APS 2021-2022 boundary-adjustments

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They constantly kick the can and listen too much to the small group of current and heavily invested vocal families. They need to limit the role the PTAs play.

What are you talking about? APS Planning shoved the idiotic school moves (Key to ATS to McKinley to Cardinal) down our throats; protests, opposing data, and higher expenses be darned.

That was one of the few sensible moves they made and then they undid the potential benefits by caving to McKinley and putting them all at Cardinal. So now we all have to go through the wretched boundary arguing AGAIN in 2 years.

The “opposing data” was self-serving garbage and kind of embarrassing.

The way parents behaved regarding those school moves is why we can’t have nice things. APS fought through it and did the right thing but how many times are you going to find staff and a super and a School Board lined up and willing to do it. (Apparently not often.) The shrieking and keening and wailing from self-interested parties is out of control.

This right thing would be to do whatever minimizes operating expenses. Instead they bus walkers from schools to other schools (happened with both new boundaries for innovation and cardinal). The planning department has no idea what it is doing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They constantly kick the can and listen too much to the small group of current and heavily invested vocal families. They need to limit the role the PTAs play.

What are you talking about? APS Planning shoved the idiotic school moves (Key to ATS to McKinley to Cardinal) down our throats; protests, opposing data, and higher expenses be darned.

That was one of the few sensible moves they made and then they undid the potential benefits by caving to McKinley and putting them all at Cardinal. So now we all have to go through the wretched boundary arguing AGAIN in 2 years.

The “opposing data” was self-serving garbage and kind of embarrassing.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Article also said moving some kids from Wakefield to W-L. All I hear from parents of kids at W-L is how packed it is there already. Is the former admin building they are converting to classrooms open yet?

W-L is just going to be so huge.

The chickens are coming home to roost when it comes to failing to plan for the day needed fourth high school. And, yes, W-L is already crowded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

• Adjusting the attendance areas for Arlington’s two English-Spanish immersion elementary schools, and working to create a balance of half native-Spanish speakers and half English-speakers at the schools.

Key just had a major disruption moving to a new building. They really shouldn't ask students to switch to another school, putting them in three different schools three years in a row (plus pandemic disruptions).

Yeah, who knows what they have in mind but K-enrollment was pretty even this year with the smaller class sizes (Key had 56 applicants and Claremont 49 for 48 Spanish speaking spots). They did move ashlawn to Key last year so the Claremont zone is no longer contiguous but I imagine the “cut-off” northern part is not a big HGH source of Spanish speakers.

https://www.apsva.us/school-options/school-transfer-data-2/pre-k-elementary-options-transfers-application-data-school-year-2021-22/

[Anonymous]

“This right thing would be to do whatever minimizes operating expenses. Instead they bus walkers from schools to other schools (happened with both new boundaries for innovation and cardinal). The planning department has no idea what it is doing. ’




Correction

600+ bus riders turned into walkers, Reed/Cardinal is closer to more McKinley students in new location. Innovation and Arlington Science Focus are in boundaries, lots of students no longer bused to SF and Taylor.

Still a lot of bus problems across schools, it would have been ALOT worse without moves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
“This right thing would be to do whatever minimizes operating expenses. Instead they bus walkers from schools to other schools (happened with both new boundaries for innovation and cardinal). The planning department has no idea what it is doing.

’




Correction

600+ bus riders turned into walkers, Reed/Cardinal is closer to more McKinley students in new location. Innovation and Arlington Science Focus are in boundaries, lots of students no longer bused to SF and Taylor.

Still a lot of bus problems across schools, it would have been ALOT worse without moves.

+100

ASFS is down to 6 buses from the ~14 they used to have. Way more of the school are walkers instead of bus riders now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Article also said moving some kids from Wakefield to W-L. All I hear from parents of kids at W-L is how packed it is there already. Is the former admin building they are converting to classrooms open yet?

W-L is just going to be so huge.

The chickens are coming home to roost when it comes to failing to plan for the day needed fourth high school. And, yes, W-L is already crowded.

