Is APS really looking to close a N. Arlington elem school again?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s sad that Arlington school facilities are in such bad shape. I feel like all of these school renovations are needed. We just need more money from the state or county to make facility renovations instead of pitting which schools needs to most against another.

No one is giving more money when we manage what we have so poorly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most MPSA students come from south Arlington. There is a need for seats in SA, the question is how many people would stick with it if moved across the county and would neighborhood schools have the space to handle those who didn’t?

The MPSA parents are like a cult. They will stick with it wherever it is located.

Samuel, but the North Arlington to South Arlington extended day pick up or 30 minute bus ride is a deterrent for a lot of people.

Extended day could be bused to their neighborhood school extended day, just another stop for the bus.

No. We’d have to do that for all option schools and that’s ridiculous. I was a south Arlington parent who had a kid at ATS. It was a pain but the price I paid for an option spot

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They have too many elementary schools in one area due to geography. I would be more pissed as a taxpayer and parent if they didn’t repurpose facilities they had instead of cutting a completely different type of facility or spending tens or hundreds of millions for something new.

Madison used to be an elementary school. We can’t fully predict demographics and closing schools leads to them being taken over by county for other uses and never returning them.

Closing a school does not have to lead to APS turning it over to the county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They have too many elementary schools in one area due to geography. I would be more pissed as a taxpayer and parent if they didn’t repurpose facilities they had instead of cutting a completely different type of facility or spending tens or hundreds of millions for something new.

Madison used to be an elementary school. We can’t fully predict demographics and closing schools leads to them being taken over by county for other uses and never returning them.

Closing a school does not have to lead to APS turning it over to the county.

The APS superintendent of facilities recently said they will never again give away school facilities to the county like they did in the 70s and 80s when the population bottomed out. APS will likely use vacated schools as holding schools when there are renovations elsewhere. Some parents who grew up here may remember Long Branch and other schools used Reed ES (now Cardinal) when their buildings were under construction in the 90s and 00s. APS may also create new elementary option programs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It does not make one iota of sense to keep Nottingham open as a neighborhood school. We all know it. They just screamed so loud last time that they kicked the can down the road.

They should close tuckahoe. Too many busses for Nottingham.

or maybe Jamestown. The building isn't in very good shape and it's so underenrolled they have to fill it up with county wide programs. But it's too far away to be practical for that.

Omg. The county is 5 miles wide. People in FCPS travel much further for AAP etc. make compelling options (like ATS 2) and people will make the distance.

They will absolutely make the distance. They could also easily place VPI classes at all those under-enrolled schools with guarantees that they can stay until 5th (not like the current Montessori classes that are getting kicked out of the rich schools). Enough parents will choose to place their kids on a bus when they see their child can benefit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes some board members have expressed this preference. I don’t understand people saying let’s close MPSA but are fine with the other option schools. The point of options is to let people have options to choose from…then why not close immersion, ATS and Campbell. Just because you wouldn’t choose Montessori doesn’t mean you should take away that choice from others.

On a side note, I had one child go through this school and the scope and rigor of their education was much more and higher quality than at my neighborhood school.

agreed, we should close all option schools and turn them into neighborhood schools

That would work in some cases (especially Claremont ) but wouldn’t in others (Campbell is basically across the street from Carlin springs)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They have too many elementary schools in one area due to geography. I would be more pissed as a taxpayer and parent if they didn’t repurpose facilities they had instead of cutting a completely different type of facility or spending tens or hundreds of millions for something new.

Madison used to be an elementary school. We can’t fully predict demographics and closing schools leads to them being taken over by county for other uses and never returning them.

Closing a school does not have to lead to APS turning it over to the county.

The APS superintendent of facilities recently said they will never again give away school facilities to the county like they did in the 70s and 80s when the population bottomed out. APS will likely use vacated schools as holding schools when there are renovations elsewhere. Some parents who grew up here may remember Long Branch and other schools used Reed ES (now Cardinal) when their buildings were under construction in the 90s and 00s. APS may also create new elementary option programs.

Good!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes some board members have expressed this preference. I don’t understand people saying let’s close MPSA but are fine with the other option schools. The point of options is to let people have options to choose from…then why not close immersion, ATS and Campbell. Just because you wouldn’t choose Montessori doesn’t mean you should take away that choice from others.

