the Key/ASFS building switch...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Key parents should strongly advocate for where to move Immersion now - what is best for the program since most parents I speak with do not believe it to be ASFS for the long term. We aren't keeping it at KEY - so where do we want it?

I completely 100% agree with you. And I think that not moving twice would be better for the program. The problem is that the location where the program would most likely thrive- e.g. Carlin Springs- is not at all convenient for the majority of families currently at the school, who are largely located close to Key. ASFS would be a much more convenient location.
A second choice would be ATS- I think it would do well there as well, but it is still not a great location for most of the families currently at Key.
I think that is why the school has entered into a bunker, wealthy conspiracy mentality- they don't see good options.

I think it should go to ATS. Some families will follow; but others will fill in. The lower-income families currently closer to ASFS will offer some diversity over there and picking-up more low-income families from the western part of the county will help the highest FRL schools closer to the ATS location.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s official! They are moving the science lab. Praise Jesus.

I just read that on arl news now.

If ASFS were still a semi-option program, they could probably justify hoarding a $200k facility perk that was privately funded, with the rationale that everyone in the county could theoretically seek admission to that school. As a strictly neighborhood school, a $200k perk not made available to other elementary schools starts to feel very unequal. I wonder if the board has fully considered the legal implications of this.

Practically speaking, who is going to challenge them moving it or having it? Or should they be more concerned with the precedent going forward?

What difference does it make WHO has it, when it's still only one school that has it? Just different kids who get the bling that none of the other schools have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like the idea of a mobile science lab! One poster keeps saying it’s just s bunch of old chairs, but that seems unlikely given the $200,000 price tag.

I'm guessing that would be impractical given the size and weight of some of the equipment. I'd love to see it. But both sides of this raise serious questions. I think PTAs are now quite aware that any physical improvements they make to a building or equipment they buy becomes property of APS. I don't think APS should be paying to move it -- and, if they do, they better disclose the cost.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't get too upset about this since the invisible writing is already on the wall. This will play out in the following way.

1. Key building will become a neighborhood school (new ASFS?)
2. Immerson probably won't move to current ASFS building since a significant # of kids won't transfer with the program.
3. Immerson at some point will move to a South Arlington school with concentrated poverty and lots of native speakers. Question is will that be before the "proposed swap" or after a few years?
4. Current ASFS Building will become a neighborhood school - but may be immersion for a handful of years
5. Even if they move the "Science Lab" it is mostly tables, chairs, storage, and some science toys, etc..so nothing to get upset about.

Key parents should strongly advocate for where to move Immersion now - what is best for the program since most parents I speak with do not believe it to be ASFS for the long term. We aren't keeping it at KEY - so where do we want it?

+1

I always thought it just looked like a room in a really nice daycare myself. The only really interesting part is the huge aquarium and that was installed before the remodel of the lab.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't get too upset about this since the invisible writing is already on the wall. This will play out in the following way.

1. Key building will become a neighborhood school (new ASFS?)
2. Immerson probably won't move to current ASFS building since a significant # of kids won't transfer with the program.
3. Immerson at some point will move to a South Arlington school with concentrated poverty and lots of native speakers. Question is will that be before the "proposed swap" or after a few years?
4. Current ASFS Building will become a neighborhood school - but may be immersion for a handful of years
5. Even if they move the "Science Lab" it is mostly tables, chairs, storage, and some science toys, etc..so nothing to get upset about.

Key parents should strongly advocate for where to move Immersion now - what is best for the program since most parents I speak with do not believe it to be ASFS for the long term. We aren't keeping it at KEY - so where do we want it?

If a significant number of current Key families decide to stay at neighborhood Key rather than move with the immersion program, that would go a long way toward solving the problem of the current Key program being too big for the ASFS building.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s official! They are moving the science lab. Praise Jesus.

I just read that on arl news now.

If ASFS were still a semi-option program, they could probably justify hoarding a $200k facility perk that was privately funded, with the rationale that everyone in the county could theoretically seek admission to that school. As a strictly neighborhood school, a $200k perk not made available to other elementary schools starts to feel very unequal. I wonder if the board has fully considered the legal implications of this.

