APS Elementary Location Working Group 4/12

[Anonymous]

"In the case of ASFS, that is an unreasonable expectation. You aren't losing your walkable neighborhood school. It has not been a neighborhood school for decades now."


Except that it was a neighborhood school (Page) for many decades before becoming ATS (briefly) and then ASFS. And when ASFS first started, anyone in the neighborhood (and county) could attend. It wasn't until the Orange Line corridor exploded with young families and capacity became an issue that ASFS had to start turning folks away. Most families who can walk have been allowed (until the last few years) to go to ASFS.


So big picture, it was and (arguably has been) a neighborhood school for more years when compared to the years it has been Key's alternative school.

For all those folks who moved close to Key because they were "guaranteed" to go to ASFS, that was a pretty big gamble. Boundaries can change at any time. Your best bet is to have Key move to Nottingham and then make Key a neighborhood school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why those living in the current Key zone "have" to swap with ASFS to maintain their community (which seems spread out with folks who transferred in from Taylor and Jamestown under the old Team model)? If they both became neighborhood schools, a majority would still go to the new "Key" and could walk. ASFS could easily fill those seats with folks from Taylor and Glebe (which is going to have to be slightly adjusted since they have over 100% walkers), plus there is a new apartment complex going along Kirkwood where the old Sport and Health used to be that would bring more walkers to ASFS. Or keep the schools where they are and keep Lyons Village at ASFS and just move the Rosslyn kids (who don't want to go/don't lottery into Key) and the few kids who live in Clarendon to Long Branch? If you're in Rosslyn, it's easy to jump on 50 to get to Long Branch (and the Clarendon folks are just as close to Long Branch as Key or ASFS).

I agree that they could easily fill both ASFS and Key with neighborhood kids. ASFS could pull from Taylor, Glebe, Long Branch, and that weird jag of Ashlawn. For the long term it's the solution that makes the most sense. It's a hard sell, though, because many people have reasons to hate it and show up to board meetings in color coordinated shirts:

1. That would mean moving immersion and the immersion program does not want to move. Green shirts.
2. Creating a neighborhood school at Key means another neighborhood school has to cease to exist. Its current students would need to go elsewhere. Red shirts.
3. Some of the people pulled into the ASFS boundary might not want to be there. Not coordinated enough to pick a color, but certainly loud.
4. The new Key zone school would have a higher FARMS rate than ASFS. It might go up to 40% or so, based on my back of the envelope calc, but it could be higher or lower. I would be a parent at the new school and I'm fine with that, but let's recognize that it might be an issue for some people. Again, no shirt color because they won't self identify. Will be more stealthy.

I also agree Long Branch isn't too bad from Rosslyn if Key stays immersion, much better than Taylor!! But. Are they really going to have room at Long Branch for an extra 200 kids? I have doubts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why those living in the current Key zone "have" to swap with ASFS to maintain their community (which seems spread out with folks who transferred in from Taylor and Jamestown under the old Team model)? If they both became neighborhood schools, a majority would still go to the new "Key" and could walk. ASFS could easily fill those seats with folks from Taylor and Glebe (which is going to have to be slightly adjusted since they have over 100% walkers), plus there is a new apartment complex going along Kirkwood where the old Sport and Health used to be that would bring more walkers to ASFS. Or keep the schools where they are and keep Lyons Village at ASFS and just move the Rosslyn kids (who don't want to go/don't lottery into Key) and the few kids who live in Clarendon to Long Branch? If you're in Rosslyn, it's easy to jump on 50 to get to Long Branch (and the Clarendon folks are just as close to Long Branch as Key or ASFS).

You just mentioned splitting up the ASFS community into 3+ schools and moving most of the current kids to a new facility with new administration/teachers. That makes it difficult to maintain the community.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"In the case of ASFS, that is an unreasonable expectation. You aren't losing your walkable neighborhood school. It has not been a neighborhood school for decades now."


