APS - Bye TJ

[Anonymous]

“It’s not something that we want to do, but in a time of budget cuts, the [Arlington] kids who [would have gone to] Jefferson can still receive a free and appropriate public school education,” Tyrone Byrd, APS Director of Secondary Education, said.

this is comical- what's been happening at APS for the past year is anything but an "appropriate education"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if Arlington and Alexandria considered opening a joint program. Could help with crowding and creating a specialized program that is easier for both

That would be even more expensive. Remember this is about budget cuts.

Yes the whole point is that Fairfax already has the whole set up, the only extra cost to us is transportation to Fairfax (we are paying to educate our kids either way). Setting up a new school, or adding more advanced classes for a very small number of students, would be a new cost for APS.

And, as has already been said, you can't pay tuition to attend a governor's school, and you can't charge for transportation (unless you charge all high schoolers, which we don't), or decline to offer it (unless we don't provide it to any high schoolers, which again, is not our policy).

While that's how it's supposed to work in theory, in reality it costs APS more than just transportation costs to send students to TJ. APS basically sends to FCPS the entire cost per pupil for each APS student who goes to TJ. Most of the per-pupil costs are effectively fixed rather than variable costs, though, because the small number of students APS sends to TJ doesn't move the needle on how many teachers are needed, how many high school buses are needed, how big the high schools need to be, etc. So APS sends the full per-pupil cost to FCPS for those students but doesn't see any drop in its own operating budget accordingly, which means those students effectively cost APS twice as much as students who stay in the APS system.

True, but we never know how much the marginal cost is for any kid in APS or how that compares to the system per pupil costs. Some kids need buses, some don't. Some kids are in band or sports, some aren't. Some kids have IEPs and need a lot of supports, some don't. It isn't fair to say that because we pay Fairfax the full per-person cost of those students but APS costs' aren't reduced by the same amount that it "costs" us to send kids to TJ -- for all we know we are coming out ahead on some of those kids. (Unlikely, but possible.)

Of the more than half a billion dollars that APS spends, $300,000 to send our best science and math students to the #1 science and math high school in the country seems like a pretty good deal.

Not all of APS's "best science and math students" go to TJ today. And there is zero chance APS is coming out ahead financially on sending students to TJ. That is just laughable and makes it hard to take seriously anything else in your post.

We don't allocate funding to any school or student based on the average per student cost across the system, its not a metric that means anything. I know that sending the kids to TJ doesn't save the per-student cost of those kids out of APS. HOWEVER, from a budget perspective, which is what we are talking about, the costs are transportation and any marginal difference in per-student costs between Arlington and Fairfax (and actually I think Fairfax is lower, so bringing kids back raises our costs on paper).

[Anonymous]

Of the more than half a billion dollars that APS spends, $300,000 to send our best science and math students to the #1 science and math high school in the country seems like a pretty good deal.

Not all of APS's "best science and math students" go to TJ today. And there is zero chance APS is coming out ahead financially on sending students to TJ. That is just laughable and makes it hard to take seriously anything else in your post.

^^I know. WL has a student who was a finalist at the 2021 Regeneron competition.

If you want TJ for your kid, move to Fairfax County. The entitlement that APS parents seem to have for this school is amazing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if Arlington and Alexandria considered opening a joint program. Could help with crowding and creating a specialized program that is easier for both

That would be even more expensive. Remember this is about budget cuts.

Yes the whole point is that Fairfax already has the whole set up, the only extra cost to us is transportation to Fairfax (we are paying to educate our kids either way). Setting up a new school, or adding more advanced classes for a very small number of students, would be a new cost for APS.

And, as has already been said, you can't pay tuition to attend a governor's school, and you can't charge for transportation (unless you charge all high schoolers, which we don't), or decline to offer it (unless we don't provide it to any high schoolers, which again, is not our policy).

While that's how it's supposed to work in theory, in reality it costs APS more than just transportation costs to send students to TJ. APS basically sends to FCPS the entire cost per pupil for each APS student who goes to TJ. Most of the per-pupil costs are effectively fixed rather than variable costs, though, because the small number of students APS sends to TJ doesn't move the needle on how many teachers are needed, how many high school buses are needed, how big the high schools need to be, etc. So APS sends the full per-pupil cost to FCPS for those students but doesn't see any drop in its own operating budget accordingly, which means those students effectively cost APS twice as much as students who stay in the APS system.

