APS DHMS walk zone nuclear option

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The families being rezoned to Williamsburg would have vigorously defended their right to attend Williamsburg before Hamm opened. That's where they were zoned historically. But now it's suddenly too inconvenient? For a cohort of families with amongst the most resources in Arlington?

Instead they're now asking for a cohort of families with far fewer resources and means to trek across the county for MS? Most immersion students live in the Gunston/Wakefield boundary. That's a long way from Williamsburg. And the program collapses without the Spanish speaking classmates, so that would be the end of it. All so a few very privileged kids don't have to travel to an excellent MS that was considered their preferred option just a few years ago.

Is this actually true? I haven't seen any demographic info for MS immersion. They might not be as disadvantaged as you think considering the Claremont FARMS rate is 27.64%.

No Immersion just trots out “Spanish speaking == poor” as a club to get their way.

I can’t believe we prioritizing OPTION program commute comfort over neighborhood schools and busing costs.

+1

That is my big issue with all of the option schools. If we need to have them, fine. But they get resources/priority after neighborhood schools.

Or we could treat all students equally.

Any student that is in immersion has a neighborhood school. That’s being treated equally. The option school is the cherry on top so they can put up with some inconvenience if it’s important to them.

Look no one normal is going to buy into this way of thinking. The school system should not be sticking option schools wherever with no regard to the needs of their populations or their long-term sustainability. It is normal for public school districts to have these programs. Move on.

On the contrary, I think most “normal” people think it’s asinine to bus neighborhood students all over the place to fit some self interested visioning for an option program.

Except this isn't what's being proposed. With the exception of choice schools, kids are being bused to schools located near them. They aren't being bused "all over the place." Students in the Taylor neighborhood traditionally attended Williamsburg. It's just not that far, even if a bit farther than the absolute closest option.

This. There have always been students who can walk to one school and get bused to another. It's the nature of a small and dense County with schools build in legacy locations and new schools built where land is available. Sure, it's maybe disappointing. My student would have been able to walk to Swanson and now will likely bus to Williamsburg. Gee, too bad. That's all the energy I'm giving it. There are bigger issues going on and it's necessary for the greater good.

+1 thank you for being such a reasonable human! That is the right level of energy in my opinion. You can be like dang, I would have preferred it the other way and then let it go. it's a good lesson for your kid that sometimes things are done for the greater good and that is worthy

It’s dumb to pretend they couldn’t have middle schools that prioritized walkability.

If HBW was bigger that would have been the first step to reduce overcrowding
Second, put options schools in the empty sites, rather than crowding everything in the middle.

You can’t claim “sorry it’s a small county so you might have to walk rather than walk to a very close school” and at same time claim “sorry the county is too big to bus an option program to WMS”. Cherry picking at its worst.

Agreed. We all saw the exact same people who said that moving Key 2 miles would kill the program turn around and present a custom made version of neighborhood school boundaries with long bus rides that were fine because it's a "tiny county." Make up your minds, people.

I see your point; but I still think it's a little different to put the choice program far away and relying on hundreds of families being willing to opt out of their neighborhood school to send their kid there, especially if they have other kids not in the program. On the other hand, the neighborhood kids are all going from the same area and much more likely to have multiple siblings going to the same neighborhood school. "Convenience" has been noted as a factor in people opting into programs.

If people are opting into options for convenience, they are complete waste of money and resources. WTAF.

Funny how people wave the "walkability" and "transportation expense" flags when making walkers at one school bus riders to another; but then advocate to put option programs at the farthest corners of the County where there will be far fewer walkers and more expense to bus everyone. How many walkers to WMS do you think are in immersion?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The families being rezoned to Williamsburg would have vigorously defended their right to attend Williamsburg before Hamm opened. That's where they were zoned historically. But now it's suddenly too inconvenient? For a cohort of families with amongst the most resources in Arlington?

Instead they're now asking for a cohort of families with far fewer resources and means to trek across the county for MS? Most immersion students live in the Gunston/Wakefield boundary. That's a long way from Williamsburg. And the program collapses without the Spanish speaking classmates, so that would be the end of it. All so a few very privileged kids don't have to travel to an excellent MS that was considered their preferred option just a few years ago.

Is this actually true? I haven't seen any demographic info for MS immersion. They might not be as disadvantaged as you think considering the Claremont FARMS rate is 27.64%.

No Immersion just trots out “Spanish speaking == poor” as a club to get their way.

I can’t believe we prioritizing OPTION program commute comfort over neighborhood schools and busing costs.

+1

That is my big issue with all of the option schools. If we need to have them, fine. But they get resources/priority after neighborhood schools.

Or we could treat all students equally.

Any student that is in immersion has a neighborhood school. That’s being treated equally. The option school is the cherry on top so they can put up with some inconvenience if it’s important to them.

Look no one normal is going to buy into this way of thinking. The school system should not be sticking option schools wherever with no regard to the needs of their populations or their long-term sustainability. It is normal for public school districts to have these programs. Move on.

On the contrary, I think most “normal” people think it’s asinine to bus neighborhood students all over the place to fit some self interested visioning for an option program.

Except this isn't what's being proposed. With the exception of choice schools, kids are being bused to schools located near them. They aren't being bused "all over the place." Students in the Taylor neighborhood traditionally attended Williamsburg. It's just not that far, even if a bit farther than the absolute closest option.

This. There have always been students who can walk to one school and get bused to another. It's the nature of a small and dense County with schools build in legacy locations and new schools built where land is available. Sure, it's maybe disappointing. My student would have been able to walk to Swanson and now will likely bus to Williamsburg. Gee, too bad. That's all the energy I'm giving it. There are bigger issues going on and it's necessary for the greater good.

+1 thank you for being such a reasonable human! That is the right level of energy in my opinion. You can be like dang, I would have preferred it the other way and then let it go. it's a good lesson for your kid that sometimes things are done for the greater good and that is worthy

It’s dumb to pretend they couldn’t have middle schools that prioritized walkability.

If HBW was bigger that would have been the first step to reduce overcrowding
Second, put options schools in the empty sites, rather than crowding everything in the middle.