Except that it was a neighborhood school (Page) for many decades before becoming ATS (briefly) and then ASFS. And when ASFS first started, anyone in the neighborhood (and county) could attend. It wasn't until the Orange Line corridor exploded with young families and capacity became an issue that ASFS had to start turning folks away. Most families who can walk have been allowed (until the last few years) to go to ASFS.


So big picture, it was and (arguably has been) a neighborhood school for more years when compared to the years it has been Key's alternative school.

For all those folks who moved close to Key because they were "guaranteed" to go to ASFS, that was a pretty big gamble. Boundaries can change at any time. Your best bet is to have Key move to Nottingham and then make Key a neighborhood school.

Like you said, that was decades ago. No one buying in that neighborhood then has ES-aged children now.

Agree that boundaries can change for anyone at any point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why those living in the current Key zone "have" to swap with ASFS to maintain their community (which seems spread out with folks who transferred in from Taylor and Jamestown under the old Team model)? If they both became neighborhood schools, a majority would still go to the new "Key" and could walk. ASFS could easily fill those seats with folks from Taylor and Glebe (which is going to have to be slightly adjusted since they have over 100% walkers), plus there is a new apartment complex going along Kirkwood where the old Sport and Health used to be that would bring more walkers to ASFS. Or keep the schools where they are and keep Lyons Village at ASFS and just move the Rosslyn kids (who don't want to go/don't lottery into Key) and the few kids who live in Clarendon to Long Branch? If you're in Rosslyn, it's easy to jump on 50 to get to Long Branch (and the Clarendon folks are just as close to Long Branch as Key or ASFS).

You just mentioned splitting up the ASFS community into 3+ schools and moving most of the current kids to a new facility with new administration/teachers. That makes it difficult to maintain the community.

As others have said, boundaries change. the ASFS community will just have to split up. You'll see each other at middle school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why those living in the current Key zone "have" to swap with ASFS to maintain their community (which seems spread out with folks who transferred in from Taylor and Jamestown under the old Team model)? If they both became neighborhood schools, a majority would still go to the new "Key" and could walk. ASFS could easily fill those seats with folks from Taylor and Glebe (which is going to have to be slightly adjusted since they have over 100% walkers), plus there is a new apartment complex going along Kirkwood where the old Sport and Health used to be that would bring more walkers to ASFS. Or keep the schools where they are and keep Lyons Village at ASFS and just move the Rosslyn kids (who don't want to go/don't lottery into Key) and the few kids who live in Clarendon to Long Branch? If you're in Rosslyn, it's easy to jump on 50 to get to Long Branch (and the Clarendon folks are just as close to Long Branch as Key or ASFS).

I don’t mean to be a jerk but most of the team stuff was people transferring into key/asfs. There are less than 10 team transfers from key to Jamestown and Taylor.
Long branch isn’t a safe walk from Clarendon, and the units from Clarendon are the only current walkers to Asfs. Bad optics to make an area of walkers into bus riders when you are trying to cut costs.
And it’s not a few kids— the majority of asfs comes from Clarendon/Courthouse. It’s over 200 kids. Long branch is on a tiny lot and can’t fit them.
I think move ats back to asfs site, move immersion to ats, and make key into a neighborhood school will be the final solution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"In the case of ASFS, that is an unreasonable expectation. You aren't losing your walkable neighborhood school. It has not been a neighborhood school for decades now."


Except that it was a neighborhood school (Page) for many decades before becoming ATS (briefly) and then ASFS. And when ASFS first started, anyone in the neighborhood (and county) could attend. It wasn't until the Orange Line corridor exploded with young families and capacity became an issue that ASFS had to start turning folks away. Most families who can walk have been allowed (until the last few years) to go to ASFS.


So big picture, it was and (arguably has been) a neighborhood school for more years when compared to the years it has been Key's alternative school.

For all those folks who moved close to Key because they were "guaranteed" to go to ASFS, that was a pretty big gamble. Boundaries can change at any time. Your best bet is to have Key move to Nottingham and then make Key a neighborhood school.

Like you said, that was decades ago. No one buying in that neighborhood then has ES-aged children now.

Agree that boundaries can change for anyone at any point.

