Another choice school in N Arlington?

[Anonymous]

I'm hearing that the SB is planning on putting a choice school at Reed? I'm a little confused by this since all the schools around it have trailers, the neighborhood has been begging for a walkable school for years and that area is experiencing a ton of growth (old houses being replaced by giant houses with lots of kids). Anyone have any insight on this?

[Anonymous]

I've heard or seen nothing about it being a choice school. It would be a neighborhood school. Some versions have it being K-5, redistricting with McKinley, Tuckahoe, and Nottingham. Other versions have it being a K-2 that then sends the kids back to McK, Tuck, Nott for 3-5.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've heard or seen nothing about it being a choice school. It would be a neighborhood school. Some versions have it being K-5, redistricting with McKinley, Tuckahoe, and Nottingham. Other versions have it being a K-2 that then sends the kids back to McK, Tuck, Nott for 3-5.

Definitely not guaranteed to be a neighborhood school. Last night, the school board had a meeting to discuss the CIP and the overwhelming opinion was that it would be a choice school. The K-2 option isn't even on the table anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've heard or seen nothing about it being a choice school. It would be a neighborhood school. Some versions have it being K-5, redistricting with McKinley, Tuckahoe, and Nottingham. Other versions have it being a K-2 that then sends the kids back to McK, Tuck, Nott for 3-5.

Definitely not guaranteed to be a neighborhood school. Last night, the school board had a meeting to discuss the CIP and the overwhelming opinion was that it would be a choice school. The K-2 option isn't even on the table anymore.

OMFG, why another choice school? Not enough resentment and infighting among Arlington parents?

[Anonymous]

I think we need to get away from the choice system. It is irrational when nearly all the neighborhood schools are over crowded. For example, ATS is not over capacity yet is in between 3 over crowded neighborhood schools: Glebe, Ashlawn, and McKinley.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think we need to get away from the choice system. It is irrational when nearly all the neighborhood schools are over crowded. For example, ATS is not over capacity yet is in between 3 over crowded neighborhood schools: Glebe, Ashlawn, and McKinley.

We need to demand more transparency about what proportion of kids that apply/lottery to the "choice" schools are admitted.

[Anonymous]

Choice schools should get the crappiest buildings. You really want the program? Fine. This is what you give up to get it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Choice schools should get the crappiest buildings. You really want the program? Fine. This is what you give up to get it.

Well, my neighborhood school is a choice school....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think we need to get away from the choice system. It is irrational when nearly all the neighborhood schools are over crowded. For example, ATS is not over capacity yet is in between 3 over crowded neighborhood schools: Glebe, Ashlawn, and McKinley.

Reed could fix that if it were a neighborhood school.

[Anonymous]

ATS has 24-25 kids per class, more than most of the other schools, and we do have trailers, so it's not like we're swimming in space. And it's an old building. And kindergarteners eat lunch at 10:40 a.m., so it's not like we're not already experiencing the same lunchroom crowding others do.

9:06 - I'm sure they'll tell you the breakdown of the new K class if you ask. First they let in the 16 low-income preschool kids who already won their own lottery to be there. (next year it'll be 32 kids, since they added another VPI class this year.) They let in the siblings of kids already in the school. The number of spaces left is how many kids can get in. If a twin or triplet gets in, his/her siblings get in as well and they can add that to the total admitted. This year people had better odds than usual because the 5th grade class graduating is a bubble year - 4 classes instead of 3 - so next year's K class will have 4 classes instead of 3.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've heard or seen nothing about it being a choice school. It would be a neighborhood school. Some versions have it being K-5, redistricting with McKinley, Tuckahoe, and Nottingham. Other versions have it being a K-2 that then sends the kids back to McK, Tuck, Nott for 3-5.

Definitely not guaranteed to be a neighborhood school. Last night, the school board had a meeting to discuss the CIP and the overwhelming opinion was that it would be a choice school. The K-2 option isn't even on the table anymore.

OMFG, why another choice school? Not enough resentment and infighting among Arlington parents?

That's probably WHY they are thinking about a choice school. Because then they can alleviate overcrowding at multiple schools (maybe even some in south Arlington), and given budget constraints, this is likely the only other new ES that will be built for years and years and it needs to address capacity issues system-wide. Also, I would think that they would not have to have the fights about what planning units are going to be moved where/when. This way, no fights, because people are opting in, and if they don't like it, they need not apply and can stick with their overcrowded neighborhood school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:ATS has 24-25 kids per class, more than most of the other schools, and we do have trailers, so it's not like we're swimming in space. And it's an old building. And kindergarteners eat lunch at 10:40 a.m., so it's not like we're not already experiencing the same lunchroom crowding others do.