On a side note, I had one child go through this school and the scope and rigor of their education was much more and higher quality than at my neighborhood school.

agreed, we should close all option schools and turn them into neighborhood schools

That would work in some cases (especially Claremont ) but wouldn’t in others (Campbell is basically across the street from Carlin springs)

also the option programs are very popular with excellent outcomes, and are one of the highlights of APS. We need more option programs, not less.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes some board members have expressed this preference. I don’t understand people saying let’s close MPSA but are fine with the other option schools. The point of options is to let people have options to choose from…then why not close immersion, ATS and Campbell. Just because you wouldn’t choose Montessori doesn’t mean you should take away that choice from others.

On a side note, I had one child go through this school and the scope and rigor of their education was much more and higher quality than at my neighborhood school.

agreed, we should close all option schools and turn them into neighborhood schools

That would work in some cases (especially Claremont ) but wouldn’t in others (Campbell is basically across the street from Carlin springs)

also the option programs are very popular with excellent outcomes, and are one of the highlights of APS. We need more option programs, not less.

+1

[Anonymous]

The ATS wait list is long enough to justify a 2nd ATS school. Maybe some other option schools also have long enough waitlists.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes some board members have expressed this preference. I don’t understand people saying let’s close MPSA but are fine with the other option schools. The point of options is to let people have options to choose from…then why not close immersion, ATS and Campbell. Just because you wouldn’t choose Montessori doesn’t mean you should take away that choice from others.

On a side note, I had one child go through this school and the scope and rigor of their education was much more and higher quality than at my neighborhood school.

agreed, we should close all option schools and turn them into neighborhood schools

That would work in some cases (especially Claremont ) but wouldn’t in others (Campbell is basically across the street from Carlin springs)

also the option programs are very popular with excellent outcomes, and are one of the highlights of APS. We need more option programs, not less.

The option programs have families that are involved enough to know they exist and don’t have to deal with transience like the neighborhood schools. Of course they have good outcomes! I don’t care if option schools exist, but APS shouldn’t give them special preference. They are basically the same as charter schools siphoning off motivated parents and students and leaving neighborhood schools weaker.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes some board members have expressed this preference. I don’t understand people saying let’s close MPSA but are fine with the other option schools. The point of options is to let people have options to choose from…then why not close immersion, ATS and Campbell. Just because you wouldn’t choose Montessori doesn’t mean you should take away that choice from others.

On a side note, I had one child go through this school and the scope and rigor of their education was much more and higher quality than at my neighborhood school.

agreed, we should close all option schools and turn them into neighborhood schools

That would work in some cases (especially Claremont ) but wouldn’t in others (Campbell is basically across the street from Carlin springs)

also the option programs are very popular with excellent outcomes, and are one of the highlights of APS. We need more option programs, not less.

+1

they have excellent outcomes because of the population that selects into them, nothing inherent to option schools themselves. instead we should import that population back into the neighborhood schools, strengthening them. and I don't see why Campbell being across the street from Carling Springs would be a problem - the surrounding neighborhoods need enough school seats to fill both of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes some board members have expressed this preference. I don’t understand people saying let’s close MPSA but are fine with the other option schools. The point of options is to let people have options to choose from…then why not close immersion, ATS and Campbell. Just because you wouldn’t choose Montessori doesn’t mean you should take away that choice from others.

On a side note, I had one child go through this school and the scope and rigor of their education was much more and higher quality than at my neighborhood school.

agreed, we should close all option schools and turn them into neighborhood schools

That would work in some cases (especially Claremont ) but wouldn’t in others (Campbell is basically across the street from Carlin springs)

also the option programs are very popular with excellent outcomes, and are one of the highlights of APS. We need more option programs, not less.

+1

they have excellent outcomes because of the population that selects into them, nothing inherent to option schools themselves. instead we should import that population back into the neighborhood schools, strengthening them. and I don't see why Campbell being across the street from Carling Springs would be a problem - the surrounding neighborhoods need enough school seats to fill both of them.

sorry not gonna happen

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The ATS wait list is long enough to justify a 2nd ATS school. Maybe some other option schools also have long enough waitlists.

they do!

[Anonymous]

Close the option schools, use what actually works (everyone wants ATS, great, we all get ATS), and rezone to balance attendance. Done.