True, but we never know how much the marginal cost is for any kid in APS or how that compares to the system per pupil costs. Some kids need buses, some don't. Some kids are in band or sports, some aren't. Some kids have IEPs and need a lot of supports, some don't. It isn't fair to say that because we pay Fairfax the full per-person cost of those students but APS costs' aren't reduced by the same amount that it "costs" us to send kids to TJ -- for all we know we are coming out ahead on some of those kids. (Unlikely, but possible.)

Of the more than half a billion dollars that APS spends, $300,000 to send our best science and math students to the #1 science and math high school in the country seems like a pretty good deal.

This is just silly. What we know is that APS estimates that cutting funding for 25 students going to TJ, which is only a quarter of those who currently attend (since students already attending would be grandfathered), would result in a *net* savings of $300k. That’s the amount APS expects to save beyond the cost of bringing those students back into APS schools, i.e. the marginal cost of sending those students to TJ that you claim is somehow unknowable.

This further means that once the grandfathered students graduate, APS could potentially save upwards of $1.2 million per year by not sending any students to TJ. That’s real money when you’re talking about cutting APS teachers and increasing class sizes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if Arlington and Alexandria considered opening a joint program. Could help with crowding and creating a specialized program that is easier for both

That would be even more expensive. Remember this is about budget cuts.

Yes the whole point is that Fairfax already has the whole set up, the only extra cost to us is transportation to Fairfax (we are paying to educate our kids either way). Setting up a new school, or adding more advanced classes for a very small number of students, would be a new cost for APS.

And, as has already been said, you can't pay tuition to attend a governor's school, and you can't charge for transportation (unless you charge all high schoolers, which we don't), or decline to offer it (unless we don't provide it to any high schoolers, which again, is not our policy).

While that's how it's supposed to work in theory, in reality it costs APS more than just transportation costs to send students to TJ. APS basically sends to FCPS the entire cost per pupil for each APS student who goes to TJ. Most of the per-pupil costs are effectively fixed rather than variable costs, though, because the small number of students APS sends to TJ doesn't move the needle on how many teachers are needed, how many high school buses are needed, how big the high schools need to be, etc. So APS sends the full per-pupil cost to FCPS for those students but doesn't see any drop in its own operating budget accordingly, which means those students effectively cost APS twice as much as students who stay in the APS system.

True, but we never know how much the marginal cost is for any kid in APS or how that compares to the system per pupil costs. Some kids need buses, some don't. Some kids are in band or sports, some aren't. Some kids have IEPs and need a lot of supports, some don't. It isn't fair to say that because we pay Fairfax the full per-person cost of those students but APS costs' aren't reduced by the same amount that it "costs" us to send kids to TJ -- for all we know we are coming out ahead on some of those kids. (Unlikely, but possible.)

Of the more than half a billion dollars that APS spends, $300,000 to send our best science and math students to the #1 science and math high school in the country seems like a pretty good deal.

This is just silly. What we know is that APS estimates that cutting funding for 25 students going to TJ, which is only a quarter of those who currently attend (since students already attending would be grandfathered), would result in a *net* savings of $300k. That’s the amount APS expects to save beyond the cost of bringing those students back into APS schools, i.e. the marginal cost of sending those students to TJ that you claim is somehow unknowable.

This further means that once the grandfathered students graduate, APS could potentially save upwards of $1.2 million per year by not sending any students to TJ. That’s real money when you’re talking about cutting APS teachers and increasing class sizes.

They are running a couple of buses whether there are 15 kids on each or 25 kids, that cost is basically $300,000 a year either way.