You can’t claim “sorry it’s a small county so you might have to walk rather than walk to a very close school” and at same time claim “sorry the county is too big to bus an option program to WMS”. Cherry picking at its worst.

Agreed. We all saw the exact same people who said that moving Key 2 miles would kill the program turn around and present a custom made version of neighborhood school boundaries with long bus rides that were fine because it's a "tiny county." Make up your minds, people.

I see your point; but I still think it's a little different to put the choice program far away and relying on hundreds of families being willing to opt out of their neighborhood school to send their kid there, especially if they have other kids not in the program. On the other hand, the neighborhood kids are all going from the same area and much more likely to have multiple siblings going to the same neighborhood school. "Convenience" has been noted as a factor in people opting into programs.

If people are opting into options for convenience, they are complete waste of money and resources. WTAF.

It's not so much opting for a program because it's convenient, as opting for programs that are of interest/benefit the child AND are convenient. It's about making those opportunities for benefits more "convenient" to optimize the # of students who are most likely to benefit from them actually opt for them. This is mostly directly pertaining, imo, to immersion. Montessori (in APS) is generally a select group of people who are bent toward Montessori, with its pre-K program serving a need for some others and also serving as a tool in Montessori advocates' arguments for Montessori.

If location is a deterrent there just isn’t much support for the program. They could move HB to a barge on the Potomac and people would be buying kayaks to make sure they can get in.

I'm not sure folks understand the logistics. Our APS hub bus stop is a 25 minute walk from our house. The bus ride is another 30-40 minutes. For a 7 AM MS start our kid would have to leave the house before 6 AM, walking alone in the dark on roads without sidewalks and crossing two major streets with complicated intersections. I'm not okay with this for my 11 yo. The logistics are not trivial, especially if you don't have a car or have younger kids at home who would also have to come to a drop off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The families being rezoned to Williamsburg would have vigorously defended their right to attend Williamsburg before Hamm opened. That's where they were zoned historically. But now it's suddenly too inconvenient? For a cohort of families with amongst the most resources in Arlington?

Instead they're now asking for a cohort of families with far fewer resources and means to trek across the county for MS? Most immersion students live in the Gunston/Wakefield boundary. That's a long way from Williamsburg. And the program collapses without the Spanish speaking classmates, so that would be the end of it. All so a few very privileged kids don't have to travel to an excellent MS that was considered their preferred option just a few years ago.

Is this actually true? I haven't seen any demographic info for MS immersion. They might not be as disadvantaged as you think considering the Claremont FARMS rate is 27.64%.

No Immersion just trots out “Spanish speaking == poor” as a club to get their way.

I can’t believe we prioritizing OPTION program commute comfort over neighborhood schools and busing costs.

+1

That is my big issue with all of the option schools. If we need to have them, fine. But they get resources/priority after neighborhood schools.

Or we could treat all students equally.

Any student that is in immersion has a neighborhood school. That’s being treated equally. The option school is the cherry on top so they can put up with some inconvenience if it’s important to them.

Look no one normal is going to buy into this way of thinking. The school system should not be sticking option schools wherever with no regard to the needs of their populations or their long-term sustainability. It is normal for public school districts to have these programs. Move on.

On the contrary, I think most “normal” people think it’s asinine to bus neighborhood students all over the place to fit some self interested visioning for an option program.

Except this isn't what's being proposed. With the exception of choice schools, kids are being bused to schools located near them. They aren't being bused "all over the place." Students in the Taylor neighborhood traditionally attended Williamsburg. It's just not that far, even if a bit farther than the absolute closest option.

This. There have always been students who can walk to one school and get bused to another. It's the nature of a small and dense County with schools build in legacy locations and new schools built where land is available. Sure, it's maybe disappointing. My student would have been able to walk to Swanson and now will likely bus to Williamsburg. Gee, too bad. That's all the energy I'm giving it. There are bigger issues going on and it's necessary for the greater good.

+1 thank you for being such a reasonable human! That is the right level of energy in my opinion. You can be like dang, I would have preferred it the other way and then let it go. it's a good lesson for your kid that sometimes things are done for the greater good and that is worthy

It’s dumb to pretend they couldn’t have middle schools that prioritized walkability.

If HBW was bigger that would have been the first step to reduce overcrowding
Second, put options schools in the empty sites, rather than crowding everything in the middle.

You can’t claim “sorry it’s a small county so you might have to walk rather than walk to a very close school” and at same time claim “sorry the county is too big to bus an option program to WMS”. Cherry picking at its worst.

Agreed. We all saw the exact same people who said that moving Key 2 miles would kill the program turn around and present a custom made version of neighborhood school boundaries with long bus rides that were fine because it's a "tiny county." Make up your minds, people.

I see your point; but I still think it's a little different to put the choice program far away and relying on hundreds of families being willing to opt out of their neighborhood school to send their kid there, especially if they have other kids not in the program. On the other hand, the neighborhood kids are all going from the same area and much more likely to have multiple siblings going to the same neighborhood school. "Convenience" has been noted as a factor in people opting into programs.

If people are opting into options for convenience, they are complete waste of money and resources. WTAF.

It's not so much opting for a program because it's convenient, as opting for programs that are of interest/benefit the child AND are convenient. It's about making those opportunities for benefits more "convenient" to optimize the # of students who are most likely to benefit from them actually opt for them. This is mostly directly pertaining, imo, to immersion. Montessori (in APS) is generally a select group of people who are bent toward Montessori, with its pre-K program serving a need for some others and also serving as a tool in Montessori advocates' arguments for Montessori.

If location is a deterrent there just isn’t much support for the program. They could move HB to a barge on the Potomac and people would be buying kayaks to make sure they can get in.

I'm not sure folks understand the logistics. Our APS hub bus stop is a 25 minute walk from our house. The bus ride is another 30-40 minutes. For a 7 AM MS start our kid would have to leave the house before 6 AM, walking alone in the dark on roads without sidewalks and crossing two major streets with complicated intersections. I'm not okay with this for my 11 yo. The logistics are not trivial, especially if you don't have a car or have younger kids at home who would also have to come to a drop off.

