South Arlington and North Arlington Schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why isn't anyone talking about Audrey Clement, the other independent candidate? I was looking through all the candidates websites trying to figure out their positions (they're all linked on the county page, here: https://vote.arlingtonva.us/elections/ ) and she is also against the newly proposed affordable housing plan and supports distributing affordable housing amidst other newly built middle class housing buildings, like the McM guy, but nobody is pushing her like everyone here is pushing McM. Why not?

Because she thinks we should stop spending so much on school buildings, which would naturally affect any new construction in the South -- and we'd be screwed again with sub-par schools when compared with Discovery in the north. Her supporters have been fighting the Abingdon renovation every step of the way. She's cuckoo for cocoa puffs. IMHO. I may vote for McMenamin but I'd rather not vote at all if I had to pick Clement.

Yikes- didn't realize that. One vote for Mike it is!

Yes. Mike is a big supporter of APS, and his kids have attended the schools all the way through high school.

[Anonymous]

My understanding of why Discovery had as many bells and whistles as it has was that the cost of construction when it was contracted was very low. (And maybe Ashlawn as well?) So that they were able to get some pretty nice things under good market conditions. Then the market changed, so that when McKinley's addition was bid out they were expecting to get more than they were able to, thinking the market was the same, but then the bids came back very high and they had to cut a bunch of things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My understanding of why Discovery had as many bells and whistles as it has was that the cost of construction when it was contracted was very low. (And maybe Ashlawn as well?) So that they were able to get some pretty nice things under good market conditions. Then the market changed, so that when McKinley's addition was bid out they were expecting to get more than they were able to, thinking the market was the same, but then the bids came back very high and they had to cut a bunch of things.

This is why you don't splurge on bells and whistles when construction costs are low. You raise expectations and then people feel they aren't being treated equally later when construction costs increase. All APS cared about was showing how fancy their new school could be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My understanding of why Discovery had as many bells and whistles as it has was that the cost of construction when it was contracted was very low. (And maybe Ashlawn as well?) So that they were able to get some pretty nice things under good market conditions. Then the market changed, so that when McKinley's addition was bid out they were expecting to get more than they were able to, thinking the market was the same, but then the bids came back very high and they had to cut a bunch of things.

This is why you don't splurge on bells and whistles when construction costs are low. You raise expectations and then people feel they aren't being treated equally later when construction costs increase. All APS cared about was showing how fancy their new school could be.

That's because they aren't being treated equally. The new additions and whatever is built in S. Arlington won't have the bells & whistles. Instead of being conservative with their money by bringing in Discovery at a lower cost, APS put in a school that, facility-wise, outshines the rest to the point where the disparity is obvious to all. It would be easier to stomach if APS put the bells & whistles in schools with higher capacity and enrollment, but that's not the case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My understanding of why Discovery had as many bells and whistles as it has was that the cost of construction when it was contracted was very low. (And maybe Ashlawn as well?) So that they were able to get some pretty nice things under good market conditions. Then the market changed, so that when McKinley's addition was bid out they were expecting to get more than they were able to, thinking the market was the same, but then the bids came back very high and they had to cut a bunch of things.

This is why you don't splurge on bells and whistles when construction costs are low. You raise expectations and then people feel they aren't being treated equally later when construction costs increase. All APS cared about was showing how fancy their new school could be.

That's because they aren't being treated equally. The new additions and whatever is built in S. Arlington won't have the bells & whistles. Instead of being conservative with their money by bringing in Discovery at a lower cost, APS put in a school that, facility-wise, outshines the rest to the point where the disparity is obvious to all. It would be easier to stomach if APS put the bells & whistles in schools with higher capacity and enrollment, but that's not the case.

This has been a county issue over the last decade in general, and south Arlington has gotten a small ( and pathetic ) taste of it as well. Million dollar dog parks, and bus stops... Do you know that a good portion of the curbs around existing bus stops aren't ADA compliant? Do you know our fire stations have been understaffed? I'm happy to say our teachers are being paid better than most in the region, and that's good... But we have water mains that are a century old. We also have a huge student boom that the county decided it didn't really want to deal with. We have no upgraded transportation on a major thorough fare, that they have engineered to be overwhelmed by poverty for the next 50 years. We are only 26 square miles, and parkland is precious - but the county board continue to revisit putting projects on it. We are at 20k a head on student spending and students got iPads, but teachers weren't given training on implementation.
I'm not anti government in the least. We need good, strong leadership. We need to pay taxes for services. Absolutely...
We also need people In charge that are willing to ask deeper questions about the ramifications of spending and long term benefits. We need people who are willing to connect the dots.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My understanding of why Discovery had as many bells and whistles as it has was that the cost of construction when it was contracted was very low. (And maybe Ashlawn as well?) So that they were able to get some pretty nice things under good market conditions. Then the market changed, so that when McKinley's addition was bid out they were expecting to get more than they were able to, thinking the market was the same, but then the bids came back very high and they had to cut a bunch of things.