No one has made a good argument for why THIS program is not worth it, compared to all of the other programs Arlington provides for students outside of the basic neighborhood school classroom. We invest way more in students with less academic potential because we believe they deserve an appropriate education and that if they live in Arlington then Arlington schools should provide it. There seems to be a sense that only financially "elite" students can access TJHSST, when the real elite in Arlington are not in APS at all (there are more than 29,000 kids aged 5-18 in Arlington, but fewer than 26,000 enrolled in APS K-12).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if Arlington and Alexandria considered opening a joint program. Could help with crowding and creating a specialized program that is easier for both

That would be even more expensive. Remember this is about budget cuts.

Yes the whole point is that Fairfax already has the whole set up, the only extra cost to us is transportation to Fairfax (we are paying to educate our kids either way). Setting up a new school, or adding more advanced classes for a very small number of students, would be a new cost for APS.

And, as has already been said, you can't pay tuition to attend a governor's school, and you can't charge for transportation (unless you charge all high schoolers, which we don't), or decline to offer it (unless we don't provide it to any high schoolers, which again, is not our policy).

While that's how it's supposed to work in theory, in reality it costs APS more than just transportation costs to send students to TJ. APS basically sends to FCPS the entire cost per pupil for each APS student who goes to TJ. Most of the per-pupil costs are effectively fixed rather than variable costs, though, because the small number of students APS sends to TJ doesn't move the needle on how many teachers are needed, how many high school buses are needed, how big the high schools need to be, etc. So APS sends the full per-pupil cost to FCPS for those students but doesn't see any drop in its own operating budget accordingly, which means those students effectively cost APS twice as much as students who stay in the APS system.

True, but we never know how much the marginal cost is for any kid in APS or how that compares to the system per pupil costs. Some kids need buses, some don't. Some kids are in band or sports, some aren't. Some kids have IEPs and need a lot of supports, some don't. It isn't fair to say that because we pay Fairfax the full per-person cost of those students but APS costs' aren't reduced by the same amount that it "costs" us to send kids to TJ -- for all we know we are coming out ahead on some of those kids. (Unlikely, but possible.)

Of the more than half a billion dollars that APS spends, $300,000 to send our best science and math students to the #1 science and math high school in the country seems like a pretty good deal.

This is just silly. What we know is that APS estimates that cutting funding for 25 students going to TJ, which is only a quarter of those who currently attend (since students already attending would be grandfathered), would result in a *net* savings of $300k. That’s the amount APS expects to save beyond the cost of bringing those students back into APS schools, i.e. the marginal cost of sending those students to TJ that you claim is somehow unknowable.

This further means that once the grandfathered students graduate, APS could potentially save upwards of $1.2 million per year by not sending any students to TJ. That’s real money when you’re talking about cutting APS teachers and increasing class sizes.

They are running a couple of buses whether there are 15 kids on each or 25 kids, that cost is basically $300,000 a year either way.

No one has made a good argument for why THIS program is not worth it, compared to all of the other programs Arlington provides for students outside of the basic neighborhood school classroom. We invest way more in students with less academic potential because we believe they deserve an appropriate education and that if they live in Arlington then Arlington schools should provide it. There seems to be a sense that only financially "elite" students can access TJHSST, when the real elite in Arlington are not in APS at all (there are more than 29,000 kids aged 5-18 in Arlington, but fewer than 26,000 enrolled in APS K-12).

Offering a TJ-like environment is not a requirement, and no student has a right to it. If a family really cares about TJ, they can move to FCPS (most of the neighborhoods in Fairfax are less expensive than Arlington, so cost isn’t a barrier there). All public school systems are required to provide FAPE to students with special needs - it’s not optional because students have a right to FAPE, whether you think they are worth it or not,

Also, it is really gross that you apparently view people as more or less worthy depending on their aptitude for math and science.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if Arlington and Alexandria considered opening a joint program. Could help with crowding and creating a specialized program that is easier for both

That would be even more expensive. Remember this is about budget cuts.

Yes the whole point is that Fairfax already has the whole set up, the only extra cost to us is transportation to Fairfax (we are paying to educate our kids either way). Setting up a new school, or adding more advanced classes for a very small number of students, would be a new cost for APS.

And, as has already been said, you can't pay tuition to attend a governor's school, and you can't charge for transportation (unless you charge all high schoolers, which we don't), or decline to offer it (unless we don't provide it to any high schoolers, which again, is not our policy).