What middle school starts at 7?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The families being rezoned to Williamsburg would have vigorously defended their right to attend Williamsburg before Hamm opened. That's where they were zoned historically. But now it's suddenly too inconvenient? For a cohort of families with amongst the most resources in Arlington?

Instead they're now asking for a cohort of families with far fewer resources and means to trek across the county for MS? Most immersion students live in the Gunston/Wakefield boundary. That's a long way from Williamsburg. And the program collapses without the Spanish speaking classmates, so that would be the end of it. All so a few very privileged kids don't have to travel to an excellent MS that was considered their preferred option just a few years ago.

Is this actually true? I haven't seen any demographic info for MS immersion. They might not be as disadvantaged as you think considering the Claremont FARMS rate is 27.64%.

No Immersion just trots out “Spanish speaking == poor” as a club to get their way.

I can’t believe we prioritizing OPTION program commute comfort over neighborhood schools and busing costs.

+1

That is my big issue with all of the option schools. If we need to have them, fine. But they get resources/priority after neighborhood schools.

Or we could treat all students equally.

Any student that is in immersion has a neighborhood school. That’s being treated equally. The option school is the cherry on top so they can put up with some inconvenience if it’s important to them.

Look no one normal is going to buy into this way of thinking. The school system should not be sticking option schools wherever with no regard to the needs of their populations or their long-term sustainability. It is normal for public school districts to have these programs. Move on.

On the contrary, I think most “normal” people think it’s asinine to bus neighborhood students all over the place to fit some self interested visioning for an option program.

Except this isn't what's being proposed. With the exception of choice schools, kids are being bused to schools located near them. They aren't being bused "all over the place." Students in the Taylor neighborhood traditionally attended Williamsburg. It's just not that far, even if a bit farther than the absolute closest option.

This. There have always been students who can walk to one school and get bused to another. It's the nature of a small and dense County with schools build in legacy locations and new schools built where land is available. Sure, it's maybe disappointing. My student would have been able to walk to Swanson and now will likely bus to Williamsburg. Gee, too bad. That's all the energy I'm giving it. There are bigger issues going on and it's necessary for the greater good.

+1 thank you for being such a reasonable human! That is the right level of energy in my opinion. You can be like dang, I would have preferred it the other way and then let it go. it's a good lesson for your kid that sometimes things are done for the greater good and that is worthy

It’s dumb to pretend they couldn’t have middle schools that prioritized walkability.

If HBW was bigger that would have been the first step to reduce overcrowding
Second, put options schools in the empty sites, rather than crowding everything in the middle.

You can’t claim “sorry it’s a small county so you might have to walk rather than walk to a very close school” and at same time claim “sorry the county is too big to bus an option program to WMS”. Cherry picking at its worst.

Agreed. We all saw the exact same people who said that moving Key 2 miles would kill the program turn around and present a custom made version of neighborhood school boundaries with long bus rides that were fine because it's a "tiny county." Make up your minds, people.

I see your point; but I still think it's a little different to put the choice program far away and relying on hundreds of families being willing to opt out of their neighborhood school to send their kid there, especially if they have other kids not in the program. On the other hand, the neighborhood kids are all going from the same area and much more likely to have multiple siblings going to the same neighborhood school. "Convenience" has been noted as a factor in people opting into programs.

If people are opting into options for convenience, they are complete waste of money and resources. WTAF.

Funny how people wave the "walkability" and "transportation expense" flags when making walkers at one school bus riders to another; but then advocate to put option programs at the farthest corners of the County where there will be far fewer walkers and more expense to bus everyone. How many walkers to WMS do you think are in immersion?

The Pre-CIP report shows that Immersion would require the same number of buses at all of the middle schools except Kenmore, where they would require one less. However, that report ONLY looks at Immersion. It doesn't take the ripple effect into consideration where the walkers at other schools become bus riders. The "advantage" for transportation at Kenmore is entirely a mirage. The truth is it's going to take the same number (or more!) buses either way. It's all in there, Pre-CIP report starting at page A-118.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The families being rezoned to Williamsburg would have vigorously defended their right to attend Williamsburg before Hamm opened. That's where they were zoned historically. But now it's suddenly too inconvenient? For a cohort of families with amongst the most resources in Arlington?

Instead they're now asking for a cohort of families with far fewer resources and means to trek across the county for MS? Most immersion students live in the Gunston/Wakefield boundary. That's a long way from Williamsburg. And the program collapses without the Spanish speaking classmates, so that would be the end of it. All so a few very privileged kids don't have to travel to an excellent MS that was considered their preferred option just a few years ago.

Is this actually true? I haven't seen any demographic info for MS immersion. They might not be as disadvantaged as you think considering the Claremont FARMS rate is 27.64%.

No Immersion just trots out “Spanish speaking == poor” as a club to get their way.

I can’t believe we prioritizing OPTION program commute comfort over neighborhood schools and busing costs.

+1

That is my big issue with all of the option schools. If we need to have them, fine. But they get resources/priority after neighborhood schools.

Or we could treat all students equally.

Any student that is in immersion has a neighborhood school. That’s being treated equally. The option school is the cherry on top so they can put up with some inconvenience if it’s important to them.

Look no one normal is going to buy into this way of thinking. The school system should not be sticking option schools wherever with no regard to the needs of their populations or their long-term sustainability. It is normal for public school districts to have these programs. Move on.

On the contrary, I think most “normal” people think it’s asinine to bus neighborhood students all over the place to fit some self interested visioning for an option program.

Except this isn't what's being proposed. With the exception of choice schools, kids are being bused to schools located near them. They aren't being bused "all over the place." Students in the Taylor neighborhood traditionally attended Williamsburg. It's just not that far, even if a bit farther than the absolute closest option.

This. There have always been students who can walk to one school and get bused to another. It's the nature of a small and dense County with schools build in legacy locations and new schools built where land is available. Sure, it's maybe disappointing. My student would have been able to walk to Swanson and now will likely bus to Williamsburg. Gee, too bad. That's all the energy I'm giving it. There are bigger issues going on and it's necessary for the greater good.

