APS Closing Nottingham

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly I think many people should be upset over this-“underemrollment” means there are not 27 kids packed into a classroom. The 27 maximum permitted per classroom as a new phenomenon, previously was 24, and before that 22 or something like that. Let’s not act like Nottingham has 10 or 12 kids in the classroom. There are plenty of kids there. “ Underenrollment” is a misleading term when you think about what full enrollment looks like. Nottingham is actually closer to an ideal student ratio.

I totally agree with this. I felt like they slipped the class size increase through. And now that they have space—I get it it’s in N Arlington and those elitists should burn—too bad sucker. It’s so frustrating.

Both of you need to get some facts.

Only 2 kindergarten classes this past year. Both at or above class size max. 3 classes in most of the higher grades and mostly at or just under the max size. Similar to many of the elementaries. 5th grades classes are among the smallest.

https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Class-Size-Report-2022-23_FINAL-2.pdf

TWO kindergartens?! That’s a not a school that people are coming back to post-pandemic. That’s a school that is not going to make it. How many kids is that, 50? 52?

Report says 49 kids.

Looking harder at the stats posted in the link above, no other school besides Nottingham is so underenrolled that it had only 2 classrooms per grade. But Nottingham had 2 of those classrooms: Kindergarten (49 kids total) and 4th grade (54 kids total). No other school even had one grade like that.

Look at the dip. There are tons of kids in this area, more than ever it seems with every empty nester moving out. Kids left or held off on enrolling due to COVID, or they transferred to private.

Seems it would be pretty easy to poll the households about their future plans to see if this is a pattern this going to hold up, but that would require work. We all know the emotions of certain families who feel wronged by the Nottingham PTA are more important.

Why are people blaming the Nottingham PTA? For what? Why not blame APS for whatever beef they have?

Who knows. Probably for engaging in the kind of zero sum gamesmanship that is the only way to not get bulldozed by incompetent APS planning staff and superintendents who can’t run anything beyond the Syphax jobs program.

Don't hate the player, hate the game. Or better yet, hate whoever set up the game.

It is astounding to see blame placed on parents and PTAs. As if they call the shots. Please.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly I think many people should be upset over this-“underemrollment” means there are not 27 kids packed into a classroom. The 27 maximum permitted per classroom as a new phenomenon, previously was 24, and before that 22 or something like that. Let’s not act like Nottingham has 10 or 12 kids in the classroom. There are plenty of kids there. “ Underenrollment” is a misleading term when you think about what full enrollment looks like. Nottingham is actually closer to an ideal student ratio.

I totally agree with this. I felt like they slipped the class size increase through. And now that they have space—I get it it’s in N Arlington and those elitists should burn—too bad sucker. It’s so frustrating.

Both of you need to get some facts.

Only 2 kindergarten classes this past year. Both at or above class size max. 3 classes in most of the higher grades and mostly at or just under the max size. Similar to many of the elementaries. 5th grades classes are among the smallest.

https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Class-Size-Report-2022-23_FINAL-2.pdf

TWO kindergartens?! That’s a not a school that people are coming back to post-pandemic. That’s a school that is not going to make it. How many kids is that, 50? 52?

Report says 49 kids.

Looking harder at the stats posted in the link above, no other school besides Nottingham is so underenrolled that it had only 2 classrooms per grade. But Nottingham had 2 of those classrooms: Kindergarten (49 kids total) and 4th grade (54 kids total). No other school even had one grade like that.

Look at the dip. There are tons of kids in this area, more than ever it seems with every empty nester moving out. Kids left or held off on enrolling due to COVID, or they transferred to private.

Seems it would be pretty easy to poll the households about their future plans to see if this is a pattern this going to hold up, but that would require work. We all know the emotions of certain families who feel wronged by the Nottingham PTA are more important.

Why are people blaming the Nottingham PTA? For what? Why not blame APS for whatever beef they have?