While that's how it's supposed to work in theory, in reality it costs APS more than just transportation costs to send students to TJ. APS basically sends to FCPS the entire cost per pupil for each APS student who goes to TJ. Most of the per-pupil costs are effectively fixed rather than variable costs, though, because the small number of students APS sends to TJ doesn't move the needle on how many teachers are needed, how many high school buses are needed, how big the high schools need to be, etc. So APS sends the full per-pupil cost to FCPS for those students but doesn't see any drop in its own operating budget accordingly, which means those students effectively cost APS twice as much as students who stay in the APS system.

True, but we never know how much the marginal cost is for any kid in APS or how that compares to the system per pupil costs. Some kids need buses, some don't. Some kids are in band or sports, some aren't. Some kids have IEPs and need a lot of supports, some don't. It isn't fair to say that because we pay Fairfax the full per-person cost of those students but APS costs' aren't reduced by the same amount that it "costs" us to send kids to TJ -- for all we know we are coming out ahead on some of those kids. (Unlikely, but possible.)

Of the more than half a billion dollars that APS spends, $300,000 to send our best science and math students to the #1 science and math high school in the country seems like a pretty good deal.

This is just silly. What we know is that APS estimates that cutting funding for 25 students going to TJ, which is only a quarter of those who currently attend (since students already attending would be grandfathered), would result in a *net* savings of $300k. That’s the amount APS expects to save beyond the cost of bringing those students back into APS schools, i.e. the marginal cost of sending those students to TJ that you claim is somehow unknowable.

This further means that once the grandfathered students graduate, APS could potentially save upwards of $1.2 million per year by not sending any students to TJ. That’s real money when you’re talking about cutting APS teachers and increasing class sizes.

They are running a couple of buses whether there are 15 kids on each or 25 kids, that cost is basically $300,000 a year either way.

No one has made a good argument for why THIS program is not worth it, compared to all of the other programs Arlington provides for students outside of the basic neighborhood school classroom. We invest way more in students with less academic potential because we believe they deserve an appropriate education and that if they live in Arlington then Arlington schools should provide it. There seems to be a sense that only financially "elite" students can access TJHSST, when the real elite in Arlington are not in APS at all (there are more than 29,000 kids aged 5-18 in Arlington, but fewer than 26,000 enrolled in APS K-12).

I don’t think you understand how the budget works. APS expects to save $300k next year by phasing out TJ funding despite still having to pay the costs you cited. Transportation costs would be an additional savings to APS once the grandfathered students have graduated.

People have provided you with several arguments for why TJ funding should be cut before other line items, repeatedly. That you disagree with them doesn’t mean arguments haven’t been provided.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if Arlington and Alexandria considered opening a joint program. Could help with crowding and creating a specialized program that is easier for both

That would be even more expensive. Remember this is about budget cuts.

Yes the whole point is that Fairfax already has the whole set up, the only extra cost to us is transportation to Fairfax (we are paying to educate our kids either way). Setting up a new school, or adding more advanced classes for a very small number of students, would be a new cost for APS.

And, as has already been said, you can't pay tuition to attend a governor's school, and you can't charge for transportation (unless you charge all high schoolers, which we don't), or decline to offer it (unless we don't provide it to any high schoolers, which again, is not our policy).

While that's how it's supposed to work in theory, in reality it costs APS more than just transportation costs to send students to TJ. APS basically sends to FCPS the entire cost per pupil for each APS student who goes to TJ. Most of the per-pupil costs are effectively fixed rather than variable costs, though, because the small number of students APS sends to TJ doesn't move the needle on how many teachers are needed, how many high school buses are needed, how big the high schools need to be, etc. So APS sends the full per-pupil cost to FCPS for those students but doesn't see any drop in its own operating budget accordingly, which means those students effectively cost APS twice as much as students who stay in the APS system.

True, but we never know how much the marginal cost is for any kid in APS or how that compares to the system per pupil costs. Some kids need buses, some don't. Some kids are in band or sports, some aren't. Some kids have IEPs and need a lot of supports, some don't. It isn't fair to say that because we pay Fairfax the full per-person cost of those students but APS costs' aren't reduced by the same amount that it "costs" us to send kids to TJ -- for all we know we are coming out ahead on some of those kids. (Unlikely, but possible.)

