ACPS: City Council versus School Board

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need school choice in Alexandria.

Hard when there’s only one high school.

By the way, the decision not to create a second high school will cause pain for years to come while TCW continues busting at the seams.

Did you know that there is a daycare at the school? For babies of students? And there s a waitlist to get in?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you to the two PP. I haven't paid much attention to Suarez. I've been preoccupied with the car crash that is Nolan, Anderson, and Lorber.

That's also good to know about Reif too. I do have a favorable impression of her since she's living this with her kids and it shows. And I remember one time in the fall when Ramee Gentry criticized central office.

I think Reif and Alderton are the only ones with current ACPS students. Lorber got on a zoom with parents and said that she understood what we were going through because she was babysitting her daughter's newborn a few hours a day. And then she chastised us & told us we were wrong. So that's what our district has representing us. Anderson is definitely in the silent/never speaks category.

I've heard that there will be a retirement in B. I hope there are more.

Alderton's children do not attend ACPS schools. They attend Catholic schools. Nolan and Rief have children attending public schools in Alexandria.

FYI - School Board Chair Alderton confirmed that her kids are in private school.

And her husband, an ACPS teacher, posted a public photo of them out to lunch at Lena's to celebrate their anniversary (without masks!) with the caption "kids are at school." Wow, just wow. It seems to be taken down or made private now, but he has at least one other photo of them out eating in a restaurant. It's bad enough the school board chair doesn't have her children enrolled in ACPS but to then flaunt it with a caption like "kids are at school" is really indefensible.

The Open ACPS parents are all in a facebook page tizzy about this. Taking time to "mindfully unpack" their feelings, as one wrote.

Seriously? Ugh. I agree with their cause but stuff like that is why they can’t get more buy-in from folks like me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need school choice in Alexandria.

Hard when there’s only one high school.

By the way, the decision not to create a second high school will cause pain for years to come while TCW continues busting at the seams.

Did you know that there is a daycare at the school? For babies of students? And there s a waitlist to get in?

My high school had a daycare for babies of students. And that was more than 35 years ago.

My only concern in regards to this at TC is that just a few years ago, students were vocal at SB meetings about how unsafe they felt during fire drills due to the crowding. It chills me to think of young babies and children caught up in those unsafe conditions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you to the two PP. I haven't paid much attention to Suarez. I've been preoccupied with the car crash that is Nolan, Anderson, and Lorber.

That's also good to know about Reif too. I do have a favorable impression of her since she's living this with her kids and it shows. And I remember one time in the fall when Ramee Gentry criticized central office.

I think Reif and Alderton are the only ones with current ACPS students. Lorber got on a zoom with parents and said that she understood what we were going through because she was babysitting her daughter's newborn a few hours a day. And then she chastised us & told us we were wrong. So that's what our district has representing us. Anderson is definitely in the silent/never speaks category.

I've heard that there will be a retirement in B. I hope there are more.

Alderton's children do not attend ACPS schools. They attend Catholic schools. Nolan and Rief have children attending public schools in Alexandria.

FYI - School Board Chair Alderton confirmed that her kids are in private school.

And her husband, an ACPS teacher, posted a public photo of them out to lunch at Lena's to celebrate their anniversary (without masks!) with the caption "kids are at school." Wow, just wow. It seems to be taken down or made private now, but he has at least one other photo of them out eating in a restaurant. It's bad enough the school board chair doesn't have her children enrolled in ACPS but to then flaunt it with a caption like "kids are at school" is really indefensible.

The Open ACPS parents are all in a facebook page tizzy about this. Taking time to "mindfully unpack" their feelings, as one wrote.

Seriously? Ugh. I agree with their cause but stuff like that is why they can’t get more buy-in from folks like me.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need school choice in Alexandria.

Hard when there’s only one high school.

By the way, the decision not to create a second high school will cause pain for years to come while TCW continues busting at the seams.

Did you know that there is a daycare at the school? For babies of students? And there s a waitlist to get in?

I'm glad we're supporting the teen parents. Otherwise they'd have to drop out if they didn't have someone who could watch their child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need school choice in Alexandria.

Hard when there’s only one high school.

By the way, the decision not to create a second high school will cause pain for years to come while TCW continues busting at the seams.

Did you know that there is a daycare at the school? For babies of students? And there s a waitlist to get in?

I'm glad we're supporting the teen parents. Otherwise they'd have to drop out if they didn't have someone who could watch their child.

+1 If there is a waitlist then that means the daycare needs to be expanded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you to the two PP. I haven't paid much attention to Suarez. I've been preoccupied with the car crash that is Nolan, Anderson, and Lorber.

That's also good to know about Reif too. I do have a favorable impression of her since she's living this with her kids and it shows. And I remember one time in the fall when Ramee Gentry criticized central office.

I think Reif and Alderton are the only ones with current ACPS students. Lorber got on a zoom with parents and said that she understood what we were going through because she was babysitting her daughter's newborn a few hours a day. And then she chastised us & told us we were wrong. So that's what our district has representing us. Anderson is definitely in the silent/never speaks category.

I've heard that there will be a retirement in B. I hope there are more.

Alderton's children do not attend ACPS schools. They attend Catholic schools. Nolan and Rief have children attending public schools in Alexandria.

FYI - School Board Chair Alderton confirmed that her kids are in private school.

And her husband, an ACPS teacher, posted a public photo of them out to lunch at Lena's to celebrate their anniversary (without masks!) with the caption "kids are at school." Wow, just wow. It seems to be taken down or made private now, but he has at least one other photo of them out eating in a restaurant. It's bad enough the school board chair doesn't have her children enrolled in ACPS but to then flaunt it with a caption like "kids are at school" is really indefensible.