You are welcome to fund a special lab for your school. Find corporate sponsors, etc.

Or just whine about it when other people took the effort to do it at their school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't get too upset about this since the invisible writing is already on the wall. This will play out in the following way.

1. Key building will become a neighborhood school (new ASFS?)
2. Immerson probably won't move to current ASFS building since a significant # of kids won't transfer with the program.
3. Immerson at some point will move to a South Arlington school with concentrated poverty and lots of native speakers. Question is will that be before the "proposed swap" or after a few years?
4. Current ASFS Building will become a neighborhood school - but may be immersion for a handful of years
5. Even if they move the "Science Lab" it is mostly tables, chairs, storage, and some science toys, etc..so nothing to get upset about.

Key parents should strongly advocate for where to move Immersion now - what is best for the program since most parents I speak with do not believe it to be ASFS for the long term. We aren't keeping it at KEY - so where do we want it?

If a significant number of current Key families decide to stay at neighborhood Key rather than move with the immersion program, that would go a long way toward solving the problem of the current Key program being too big for the ASFS building.

I'd be more worried about the fancy wall projectors in every classroom. I believe those are PTA funded, and were not cheap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s official! They are moving the science lab. Praise Jesus.

I just read that on arl news now.

If ASFS were still a semi-option program, they could probably justify hoarding a $200k facility perk that was privately funded, with the rationale that everyone in the county could theoretically seek admission to that school. As a strictly neighborhood school, a $200k perk not made available to other elementary schools starts to feel very unequal. I wonder if the board has fully considered the legal implications of this.

You are welcome to fund a special lab for your school. Find corporate sponsors, etc.

Or just whine about it when other people took the effort to do it at their school.

I’m pro swap and don’t care about the lab, but this is a pretty weak argument considering most of the funding for that lab came from families who are no longer even at the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s official! They are moving the science lab. Praise Jesus.

I just read that on arl news now.

If ASFS were still a semi-option program, they could probably justify hoarding a $200k facility perk that was privately funded, with the rationale that everyone in the county could theoretically seek admission to that school. As a strictly neighborhood school, a $200k perk not made available to other elementary schools starts to feel very unequal. I wonder if the board has fully considered the legal implications of this.

You are welcome to fund a special lab for your school. Find corporate sponsors, etc.

Or just whine about it when other people took the effort to do it at their school.

I’m pro swap and don’t care about the lab, but this is a pretty weak argument considering most of the funding for that lab came from families who are no longer even at the school.

Also, the ASFS families who did contribute to the lab were never promised boundaries would never change, so no one can claim their donations were based on the assurance their kids would always have access to the lab.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s official! They are moving the science lab. Praise Jesus.

I just read that on arl news now.

If ASFS were still a semi-option program, they could probably justify hoarding a $200k facility perk that was privately funded, with the rationale that everyone in the county could theoretically seek admission to that school. As a strictly neighborhood school, a $200k perk not made available to other elementary schools starts to feel very unequal. I wonder if the board has fully considered the legal implications of this.

You are welcome to fund a special lab for your school. Find corporate sponsors, etc.

Or just whine about it when other people took the effort to do it at their school.

I’m just going to let this one sit there and speak for itself.

[Anonymous]

A huge chunk of that $177K was for the installation of special wiring in the walls/ceiling. Good luck getting APS to pay for that at the Key building! But rest assured, I'm sure APS will spring for some nice extension cords.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s official! They are moving the science lab. Praise Jesus.

I just read that on arl news now.

If ASFS were still a semi-option program, they could probably justify hoarding a $200k facility perk that was privately funded, with the rationale that everyone in the county could theoretically seek admission to that school. As a strictly neighborhood school, a $200k perk not made available to other elementary schools starts to feel very unequal. I wonder if the board has fully considered the legal implications of this.

Please, have you seen the slide and then HALF DOZEN playground structures discovery has? And that WAS funded by APS.

ASFS has a rusty old rinky dink play structure. I would gladly swap play structures which kids use almost everyday vs a once a week science lab.

There are a lot of perks at each school that others don’t have. And again, the SLIDE!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s official! They are moving the science lab. Praise Jesus.