Of the more than half a billion dollars that APS spends, $300,000 to send our best science and math students to the #1 science and math high school in the country seems like a pretty good deal.

This is just silly. What we know is that APS estimates that cutting funding for 25 students going to TJ, which is only a quarter of those who currently attend (since students already attending would be grandfathered), would result in a *net* savings of $300k. That’s the amount APS expects to save beyond the cost of bringing those students back into APS schools, i.e. the marginal cost of sending those students to TJ that you claim is somehow unknowable.

This further means that once the grandfathered students graduate, APS could potentially save upwards of $1.2 million per year by not sending any students to TJ. That’s real money when you’re talking about cutting APS teachers and increasing class sizes.

They are running a couple of buses whether there are 15 kids on each or 25 kids, that cost is basically $300,000 a year either way.

No one has made a good argument for why THIS program is not worth it, compared to all of the other programs Arlington provides for students outside of the basic neighborhood school classroom. We invest way more in students with less academic potential because we believe they deserve an appropriate education and that if they live in Arlington then Arlington schools should provide it. There seems to be a sense that only financially "elite" students can access TJHSST, when the real elite in Arlington are not in APS at all (there are more than 29,000 kids aged 5-18 in Arlington, but fewer than 26,000 enrolled in APS K-12).

Offering a TJ-like environment is not a requirement, and no student has a right to it. If a family really cares about TJ, they can move to FCPS (most of the neighborhoods in Fairfax are less expensive than Arlington, so cost isn’t a barrier there). All public school systems are required to provide FAPE to students with special needs - it’s not optional because students have a right to FAPE, whether you think they are worth it or not,

Also, it is really gross that you apparently view people as more or less worthy depending on their aptitude for math and science.

Sorry, I didn't think I had to spell it out, but I guess I do if people are determined to read this negatively.

All students have the right to a free and appropriate public education. People are complaining about the "extra" cost of TJ compared to what it would cost to educate those students in APS schools. APS schools do not provide courses as challenging as those at TJHSST, nor do they provide the same peer group or extracurricular activities. We invest way more than average in students with less academic potential because we believe they deserve an appropriate education and that if they live in Arlington then Arlington schools should provide it. Why shouldn't we invest in students with high academic potential--aren't they also entitled to an education that is appropriately challenging, if that is not what is provided in a regular classroom? And if a student lives in Arlington, doesn't Arlington schools have to provide access to an appropriate education, even if the mechanism is busing them to a governor's school located in the next county?

BTW, APS isn't required to provide Montessori, or busing to choice schools, or high school marching band, or lots of other things that are definitively not part of providing a free and appropriate education. But we do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if Arlington and Alexandria considered opening a joint program. Could help with crowding and creating a specialized program that is easier for both

That would be even more expensive. Remember this is about budget cuts.

Yes the whole point is that Fairfax already has the whole set up, the only extra cost to us is transportation to Fairfax (we are paying to educate our kids either way). Setting up a new school, or adding more advanced classes for a very small number of students, would be a new cost for APS.

And, as has already been said, you can't pay tuition to attend a governor's school, and you can't charge for transportation (unless you charge all high schoolers, which we don't), or decline to offer it (unless we don't provide it to any high schoolers, which again, is not our policy).

While that's how it's supposed to work in theory, in reality it costs APS more than just transportation costs to send students to TJ. APS basically sends to FCPS the entire cost per pupil for each APS student who goes to TJ. Most of the per-pupil costs are effectively fixed rather than variable costs, though, because the small number of students APS sends to TJ doesn't move the needle on how many teachers are needed, how many high school buses are needed, how big the high schools need to be, etc. So APS sends the full per-pupil cost to FCPS for those students but doesn't see any drop in its own operating budget accordingly, which means those students effectively cost APS twice as much as students who stay in the APS system.