I guess in a way I am blaming the Nottingham PTA for the school being so underenrolled now, because they fought so hard years ago to keep the school from taking in students from other overcrowded schools. And then when Nottingham was targeted by the School Board to become an option school, Nottingham parents fought and pointed toward McKinley to do it instead, which is ultimately what happened. Now someone else in this thread is saying that for Nottingham to survive this go around, they should point at other elementary schools to take their place here instead, which totally fits with the MO of Nottingham as I have come to know it. As someone who went through multiple school moves and transformations etc., I wouldn't wish this on Nottingham, but I'm not going to fight for it to be visited on a school in Nottingham's stead, either, especially when the school has two grades with only 2 classes in it, sheesh. Again, this isn't a dissolution of the school, it's a reprieve while the county figures out what the true enrollment numbers will be in a few years, so Nottingham should see that as a positive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly I think many people should be upset over this-“underemrollment” means there are not 27 kids packed into a classroom. The 27 maximum permitted per classroom as a new phenomenon, previously was 24, and before that 22 or something like that. Let’s not act like Nottingham has 10 or 12 kids in the classroom. There are plenty of kids there. “ Underenrollment” is a misleading term when you think about what full enrollment looks like. Nottingham is actually closer to an ideal student ratio.

I totally agree with this. I felt like they slipped the class size increase through. And now that they have space—I get it it’s in N Arlington and those elitists should burn—too bad sucker. It’s so frustrating.

Both of you need to get some facts.

Only 2 kindergarten classes this past year. Both at or above class size max. 3 classes in most of the higher grades and mostly at or just under the max size. Similar to many of the elementaries. 5th grades classes are among the smallest.

https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Class-Size-Report-2022-23_FINAL-2.pdf

TWO kindergartens?! That’s a not a school that people are coming back to post-pandemic. That’s a school that is not going to make it. How many kids is that, 50? 52?

Report says 49 kids.

Looking harder at the stats posted in the link above, no other school besides Nottingham is so underenrolled that it had only 2 classrooms per grade. But Nottingham had 2 of those classrooms: Kindergarten (49 kids total) and 4th grade (54 kids total). No other school even had one grade like that.

Look at the dip. There are tons of kids in this area, more than ever it seems with every empty nester moving out. Kids left or held off on enrolling due to COVID, or they transferred to private.

Seems it would be pretty easy to poll the households about their future plans to see if this is a pattern this going to hold up, but that would require work. We all know the emotions of certain families who feel wronged by the Nottingham PTA are more important.

Why are people blaming the Nottingham PTA? For what? Why not blame APS for whatever beef they have?

I guess in a way I am blaming the Nottingham PTA for the school being so underenrolled now, because they fought so hard years ago to keep the school from taking in students from other overcrowded schools. And then when Nottingham was targeted by the School Board to become an option school, Nottingham parents fought and pointed toward McKinley to do it instead, which is ultimately what happened. Now someone else in this thread is saying that for Nottingham to survive this go around, they should point at other elementary schools to take their place here instead, which totally fits with the MO of Nottingham as I have come to know it. As someone who went through multiple school moves and transformations etc., I wouldn't wish this on Nottingham, but I'm not going to fight for it to be visited on a school in Nottingham's stead, either, especially when the school has two grades with only 2 classes in it, sheesh. Again, this isn't a dissolution of the school, it's a reprieve while the county figures out what the true enrollment numbers will be in a few years, so Nottingham should see that as a positive.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with having grades with only two classes. But thanks for revealing yourself to be another person who revels in the prospect of Nottingham families getting screwed by Duran and his equally low IQ minions at Syphax.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly I think many people should be upset over this-“underemrollment” means there are not 27 kids packed into a classroom. The 27 maximum permitted per classroom as a new phenomenon, previously was 24, and before that 22 or something like that. Let’s not act like Nottingham has 10 or 12 kids in the classroom. There are plenty of kids there. “ Underenrollment” is a misleading term when you think about what full enrollment looks like. Nottingham is actually closer to an ideal student ratio.

I totally agree with this. I felt like they slipped the class size increase through. And now that they have space—I get it it’s in N Arlington and those elitists should burn—too bad sucker. It’s so frustrating.

Both of you need to get some facts.

Only 2 kindergarten classes this past year. Both at or above class size max. 3 classes in most of the higher grades and mostly at or just under the max size. Similar to many of the elementaries. 5th grades classes are among the smallest.

https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Class-Size-Report-2022-23_FINAL-2.pdf

TWO kindergartens?! That’s a not a school that people are coming back to post-pandemic. That’s a school that is not going to make it. How many kids is that, 50? 52?