+1 thank you for being such a reasonable human! That is the right level of energy in my opinion. You can be like dang, I would have preferred it the other way and then let it go. it's a good lesson for your kid that sometimes things are done for the greater good and that is worthy

It’s dumb to pretend they couldn’t have middle schools that prioritized walkability.

If HBW was bigger that would have been the first step to reduce overcrowding
Second, put options schools in the empty sites, rather than crowding everything in the middle.

You can’t claim “sorry it’s a small county so you might have to walk rather than walk to a very close school” and at same time claim “sorry the county is too big to bus an option program to WMS”. Cherry picking at its worst.

Agreed. We all saw the exact same people who said that moving Key 2 miles would kill the program turn around and present a custom made version of neighborhood school boundaries with long bus rides that were fine because it's a "tiny county." Make up your minds, people.

I see your point; but I still think it's a little different to put the choice program far away and relying on hundreds of families being willing to opt out of their neighborhood school to send their kid there, especially if they have other kids not in the program. On the other hand, the neighborhood kids are all going from the same area and much more likely to have multiple siblings going to the same neighborhood school. "Convenience" has been noted as a factor in people opting into programs.

If people are opting into options for convenience, they are complete waste of money and resources. WTAF.

Funny how people wave the "walkability" and "transportation expense" flags when making walkers at one school bus riders to another; but then advocate to put option programs at the farthest corners of the County where there will be far fewer walkers and more expense to bus everyone. How many walkers to WMS do you think are in immersion?

Well, that question isn't one to ask in isolation. How many in the Immersion currently walk to Gunston? Gunston is already at one far corner of the County. Are there substantially fewer walkers in the program who would walk to WMS as compared to Gunston? As compared to Kenmore? Kenmore is also at the edge of the County. How many walkers will be moved away from Kenmore? How many walkers will be moved away from Hamm?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The families being rezoned to Williamsburg would have vigorously defended their right to attend Williamsburg before Hamm opened. That's where they were zoned historically. But now it's suddenly too inconvenient? For a cohort of families with amongst the most resources in Arlington?

Instead they're now asking for a cohort of families with far fewer resources and means to trek across the county for MS? Most immersion students live in the Gunston/Wakefield boundary. That's a long way from Williamsburg. And the program collapses without the Spanish speaking classmates, so that would be the end of it. All so a few very privileged kids don't have to travel to an excellent MS that was considered their preferred option just a few years ago.

Is this actually true? I haven't seen any demographic info for MS immersion. They might not be as disadvantaged as you think considering the Claremont FARMS rate is 27.64%.

No Immersion just trots out “Spanish speaking == poor” as a club to get their way.

I can’t believe we prioritizing OPTION program commute comfort over neighborhood schools and busing costs.

+1

That is my big issue with all of the option schools. If we need to have them, fine. But they get resources/priority after neighborhood schools.

Or we could treat all students equally.

Any student that is in immersion has a neighborhood school. That’s being treated equally. The option school is the cherry on top so they can put up with some inconvenience if it’s important to them.

Look no one normal is going to buy into this way of thinking. The school system should not be sticking option schools wherever with no regard to the needs of their populations or their long-term sustainability. It is normal for public school districts to have these programs. Move on.

On the contrary, I think most “normal” people think it’s asinine to bus neighborhood students all over the place to fit some self interested visioning for an option program.

Except this isn't what's being proposed. With the exception of choice schools, kids are being bused to schools located near them. They aren't being bused "all over the place." Students in the Taylor neighborhood traditionally attended Williamsburg. It's just not that far, even if a bit farther than the absolute closest option.

This. There have always been students who can walk to one school and get bused to another. It's the nature of a small and dense County with schools build in legacy locations and new schools built where land is available. Sure, it's maybe disappointing. My student would have been able to walk to Swanson and now will likely bus to Williamsburg. Gee, too bad. That's all the energy I'm giving it. There are bigger issues going on and it's necessary for the greater good.

+1 thank you for being such a reasonable human! That is the right level of energy in my opinion. You can be like dang, I would have preferred it the other way and then let it go. it's a good lesson for your kid that sometimes things are done for the greater good and that is worthy

It’s dumb to pretend they couldn’t have middle schools that prioritized walkability.

If HBW was bigger that would have been the first step to reduce overcrowding
Second, put options schools in the empty sites, rather than crowding everything in the middle.

You can’t claim “sorry it’s a small county so you might have to walk rather than walk to a very close school” and at same time claim “sorry the county is too big to bus an option program to WMS”. Cherry picking at its worst.

Agreed. We all saw the exact same people who said that moving Key 2 miles would kill the program turn around and present a custom made version of neighborhood school boundaries with long bus rides that were fine because it's a "tiny county." Make up your minds, people.

I see your point; but I still think it's a little different to put the choice program far away and relying on hundreds of families being willing to opt out of their neighborhood school to send their kid there, especially if they have other kids not in the program. On the other hand, the neighborhood kids are all going from the same area and much more likely to have multiple siblings going to the same neighborhood school. "Convenience" has been noted as a factor in people opting into programs.

If people are opting into options for convenience, they are complete waste of money and resources. WTAF.

Funny how people wave the "walkability" and "transportation expense" flags when making walkers at one school bus riders to another; but then advocate to put option programs at the farthest corners of the County where there will be far fewer walkers and more expense to bus everyone. How many walkers to WMS do you think are in immersion?

The Pre-CIP report shows that Immersion would require the same number of buses at all of the middle schools except Kenmore, where they would require one less. However, that report ONLY looks at Immersion. It doesn't take the ripple effect into consideration where the walkers at other schools become bus riders. The "advantage" for transportation at Kenmore is entirely a mirage. The truth is it's going to take the same number (or more!) buses either way. It's all in there, Pre-CIP report starting at page A-118.