I’m looking forward to my tween having lunch at 9am and the having DL classes in the afternoon because the campus is full.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The way parents behaved regarding those school moves is why we can’t have nice things. APS fought through it and did the right thing but how many times are you going to find staff and a super and a School Board lined up and willing to do it. (Apparently not often.) The shrieking and keening and wailing from self-interested parties is out of control.

This right thing would be to do whatever minimizes operating expenses. Instead they bus walkers from schools to other schools (happened with both new boundaries for innovation and cardinal). The planning department has no idea what it is doing.

Reducing cost should not be the only factor in these decisions. Equity is important too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The way parents behaved regarding those school moves is why we can’t have nice things. APS fought through it and did the right thing but how many times are you going to find staff and a super and a School Board lined up and willing to do it. (Apparently not often.) The shrieking and keening and wailing from self-interested parties is out of control.

This right thing would be to do whatever minimizes operating expenses. Instead they bus walkers from schools to other schools (happened with both new boundaries for innovation and cardinal). The planning department has no idea what it is doing.

Reducing cost should not be the only factor in these decisions. Equity is important too.

Equity meaning what exactly here?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The way parents behaved regarding those school moves is why we can’t have nice things. APS fought through it and did the right thing but how many times are you going to find staff and a super and a School Board lined up and willing to do it. (Apparently not often.) The shrieking and keening and wailing from self-interested parties is out of control.

This right thing would be to do whatever minimizes operating expenses. Instead they bus walkers from schools to other schools (happened with both new boundaries for innovation and cardinal). The planning department has no idea what it is doing.

Reducing cost should not be the only factor in these decisions. Equity is important too.

Equity meaning what exactly here?

We need busing to break up white walkzones. That’s the undertone

[Anonymous]

I honestly think the planning staff is in a really tough spot with respect to boundary adjustments. APS enrollment has dropped so dramatically- and they really don't know how it is going to rebound. Especially elementary schools- predicting what will happen with elementary school populations is really tough and the impacts of the pandemic are still being felt. Toss in the organized rage they face every time they try to do a boundary change....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The way parents behaved regarding those school moves is why we can’t have nice things. APS fought through it and did the right thing but how many times are you going to find staff and a super and a School Board lined up and willing to do it. (Apparently not often.) The shrieking and keening and wailing from self-interested parties is out of control.

This right thing would be to do whatever minimizes operating expenses. Instead they bus walkers from schools to other schools (happened with both new boundaries for innovation and cardinal). The planning department has no idea what it is doing.

Reducing cost should not be the only factor in these decisions. Equity is important too.

Equity meaning what exactly here?

We need busing to break up white walkzones. That’s the undertone

What exactly that would make equitable is clear as mud.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I honestly think the planning staff is in a really tough spot with respect to boundary adjustments. APS enrollment has dropped so dramatically- and they really don't know how it is going to rebound. Especially elementary schools- predicting what will happen with elementary school populations is really tough and the impacts of the pandemic are still being felt. Toss in the organized rage they face every time they try to do a boundary change....

no it didn't drop

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Love the combine Drew and Abingdon idea. Make it an upper and lower school.

I agree! You have two FRL schools fighting over a handful of higher income kids, this boundary process is going to be a disaster an no matter how the lines are drawn you are going to still have two low-income schools with one just being higher than the the other.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
“This right thing would be to do whatever minimizes operating expenses. Instead they bus walkers from schools to other schools (happened with both new boundaries for innovation and cardinal). The planning department has no idea what it is doing.

’




Correction

600+ bus riders turned into walkers, Reed/Cardinal is closer to more McKinley students in new location. Innovation and Arlington Science Focus are in boundaries, lots of students no longer bused to SF and Taylor.

Still a lot of bus problems across schools, it would have been ALOT worse without moves.

+100

ASFS is down to 6 buses from the ~14 they used to have. Way more of the school are walkers instead of bus riders now.

That’s right. The original commenter here is just one of the Westover types that wanted Cardinal to be for Overlee. They kept them at Tuckahoe and they are bitter. The moves reduced bus riders countywide tremendously.