APS middle school boundary process

[Anonymous]

One of my friends in Madison Manor was blasting the proposals, so I took a look. Certainly, some of the boundaries are a bit off, but my friend’s kids would go from walking a little over a half mile to Swanson to under a mile and a half to Kenmore. I get that it is slightly longer, but these kids will still walk!

I suspect that some people are using the “walk zone” as camouflage for “I don’t want to go to Kenmore.” How many of those same people post online about their support for social justice, “I stand with Charlottesville”, and the like? If your kid remains a walker under the new proposals, that doesn’t seem like a reasonable argument.

The proposals that increase some schools to overv50% and reduce Williamsburg to 4% or 2% are unacceptable. That may mean some kids will be bussed and some walkers may walk to a different school.

[Anonymous]

My kids are currently getting screwed at McKinley which is now either the largest elementary school or within about 10 kids of being the largest, operating at about 100 kids over capacity after APS got the numbers way wrong and sent us kids that should have gone to Nottingham but didn't. Now Nottingham has 545 kids and is so happy to have 3 classes per grade, while we are over 800 kids and have 6 classes per grade and not much field space. This was all done by APS. We warned them they were getting the number wrong, but they wouldn't listen and now won't revise the boundaries again in any way that fixes the problem. We are stuck with this mistake.

Now we are being asked to move from a middle school that is 20% FARMS to one that is 45% FARMS. Some of the other options leave Kenmore with even worse ratios. Do I fight for my kid or do I fight for Kenmore? I know 45% could hurt my kid -- that's what the statistics say about schools with high levels of poverty. Do I fight for my kid or do I fight for what's best for all of Arlington?

I am just exhausted with Arlington County and APS. The County lets these companies concentrate poverty in the south and then APS throws its hands up in the air and puts the problem on me. I've already taken it for the team at McKinley, but APS is telling me it's my turn again. You suck, APS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am just exhausted with Arlington County and APS. The County lets these companies concentrate poverty in the south and then APS throws its hands up in the air and puts the problem on me. I've already taken it for the team at McKinley, but APS is telling me it's my turn again. You suck, APS.

The people of Madison Manor and Dominion Hills need to unite as one strong voice. That is how Taylor got their neighborhood MS and how Nottingham kept the planning units (that they could accommodate) out of their school. The difference here is that those were schools acting as one loud voice, but you won't get that at McKinley. The PTA is known for refusing to rock the boat, so you have to work as a neighborhood. That area hasn't really ever had an organized movement. It's just a few parents trying to fight the fight for everyone. That doesn't work. APS has shown you that. You've got to come at the board from every angle if you have any chance of staying at Swanson. FWIW, I do think it's ridiculous that 22207/22213 call out for diversity knowing their won't have to be inconvenienced. But, you know that's how this county works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am just exhausted with Arlington County and APS. The County lets these companies concentrate poverty in the south and then APS throws its hands up in the air and puts the problem on me. I've already taken it for the team at McKinley, but APS is telling me it's my turn again. You suck, APS.

The people of Madison Manor and Dominion Hills need to unite as one strong voice. That is how Taylor got their neighborhood MS and how Nottingham kept the planning units (that they could accommodate) out of their school. The difference here is that those were schools acting as one loud voice, but you won't get that at McKinley. The PTA is known for refusing to rock the boat, so you have to work as a neighborhood. That area hasn't really ever had an organized movement. It's just a few parents trying to fight the fight for everyone. That doesn't work. APS has shown you that. You've got to come at the board from every angle if you have any chance of staying at Swanson. FWIW, I do think it's ridiculous that 22207/22213 call out for diversity knowing their won't have to be inconvenienced. But, you know that's how this county works.

You're getting the Reed school already. It stinks that it won't be in time for your kids, but why should you be mad at south Arlington parents who had nothing to do with what happened with the last ES boundary? Seriously, if instead of fighting being moved to Kenmore, perhaps you could come up with an alternative map that better balances demographics I think you'd have allies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids are currently getting screwed at McKinley which is now either the largest elementary school or within about 10 kids of being the largest, operating at about 100 kids over capacity after APS got the numbers way wrong and sent us kids that should have gone to Nottingham but didn't. Now Nottingham has 545 kids and is so happy to have 3 classes per grade, while we are over 800 kids and have 6 classes per grade and not much field space. This was all done by APS. We warned them they were getting the number wrong, but they wouldn't listen and now won't revise the boundaries again in any way that fixes the problem. We are stuck with this mistake.