I thought there were huge problems with traffic on Carlin Springs such that the site couldn't support more students back when some wanted to use the site as a HS. But now it's supposed to take more buses for MS immersion. Which is it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The families being rezoned to Williamsburg would have vigorously defended their right to attend Williamsburg before Hamm opened. That's where they were zoned historically. But now it's suddenly too inconvenient? For a cohort of families with amongst the most resources in Arlington?

Instead they're now asking for a cohort of families with far fewer resources and means to trek across the county for MS? Most immersion students live in the Gunston/Wakefield boundary. That's a long way from Williamsburg. And the program collapses without the Spanish speaking classmates, so that would be the end of it. All so a few very privileged kids don't have to travel to an excellent MS that was considered their preferred option just a few years ago.

Is this actually true? I haven't seen any demographic info for MS immersion. They might not be as disadvantaged as you think considering the Claremont FARMS rate is 27.64%.

No Immersion just trots out “Spanish speaking == poor” as a club to get their way.

I can’t believe we prioritizing OPTION program commute comfort over neighborhood schools and busing costs.

+1

That is my big issue with all of the option schools. If we need to have them, fine. But they get resources/priority after neighborhood schools.

Or we could treat all students equally.

Any student that is in immersion has a neighborhood school. That’s being treated equally. The option school is the cherry on top so they can put up with some inconvenience if it’s important to them.

Look no one normal is going to buy into this way of thinking. The school system should not be sticking option schools wherever with no regard to the needs of their populations or their long-term sustainability. It is normal for public school districts to have these programs. Move on.

On the contrary, I think most “normal” people think it’s asinine to bus neighborhood students all over the place to fit some self interested visioning for an option program.

Except this isn't what's being proposed. With the exception of choice schools, kids are being bused to schools located near them. They aren't being bused "all over the place." Students in the Taylor neighborhood traditionally attended Williamsburg. It's just not that far, even if a bit farther than the absolute closest option.

This. There have always been students who can walk to one school and get bused to another. It's the nature of a small and dense County with schools build in legacy locations and new schools built where land is available. Sure, it's maybe disappointing. My student would have been able to walk to Swanson and now will likely bus to Williamsburg. Gee, too bad. That's all the energy I'm giving it. There are bigger issues going on and it's necessary for the greater good.

+1 thank you for being such a reasonable human! That is the right level of energy in my opinion. You can be like dang, I would have preferred it the other way and then let it go. it's a good lesson for your kid that sometimes things are done for the greater good and that is worthy

It’s dumb to pretend they couldn’t have middle schools that prioritized walkability.

If HBW was bigger that would have been the first step to reduce overcrowding
Second, put options schools in the empty sites, rather than crowding everything in the middle.

You can’t claim “sorry it’s a small county so you might have to walk rather than walk to a very close school” and at same time claim “sorry the county is too big to bus an option program to WMS”. Cherry picking at its worst.

Agreed. We all saw the exact same people who said that moving Key 2 miles would kill the program turn around and present a custom made version of neighborhood school boundaries with long bus rides that were fine because it's a "tiny county." Make up your minds, people.

I see your point; but I still think it's a little different to put the choice program far away and relying on hundreds of families being willing to opt out of their neighborhood school to send their kid there, especially if they have other kids not in the program. On the other hand, the neighborhood kids are all going from the same area and much more likely to have multiple siblings going to the same neighborhood school. "Convenience" has been noted as a factor in people opting into programs.

If people are opting into options for convenience, they are complete waste of money and resources. WTAF.

It's not so much opting for a program because it's convenient, as opting for programs that are of interest/benefit the child AND are convenient. It's about making those opportunities for benefits more "convenient" to optimize the # of students who are most likely to benefit from them actually opt for them. This is mostly directly pertaining, imo, to immersion. Montessori (in APS) is generally a select group of people who are bent toward Montessori, with its pre-K program serving a need for some others and also serving as a tool in Montessori advocates' arguments for Montessori.

If location is a deterrent there just isn’t much support for the program. They could move HB to a barge on the Potomac and people would be buying kayaks to make sure they can get in.

I'm not sure folks understand the logistics. Our APS hub bus stop is a 25 minute walk from our house. The bus ride is another 30-40 minutes. For a 7 AM MS start our kid would have to leave the house before 6 AM, walking alone in the dark on roads without sidewalks and crossing two major streets with complicated intersections. I'm not okay with this for my 11 yo. The logistics are not trivial, especially if you don't have a car or have younger kids at home who would also have to come to a drop off.

Honestely APS transportation is a whole other problem. I agree it's related though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I want my kids to stay at Hamm bc it is more diverse than Williamsburg.

And TJ and Kenmore are more diverse than Hamm. Want your kids to go to either of those?

Two ways to eliminate diversity as an excuse to not change boundaries:
1. Let APS make boundaries that result in more diverse schools regardless of what the boundaries look like or how it impacts any particular planning unit or neighborhood or family;
2. Eliminate boundaries all together and balance both enrollment and diversity across all schools through ranked choice admissions.

I vote for #2 for middle and high schools. If you start a petition, I would sign it. Sadly I don't think you'll get much traction though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven't read the whole thing.

The obvious solution is the one proposed in 2015 - put Dorothy Hamm MS at Rosslyn and move HBW back to their old home on Vacation Lane. Then kids who live near Vacation Lane can be bused to Williamsburg like they were in the good old days, or they can be be bused to the fancy new building in Rosslyn.

Not so obvious. After building/renovations, neither school building is appropriate for the population of the other.

+1

The other poster has no idea what they are talking about. That ship sailed when they designed each building for each program. DH peeps will just have to suck it up and be bused oh what 1.5 miles to WMS.

Donaldson Run families several years ago: Don't send our snowflakes to Rosslyn. Make HB and Stratford programs take that yucky urban plot in Rosslyn.

DR families now: You mean there were downsides to us getting exactly what we asked for? Oh wait...

The rest of Arlington: You made your bed, lie in it

I didn't even live in DR when the decisions for Hamm were being made. I have no idea what happened in that process. My oldest was a toddler then, I'm guessing. She will now be impacted by this rezoning. The people you are yelling at? They're no longer here. You can't hurt them. But thanks for being so bitter towards those of us who played no role in that.