Report says 49 kids.

Looking harder at the stats posted in the link above, no other school besides Nottingham is so underenrolled that it had only 2 classrooms per grade. But Nottingham had 2 of those classrooms: Kindergarten (49 kids total) and 4th grade (54 kids total). No other school even had one grade like that.

Look at the dip. There are tons of kids in this area, more than ever it seems with every empty nester moving out. Kids left or held off on enrolling due to COVID, or they transferred to private.

Seems it would be pretty easy to poll the households about their future plans to see if this is a pattern this going to hold up, but that would require work. We all know the emotions of certain families who feel wronged by the Nottingham PTA are more important.

Why are people blaming the Nottingham PTA? For what? Why not blame APS for whatever beef they have?

I guess in a way I am blaming the Nottingham PTA for the school being so underenrolled now, because they fought so hard years ago to keep the school from taking in students from other overcrowded schools. And then when Nottingham was targeted by the School Board to become an option school, Nottingham parents fought and pointed toward McKinley to do it instead, which is ultimately what happened. Now someone else in this thread is saying that for Nottingham to survive this go around, they should point at other elementary schools to take their place here instead, which totally fits with the MO of Nottingham as I have come to know it. As someone who went through multiple school moves and transformations etc., I wouldn't wish this on Nottingham, but I'm not going to fight for it to be visited on a school in Nottingham's stead, either, especially when the school has two grades with only 2 classes in it, sheesh. Again, this isn't a dissolution of the school, it's a reprieve while the county figures out what the true enrollment numbers will be in a few years, so Nottingham should see that as a positive.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with having grades with only two classes. But thanks for revealing yourself to be another person who revels in the prospect of Nottingham families getting screwed by Duran and his equally low IQ minions at Syphax.

How are you getting screwed? You’ve enjoyed an exclusive public school in N Arlington and now your kids will go to one of two other exclusive schools. Have you any clue what the rest of us have been dealing with? Get a grip.

And yes, I agree APS can’t plan its way out of a paper bag, but you’re hardly getting a bad deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly I think many people should be upset over this-“underemrollment” means there are not 27 kids packed into a classroom. The 27 maximum permitted per classroom as a new phenomenon, previously was 24, and before that 22 or something like that. Let’s not act like Nottingham has 10 or 12 kids in the classroom. There are plenty of kids there. “ Underenrollment” is a misleading term when you think about what full enrollment looks like. Nottingham is actually closer to an ideal student ratio.

I totally agree with this. I felt like they slipped the class size increase through. And now that they have space—I get it it’s in N Arlington and those elitists should burn—too bad sucker. It’s so frustrating.

Both of you need to get some facts.

Only 2 kindergarten classes this past year. Both at or above class size max. 3 classes in most of the higher grades and mostly at or just under the max size. Similar to many of the elementaries. 5th grades classes are among the smallest.

https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Class-Size-Report-2022-23_FINAL-2.pdf

TWO kindergartens?! That’s a not a school that people are coming back to post-pandemic. That’s a school that is not going to make it. How many kids is that, 50? 52?

Report says 49 kids.

Looking harder at the stats posted in the link above, no other school besides Nottingham is so underenrolled that it had only 2 classrooms per grade. But Nottingham had 2 of those classrooms: Kindergarten (49 kids total) and 4th grade (54 kids total). No other school even had one grade like that.

Look at the dip. There are tons of kids in this area, more than ever it seems with every empty nester moving out. Kids left or held off on enrolling due to COVID, or they transferred to private.

Seems it would be pretty easy to poll the households about their future plans to see if this is a pattern this going to hold up, but that would require work. We all know the emotions of certain families who feel wronged by the Nottingham PTA are more important.

Why are people blaming the Nottingham PTA? For what? Why not blame APS for whatever beef they have?

I guess in a way I am blaming the Nottingham PTA for the school being so underenrolled now, because they fought so hard years ago to keep the school from taking in students from other overcrowded schools. And then when Nottingham was targeted by the School Board to become an option school, Nottingham parents fought and pointed toward McKinley to do it instead, which is ultimately what happened. Now someone else in this thread is saying that for Nottingham to survive this go around, they should point at other elementary schools to take their place here instead, which totally fits with the MO of Nottingham as I have come to know it. As someone who went through multiple school moves and transformations etc., I wouldn't wish this on Nottingham, but I'm not going to fight for it to be visited on a school in Nottingham's stead, either, especially when the school has two grades with only 2 classes in it, sheesh. Again, this isn't a dissolution of the school, it's a reprieve while the county figures out what the true enrollment numbers will be in a few years, so Nottingham should see that as a positive.

