South Arlington elementary school boundary adjustments 2019

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Revisit the Reed neighborhood school decision. Very poor decision that wasn't vetted by the community.

I just don't understand why they built the school there before building an addition onto McKinley. Such poor planning. Only to be followed up with another potentially short-sighted decision. If Tuckahoe has to become an option school, it should be a new one with the Tuckahoe community having a say in its focus. I would think they'd rather have all the Tuckahoe walkers apply to the program rather than bus out to wherever. So maybe figure out what the Tuckahoe community would prefer--if they build a program from scratch, they have ownership and it's something want rather than something they're stuck with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Revisit the Reed neighborhood school decision. Very poor decision that wasn't vetted by the community.

I just don't understand why they built the school there before building an addition onto McKinley. Such poor planning. Only to be followed up with another potentially short-sighted decision. If Tuckahoe has to become an option school, it should be a new one with the Tuckahoe community having a say in its focus. I would think they'd rather have all the Tuckahoe walkers apply to the program rather than bus out to wherever. So maybe figure out what the Tuckahoe community would prefer--if they build a program from scratch, they have ownership and it's something want rather than something they're stuck with.

Meant to say why they didn't build at Reed first before enlarging McKinley.

[Anonymous]

Tuckahoe has very few walkers. Not much of a community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tuckahoe has very few walkers. Not much of a community.

I am not a Tuckahoe parent but recognize this as total bs.

[Anonymous]

sorry, but the heavy congestion around reed is no different than other areas and not comparable to Carlin springs. . What makes Carlin springs crazy is that it is a winding road on a hill with poor visibility. It interesects with route 50, an eight lane commuter highway. And, Carlin springs already has 2 elementary schools and middle School.

The area around reed is nothing like Carlin springs, zero comparison. The traffic on Washington Blvd is already slowed because of pedestrians in westover and there is a library right there.

Sorry, that area is pastoral in comparison to Carlin springs and route 50.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tuckahoe has very few walkers. Not much of a community.

I am not a Tuckahoe parent but recognize this as total bs.

It’s less than 100 kids. Sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One point of clarification: I don't think they're removing the sibling preference at the choice schools. It would disadvantage too many families, especially those where you don't have a SAHM or other caregiver. Can you imagine a single parent trying to get a 2nd grader to ATS or Key and a Kindergarten student to Abingdon every day?

They are choices that the family has made. If it's too inconvenient, they can always send their kids - all of them - to their neighborhood school. Not everyone gets to opt out of their neighborhood school. There are choices. There are trade-offs. Make the choice - don't complain about the trade-offs.

In other words, "suck it single moms!" Seriously, you're basically saying all these choice programs should only be for those with the means to get their young children to and from different elementary schools. We're not talking middle or high school here, those students are perfectly able to get themselves to school and home on their own. We're talking 5, 6, 7-year old kids.

Parent-teacher conferences are on the same day. How does this mom get to two schools on a work day? How does she participate in her kid's school activities when they're taking place at the same time? Sounds like a recipe for undermining the choice schools, or making them so selective they only benefit a very specific set of families in Arlington.

Parents can reschedule teacher conferences and can arrange to meet with a teacher any time throughout the year.
It isn't necessarily any easier for low-income, two-parent families in which both parents work - at jobs that don't grant leave or paid leave -- and/or shift work. Again, it's a choice and if that choice doesn't work for a family, then it doesn't work for them. Sibling preferences are still in place; so in most instances, both kids can still go to the same school whether it is choice or neighborhood. The point is, not everyone gets in. Not every student who would most benefit from a particular program (the main purpose of choice programs, by the way) get in to the program. Lots of kids have to endure a learning environment that isn't the best match to their learning style. Choice programs are not entitlements.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:sorry, but the heavy congestion around reed is no different than other areas and not comparable to Carlin springs. . What makes Carlin springs crazy is that it is a winding road on a hill with poor visibility. It interesects with route 50, an eight lane commuter highway. And, Carlin springs already has 2 elementary schools and middle School.

The area around reed is nothing like Carlin springs, zero comparison. The traffic on Washington Blvd is already slowed because of pedestrians in westover and there is a library right there.

Sorry, that area is pastoral in comparison to Carlin springs and route 50.

True, the two areas are not very alike. Westover is much more walkable, regardless of what people say about congestion. And Kenmore has the largest amount of APS-owned land available. They were willing to consider an additional elementary school on the Wakefield site, which is smaller; but Glencarlyn -- like EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD IN THE COUNTY - claims the market on traffic problems. I drive Carlin Springs frequently and at all times of day. It has never been as bad as Columbia Pike and is actually more of an issue on the part of Carlin Springs SOUTH of the Pike. AND there are things that can be done to improve traffic flow into/out of/and on the site. The acreage of Kenmore is greater than Wakefield and does not even include Carlin Springs ES which has four acres unto itself and a front door accessed from a completely different road than Kenmore.