The issue is the Taylor PTA over the years has a history of being demanding - demanding they should be given HBW's building on Vacation Lane, demanding their kids shouldn't be put on a bus, demanding this that and the other. Long timers just roll our eyes when we hear about the Taylor PTA again.

Oh here we go with the APS staff. Go back to trolling the Nottingham PTA on that thread. Soo old. We know, you hate the N Arlington PTA moms.

I’m definitely not APS staff and I agree with the PP. Some parent groups are worse than others.

So right now it’s Taylor and Nottingham though right? Those are the bad ones. The ones that are impacted this crazy round. Tell me about the PTAs in North Arlington you are think behaved so well during their impacted round?

To be honest, I was surprised that the whole Key School to ATS to McKinley to Cardinal plan worked. That was crazier and far more complex than the proposal to put a percentage of Hamm kids on a bus to go to Williamsburg MS, just like their older neighbors did a decade ago. Fairfax parents don't seem to squawk as much about rezoning.

Nice gaslighting. It was expensive and made little sense. Disruptive and showed a preference for option schools over neighborhood schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven't read the whole thing.

The obvious solution is the one proposed in 2015 - put Dorothy Hamm MS at Rosslyn and move HBW back to their old home on Vacation Lane. Then kids who live near Vacation Lane can be bused to Williamsburg like they were in the good old days, or they can be be bused to the fancy new building in Rosslyn.

Not so obvious. After building/renovations, neither school building is appropriate for the population of the other.

+1

The other poster has no idea what they are talking about. That ship sailed when they designed each building for each program. DH peeps will just have to suck it up and be bused oh what 1.5 miles to WMS.

Donaldson Run families several years ago: Don't send our snowflakes to Rosslyn. Make HB and Stratford programs take that yucky urban plot in Rosslyn.

DR families now: You mean there were downsides to us getting exactly what we asked for? Oh wait...

The rest of Arlington: You made your bed, lie in it

I didn't even live in DR when the decisions for Hamm were being made. I have no idea what happened in that process. My oldest was a toddler then, I'm guessing. She will now be impacted by this rezoning. The people you are yelling at? They're no longer here. You can't hurt them. But thanks for being so bitter towards those of us who played no role in that.

The issue is the Taylor PTA over the years has a history of being demanding - demanding they should be given HBW's building on Vacation Lane, demanding their kids shouldn't be put on a bus, demanding this that and the other. Long timers just roll our eyes when we hear about the Taylor PTA again.

Oh here we go with the APS staff. Go back to trolling the Nottingham PTA on that thread. Soo old. We know, you hate the N Arlington PTA moms.

I’m definitely not APS staff and I agree with the PP. Some parent groups are worse than others.

So right now it’s Taylor and Nottingham though right? Those are the bad ones. The ones that are impacted this crazy round. Tell me about the PTAs in North Arlington you are think behaved so well during their impacted round?

To be honest, I was surprised that the whole Key School to ATS to McKinley to Cardinal plan worked. That was crazier and far more complex than the proposal to put a percentage of Hamm kids on a bus to go to Williamsburg MS, just like their older neighbors did a decade ago. Fairfax parents don't seem to squawk as much about rezoning.

Nice gaslighting. It was expensive and made little sense. Disruptive and showed a preference for option schools over neighborhood schools.

It actually made a lot of sense on every level. However, the McKinley PTA did behave badly. They just didn't get their way. Who knows. I guess every once in a while the School Board puts on big boy/girl panties and just does something reasonable instead of listening to whiners.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven't read the whole thing.

The obvious solution is the one proposed in 2015 - put Dorothy Hamm MS at Rosslyn and move HBW back to their old home on Vacation Lane. Then kids who live near Vacation Lane can be bused to Williamsburg like they were in the good old days, or they can be be bused to the fancy new building in Rosslyn.

Not so obvious. After building/renovations, neither school building is appropriate for the population of the other.

+1

The other poster has no idea what they are talking about. That ship sailed when they designed each building for each program. DH peeps will just have to suck it up and be bused oh what 1.5 miles to WMS.

Donaldson Run families several years ago: Don't send our snowflakes to Rosslyn. Make HB and Stratford programs take that yucky urban plot in Rosslyn.

DR families now: You mean there were downsides to us getting exactly what we asked for? Oh wait...

The rest of Arlington: You made your bed, lie in it

I didn't even live in DR when the decisions for Hamm were being made. I have no idea what happened in that process. My oldest was a toddler then, I'm guessing. She will now be impacted by this rezoning. The people you are yelling at? They're no longer here. You can't hurt them. But thanks for being so bitter towards those of us who played no role in that.

The issue is the Taylor PTA over the years has a history of being demanding - demanding they should be given HBW's building on Vacation Lane, demanding their kids shouldn't be put on a bus, demanding this that and the other. Long timers just roll our eyes when we hear about the Taylor PTA again.

Oh here we go with the APS staff. Go back to trolling the Nottingham PTA on that thread. Soo old. We know, you hate the N Arlington PTA moms.

I’m definitely not APS staff and I agree with the PP. Some parent groups are worse than others.

So right now it’s Taylor and Nottingham though right? Those are the bad ones. The ones that are impacted this crazy round. Tell me about the PTAs in North Arlington you are think behaved so well during their impacted round?

To be honest, I was surprised that the whole Key School to ATS to McKinley to Cardinal plan worked. That was crazier and far more complex than the proposal to put a percentage of Hamm kids on a bus to go to Williamsburg MS, just like their older neighbors did a decade ago. Fairfax parents don't seem to squawk as much about rezoning.

Nice gaslighting. It was expensive and made little sense. Disruptive and showed a preference for option schools over neighborhood schools.

It actually made a lot of sense on every level. However, the McKinley PTA did behave badly. They just didn't get their way. Who knows. I guess every once in a while the School Board puts on big boy/girl panties and just does something reasonable instead of listening to whiners.

Weren’t police called for a McKinley mom?

And they were moving almost the entire population of the school to a brand new building.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven't read the whole thing.