This is why you don't splurge on bells and whistles when construction costs are low. You raise expectations and then people feel they aren't being treated equally later when construction costs increase. All APS cared about was showing how fancy their new school could be.

That's because they aren't being treated equally. The new additions and whatever is built in S. Arlington won't have the bells & whistles. Instead of being conservative with their money by bringing in Discovery at a lower cost, APS put in a school that, facility-wise, outshines the rest to the point where the disparity is obvious to all. It would be easier to stomach if APS put the bells & whistles in schools with higher capacity and enrollment, but that's not the case.

This has been a county issue over the last decade in general, and south Arlington has gotten a small ( and pathetic ) taste of it as well. Million dollar dog parks, and bus stops... Do you know that a good portion of the curbs around existing bus stops aren't ADA compliant? Do you know our fire stations have been understaffed? I'm happy to say our teachers are being paid better than most in the region, and that's good... But we have water mains that are a century old. We also have a huge student boom that the county decided it didn't really want to deal with. We have no upgraded transportation on a major thorough fare, that they have engineered to be overwhelmed by poverty for the next 50 years. We are only 26 square miles, and parkland is precious - but the county board continue to revisit putting projects on it. We are at 20k a head on student spending and students got iPads, but teachers weren't given training on implementation.
I'm not anti government in the least. We need good, strong leadership. We need to pay taxes for services. Absolutely...
We also need people In charge that are willing to ask deeper questions about the ramifications of spending and long term benefits. We need people who are willing to connect the dots.

As part of the freedom invested by our constitution, you are free to move to north arlington. That's freedom!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My understanding of why Discovery had as many bells and whistles as it has was that the cost of construction when it was contracted was very low. (And maybe Ashlawn as well?) So that they were able to get some pretty nice things under good market conditions. Then the market changed, so that when McKinley's addition was bid out they were expecting to get more than they were able to, thinking the market was the same, but then the bids came back very high and they had to cut a bunch of things.

This is why you don't splurge on bells and whistles when construction costs are low. You raise expectations and then people feel they aren't being treated equally later when construction costs increase. All APS cared about was showing how fancy their new school could be.

That's because they aren't being treated equally. The new additions and whatever is built in S. Arlington won't have the bells & whistles. Instead of being conservative with their money by bringing in Discovery at a lower cost, APS put in a school that, facility-wise, outshines the rest to the point where the disparity is obvious to all. It would be easier to stomach if APS put the bells & whistles in schools with higher capacity and enrollment, but that's not the case.

This has been a county issue over the last decade in general, and south Arlington has gotten a small ( and pathetic ) taste of it as well. Million dollar dog parks, and bus stops... Do you know that a good portion of the curbs around existing bus stops aren't ADA compliant? Do you know our fire stations have been understaffed? I'm happy to say our teachers are being paid better than most in the region, and that's good... But we have water mains that are a century old. We also have a huge student boom that the county decided it didn't really want to deal with. We have no upgraded transportation on a major thorough fare, that they have engineered to be overwhelmed by poverty for the next 50 years. We are only 26 square miles, and parkland is precious - but the county board continue to revisit putting projects on it. We are at 20k a head on student spending and students got iPads, but teachers weren't given training on implementation.
I'm not anti government in the least. We need good, strong leadership. We need to pay taxes for services. Absolutely...
We also need people In charge that are willing to ask deeper questions about the ramifications of spending and long term benefits. We need people who are willing to connect the dots.

As part of the freedom invested by our constitution, you are free to move to north arlington. That's freedom!

If you were able to read and absorb the above post, you'd understand that these issues are in the north as well. Its ok to demand more from our county- no matter where you live.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: As part of the freedom invested by our constitution, you are free to move to north arlington. That's freedom!

yet the county/school boards bent over backwards when N Arl parents complained about school crowding... our constitution prohibits these families freedom to move to south arlington i assume?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: As part of the freedom invested by our constitution, you are free to move to north arlington. That's freedom!

yet the county/school boards bent over backwards when N Arl parents complained about school crowding... our constitution prohibits these families freedom to move to south arlington i assume?