Now we are being asked to move from a middle school that is 20% FARMS to one that is 45% FARMS. Some of the other options leave Kenmore with even worse ratios. Do I fight for my kid or do I fight for Kenmore? I know 45% could hurt my kid -- that's what the statistics say about schools with high levels of poverty. Do I fight for my kid or do I fight for what's best for all of Arlington?

I am just exhausted with Arlington County and APS. The County lets these companies concentrate poverty in the south and then APS throws its hands up in the air and puts the problem on me. I've already taken it for the team at McKinley, but APS is telling me it's my turn again. You suck, APS.

Okay, so this is what it's about. Would you want to stay at Swanson if the fr/l rate increased to be more in line with other schools? If there wasn't such a gaping disparity? Also, your current fr/l rate is 13%, not 20%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of my friends in Madison Manor was blasting the proposals, so I took a look. Certainly, some of the boundaries are a bit off, but my friend’s kids would go from walking a little over a half mile to Swanson to under a mile and a half to Kenmore. I get that it is slightly longer, but these kids will still walk!

I suspect that some people are using the “walk zone” as camouflage for “I don’t want to go to Kenmore.” How many of those same people post online about their support for social justice, “I stand with Charlottesville”, and the like? If your kid remains a walker under the new proposals, that doesn’t seem like a reasonable argument.

I agree with this. I think the walkers into bus-riders line sounds appealing but it is false. Yes- some of the edges of those planning units are closer to Swanson- but the other edge is just as close to Kenmore.
I think the motives can be a lot of different things- and i certainly wouldn't ascribe one motive to everyone.
1. Loss of the familiar- it is a familiar walk to Swanson- Kenmore is not familiar, its finding new routes, etc-- often the familiar feels closer.
2. fear of Kenmore.
3. Fear of change.

The real problem that the walk zone is to big. I do think that 1.5 miles each way for a daily walk carrying books is not realistic. In real estate people generally consider houses 3/4 mile to the metro to be walking accessible- the price point declines from their on out. Sure- there are people who walk more than this to the metro, but it is not typical. Especially given the early start times of middle school-if my kids were at Kenmore- and they had the choice of walking out the door at 6:45 in the dark to walk 1.5 miles- or me dropping them on my way to work- I would drop them off.

[Anonymous]

No middle or high schools in APS are good enough to warrant 34 pages of sniping.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The 70s called and they want their school integration policies back.

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic.

I think it's sad that we're complacent about segregation because it's de facto rather than de jure. The end result is still the same, and threatens our pluralistic democracy.

Shifting walking families away from Swanson is not going to stop the growth of low income in these other areas. We should spend this energy looking at the policies driving the growth of low income #s in these areas. It’s not because Swanson families are able to walk to their neighborhood school.

This is exactly right. The Swanson families did not create the segregation. That was created by South Arlington politicians like Tannia Talento and Nancy Van Doren who have been just fine with continuing to concentrate more affordable housing in South Arlington and giving North Arlington a pass. 22207 and 22213 can duke this out with 22204 and 22206. You know what would fix all of this stuff? If your two areas of the county each created islands and swapped kids. So until *that* map is in the list of "options" you are damn right that Westover is going to complain about putting our walkers on buses.

That is historically inaccurate. South Arlington was officially segregated. Wakefield, Drew, Hoffman-Boston were the black schools. Property values in south Arlington were lower. Black families were not allowed to buy in north Arlington (with the exception of Halls Hill, and those kids were bused to the schools in south Arlington).

The houses are "nicer" in north Arlington and real estate prices are higher and the schools are "better" because of the continuing effects of Virginia's racial segregation policies. White families are still benefiting from those policies. You have your head in the sand if you think that you don't benefit from that. It's not random that Yorktown and W-L have fewer black kids. It's not random that houses cost more in 22207 than 22204. It's not because of decisions made in 2010 or 2000 or 1990. It's because of decisions made in 1956, and you are benefiting from them. You have to accept that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
The real problem that the walk zone is to big. I do think that 1.5 miles each way for a daily walk carrying books is not realistic. In real estate people generally consider houses 3/4 mile to the metro to be walking accessible- the price point declines from their on out. Sure- there are people who walk more than this to the metro, but it is not typical. Especially given the early start times of middle school-if my kids were at Kenmore- and they had the choice of walking out the door at 6:45 in the dark to walk 1.5 miles- or me dropping them on my way to work- I would drop them off.

