Specifically on-topic contributors to the Drew boundary issue only please -

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If Fairlington is that strong and cohesive a community, it seem like moving the chunk south of 395 to Drew could be a great solution. A significant population that is engaged and has a strong sense of community could do a lot for things like helping the rebuild the PTA. It seems like a much better solution than grabbing a handful of kids here and there to create a disconnected hodge podge.

If it’s so strong and vibrant they should be able to handle the separation just fine.

And they will. They can still be "one big happy community" at their Farmer's Market, there TWO voting precincts, and their 5K.

It’s not intentional but somehow all of the friends my son has made live within the same two blocks of North Fairlington. The kids will be fine

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If Fairlington is that strong and cohesive a community, it seem like moving the chunk south of 395 to Drew could be a great solution. A significant population that is engaged and has a strong sense of community could do a lot for things like helping the rebuild the PTA. It seems like a much better solution than grabbing a handful of kids here and there to create a disconnected hodge podge.

If it’s so strong and vibrant they should be able to handle the separation just fine.

And they will. They can still be "one big happy community" at their Farmer's Market, there TWO voting precincts, and their 5K.

It’s not intentional but somehow all of the friends my son has made live within the same two blocks of North Fairlington. The kids will be fine

The more I read their Change.org petition, the more I think it's an application essay for entrance at Drew. They've got this.

[Anonymous]

I love how Fairlington sent their Change.org petition to friends and relatives who live out of state. Great way to juke the numbers!

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I'm waiting to hear the outrage about how Fairlington now has a petition to all stay together because THEY don't want to go to Drew. Where is the disdain? Did I come to the wrong board today?

Is this serious or are you being facetious?

It’s on change.org
Has about 270 signatures already

I just saw it. Makes the Henry parents look downright reasonable.

Gotta love the “don’t tear us apart” when everyone who lives there know the line between north and south fairlington is about as bad as north and south Arlington.

Fairlington is one neighborhood and Abingdon is located inside of that neighborhood. They are fighting for their children to go to the school that is literally in their neighborhood vs. being bussed past that school for another one a mile further away. Henry wanted their school community to stay together when their school building is being moved to a different neighborhood. I see why they would like to stay there but it’s absolutely not less reasonable for parents to want their children to stay at the school IN their own neighborhood!

Fleet and Henry are in the same neighborhood.

Also fairlington and shirlington are two different civic associations so it is not the same neighborhood.

Henry’s old boundary is not all the same neighborhood though. Splitting their old boundary by moving neighborhoods that are further from Fleet then another school isn’t literally dividing a neighborhood that has a school located inside of it!

Also, what does Shirlington have to do with any of this? Abingdon is in Fairlington and Fairlington families want to continue to go to there.

No school wants to be split. That's apparent. And reasonable.

Henry agreed to move 0.5 miles, with the specific understanding that this would not be used against it in future boundary disputes. Really. It was told that the boundaries would stay intact, that's the main reason the school didn't fight the move. Fairlington is literally divided by an Interstate. Also end-to-end Fairlington is bigger than from Rt 50 to the Columbia Heights units that want to stay at Fleet. So don't pretend that it's impossible or unreasonable that Fairlington could be divided. You can say you don't like it. That's fine. I don't blame you. No one likes it.

Henry “agreed” to move? Are you kidding me. This languished alone is offensive. You don’t agree to anything in these matters. The SB votes. You don’t get to agree or disagree. They voted to build Fleet and move Montessori. You didn’t agree or disagree to anything relevant to the matter.

[Anonymous]

Um, OK. The first time APS proposed building an elementary school at TJ the neighbors fought hard and were successful in saying no way. That forced APS to go back and renegotiate. A new deal was struck. The neighbors stopped protesting. You do realize this is how things happen in Arlington, yes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Um, OK. The first time APS proposed building an elementary school at TJ the neighbors fought hard and were successful in saying no way. That forced APS to go back and renegotiate. A new deal was struck. The neighbors stopped protesting. You do realize this is how things happen in Arlington, yes?