In what way did they bend over backwards? The schools are still overcrowded with dozens of trailers and no end in sight.

Would YOU switch your kid from a North Arlington school to a South Arlington school? Sure, make fun of us, but when you're deciding your own child's education and they only get one shot at it, it's a rare parent who will move their kid from a high performing school to a lower one because the lower one is less crowded.

[Anonymous]

APS did not help most of N. Arlington. Glebe and Talyor are seeing very little relief. McKinley is getting an addition, but boundary tweaking is going to put them right back over capacity before the construction is really done (b/c we all know they don't make their deadlines). Ashlawn is still crowded. Tuckahoe is getting some relief by moving kids to McKinley so that they go from one trailer to another. Discovery and the boundary refinements helped a very small portion of the population.

[Anonymous]

are you PPs kidding me? when you have schools in the south failing to get accredited with kids lagging even further behind in achievements, the boards were focusing all their resources (and their measly brain power) on finding more seats for more kids...

first world problem at its best.

[Anonymous]

To South Arlington residents:

There's a planning meeting this week. I think making your voice heard about schools is incredibly important.

The South Arlington Working Group will hold its third Community Forum in Wakefield High School’s cafeteria at 7 p.m. on Thu, Oct. 29. The Working Group, appointed by the School Board and comprised of representatives of each civic association and PTA in South Arlington, has been meeting since June to address the charge to analyze site options for a new, 725-seat neighborhood elementary school. This forum will be an opportunity for the community to hear the conclusions of the group on possible site locations and related program moves and to provide feedback on the group’s work before the final report is presented at the Nov. 5 School Board meeting. The public is invited and simultaneous translation will be available.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My understanding of why Discovery had as many bells and whistles as it has was that the cost of construction when it was contracted was very low. (And maybe Ashlawn as well?) So that they were able to get some pretty nice things under good market conditions. Then the market changed, so that when McKinley's addition was bid out they were expecting to get more than they were able to, thinking the market was the same, but then the bids came back very high and they had to cut a bunch of things.

This is why you don't splurge on bells and whistles when construction costs are low. You raise expectations and then people feel they aren't being treated equally later when construction costs increase. All APS cared about was showing how fancy their new school could be.

That's because they aren't being treated equally. The new additions and whatever is built in S. Arlington won't have the bells & whistles. Instead of being conservative with their money by bringing in Discovery at a lower cost, APS put in a school that, facility-wise, outshines the rest to the point where the disparity is obvious to all. It would be easier to stomach if APS put the bells & whistles in schools with higher capacity and enrollment, but that's not the case.

This has been a county issue over the last decade in general, and south Arlington has gotten a small ( and pathetic ) taste of it as well. Million dollar dog parks, and bus stops... Do you know that a good portion of the curbs around existing bus stops aren't ADA compliant? Do you know our fire stations have been understaffed? I'm happy to say our teachers are being paid better than most in the region, and that's good... But we have water mains that are a century old. We also have a huge student boom that the county decided it didn't really want to deal with. We have no upgraded transportation on a major thorough fare, that they have engineered to be overwhelmed by poverty for the next 50 years. We are only 26 square miles, and parkland is precious - but the county board continue to revisit putting projects on it. We are at 20k a head on student spending and students got iPads, but teachers weren't given training on implementation.
I'm not anti government in the least. We need good, strong leadership. We need to pay taxes for services. Absolutely...
We also need people In charge that are willing to ask deeper questions about the ramifications of spending and long term benefits. We need people who are willing to connect the dots.

As part of the freedom invested by our constitution, you are free to move to north arlington. That's freedom!

That assumes you can afford the price of admission. And therein lies the rub.

[Anonymous]

I think there are enough parents in N Arlington who stretched beyond their budget to buy or moved into apartments just to get into a particular school that you'll find little sympathy. Yes, housing policy is definitely the way to address the large-scale imbalances, but for anyone in S Arlington who lives in a house worth $500k and up, the choice is yours. There are living options in that price range in N Arlington.

[Anonymous]

The new school in south arlingtton will only add about 260 new seats. All it is - new school for the wealthiest part of south arlington (excluding crystal city of course). Yes, 50 million dollars for 262 new seats. Money well, spent?