The obvious solution is the one proposed in 2015 - put Dorothy Hamm MS at Rosslyn and move HBW back to their old home on Vacation Lane. Then kids who live near Vacation Lane can be bused to Williamsburg like they were in the good old days, or they can be be bused to the fancy new building in Rosslyn.

Not so obvious. After building/renovations, neither school building is appropriate for the population of the other.

+1

The other poster has no idea what they are talking about. That ship sailed when they designed each building for each program. DH peeps will just have to suck it up and be bused oh what 1.5 miles to WMS.

Donaldson Run families several years ago: Don't send our snowflakes to Rosslyn. Make HB and Stratford programs take that yucky urban plot in Rosslyn.

DR families now: You mean there were downsides to us getting exactly what we asked for? Oh wait...

The rest of Arlington: You made your bed, lie in it

I didn't even live in DR when the decisions for Hamm were being made. I have no idea what happened in that process. My oldest was a toddler then, I'm guessing. She will now be impacted by this rezoning. The people you are yelling at? They're no longer here. You can't hurt them. But thanks for being so bitter towards those of us who played no role in that.

The issue is the Taylor PTA over the years has a history of being demanding - demanding they should be given HBW's building on Vacation Lane, demanding their kids shouldn't be put on a bus, demanding this that and the other. Long timers just roll our eyes when we hear about the Taylor PTA again.

Oh here we go with the APS staff. Go back to trolling the Nottingham PTA on that thread. Soo old. We know, you hate the N Arlington PTA moms.

I’m definitely not APS staff and I agree with the PP. Some parent groups are worse than others.

So right now it’s Taylor and Nottingham though right? Those are the bad ones. The ones that are impacted this crazy round. Tell me about the PTAs in North Arlington you are think behaved so well during their impacted round?

To be honest, I was surprised that the whole Key School to ATS to McKinley to Cardinal plan worked. That was crazier and far more complex than the proposal to put a percentage of Hamm kids on a bus to go to Williamsburg MS, just like their older neighbors did a decade ago. Fairfax parents don't seem to squawk as much about rezoning.

Nice gaslighting. It was expensive and made little sense. Disruptive and showed a preference for option schools over neighborhood schools.

It actually made a lot of sense on every level. However, the McKinley PTA did behave badly. They just didn't get their way. Who knows. I guess every once in a while the School Board puts on big boy/girl panties and just does something reasonable instead of listening to whiners.

Exactly don’t listen to some random vision board, do the analysis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven't read the whole thing.

The obvious solution is the one proposed in 2015 - put Dorothy Hamm MS at Rosslyn and move HBW back to their old home on Vacation Lane. Then kids who live near Vacation Lane can be bused to Williamsburg like they were in the good old days, or they can be be bused to the fancy new building in Rosslyn.

Not so obvious. After building/renovations, neither school building is appropriate for the population of the other.

+1

The other poster has no idea what they are talking about. That ship sailed when they designed each building for each program. DH peeps will just have to suck it up and be bused oh what 1.5 miles to WMS.

Donaldson Run families several years ago: Don't send our snowflakes to Rosslyn. Make HB and Stratford programs take that yucky urban plot in Rosslyn.

DR families now: You mean there were downsides to us getting exactly what we asked for? Oh wait...

The rest of Arlington: You made your bed, lie in it

I didn't even live in DR when the decisions for Hamm were being made. I have no idea what happened in that process. My oldest was a toddler then, I'm guessing. She will now be impacted by this rezoning. The people you are yelling at? They're no longer here. You can't hurt them. But thanks for being so bitter towards those of us who played no role in that.

The issue is the Taylor PTA over the years has a history of being demanding - demanding they should be given HBW's building on Vacation Lane, demanding their kids shouldn't be put on a bus, demanding this that and the other. Long timers just roll our eyes when we hear about the Taylor PTA again.

Oh here we go with the APS staff. Go back to trolling the Nottingham PTA on that thread. Soo old. We know, you hate the N Arlington PTA moms.

I’m definitely not APS staff and I agree with the PP. Some parent groups are worse than others.

So right now it’s Taylor and Nottingham though right? Those are the bad ones. The ones that are impacted this crazy round. Tell me about the PTAs in North Arlington you are think behaved so well during their impacted round?

To be honest, I was surprised that the whole Key School to ATS to McKinley to Cardinal plan worked. That was crazier and far more complex than the proposal to put a percentage of Hamm kids on a bus to go to Williamsburg MS, just like their older neighbors did a decade ago. Fairfax parents don't seem to squawk as much about rezoning.

Nice gaslighting. It was expensive and made little sense. Disruptive and showed a preference for option schools over neighborhood schools.

It actually made a lot of sense on every level. However, the McKinley PTA did behave badly. They just didn't get their way. Who knows. I guess every once in a while the School Board puts on big boy/girl panties and just does something reasonable instead of listening to whiners.

Made absolutely no sense. The best solution is usually the simplest (and cheapest): move ATS to the former Reed school site. One and done. Instead, the ejection of a neighborhood school in favor of an option school made no one happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven't read the whole thing.

The obvious solution is the one proposed in 2015 - put Dorothy Hamm MS at Rosslyn and move HBW back to their old home on Vacation Lane. Then kids who live near Vacation Lane can be bused to Williamsburg like they were in the good old days, or they can be be bused to the fancy new building in Rosslyn.

Not so obvious. After building/renovations, neither school building is appropriate for the population of the other.

+1

The other poster has no idea what they are talking about. That ship sailed when they designed each building for each program. DH peeps will just have to suck it up and be bused oh what 1.5 miles to WMS.

Donaldson Run families several years ago: Don't send our snowflakes to Rosslyn. Make HB and Stratford programs take that yucky urban plot in Rosslyn.

DR families now: You mean there were downsides to us getting exactly what we asked for? Oh wait...

The rest of Arlington: You made your bed, lie in it

I didn't even live in DR when the decisions for Hamm were being made. I have no idea what happened in that process. My oldest was a toddler then, I'm guessing. She will now be impacted by this rezoning. The people you are yelling at? They're no longer here. You can't hurt them. But thanks for being so bitter towards those of us who played no role in that.