I just read that on arl news now.

If ASFS were still a semi-option program, they could probably justify hoarding a $200k facility perk that was privately funded, with the rationale that everyone in the county could theoretically seek admission to that school. As a strictly neighborhood school, a $200k perk not made available to other elementary schools starts to feel very unequal. I wonder if the board has fully considered the legal implications of this.

Please, have you seen the slide and then HALF DOZEN playground structures discovery has? And that WAS funded by APS.

ASFS has a rusty old rinky dink play structure. I would gladly swap play structures which kids use almost everyday vs a once a week science lab.

There are a lot of perks at each school that others don’t have. And again, the SLIDE!

Because a slide contributes so much to the quality of edcuation. According to a friend at Discovery, it doesn’t even get used very often. It was a dumb and wasteful idea from the beginning, but it’s not like it’s some huge advantage Discovery has over the rest of us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s official! They are moving the science lab. Praise Jesus.

I just read that on arl news now.

If ASFS were still a semi-option program, they could probably justify hoarding a $200k facility perk that was privately funded, with the rationale that everyone in the county could theoretically seek admission to that school. As a strictly neighborhood school, a $200k perk not made available to other elementary schools starts to feel very unequal. I wonder if the board has fully considered the legal implications of this.

Please, have you seen the slide and then HALF DOZEN playground structures discovery has? And that WAS funded by APS.

ASFS has a rusty old rinky dink play structure. I would gladly swap play structures which kids use almost everyday vs a once a week science lab.

There are a lot of perks at each school that others don’t have. And again, the SLIDE!

Because a slide contributes so much to the quality of edcuation. According to a friend at Discovery, it doesn’t even get used very often. It was a dumb and wasteful idea from the beginning, but it’s not like it’s some huge advantage Discovery has over the rest of us.

Seriously, no worries. No one will be using that lab in a few years. Part of why APS is pushing the swap so hard is that they've been trying to get Mary Begley to turn the lab into two classrooms for the last few years (plus the room that houses the space shuttle). Basically, ASFS is wasting three classrooms, or 75 seats, with its science stuff. Even though Key is bigger, it's not like it has so much extra room the they can waste 2-3 of its classrooms on recreating the lab and shuttle. Maybe they could make the Key trailer the "science trailer" but that means sticking with Key's 653 permanent seats. But with the growth in this area, it's not prudent to waste 2-3 classrooms on a science lab. I think the PP is right, they'll move some of the tables and equipment but they are not going to recreate that entire lab, in its current state, in the Key building. But APS has to say that to the parents now to keep them simmered down. By the time they get around to moving, they'll be so many other things to worry about (like faculty retention, etc.) no one is really going to make that big of a deal that the "lab" gets put in a corner somewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s official! They are moving the science lab. Praise Jesus.

I just read that on arl news now.

If ASFS were still a semi-option program, they could probably justify hoarding a $200k facility perk that was privately funded, with the rationale that everyone in the county could theoretically seek admission to that school. As a strictly neighborhood school, a $200k perk not made available to other elementary schools starts to feel very unequal. I wonder if the board has fully considered the legal implications of this.

Please, have you seen the slide and then HALF DOZEN playground structures discovery has? And that WAS funded by APS.

ASFS has a rusty old rinky dink play structure. I would gladly swap play structures which kids use almost everyday vs a once a week science lab.

There are a lot of perks at each school that others don’t have. And again, the SLIDE!

Because a slide contributes so much to the quality of edcuation. According to a friend at Discovery, it doesn’t even get used very often. It was a dumb and wasteful idea from the beginning, but it’s not like it’s some huge advantage Discovery has over the rest of us.

More importantly, allocation of construction funds is part of a public process. We can complain to the board about the wastefulness of the slide and advocate for better use of resources in the future. When rich parents start privately funding the infrastructure of the school their children attend, the legality can get murky. Buying some books for the library or helping the teachers with everyday supplies is much different than dumping hundreds of thousands of dollars to make your child’s school technologically and educationally superior to its south Arlington counterparts. That can actually get a school district in trouble. As most of us know, not every neighborhood PTA in Arlington is primed to raise that kind of money.