True but many bought in the neighborhoods surrounding ASFS when the team was a viable, functioning option, which was still the case 3-4 years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"In the case of ASFS, that is an unreasonable expectation. You aren't losing your walkable neighborhood school. It has not been a neighborhood school for decades now."


Except that it was a neighborhood school (Page) for many decades before becoming ATS (briefly) and then ASFS. And when ASFS first started, anyone in the neighborhood (and county) could attend. It wasn't until the Orange Line corridor exploded with young families and capacity became an issue that ASFS had to start turning folks away. Most families who can walk have been allowed (until the last few years) to go to ASFS.


So big picture, it was and (arguably has been) a neighborhood school for more years when compared to the years it has been Key's alternative school.

For all those folks who moved close to Key because they were "guaranteed" to go to ASFS, that was a pretty big gamble. Boundaries can change at any time. Your best bet is to have Key move to Nottingham and then make Key a neighborhood school.

My neighbor, who is in her 40's, attended Page when it was what is now known as ATS. Anyone who has school-aged children now did move to their current home when ASFS was a neighborhood school. Try again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"In the case of ASFS, that is an unreasonable expectation. You aren't losing your walkable neighborhood school. It has not been a neighborhood school for decades now."


Except that it was a neighborhood school (Page) for many decades before becoming ATS (briefly) and then ASFS. And when ASFS first started, anyone in the neighborhood (and county) could attend. It wasn't until the Orange Line corridor exploded with young families and capacity became an issue that ASFS had to start turning folks away. Most families who can walk have been allowed (until the last few years) to go to ASFS.


So big picture, it was and (arguably has been) a neighborhood school for more years when compared to the years it has been Key's alternative school.

For all those folks who moved close to Key because they were "guaranteed" to go to ASFS, that was a pretty big gamble. Boundaries can change at any time. Your best bet is to have Key move to Nottingham and then make Key a neighborhood school.

Like you said, that was decades ago. No one buying in that neighborhood then has ES-aged children now.

Agree that boundaries can change for anyone at any point.

True but many bought in the neighborhoods surrounding ASFS when the team was a viable, functioning option, which was still the case 3-4 years ago.

Which circles back to the reality everyone is facing that none of us have a guarantee on which school our child attends. We are all fighting for our own schools, but the reality exists for all of us. Our neighborhood school is in our actual planning unit which is about as much of a guarantee as you can get. but has been on the table to turn into an option school. Talk about shock.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why those living in the current Key zone "have" to swap with ASFS to maintain their community (which seems spread out with folks who transferred in from Taylor and Jamestown under the old Team model)? If they both became neighborhood schools, a majority would still go to the new "Key" and could walk. ASFS could easily fill those seats with folks from Taylor and Glebe (which is going to have to be slightly adjusted since they have over 100% walkers), plus there is a new apartment complex going along Kirkwood where the old Sport and Health used to be that would bring more walkers to ASFS. Or keep the schools where they are and keep Lyons Village at ASFS and just move the Rosslyn kids (who don't want to go/don't lottery into Key) and the few kids who live in Clarendon to Long Branch? If you're in Rosslyn, it's easy to jump on 50 to get to Long Branch (and the Clarendon folks are just as close to Long Branch as Key or ASFS).

You just mentioned splitting up the ASFS community into 3+ schools and moving most of the current kids to a new facility with new administration/teachers. That makes it difficult to maintain the community.

As others have said, boundaries change. the ASFS community will just have to split up. You'll see each other at middle school

Sorry, I thought you were asking why couldn’t they maintain community if we made those changes. And I agree, boundaries do change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"In the case of ASFS, that is an unreasonable expectation. You aren't losing your walkable neighborhood school. It has not been a neighborhood school for decades now."


Except that it was a neighborhood school (Page) for many decades before becoming ATS (briefly) and then ASFS. And when ASFS first started, anyone in the neighborhood (and county) could attend. It wasn't until the Orange Line corridor exploded with young families and capacity became an issue that ASFS had to start turning folks away. Most families who can walk have been allowed (until the last few years) to go to ASFS.