True, but we never know how much the marginal cost is for any kid in APS or how that compares to the system per pupil costs. Some kids need buses, some don't. Some kids are in band or sports, some aren't. Some kids have IEPs and need a lot of supports, some don't. It isn't fair to say that because we pay Fairfax the full per-person cost of those students but APS costs' aren't reduced by the same amount that it "costs" us to send kids to TJ -- for all we know we are coming out ahead on some of those kids. (Unlikely, but possible.)

Of the more than half a billion dollars that APS spends, $300,000 to send our best science and math students to the #1 science and math high school in the country seems like a pretty good deal.

This is just silly. What we know is that APS estimates that cutting funding for 25 students going to TJ, which is only a quarter of those who currently attend (since students already attending would be grandfathered), would result in a *net* savings of $300k. That’s the amount APS expects to save beyond the cost of bringing those students back into APS schools, i.e. the marginal cost of sending those students to TJ that you claim is somehow unknowable.

This further means that once the grandfathered students graduate, APS could potentially save upwards of $1.2 million per year by not sending any students to TJ. That’s real money when you’re talking about cutting APS teachers and increasing class sizes.

They are running a couple of buses whether there are 15 kids on each or 25 kids, that cost is basically $300,000 a year either way.

No one has made a good argument for why THIS program is not worth it, compared to all of the other programs Arlington provides for students outside of the basic neighborhood school classroom. We invest way more in students with less academic potential because we believe they deserve an appropriate education and that if they live in Arlington then Arlington schools should provide it. There seems to be a sense that only financially "elite" students can access TJHSST, when the real elite in Arlington are not in APS at all (there are more than 29,000 kids aged 5-18 in Arlington, but fewer than 26,000 enrolled in APS K-12).

I don’t think you understand how the budget works. APS expects to save $300k next year by phasing out TJ funding despite still having to pay the costs you cited. Transportation costs would be an additional savings to APS once the grandfathered students have graduated.

People have provided you with several arguments for why TJ funding should be cut before other line items, repeatedly. That you disagree with them doesn’t mean arguments haven’t been provided.

The only arguments I've seen are:
--the only kids who get in are the ones whose parents test-prep
--people have the option to move to Fairfax
--its elitist

None of those are arguments for why TJ funding should be cut instead of using more of the budget reserve. Or putting class size increases on the table if we are continuing to grow and they need $10 million for new staff and $10 million for a COLA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if Arlington and Alexandria considered opening a joint program. Could help with crowding and creating a specialized program that is easier for both

That would be even more expensive. Remember this is about budget cuts.

Yes the whole point is that Fairfax already has the whole set up, the only extra cost to us is transportation to Fairfax (we are paying to educate our kids either way). Setting up a new school, or adding more advanced classes for a very small number of students, would be a new cost for APS.

And, as has already been said, you can't pay tuition to attend a governor's school, and you can't charge for transportation (unless you charge all high schoolers, which we don't), or decline to offer it (unless we don't provide it to any high schoolers, which again, is not our policy).

While that's how it's supposed to work in theory, in reality it costs APS more than just transportation costs to send students to TJ. APS basically sends to FCPS the entire cost per pupil for each APS student who goes to TJ. Most of the per-pupil costs are effectively fixed rather than variable costs, though, because the small number of students APS sends to TJ doesn't move the needle on how many teachers are needed, how many high school buses are needed, how big the high schools need to be, etc. So APS sends the full per-pupil cost to FCPS for those students but doesn't see any drop in its own operating budget accordingly, which means those students effectively cost APS twice as much as students who stay in the APS system.

True, but we never know how much the marginal cost is for any kid in APS or how that compares to the system per pupil costs. Some kids need buses, some don't. Some kids are in band or sports, some aren't. Some kids have IEPs and need a lot of supports, some don't. It isn't fair to say that because we pay Fairfax the full per-person cost of those students but APS costs' aren't reduced by the same amount that it "costs" us to send kids to TJ -- for all we know we are coming out ahead on some of those kids. (Unlikely, but possible.)

Of the more than half a billion dollars that APS spends, $300,000 to send our best science and math students to the #1 science and math high school in the country seems like a pretty good deal.