What on earth are you talking about? Nottingham was the MOST overcrowded school in the county several years ago. You think they should have taken in even more kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly I think many people should be upset over this-“underemrollment” means there are not 27 kids packed into a classroom. The 27 maximum permitted per classroom as a new phenomenon, previously was 24, and before that 22 or something like that. Let’s not act like Nottingham has 10 or 12 kids in the classroom. There are plenty of kids there. “ Underenrollment” is a misleading term when you think about what full enrollment looks like. Nottingham is actually closer to an ideal student ratio.

I totally agree with this. I felt like they slipped the class size increase through. And now that they have space—I get it it’s in N Arlington and those elitists should burn—too bad sucker. It’s so frustrating.

Both of you need to get some facts.

Only 2 kindergarten classes this past year. Both at or above class size max. 3 classes in most of the higher grades and mostly at or just under the max size. Similar to many of the elementaries. 5th grades classes are among the smallest.

https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Class-Size-Report-2022-23_FINAL-2.pdf

TWO kindergartens?! That’s a not a school that people are coming back to post-pandemic. That’s a school that is not going to make it. How many kids is that, 50? 52?

Report says 49 kids.

Tuckahoe and Nottingham have a similar number of students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly I think many people should be upset over this-“underemrollment” means there are not 27 kids packed into a classroom. The 27 maximum permitted per classroom as a new phenomenon, previously was 24, and before that 22 or something like that. Let’s not act like Nottingham has 10 or 12 kids in the classroom. There are plenty of kids there. “ Underenrollment” is a misleading term when you think about what full enrollment looks like. Nottingham is actually closer to an ideal student ratio.

I totally agree with this. I felt like they slipped the class size increase through. And now that they have space—I get it it’s in N Arlington and those elitists should burn—too bad sucker. It’s so frustrating.

Both of you need to get some facts.

Only 2 kindergarten classes this past year. Both at or above class size max. 3 classes in most of the higher grades and mostly at or just under the max size. Similar to many of the elementaries. 5th grades classes are among the smallest.

https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Class-Size-Report-2022-23_FINAL-2.pdf

TWO kindergartens?! That’s a not a school that people are coming back to post-pandemic. That’s a school that is not going to make it. How many kids is that, 50? 52?

Report says 49 kids.

Tuckahoe and Nottingham have a similar number of students.

What about Jamestown? Didn't they have to fill it up with pre k because it was so under enrolled?

[Anonymous]

We have elementaries with 6 kindergarten classes. My kid went to one of them in the past. Got waitlisted for extended day. It sucks. 4 is about the sweet spot. 2 is a problem. Jamestown parents should be hustling to get parents to enroll their kids to show the school is needed and not pointing the finger at other schools on here to take the fall.

[Anonymous]

They can reopen Nottingham as a neighborhood elementary if the numbers from those planning units increase. It makes no sense to keep it open now. Two K classes. Two fourth grades. No way?! Poor use of facilities. Open it if the planning units increase enrollment. In the meantime, swing space makes a ton of sense. And with so few kids in the younger grades, moving the Nottinghjam kids will impact far fewer people than moving Discovery or Cardninal or Tuckahoe. I do not see how another school is better. Some sort of redistributing needs to happen. Two K classes is nuts!!

[Anonymous]

Nope. Check the report. Tuckahoe fills 3 K classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First they overcrowded Glebe
And I did not speak out
Because I didn't have kids there and so eff that.
Then they repurposed McKinley
And I did not speak out
and in fact was a little grateful over it because better them than us.
Then they came for Nottingham
And there was no one left
To speak out for me
and in fact for some reason people don't seem to like me that much and they're starting to get on my nerves

It's funny because if Nottingham hadn't been so vocal about turning away kids from other schools before because they were oh so crowded, they might not be underenrolled now. But noooooo, like always the Nottingham moms and dads were all: FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!!