So big picture, it was and (arguably has been) a neighborhood school for more years when compared to the years it has been Key's alternative school.

For all those folks who moved close to Key because they were "guaranteed" to go to ASFS, that was a pretty big gamble. Boundaries can change at any time. Your best bet is to have Key move to Nottingham and then make Key a neighborhood school.

Like you said, that was decades ago. No one buying in that neighborhood then has ES-aged children now.

Agree that boundaries can change for anyone at any point.

True but many bought in the neighborhoods surrounding ASFS when the team was a viable, functioning option, which was still the case 3-4 years ago.

Which circles back to the reality everyone is facing that none of us have a guarantee on which school our child attends. We are all fighting for our own schools, but the reality exists for all of us. Our neighborhood school is in our actual planning unit which is about as much of a guarantee as you can get. but has been on the table to turn into an option school. Talk about shock.

Which brings ME back to the point that it is far less disruptive the Arlington community as a whole to take what has not been a neighborhood school, or at least not a neighborhood school for its actual neighbors, and make it an option, especially when there are not that many students in an effective walk zone. This school is ASFS. I know that both current Key and ASFS families don't want to move, but if anyone moves at all, it will be them. So which is the better situation for the majority of Arlington families and students: busting up three school communities, including one that has been a walkable neighborhood school for as long as anyone can remember (whether that is Nottingham, Ashlawn, or McKinley is immaterial), paying to move three sets of staff and any special equipment and/or artwork/or whatever that belongs to the program, OR swap two schools that are not very far apart and who already partner for sports teams, leaving their communities largely intact and not "taking away" a walkable neighborhood school from anyone who had any reasonable expectation of having one?

[Anonymous]

Hopefully they’ll scrap the idea of moving any option schools. For every problem it solves, it creates several more. Stick to redrawing the boundaries rather than effectively dismantling Key and ASFS, both of which are excellent programs that don’t deserve to be sabotaged in this process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hopefully they’ll scrap the idea of moving any option schools. For every problem it solves, it creates several more. Stick to redrawing the boundaries rather than effectively dismantling Key and ASFS, both of which are excellent programs that don’t deserve to be sabotaged in this process.

ASFS and Taylor will have their student populations rearranged by redrawn boundaries. There is no status quo option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hopefully they’ll scrap the idea of moving any option schools. For every problem it solves, it creates several more. Stick to redrawing the boundaries rather than effectively dismantling Key and ASFS, both of which are excellent programs that don’t deserve to be sabotaged in this process.

Key is a special program. ASFS is a neighborhood school with an active-to-the-point-of-overbearing PTA. It should serve the neighborhood it's in, plus as many students from the walk zone as it can handle.

At a minimum, ASFS gets moved, APS should NOT be paying to move the equipment the PTA bought. The PTA can do that, or they can leave it as a housewarming gift to Key.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"In the case of ASFS, that is an unreasonable expectation. You aren't losing your walkable neighborhood school. It has not been a neighborhood school for decades now."


Except that it was a neighborhood school (Page) for many decades before becoming ATS (briefly) and then ASFS. And when ASFS first started, anyone in the neighborhood (and county) could attend. It wasn't until the Orange Line corridor exploded with young families and capacity became an issue that ASFS had to start turning folks away. Most families who can walk have been allowed (until the last few years) to go to ASFS.


So big picture, it was and (arguably has been) a neighborhood school for more years when compared to the years it has been Key's alternative school.

For all those folks who moved close to Key because they were "guaranteed" to go to ASFS, that was a pretty big gamble. Boundaries can change at any time. Your best bet is to have Key move to Nottingham and then make Key a neighborhood school.

My neighbor, who is in her 40's, attended Page when it was what is now known as ATS. Anyone who has school-aged children now did move to their current home when ASFS was a neighborhood school. Try again.

We bought our house almost 25 years ago. It is literally next door to ASFS, but is zoned for Taylor. But when it was time for our now-16 year old to go to kindergarten, we were waitlisted for ASFS (by the time he was in 5th grade, he had moved up to #5 on the waitlist). So it hasn't been a true neighborhood school for over 10 years.