Carlin Springs ES is actually one of the most ideal locations for a choice program because it has zero walkability - and because of the extreme concentration of low and very low income students. But it will never be touched because we have to keep the low-income Latino community together and segregated from everyone else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One point of clarification: I don't think they're removing the sibling preference at the choice schools. It would disadvantage too many families, especially those where you don't have a SAHM or other caregiver. Can you imagine a single parent trying to get a 2nd grader to ATS or Key and a Kindergarten student to Abingdon every day?

They are choices that the family has made. If it's too inconvenient, they can always send their kids - all of them - to their neighborhood school. Not everyone gets to opt out of their neighborhood school. There are choices. There are trade-offs. Make the choice - don't complain about the trade-offs.

In other words, "suck it single moms!" Seriously, you're basically saying all these choice programs should only be for those with the means to get their young children to and from different elementary schools. We're not talking middle or high school here, those students are perfectly able to get themselves to school and home on their own. We're talking 5, 6, 7-year old kids.

Parent-teacher conferences are on the same day. How does this mom get to two schools on a work day? How does she participate in her kid's school activities when they're taking place at the same time? Sounds like a recipe for undermining the choice schools, or making them so selective they only benefit a very specific set of families in Arlington.

Parents can reschedule teacher conferences and can arrange to meet with a teacher any time throughout the year.
It isn't necessarily any easier for low-income, two-parent families in which both parents work - at jobs that don't grant leave or paid leave -- and/or shift work. Again, it's a choice and if that choice doesn't work for a family, then it doesn't work for them. Sibling preferences are still in place; so in most instances, both kids can still go to the same school whether it is choice or neighborhood. The point is, not everyone gets in. Not every student who would most benefit from a particular program (the main purpose of choice programs, by the way) get in to the program. Lots of kids have to endure a learning environment that isn't the best match to their learning style. Choice programs are not entitlements.

Mostly agree, but being concerned about "learning style" is, frankly, a luxury when choosing between a neighborhood school and an option school. There is no single purpose "correct" rationale for availing ones children of choice program. As has been pointed out numerous times in this thread, for many SA parents, they basically function as charter schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:sorry, but the heavy congestion around reed is no different than other areas and not comparable to Carlin springs. . What makes Carlin springs crazy is that it is a winding road on a hill with poor visibility. It interesects with route 50, an eight lane commuter highway. And, Carlin springs already has 2 elementary schools and middle School.

The area around reed is nothing like Carlin springs, zero comparison. The traffic on Washington Blvd is already slowed because of pedestrians in westover and there is a library right there.

Sorry, that area is pastoral in comparison to Carlin springs and route 50.

True, the two areas are not very alike. Westover is much more walkable, regardless of what people say about congestion. And Kenmore has the largest amount of APS-owned land available. They were willing to consider an additional elementary school on the Wakefield site, which is smaller; but Glencarlyn -- like EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD IN THE COUNTY - claims the market on traffic problems. I drive Carlin Springs frequently and at all times of day. It has never been as bad as Columbia Pike and is actually more of an issue on the part of Carlin Springs SOUTH of the Pike. AND there are things that can be done to improve traffic flow into/out of/and on the site. The acreage of Kenmore is greater than Wakefield and does not even include Carlin Springs ES which has four acres unto itself and a front door accessed from a completely different road than Kenmore.

Carlin Springs ES is actually one of the most ideal locations for a choice program because it has zero walkability - and because of the extreme concentration of low and very low income
students. But it will never be touched because we have to keep the low-income Latino community together and segregated from everyone else.

1. Are you aware that Carlin Springs south of the Pike is not even in Arlington County? Not sure what your point is there.
2. Many members of the Latino community are not asking to be segregated from everyone else. They, like nearly everyone else in Arlington, are asking not to have their children forcibly bused across the county further away from their homes and caregivers making it even harder for their families to be involved with the school. They, like many in N. Arlington, want the ability to send their kids to neighborhood schools where they can interact with members of their community.
3. Let's say we did make Carlin Springs or Randolph an option school. Where do you think all of the low income non-English speaking population will go? (and for the record--not everyone is Hispanic. At Randolph it's something like 60% but there are scores of students from families that speak languages other than Spanish). Assuming we're still working under a neighborhood/choice model most of them will still be together and in another school. What school has space? How will this make things better for everyone? What might help is adding more option and fewer neighborhood schools, but it doesn't look like that is going to happen.
4. FWIW--I generally agree wth you about Carlin Springs traffic----that's why I think it would have been a great place for a high school.