Everyone else is really done with Nottingham's Thunderdome antics. Reading some of the terrible "I'm a lawyer but have no experience with this kind of law" takes posted here is hysterical -- you guys are too much. Look at this this way, Nottingham: This is actually an opportunity for you, since your school isn't being scrapped, it's being given an extension. If enrollment numbers in your area go back up after covid, like you have been saying they will when folks return from private, then Nottingham will turn back into a local elementary in several years after the renovations. If not, and if you've been wrong about the numbers, then let's see what this experiment shows re whether the school is really needed as a local elementary.

Nottingham was overcrowded. Significantly so, and for some time. So overcrowded that we spent hundreds of millions of dollars on new elementary schools nearby. Now, less than a decade later, we are shutting down Nottingham because oops, we didn’t need that space after all.

Tell me- did the school board screw up then, or is it screwing up now? Because no rational district spends hundreds of millions of dollars to create new schools that aren’t needed. Have things changed so permanently and remarkably after COVID that we need to completely change course? If so, why aren’t we looking at that?

I don’t trust their projection data. Their confidence in it, despite being repeatedly wrong and it having the same sort of limitations that caused them to be caught flat footed in the 2010s, is very concerning.

I can see few people share this concern when it comes to sticking it to the Nottingham community. I don’t like being surrounded by idiots, and for that reason I’m looking toward the exits. Enjoy the bond service on those hundred million dollar schools.

You had ONLY 50 kids enrolled in kindergarten this year! Ashlawn had 100. Cardinal had over 120. Glebe had 80. Even Taylor had 75. Abington had 120! How is that fair to other schools who are actually pulling their weight? Then you complain whenever the board attempts to redistrict more kids to Nottingham. Something is ALWAYS wrong with the plan, something is always "very concerning," ha. As a group, you are exhausting. I don't feel community with Nottingham because they have thrown other kids under the bus multiple times over the last several years. I wouldn't push for something to happen to their school, but if APS puts them on the chopping block, I'm not going out of my way to make arguments for you. Reap what you've sown -- if you look at it, you've brought this on yourselves by all your past actions.

You don’t know me sweetheart. I’m not even in Nottingham yet. I didn’t do anything to you, short of pay the bills for your kids to have brand new LEED Gold facilities that apparently were not needed. I’m not allowed to question massive expenses that were not prudently incurred?

I can see why my neighbors who can have already bailed. People don’t talk about anything intelligently in this district - everyone is a hysterical culture warrior. Sadly I can’t bail. We’re not all rich bastards up here.

You have issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly I think many people should be upset over this-“underemrollment” means there are not 27 kids packed into a classroom. The 27 maximum permitted per classroom as a new phenomenon, previously was 24, and before that 22 or something like that. Let’s not act like Nottingham has 10 or 12 kids in the classroom. There are plenty of kids there. “ Underenrollment” is a misleading term when you think about what full enrollment looks like. Nottingham is actually closer to an ideal student ratio.

I totally agree with this. I felt like they slipped the class size increase through. And now that they have space—I get it it’s in N Arlington and those elitists should burn—too bad sucker. It’s so frustrating.

Both of you need to get some facts.

Only 2 kindergarten classes this past year. Both at or above class size max. 3 classes in most of the higher grades and mostly at or just under the max size. Similar to many of the elementaries. 5th grades classes are among the smallest.

https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Class-Size-Report-2022-23_FINAL-2.pdf

TWO kindergartens?! That’s a not a school that people are coming back to post-pandemic. That’s a school that is not going to make it. How many kids is that, 50? 52?

Report says 49 kids.

Looking harder at the stats posted in the link above, no other school besides Nottingham is so underenrolled that it had only 2 classrooms per grade. But Nottingham had 2 of those classrooms: Kindergarten (49 kids total) and 4th grade (54 kids total). No other school even had one grade like that.

Look at the dip. There are tons of kids in this area, more than ever it seems with every empty nester moving out. Kids left or held off on enrolling due to COVID, or they transferred to private.

Seems it would be pretty easy to poll the households about their future plans to see if this is a pattern this going to hold up, but that would require work. We all know the emotions of certain families who feel wronged by the Nottingham PTA are more important.

Why are people blaming the Nottingham PTA? For what? Why not blame APS for whatever beef they have?

