Tuckahoe by the numbers - how can it stay a neighborhood school?

[Anonymous]

APS will not be choosing a standalone option. It came in way above budget and has no support from any committee in all Arlington, not just the neighbors. Parks and Recreation, transportation and other committees that part of the advisory group rejected that option. It is as good as dead.


This is about Tuckahoe and preschool is not part of the equation. For those who keep missing the memo, the children’s school will not be staying at Reed. That is a done deal and they’re are plans to move it. It is not a school program and should not be in school space anymore.

[Anonymous]

Tuckahoe should take some comfort in the fact that ATS came out swinging at the SB meeting last night, arguing that they cannot have an increase in their enrollment due to facility constraints, and they also can't move locations because it would change their demographics.

I only expect their voices to get louder.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tuckahoe should take some comfort in the fact that ATS came out swinging at the SB meeting last night, arguing that they cannot have an increase in their enrollment due to facility constraints, and they also can't move locations because it would change their demographics.

I only expect their voices to get louder.

Oh well. They’re getting an increase in enrollment, so if they have facility constraints I guess they’ll be moving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tuckahoe should take some comfort in the fact that ATS came out swinging at the SB meeting last night, arguing that they cannot have an increase in their enrollment due to facility constraints, and they also can't move locations because it would change their demographics.

I only expect their voices to get louder.

Oh well. They’re getting an increase in enrollment, so if they have facility constraints I guess they’ll be moving.

Let's invite them to choose how they want to handle expanded enrollment, which will be a given: Lots of trailers at their current location, or fewer trailers at a new location.

Oh, and the choice schools have to have at least the same percentage of ED students as APS as a whole, and the same percentage or lower of kindergarten- 2nd grade students held back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tuckahoe should take some comfort in the fact that ATS came out swinging at the SB meeting last night, arguing that they cannot have an increase in their enrollment due to facility constraints, and they also can't move locations because it would change their demographics.

I only expect their voices to get louder.

Oh well. They’re getting an increase in enrollment, so if they have facility constraints I guess they’ll be moving.

Let's invite them to choose how they want to handle expanded enrollment, which will be a given: Lots of trailers at their current location, or fewer trailers at a new location.

Oh, and the choice schools have to have at least the same percentage of ED students as APS as a whole, and the same percentage or lower of kindergarten- 2nd grade students held back.

They are getting a bubble year, maybe two. That's probably it, because once Fleet and Reed come online and they redo the boundaries more equitably, there isn't a need for enrollment at any of the option schools to keep increasing until they are higher than the neighborhood schools. Unless we're moving towards an all-option model.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
They are getting a bubble year, maybe two. That's probably it, because once Fleet and Reed come online and they redo the boundaries more equitably, there isn't a need for enrollment at any of the option schools to keep increasing until they are higher than the neighborhood schools. Unless we're moving towards an all-option model.

If an option school has a huge waitlist, there's a problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
They are getting a bubble year, maybe two. That's probably it, because once Fleet and Reed come online and they redo the boundaries more equitably, there isn't a need for enrollment at any of the option schools to keep increasing until they are higher than the neighborhood schools. Unless we're moving towards an all-option model.

If an option school has a huge waitlist, there's a problem.

So what about the mile long waitlist for HB Woodlawn and it’s 700 something seats for both middle AND high school - that didn’t seem to bother the school board one bit! But elementary option schools cannot have a waitlist anymore?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If Tuckahoe is serious about these issues and the PTA position, they should have a line people providing public comments at the SB meeting tonight. We would love to hear :

- Why Planning Units that don't even want to go to Tuckahoe should walk across Lee Highway to Tuckahoe.

- Why Planning Units that walk to Nottingham should drive/walk to Tuckahoe.

- Capacity issues at Tuckahoe and why they should stay under-enrolled moving forward.

- Why the Tuckahoe Preschool, K and First classrooms need Bathrooms and Windows when classrooms at Key don't even have bathrooms or windows

- How the bathrooms are overflowing at Tuckahoe

- Why the spring and plaza shouldn't be part of a treasured countywide choice/option program.

- New residential developments that will happen in the next 5-10 years. Unlike other schools in the county that have more new units in a year than Tuckahoe has in a decade.

- Traffic and why a handful of buses will conflict with O'Connell which starts and ends over an hour before Tuckahoe.
.....

Umm... All preschool, kindergarten and first grade classrooms need bathrooms. Why go with the lowest common denominator?

...and windows!! WTH?! Key building doesn’t have windows for their classrooms?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
They are getting a bubble year, maybe two. That's probably it, because once Fleet and Reed come online and they redo the boundaries more equitably, there isn't a need for enrollment at any of the option schools to keep increasing until they are higher than the neighborhood schools. Unless we're moving towards an all-option model.

If an option school has a huge waitlist, there's a problem.

Then they need a second school. There'd be enough students to fill it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
They are getting a bubble year, maybe two. That's probably it, because once Fleet and Reed come online and they redo the boundaries more equitably, there isn't a need for enrollment at any of the option schools to keep increasing until they are higher than the neighborhood schools. Unless we're moving towards an all-option model.

If an option school has a huge waitlist, there's a problem.

So what about the mile long waitlist for HB Woodlawn and it’s 700 something seats for both middle AND high school - that didn’t seem to bother the school board one bit! But elementary option schools cannot have a waitlist anymore?

Yeah, this. And IB at W-L has a waitlist, too.

The problem is: why don't people want to go to their neighborhood school? Maybe start there and fix that and then we wouldn't have hundreds on a waitlist to escape their zoned school.

[Anonymous]

The problem is: why don't people want to go to their neighborhood school? Maybe start there and fix that and then we wouldn't have hundreds on a waitlist to escape their zoned school.

Thank you.

This county can’t afford to have 1/3 of its high schools be perceived as sub par...
We need middle class families to move to south Arlington, and stay in the schools. What is the school board doing to encourage that?

[Anonymous]

Umm... All preschool, kindergarten and first grade classrooms need bathrooms. Why go with the lowest common denominator?


...and windows!! WTH?! Key building doesn’t have windows for their classrooms?!

Tuckahoe privilege...it helps build the moral cohesion they are so proud of.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The problem is: why don't people want to go to their neighborhood school? Maybe start there and fix that and then we wouldn't have hundreds on a waitlist to escape their zoned school.

Thank you.

This county can’t afford to have 1/3 of its high schools be perceived as sub par...
We need middle class families to move to south Arlington, and stay in the schools. What is the school board doing to encourage that?

The school board can’t fix what the county board has broken.

[Anonymous]

ATS and HB aren't attracting so many students because of the programs. It's the small size. Make them bigger, move them to South Arlington, and watch the waitlists disappear.

Eventually the IB waitlist clears up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The problem is: why don't people want to go to their neighborhood school? Maybe start there and fix that and then we wouldn't have hundreds on a waitlist to escape their zoned school.

Thank you.

This county can’t afford to have 1/3 of its high schools be perceived as sub par...
We need middle class families to move to south Arlington, and stay in the schools. What is the school board doing to encourage that?

The school board can’t fix what the county board has broken.

Well, they are going to build a shiny new building there. APS is using their "get-me-an-award" Discovery architects, so it will be beautiful, there will be lots or superfluous space and people will flock.