[Anonymous]

I don't know why we're still talking about the sibling preference things; it isn't going anywhere. If we're bending over backwards for the convenience of UMC parents in north Arlington who need to walk their kids to school every day because anything less is an unthinkable tragedy, then we sure as heck can give the same consideration to the lower income working families who can't entertain the idea of an option program unless all their ES aged kids can go together on a bus or be walked at the same time.

Equity doesn't mean everyone is treated the same. It means you remove barriers, not put them up. If we have option programs, then we make policies that ensure they are accessible to all families, and we give sibling preference at the ES level because APS won't even let kids get off the bus and walk a block home without a parent until 4th grade.

It's not the same at the secondary level, when kids are able and allowed to walk unaccompanied, which is why there's no sibling preference at that level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:sorry, but the heavy congestion around reed is no different than other areas and not comparable to Carlin springs. . What makes Carlin springs crazy is that it is a winding road on a hill with poor visibility. It interesects with route 50, an eight lane commuter highway. And, Carlin springs already has 2 elementary schools and middle School.

The area around reed is nothing like Carlin springs, zero comparison. The traffic on Washington Blvd is already slowed because of pedestrians in westover and there is a library right there.

Sorry, that area is pastoral in comparison to Carlin springs and route 50.

True, the two areas are not very alike. Westover is much more walkable, regardless of what people say about congestion. And Kenmore has the largest amount of APS-owned land available. They were willing to consider an additional elementary school on the Wakefield site, which is smaller; but Glencarlyn -- like EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD IN THE COUNTY - claims the market on traffic problems. I drive Carlin Springs frequently and at all times of day. It has never been as bad as Columbia Pike and is actually more of an issue on the part of Carlin Springs SOUTH of the Pike. AND there are things that can be done to improve traffic flow into/out of/and on the site. The acreage of Kenmore is greater than Wakefield and does not even include Carlin Springs ES which has four acres unto itself and a front door accessed from a completely different road than Kenmore.

Carlin Springs ES is actually one of the most ideal locations for a choice program because it has zero walkability - and because of the extreme concentration of low and very low income
students. But it will never be touched because we have to keep the low-income Latino community together and segregated from everyone else.

1. Are you aware that Carlin Springs south of the Pike is not even in Arlington County? Not sure what your point is there.
2. Many members of the Latino community are not asking to be segregated from everyone else. They, like nearly everyone else in Arlington, are asking not to have their children forcibly bused across the county further away from their homes and caregivers making it even harder for their families to be involved with the school. They, like many in N. Arlington, want the ability to send their kids to neighborhood schools where they can interact with members of their community.
3. Let's say we did make Carlin Springs or Randolph an option school. Where do you think all of the low income non-English speaking population will go? (and for the record--not everyone is Hispanic. At Randolph it's something like 60% but there are scores of students from families that speak languages other than Spanish). Assuming we're still working under a neighborhood/choice model most of them will still be together and in another school. What school has space? How will this make things better for everyone? What might help is adding more option and fewer neighborhood schools, but it doesn't look like that is going to happen.
4. FWIW--I generally agree wth you about Carlin Springs traffic----that's why I think it would have been a great place for a high school.

Make Randolph it Barcroft an option school ( immersion).,The other becomes the neighborhood school. They are very close to each other. This adds choice without hardship on the neighboring community.
I think immersion would entice more umc families than IB.

[Anonymous]

Randolph OR Barcroft.

[Anonymous]

Neither barcroft nor Randolph have the space to take in the population from the other. They cannot be made option schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Revisit the Reed neighborhood school decision. Very poor decision that wasn't vetted by the community.

I just don't understand why they built the school there before building an addition onto McKinley. Such poor planning. Only to be followed up with another potentially short-sighted decision. If Tuckahoe has to become an option school, it should be a new one with the Tuckahoe community having a say in its focus. I would think they'd rather have all the Tuckahoe walkers apply to the program rather than bus out to wherever. So maybe figure out what the Tuckahoe community would prefer--if they build a program from scratch, they have ownership and it's something want rather than something they're stuck with.

Meant to say why they didn't build at Reed first before enlarging McKinley.

Because Westover mobilized against them turning that building back into a school

https://www.change.org/p/arlington-county-board-aps-school-board-and-arlington-county-board-don-t-relocate-hb-woodlawn-to-reed