I guess in a way I am blaming the Nottingham PTA for the school being so underenrolled now, because they fought so hard years ago to keep the school from taking in students from other overcrowded schools. And then when Nottingham was targeted by the School Board to become an option school, Nottingham parents fought and pointed toward McKinley to do it instead, which is ultimately what happened. Now someone else in this thread is saying that for Nottingham to survive this go around, they should point at other elementary schools to take their place here instead, which totally fits with the MO of Nottingham as I have come to know it. As someone who went through multiple school moves and transformations etc., I wouldn't wish this on Nottingham, but I'm not going to fight for it to be visited on a school in Nottingham's stead, either, especially when the school has two grades with only 2 classes in it, sheesh. Again, this isn't a dissolution of the school, it's a reprieve while the county figures out what the true enrollment numbers will be in a few years, so Nottingham should see that as a positive.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with having grades with only two classes. But thanks for revealing yourself to be another person who revels in the prospect of Nottingham families getting screwed by Duran and his equally low IQ minions at Syphax.

How are you getting screwed? You’ve enjoyed an exclusive public school in N Arlington and now your kids will go to one of two other exclusive schools. Have you any clue what the rest of us have been dealing with? Get a grip.

And yes, I agree APS can’t plan its way out of a paper bag, but you’re hardly getting a bad deal.

You do realize no one was getting small class sizes, right? The kindergartens were quite large. Tuckahoe couldn’t even get 3 qualified K teachers this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First they overcrowded Glebe
And I did not speak out
Because I didn't have kids there and so eff that.
Then they repurposed McKinley
And I did not speak out
and in fact was a little grateful over it because better them than us.
Then they came for Nottingham
And there was no one left
To speak out for me
and in fact for some reason people don't seem to like me that much and they're starting to get on my nerves

It's funny because if Nottingham hadn't been so vocal about turning away kids from other schools before because they were oh so crowded, they might not be underenrolled now. But noooooo, like always the Nottingham moms and dads were all: FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!!

Everyone else is really done with Nottingham's Thunderdome antics. Reading some of the terrible "I'm a lawyer but have no experience with this kind of law" takes posted here is hysterical -- you guys are too much. Look at this this way, Nottingham: This is actually an opportunity for you, since your school isn't being scrapped, it's being given an extension. If enrollment numbers in your area go back up after covid, like you have been saying they will when folks return from private, then Nottingham will turn back into a local elementary in several years after the renovations. If not, and if you've been wrong about the numbers, then let's see what this experiment shows re whether the school is really needed as a local elementary.

Nottingham was overcrowded. Significantly so, and for some time. So overcrowded that we spent hundreds of millions of dollars on new elementary schools nearby. Now, less than a decade later, we are shutting down Nottingham because oops, we didn’t need that space after all.

Tell me- did the school board screw up then, or is it screwing up now? Because no rational district spends hundreds of millions of dollars to create new schools that aren’t needed. Have things changed so permanently and remarkably after COVID that we need to completely change course? If so, why aren’t we looking at that?

I don’t trust their projection data. Their confidence in it, despite being repeatedly wrong and it having the same sort of limitations that caused them to be caught flat footed in the 2010s, is very concerning.

I can see few people share this concern when it comes to sticking it to the Nottingham community. I don’t like being surrounded by idiots, and for that reason I’m looking toward the exits. Enjoy the bond service on those hundred million dollar schools.

I think it’s a little unfair to blame the school board for building a new school when it was clearly needed. (Although I do blame them for building clearly over the top fancy ones). No one could have predicted the pandemic/the resulting learning loss and exodus to private. The fact now is that APS doesn’t need an elementary school there now. If in 10 years an elementary school is needed, then great, the building is there and APS can reopen it.

Although, my prediction is that the demographics in that neighborhood have permanently changed. No 2 government employees can buy a house there like they could 20-30 years ago. And when people buy 2.5 to 3 million houses, they tend to go private.