This is just silly. What we know is that APS estimates that cutting funding for 25 students going to TJ, which is only a quarter of those who currently attend (since students already attending would be grandfathered), would result in a *net* savings of $300k. That’s the amount APS expects to save beyond the cost of bringing those students back into APS schools, i.e. the marginal cost of sending those students to TJ that you claim is somehow unknowable.

This further means that once the grandfathered students graduate, APS could potentially save upwards of $1.2 million per year by not sending any students to TJ. That’s real money when you’re talking about cutting APS teachers and increasing class sizes.

They are running a couple of buses whether there are 15 kids on each or 25 kids, that cost is basically $300,000 a year either way.

No one has made a good argument for why THIS program is not worth it, compared to all of the other programs Arlington provides for students outside of the basic neighborhood school classroom. We invest way more in students with less academic potential because we believe they deserve an appropriate education and that if they live in Arlington then Arlington schools should provide it. There seems to be a sense that only financially "elite" students can access TJHSST, when the real elite in Arlington are not in APS at all (there are more than 29,000 kids aged 5-18 in Arlington, but fewer than 26,000 enrolled in APS K-12).

Offering a TJ-like environment is not a requirement, and no student has a right to it. If a family really cares about TJ, they can move to FCPS (most of the neighborhoods in Fairfax are less expensive than Arlington, so cost isn’t a barrier there). All public school systems are required to provide FAPE to students with special needs - it’s not optional because students have a right to FAPE, whether you think they are worth it or not,

Also, it is really gross that you apparently view people as more or less worthy depending on their aptitude for math and science.

Sorry, I didn't think I had to spell it out, but I guess I do if people are determined to read this negatively.

All students have the right to a free and appropriate public education. People are complaining about the "extra" cost of TJ compared to what it would cost to educate those students in APS schools. APS schools do not provide courses as challenging as those at TJHSST, nor do they provide the same peer group or extracurricular activities. We invest way more than average in students with less academic potential because we believe they deserve an appropriate education and that if they live in Arlington then Arlington schools should provide it. Why shouldn't we invest in students with high academic potential--aren't they also entitled to an education that is appropriately challenging, if that is not what is provided in a regular classroom? And if a student lives in Arlington, doesn't Arlington schools have to provide access to an appropriate education, even if the mechanism is busing them to a governor's school located in the next county?

BTW, APS isn't required to provide Montessori, or busing to choice schools, or high school marching band, or lots of other things that are definitively not part of providing a free and appropriate education. But we do.

Marching band typically has to fundraise for its activities because it gets very little financial support from APS. The other two items you mention serve a population of students that is several times over the population that benefits from access to TJ, and at a lower marginal cost per student to APS. If we had unlimited funds, I would have no problem continuing to send APS students to TJ. But when we’re facing the current budget constraints, hard choices have to be made based on a cost-benefit analysis to the population as a whole. If access to TJ is that important to your family, Fairfax is a very large county with lots of housing options.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if Arlington and Alexandria considered opening a joint program. Could help with crowding and creating a specialized program that is easier for both

That would be even more expensive. Remember this is about budget cuts.

Yes the whole point is that Fairfax already has the whole set up, the only extra cost to us is transportation to Fairfax (we are paying to educate our kids either way). Setting up a new school, or adding more advanced classes for a very small number of students, would be a new cost for APS.

And, as has already been said, you can't pay tuition to attend a governor's school, and you can't charge for transportation (unless you charge all high schoolers, which we don't), or decline to offer it (unless we don't provide it to any high schoolers, which again, is not our policy).

While that's how it's supposed to work in theory, in reality it costs APS more than just transportation costs to send students to TJ. APS basically sends to FCPS the entire cost per pupil for each APS student who goes to TJ. Most of the per-pupil costs are effectively fixed rather than variable costs, though, because the small number of students APS sends to TJ doesn't move the needle on how many teachers are needed, how many high school buses are needed, how big the high schools need to be, etc. So APS sends the full per-pupil cost to FCPS for those students but doesn't see any drop in its own operating budget accordingly, which means those students effectively cost APS twice as much as students who stay in the APS system.