The Open ACPS parents are all in a facebook page tizzy about this. Taking time to "mindfully unpack" their feelings, as one wrote.

Seriously? Ugh. I agree with their cause but stuff like that is why they can’t get more buy-in from folks like me.

Actually, I am 180 degrees on this. I have been generally ok with ACPS’s COVID decisions but I understand Open ACPS’s paranoia in light of stuff like Alderton’s post (although I presume they are vaccinated due to their jobs).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Seriously? Ugh. I agree with their cause but stuff like that is why they can’t get more buy-in from folks like me.

Actually, I am 180 degrees on this. I have been generally ok with ACPS’s COVID decisions but I understand Open ACPS’s paranoia in light of stuff like Alderton’s post (although I presume they are vaccinated due to their jobs).

I'm not following you. What does paranoia have to do with it? I'm paranoid the superintendent and school board won't reopen the schools (even for this bogus virtual school in school) while the Alderton kids are in-person at school. That paranoia?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Seriously? Ugh. I agree with their cause but stuff like that is why they can’t get more buy-in from folks like me.

Actually, I am 180 degrees on this. I have been generally ok with ACPS’s COVID decisions but I understand Open ACPS’s paranoia in light of stuff like Alderton’s post (although I presume they are vaccinated due to their jobs).

I'm not following you. What does paranoia have to do with it? I'm paranoid the superintendent and school board won't reopen the schools (even for this bogus virtual school in school) while the Alderton kids are in-person at school. That paranoia?

Yes - that Open ACPS does not trust whether Hutchings and the Board are acting in good faith (and the fact they attack anyone who dares to question their good faith / action). I did not intend on using paranoia in a pejorative sense (or may not be the exact right word). I was actually saying I agree with you as to the points above (especially since Hutchings is so sanctimonious).

[Anonymous]

OpenACPS really squandered leverage that they had when they allowed council member Chapman to join the group (apparently he just realized that schools have been closed for a year. I'm sure that it being an election year has NOTHING to do with that.).

It's interesting in a town of people who work in & around politics that no one in that group thinks strategically.

All the other local open groups leave them in the dust. Have they even said anything (publicly) about Alderton's hypocrisy? It's going on days since her husband posted on Facebook.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need school choice in Alexandria.

Hard when there’s only one high school.

By the way, the decision not to create a second high school will cause pain for years to come while TCW continues busting at the seams.

Did you know that there is a daycare at the school? For babies of students? And there s a waitlist to get in?

One of the reasons they didn't need a second high school was because they had a plan to use virtual education and put students at different sites to access it. Hmmm, I can see how well that works....

They should have built the second high school years ago. They screamed about it being an equity issue except the parents on the West End asked for a second high school. I guess they can't possibly know what they need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need school choice in Alexandria.

Hard when there’s only one high school.

By the way, the decision not to create a second high school will cause pain for years to come while TCW continues busting at the seams.

Did you know that there is a daycare at the school? For babies of students? And there s a waitlist to get in?

One of the reasons they didn't need a second high school was because they had a plan to use virtual education and put students at different sites to access it. Hmmm, I can see how well that works....

They should have built the second high school years ago. They screamed about it being an equity issue except the parents on the West End asked for a second high school. I guess they can't possibly know what they need.

Choosing NOT to do the hard things is a recurring theme for the SB and ACPS central office. It's interesting to watch some people realize it this year but it's been going on for decades.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need school choice in Alexandria.

Hard when there’s only one high school.

By the way, the decision not to create a second high school will cause pain for years to come while TCW continues busting at the seams.

Did you know that there is a daycare at the school? For babies of students? And there s a waitlist to get in?

I'm glad we're supporting the teen parents. Otherwise they'd have to drop out if they didn't have someone who could watch their child.

+1 If there is a waitlist then that means the daycare needs to be expanded.

Yeah, let's continue to encourage impoverished 14 year old black girls from single parent, low education, low income, homes to have kids. Great idea. That will really help them out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need school choice in Alexandria.

Hard when there’s only one high school.

By the way, the decision not to create a second high school will cause pain for years to come while TCW continues busting at the seams.

Did you know that there is a daycare at the school? For babies of students? And there s a waitlist to get in?

One of the reasons they didn't need a second high school was because they had a plan to use virtual education and put students at different sites to access it. Hmmm, I can see how well that works....

They should have built the second high school years ago. They screamed about it being an equity issue except the parents on the West End asked for a second high school. I guess they can't possibly know what they need.

Choosing NOT to do the hard things is a recurring theme for the SB and ACPS central office. It's interesting to watch some people realize it this year but it's been going on for decades.

Yes, the equity arguments ultimately result in the failure to take any actions or make bold decisions. The board totally misapplied the concept of “equity” to keep one school. So, now more students will suffer with an overcrowded high school, all in the name of (pseudo) equity. Such a shame for Alexandria City kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We need school choice in Alexandria.

Hard when there’s only one high school.

By the way, the decision not to create a second high school will cause pain for years to come while TCW continues busting at the seams.

Did you know that there is a daycare at the school? For babies of students? And there s a waitlist to get in?

I'm glad we're supporting the teen parents. Otherwise they'd have to drop out if they didn't have someone who could watch their child.

+1 If there is a waitlist then that means the daycare needs to be expanded.

Yeah, let's continue to encourage impoverished 14 year old black girls from single parent, low education, low income, homes to have kids. Great idea. That will really help them out.

Would you rather they dropped out and made their situation even worse? Or do you think they should be pressured into having an abortion even if that's not what they want? Pro choice means we should support women if they choose to give birth, not just if they choose abortion. Even if we disagree with that choice.