It’s insane that APS is just completely ignoring the private school exodus in the context of these seating questions. Why? Why does no one look at it? Why aren’t we spending some of this time money and energy on really understanding the numbers instead of relying on the incompetent APS staff who have a demonstrable record of absolutely blowing there calls?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly I think many people should be upset over this-“underemrollment” means there are not 27 kids packed into a classroom. The 27 maximum permitted per classroom as a new phenomenon, previously was 24, and before that 22 or something like that. Let’s not act like Nottingham has 10 or 12 kids in the classroom. There are plenty of kids there. “ Underenrollment” is a misleading term when you think about what full enrollment looks like. Nottingham is actually closer to an ideal student ratio.

I totally agree with this. I felt like they slipped the class size increase through. And now that they have space—I get it it’s in N Arlington and those elitists should burn—too bad sucker. It’s so frustrating.

Both of you need to get some facts.

Only 2 kindergarten classes this past year. Both at or above class size max. 3 classes in most of the higher grades and mostly at or just under the max size. Similar to many of the elementaries. 5th grades classes are among the smallest.

https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Class-Size-Report-2022-23_FINAL-2.pdf

TWO kindergartens?! That’s a not a school that people are coming back to post-pandemic. That’s a school that is not going to make it. How many kids is that, 50? 52?

Report says 49 kids.

Looking harder at the stats posted in the link above, no other school besides Nottingham is so underenrolled that it had only 2 classrooms per grade. But Nottingham had 2 of those classrooms: Kindergarten (49 kids total) and 4th grade (54 kids total). No other school even had one grade like that.

Look at the dip. There are tons of kids in this area, more than ever it seems with every empty nester moving out. Kids left or held off on enrolling due to COVID, or they transferred to private.

Seems it would be pretty easy to poll the households about their future plans to see if this is a pattern this going to hold up, but that would require work. We all know the emotions of certain families who feel wronged by the Nottingham PTA are more important.

Who would you poll? All households with kids? Our kids are in private and if someone asked me whether we would ever return, the answer is that I have no earthly idea. I suspect there are many families like ours that are just playing it by ear. Our responses would be interesting but likely meaningless.

I have to believe there are experts in planning who could better assess the seating questions than the dodos at Syphax who have proven over and over they cannot get it right. I don’t know if a poll is the answer but there are non government people who do this right?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Honestly I think many people should be upset over this-“underemrollment” means there are not 27 kids packed into a classroom. The 27 maximum permitted per classroom as a new phenomenon, previously was 24, and before that 22 or something like that. Let’s not act like Nottingham has 10 or 12 kids in the classroom. There are plenty of kids there. “ Underenrollment” is a misleading term when you think about what full enrollment looks like. Nottingham is actually closer to an ideal student ratio.

I totally agree with this. I felt like they slipped the class size increase through. And now that they have space—I get it it’s in N Arlington and those elitists should burn—too bad sucker. It’s so frustrating.

Both of you need to get some facts.

Only 2 kindergarten classes this past year. Both at or above class size max. 3 classes in most of the higher grades and mostly at or just under the max size. Similar to many of the elementaries. 5th grades classes are among the smallest.

https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Class-Size-Report-2022-23_FINAL-2.pdf

TWO kindergartens?! That’s a not a school that people are coming back to post-pandemic. That’s a school that is not going to make it. How many kids is that, 50? 52?

Report says 49 kids.

Looking harder at the stats posted in the link above, no other school besides Nottingham is so underenrolled that it had only 2 classrooms per grade. But Nottingham had 2 of those classrooms: Kindergarten (49 kids total) and 4th grade (54 kids total). No other school even had one grade like that.

Look at the dip. There are tons of kids in this area, more than ever it seems with every empty nester moving out. Kids left or held off on enrolling due to COVID, or they transferred to private.

Seems it would be pretty easy to poll the households about their future plans to see if this is a pattern this going to hold up, but that would require work. We all know the emotions of certain families who feel wronged by the Nottingham PTA are more important.

Why are people blaming the Nottingham PTA? For what? Why not blame APS for whatever beef they have?

Who knows. Probably for engaging in the kind of zero sum gamesmanship that is the only way to not get bulldozed by incompetent APS planning staff and superintendents who can’t run anything beyond the Syphax jobs program.

Don't hate the player, hate the game. Or better yet, hate whoever set up the game.

It is astounding to see blame placed on parents and PTAs. As if they call the shots. Please.

Apparently they did enough to get McKinley on the chopping block last go-around. Discovery, Tuckahoe and Jamestown—watch your backs!!