Not the same as saying you agreed to something and somehow had some definitive deal. And you do realize what you describe at is extreme is why APS is in the mess it is? For years it backed off when people objected. As if these t shirt wearing mobs could stop something they don’t like even when. It was needed for the improvement or betterment of the community as a whole.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Um, OK. The first time APS proposed building an elementary school at TJ the neighbors fought hard and were successful in saying no way. That forced APS to go back and renegotiate. A new deal was struck. The neighbors stopped protesting. You do realize this is how things happen in Arlington, yes?

So sorry you thought that you’d scored a bargain by buying a townhouse at a 30% discount from what you’d pay in N Arlington. You do realize you don’t own the school, yes?

[Anonymous]

For the record I agree it's a stupid game. But *this* more than anything *is* the "Arlington Way."

Save your anger for neighborhoods likes Kenmore that have fought seats, not the neighborhoods that welcomed them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the record I agree it's a stupid game. But *this* more than anything *is* the "Arlington Way."

Save your anger for neighborhoods likes Kenmore that have fought seats, not the neighborhoods that welcomed them.

I am be angry about those who welcome seats with conditions that aren't in the best interests of all of APS. I can be disappointed in all of you, and I am.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the record I agree it's a stupid game. But *this* more than anything *is* the "Arlington Way."

Save your anger for neighborhoods likes Kenmore that have fought seats, not the neighborhoods that welcomed them.

I am be angry about those who welcome seats with conditions that aren't in the best interests of all of APS. I can be disappointed in all of you, and I am.

Can you clarify what you mean?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the record I agree it's a stupid game. But *this* more than anything *is* the "Arlington Way."

Save your anger for neighborhoods likes Kenmore that have fought seats, not the neighborhoods that welcomed them.

I am be angry about those who welcome seats with conditions that aren't in the best interests of all of APS. I can be disappointed in all of you, and I am.

Can you clarify what you mean?

THE notion, debatable, that Henry parents are getting a brand new, larger, nicer school, one that is farther from the schools southern most PUs than Drew, and that somehow this entailed them sacrificing anything is not even funny, it's ridiculous on its face and self serving.

[Anonymous]

Unless you are willing to believe that the school is actually a tight knit community that would mourn the loss of a third of the school. Or that you believe that the wealthier units north of the pike might feel badly about leaving behind the poorer units south. And that they feel strongly enough about that they would have opposed the new school if they really thought that was what would happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unless you are willing to believe that the school is actually a tight knit community that would mourn the loss of a third of the school. Or that you believe that the wealthier units north of the pike might feel badly about leaving behind the poorer units south. And that they feel strongly enough about that they would have opposed the new school if they really thought that was what would happen.

I deeply wish APS had started this project by first drawing boundaries that would be in the best interests of Drew as an entire school and its surrounding neighborhood. A gerrymandered school district is no one's best interest. It really looks like they drew the Fleet / Henry lines, and then played clean-up with the rest of South Arlington. I think many families would rethink attendance at Drew if the boundary didn't look like a gerrymander salamander.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unless you are willing to believe that the school is actually a tight knit community that would mourn the loss of a third of the school. Or that you believe that the wealthier units north of the pike might feel badly about leaving behind the poorer units south. And that they feel strongly enough about that they would have opposed the new school if they really thought that was what would happen.

I believe all those things. I just don't believe the guilt and hurt feelings of wealthy Henry parents, matter enough to create a school that is 85% poor at Drew, which actually has real long term consequences for student education and opportunity. And I certainly don't think APS has any obligation to protect the real estate values of the Henry PUs south of the pike, which is a MAJOR reason behind t-shirt brigade, just as it was when Arlington Forest fought going to Wakefield.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unless you are willing to believe that the school is actually a tight knit community that would mourn the loss of a third of the school. Or that you believe that the wealthier units north of the pike might feel badly about leaving behind the poorer units south. And that they feel strongly enough about that they would have opposed the new school if they really thought that was what would happen.

I believe all those things. I just don't believe the guilt and hurt feelings of wealthy Henry parents, matter enough to create a school that is 85% poor at Drew, which actually has real long term consequences for student education and opportunity. And I certainly don't think APS has any obligation to protect the real estate values of the Henry PUs south of the pike, which is a MAJOR reason behind t-shirt brigade, just as it was when Arlington Forest fought going to Wakefield.

Agree.