddling our thumbs as the economic divide grows, one percentage point here, six percentage points there, and then ten the next time, and so on and so forth. Then what? What are we doing? Why even maintain the false premise that we're one school system at that point? Come up with a plan that maintains diversity where it exists and promotes it where it does not, but that doesn't involve buses. Can you do that?

Also, we obviously travel in different circles. Because I can assure you that VERY many people I know are sincere about caring about diversity. I am aware that many do not. That's why they must strike a balance.

South Arlington doesn't really value diversity either, or you guys would be lobbying for the "illustrative" map that would create diversity in every middle school. You guys in South Arlington don't want to be riding the bus to Williamsburg or Stratford any more than we want to be riding the bus south-- it is a PITA for most families. The Williamsburg "island" to create diversity at Williamsburg & Yorktown-- and now the plan to split the Swanson walk zone to bring Kenmore FARMS down by a marginal percentage are not doing *anything* to fundamentally alter housing patterns in the County- these are symbolic moves only but they make everybody in county feel like we can pat our backs and say that we believe in diversity. As long as it is not your kid on the bus, who cares?

You're right, I do think the illustrative map would be better for diversity alone. But unlike you, I realize that I'm a member of a community, and not EVERYONE thinks as I do. I also know that it will never happen, whether it's right or wrong. So I'm looking for an approach that balances competing priorities and that might actually be adopted, that slowly gets us moving in the right direction. That's called compromise. Death to segregation, one paper cut at a time if that's what it takes. If that means my PU, which I just learned is not technically considered a walk zone (though we could walk) would be sent to Williamsburg or Stratford to make it happen, I'd learn to live with it. But APS isn't going to do it, because it's too costly. Do you have any REAL suggestions?

As to it being symbolic, you're wrong. We're not talking about a change of a percentage point (which is still not really just one percent, and was probably inaccurate anyway). We're talking about increasing fr/l rates at schools that already have a high percentage of students receiving fr/l by as much as 7 percentage points, which is not 7 percent. And that's just this time. Next time, when the boundaries constrict further into even smaller geographic areas, it will be 10, and then 20, and then, and then.

But you don't care.

For the poster upthread or on AEM who said all the wealthy parents will just bail out of APS and go private if we rezone their kids to "less desirable" schools, GO FOR IT. We need the seats. Also, it's pretty ridiculous that you won't consider the thought of your child riding on a bus, or riding for an extra mile or two, but you'd be willing to drive your student farther away to a private school every day. Cognitive dissonance is a real thing.

[Anonymous]

^^ YES! To all of that!