The issue is the Taylor PTA over the years has a history of being demanding - demanding they should be given HBW's building on Vacation Lane, demanding their kids shouldn't be put on a bus, demanding this that and the other. Long timers just roll our eyes when we hear about the Taylor PTA again.

Oh here we go with the APS staff. Go back to trolling the Nottingham PTA on that thread. Soo old. We know, you hate the N Arlington PTA moms.

I’m definitely not APS staff and I agree with the PP. Some parent groups are worse than others.

So right now it’s Taylor and Nottingham though right? Those are the bad ones. The ones that are impacted this crazy round. Tell me about the PTAs in North Arlington you are think behaved so well during their impacted round?

To be honest, I was surprised that the whole Key School to ATS to McKinley to Cardinal plan worked. That was crazier and far more complex than the proposal to put a percentage of Hamm kids on a bus to go to Williamsburg MS, just like their older neighbors did a decade ago. Fairfax parents don't seem to squawk as much about rezoning.

Nice gaslighting. It was expensive and made little sense. Disruptive and showed a preference for option schools over neighborhood schools.

It actually made a lot of sense on every level. However, the McKinley PTA did behave badly. They just didn't get their way. Who knows. I guess every once in a while the School Board puts on big boy/girl panties and just does something reasonable instead of listening to whiners.

Made absolutely no sense. The best solution is usually the simplest (and cheapest): move ATS to the former Reed school site. One and done. Instead, the ejection of a neighborhood school in favor of an option school made no one happy.

You're conveniently forgetting the whole impetus for the move which was move immersion out of Courthouse to create a neighborhood school, which was necessary. Also the McKinley school is a better site for an option school than Reed. So many years from now when all the Bitter Bettys have left the scene, the long-term thing that made sense is actually in place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The families being rezoned to Williamsburg would have vigorously defended their right to attend Williamsburg before Hamm opened. That's where they were zoned historically. But now it's suddenly too inconvenient? For a cohort of families with amongst the most resources in Arlington?

Instead they're now asking for a cohort of families with far fewer resources and means to trek across the county for MS? Most immersion students live in the Gunston/Wakefield boundary. That's a long way from Williamsburg. And the program collapses without the Spanish speaking classmates, so that would be the end of it. All so a few very privileged kids don't have to travel to an excellent MS that was considered their preferred option just a few years ago.

Is this actually true? I haven't seen any demographic info for MS immersion. They might not be as disadvantaged as you think considering the Claremont FARMS rate is 27.64%.

No Immersion just trots out “Spanish speaking == poor” as a club to get their way.

I can’t believe we prioritizing OPTION program commute comfort over neighborhood schools and busing costs.

+1

That is my big issue with all of the option schools. If we need to have them, fine. But they get resources/priority after neighborhood schools.

Or we could treat all students equally.

Any student that is in immersion has a neighborhood school. That’s being treated equally. The option school is the cherry on top so they can put up with some inconvenience if it’s important to them.

Look no one normal is going to buy into this way of thinking. The school system should not be sticking option schools wherever with no regard to the needs of their populations or their long-term sustainability. It is normal for public school districts to have these programs. Move on.

On the contrary, I think most “normal” people think it’s asinine to bus neighborhood students all over the place to fit some self interested visioning for an option program.

Except this isn't what's being proposed. With the exception of choice schools, kids are being bused to schools located near them. They aren't being bused "all over the place." Students in the Taylor neighborhood traditionally attended Williamsburg. It's just not that far, even if a bit farther than the absolute closest option.

This. There have always been students who can walk to one school and get bused to another. It's the nature of a small and dense County with schools build in legacy locations and new schools built where land is available. Sure, it's maybe disappointing. My student would have been able to walk to Swanson and now will likely bus to Williamsburg. Gee, too bad. That's all the energy I'm giving it. There are bigger issues going on and it's necessary for the greater good.

+1 thank you for being such a reasonable human! That is the right level of energy in my opinion. You can be like dang, I would have preferred it the other way and then let it go. it's a good lesson for your kid that sometimes things are done for the greater good and that is worthy

It’s dumb to pretend they couldn’t have middle schools that prioritized walkability.

If HBW was bigger that would have been the first step to reduce overcrowding
Second, put options schools in the empty sites, rather than crowding everything in the middle.

You can’t claim “sorry it’s a small county so you might have to walk rather than walk to a very close school” and at same time claim “sorry the county is too big to bus an option program to WMS”. Cherry picking at its worst.

Agreed. We all saw the exact same people who said that moving Key 2 miles would kill the program turn around and present a custom made version of neighborhood school boundaries with long bus rides that were fine because it's a "tiny county." Make up your minds, people.

I see your point; but I still think it's a little different to put the choice program far away and relying on hundreds of families being willing to opt out of their neighborhood school to send their kid there, especially if they have other kids not in the program. On the other hand, the neighborhood kids are all going from the same area and much more likely to have multiple siblings going to the same neighborhood school. "Convenience" has been noted as a factor in people opting into programs.

If people are opting into options for convenience, they are complete waste of money and resources. WTAF.

Funny how people wave the "walkability" and "transportation expense" flags when making walkers at one school bus riders to another; but then advocate to put option programs at the farthest corners of the County where there will be far fewer walkers and more expense to bus everyone. How many walkers to WMS do you think are in immersion?

The Pre-CIP report shows that Immersion would require the same number of buses at all of the middle schools except Kenmore, where they would require one less. However, that report ONLY looks at Immersion. It doesn't take the ripple effect into consideration where the walkers at other schools become bus riders. The "advantage" for transportation at Kenmore is entirely a mirage. The truth is it's going to take the same number (or more!) buses either way. It's all in there, Pre-CIP report starting at page A-118.

I thought there were huge problems with traffic on Carlin Springs such that the site couldn't support more students back when some wanted to use the site as a HS. But now it's supposed to take more buses for MS immersion. Which is it?

That’s correct. It’s only convenient when it is convenient. 😝🙄😝