My kids do it. It's a half-hour walk, and it's a great way to start and end the day. My commute is about half an hour, too.

I'm not sure why your kids would be leaving at 6:45 to walk half an hour.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:. FWIW, I do think it's ridiculous that 22207/22213 call out for diversity knowing their won't have to be inconvenienced. But, you know that's how this county works.

FWIW, I don't know anyone in 22213 that is calling out for diversity, AND there are portions of 22213 that will be bussed to Kenmore under one of the plans. Kenmore is nowhere near 22213 and I can't think of a way to get to Kenmore from 22213 that wouldn't require driving past Swanson, so that doesn't make any sense, but that's APS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The real problem that the walk zone is to big. I do think that 1.5 miles each way for a daily walk carrying books is not realistic. In real estate people generally consider houses 3/4 mile to the metro to be walking accessible- the price point declines from their on out. Sure- there are people who walk more than this to the metro, but it is not typical. Especially given the early start times of middle school-if my kids were at Kenmore- and they had the choice of walking out the door at 6:45 in the dark to walk 1.5 miles- or me dropping them on my way to work- I would drop them off.

My kids do it. It's a half-hour walk, and it's a great way to start and end the day. My commute is about half an hour, too.

I'm not sure why your kids would be leaving at 6:45 to walk half an hour.

my kids are in elementary school- I thought the middle school bell rang at 7:30? and you need some time to go to your locker and get to your desk.

That's great that your kids walk 30 minutes and think it is a great way to start the day. And there are great benefits to it, yada yada yada. However- that is not how most people behave. I'm not arguing the benefits one way or another-- and FWIW I actually think the need for diversity outweighs the 'walk' cry. I just think there is a problem that we are using different language. You look at the options and they show a high walk zone- then people are saying you are turning walkers into bus riders. My point is what you are really doing is turning (maybe walkers- I don't totally believe this) into likely car riders. Perhaps that tradeoff is worth it- I would tend to say it is. But lets be honest about it.

[Anonymous]

S Arlington is apparently fine with having multiple schools at 60%+ farms. The residents have continued to champion low cost housing developers and chose to buy there. They should be fine with Kenmore at 50%+ too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
my kids are in elementary school- I thought the middle school bell rang at 7:30? and you need some time to go to your locker and get to your desk.

That's great that your kids walk 30 minutes and think it is a great way to start the day. And there are great benefits to it, yada yada yada. However- that is not how most people behave. I'm not arguing the benefits one way or another-- and FWIW I actually think the need for diversity outweighs the 'walk' cry. I just think there is a problem that we are using different language. You look at the options and they show a high walk zone- then people are saying you are turning walkers into bus riders. My point is what you are really doing is turning (maybe walkers- I don't totally believe this) into likely car riders. Perhaps that tradeoff is worth it- I would tend to say it is. But lets be honest about it.

The bell rings at 7:50. I think kids can get into the building at 7:20.

I am also willing to trade walkability for diversity, at least up to a point. And I think no matter where kids go, there are a lot of parents who are going to drive them because of the weather or road hazards or the backpacks or the start time or or or. (Pauses for chorus of "No, my kids really walk!")

But 1.5 miles is totally reasonable. And the parents who think it isn't are unreasonable about a lot of things -- I don't think there's much point in trying to make them happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:S Arlington is apparently fine with having multiple schools at 60%+ farms. The residents have continued to champion low cost housing developers and chose to buy there. They should be fine with Kenmore at 50%+ too.

Nice try. Nope. Please enjoy some of our vibrancy when you attends BTSN at Kenmore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:S Arlington is apparently fine with having multiple schools at 60%+ farms. The residents have continued to champion low cost housing developers and chose to buy there. They should be fine with Kenmore at 50%+ too.

Nice try. Nope. Please enjoy some of our vibrancy when you attends BTSN at Kenmore.

What's BTSN? My kids will be at Williamsburg in the far north of Arlington; maybe they have it there.