9:06 - I'm sure they'll tell you the breakdown of the new K class if you ask. First they let in the 16 low-income preschool kids who already won their own lottery to be there. (next year it'll be 32 kids, since they added another VPI class this year.) They let in the siblings of kids already in the school. The number of spaces left is how many kids can get in. If a twin or triplet gets in, his/her siblings get in as well and they can add that to the total admitted. This year people had better odds than usual because the 5th grade class graduating is a bubble year - 4 classes instead of 3 - so next year's K class will have 4 classes instead of 3.

Not more most N. Arlington schools. And that's not really a problem - my kids went through Jamestown and had classes with between 25 and 28 students. They all did well and thrived. Growing up, my elementary school classes always had over 30 students and it was fine. I'm not suggesting that Arlington have class sizes >30 but they maybe need to consider raising the planning factors a bit to help cope with the increase on student population.

http://www.apsva.us/cms/lib2/VA01000586/Centricity/Domain/11/2014-2015-Elem%20class%20size%20traffic%20light%20report_revised.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've heard or seen nothing about it being a choice school. It would be a neighborhood school. Some versions have it being K-5, redistricting with McKinley, Tuckahoe, and Nottingham. Other versions have it being a K-2 that then sends the kids back to McK, Tuck, Nott for 3-5.

Definitely not guaranteed to be a neighborhood school. Last night, the school board had a meeting to discuss the CIP and the overwhelming opinion was that it would be a choice school. The K-2 option isn't even on the table anymore.

OMFG, why another choice school? Not enough resentment and infighting among Arlington parents?

That's probably WHY they are thinking about a choice school. Because then they can alleviate overcrowding at multiple schools (maybe even some in south Arlington), and given budget constraints, this is likely the only other new ES that will be built for years and years and it needs to address capacity issues system-wide. Also, I would think that they would not have to have the fights about what planning units are going to be moved where/when. This way, no fights, because people are opting in, and if they don't like it, they need not apply and can stick with their overcrowded neighborhood school.

Oh, there will be fighting. The neighborhood around Reed has been asking for that to be their school for years. Now, APS is talking about making it an ES, but not one that they can attend. Their kids can get bussed to trailers at other schools, but not walk to the one down the street. Yeah, there WILL be fighting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've heard or seen nothing about it being a choice school. It would be a neighborhood school. Some versions have it being K-5, redistricting with McKinley, Tuckahoe, and Nottingham. Other versions have it being a K-2 that then sends the kids back to McK, Tuck, Nott for 3-5.

Definitely not guaranteed to be a neighborhood school. Last night, the school board had a meeting to discuss the CIP and the overwhelming opinion was that it would be a choice school. The K-2 option isn't even on the table anymore.

OMFG, why another choice school? Not enough resentment and infighting among Arlington parents?

That's probably WHY they are thinking about a choice school. Because then they can alleviate overcrowding at multiple schools (maybe even some in south Arlington), and given budget constraints, this is likely the only other new ES that will be built for years and years and it needs to address capacity issues system-wide. Also, I would think that they would not have to have the fights about what planning units are going to be moved where/when. This way, no fights, because people are opting in, and if they don't like it, they need not apply and can stick with their overcrowded neighborhood school.

Oh, there will be fighting. The neighborhood around Reed has been asking for that to be their school for years. Now, APS is talking about making it an ES, but not one that they can attend. Their kids can get bussed to trailers at other schools, but not walk to the one down the street. Yeah, there WILL be fighting.

Well, they could attend, they just wouldn't be guaranteed. I get it, the neighborhood wants a cute little school to walk to down on their little version of "Main Street." But given that the county has so many issues to solve, and limited funds and space, I don't think that one neighborhood can lay claim to the only new ES that will be built in the coming decades.

By the way, people who moved into that neighborhood knew this wasn't their school. It's not like something is being taken away. The community, meaning Arlington needs this school to put out so many fires. It can't be dedicated to just one neighborhood.

Also, I am aware of how neighborhoods act when they think they won't get something guaranteed in return. I just think the SB/APS need to grow a pair and take the long view instead of caving. Because if they don't, they're just kicking the can down the road.

[Anonymous]

Neighborhood priority for a choice/lottery school is not new. I don't see why that wouldn't work at Reed.