True, but we never know how much the marginal cost is for any kid in APS or how that compares to the system per pupil costs. Some kids need buses, some don't. Some kids are in band or sports, some aren't. Some kids have IEPs and need a lot of supports, some don't. It isn't fair to say that because we pay Fairfax the full per-person cost of those students but APS costs' aren't reduced by the same amount that it "costs" us to send kids to TJ -- for all we know we are coming out ahead on some of those kids. (Unlikely, but possible.)

Of the more than half a billion dollars that APS spends, $300,000 to send our best science and math students to the #1 science and math high school in the country seems like a pretty good deal.

This is just silly. What we know is that APS estimates that cutting funding for 25 students going to TJ, which is only a quarter of those who currently attend (since students already attending would be grandfathered), would result in a *net* savings of $300k. That’s the amount APS expects to save beyond the cost of bringing those students back into APS schools, i.e. the marginal cost of sending those students to TJ that you claim is somehow unknowable.

This further means that once the grandfathered students graduate, APS could potentially save upwards of $1.2 million per year by not sending any students to TJ. That’s real money when you’re talking about cutting APS teachers and increasing class sizes.

They are running a couple of buses whether there are 15 kids on each or 25 kids, that cost is basically $300,000 a year either way.

No one has made a good argument for why THIS program is not worth it, compared to all of the other programs Arlington provides for students outside of the basic neighborhood school classroom. We invest way more in students with less academic potential because we believe they deserve an appropriate education and that if they live in Arlington then Arlington schools should provide it. There seems to be a sense that only financially "elite" students can access TJHSST, when the real elite in Arlington are not in APS at all (there are more than 29,000 kids aged 5-18 in Arlington, but fewer than 26,000 enrolled in APS K-12).

I don’t think you understand how the budget works. APS expects to save $300k next year by phasing out TJ funding despite still having to pay the costs you cited. Transportation costs would be an additional savings to APS once the grandfathered students have graduated.

People have provided you with several arguments for why TJ funding should be cut before other line items, repeatedly. That you disagree with them doesn’t mean arguments haven’t been provided.

The only arguments I've seen are:
--the only kids who get in are the ones whose parents test-prep
--people have the option to move to Fairfax
--its elitist

None of those are arguments for why TJ funding should be cut instead of using more of the budget reserve. Or putting class size increases on the table if we are continuing to grow and they need $10 million for new staff and $10 million for a COLA.

The argument has been made many times that it is basically a cost-benefit analysis - how much of a benefit is there to how many students for the cost incurred vs. how much could students benefit from directing those funds elsewhere? APS has determined that it is better to use those funds to support budget line items that benefit a greater number of students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if Arlington and Alexandria considered opening a joint program. Could help with crowding and creating a specialized program that is easier for both

That would be even more expensive. Remember this is about budget cuts.

Yes the whole point is that Fairfax already has the whole set up, the only extra cost to us is transportation to Fairfax (we are paying to educate our kids either way). Setting up a new school, or adding more advanced classes for a very small number of students, would be a new cost for APS.

And, as has already been said, you can't pay tuition to attend a governor's school, and you can't charge for transportation (unless you charge all high schoolers, which we don't), or decline to offer it (unless we don't provide it to any high schoolers, which again, is not our policy).

While that's how it's supposed to work in theory, in reality it costs APS more than just transportation costs to send students to TJ. APS basically sends to FCPS the entire cost per pupil for each APS student who goes to TJ. Most of the per-pupil costs are effectively fixed rather than variable costs, though, because the small number of students APS sends to TJ doesn't move the needle on how many teachers are needed, how many high school buses are needed, how big the high schools need to be, etc. So APS sends the full per-pupil cost to FCPS for those students but doesn't see any drop in its own operating budget accordingly, which means those students effectively cost APS twice as much as students who stay in the APS system.

True, but we never know how much the marginal cost is for any kid in APS or how that compares to the system per pupil costs. Some kids need buses, some don't. Some kids are in band or sports, some aren't. Some kids have IEPs and need a lot of supports, some don't. It isn't fair to say that because we pay Fairfax the full per-person cost of those students but APS costs' aren't reduced by the same amount that it "costs" us to send kids to TJ -- for all we know we are coming out ahead on some of those kids. (Unlikely, but possible.)

Of the more than half a billion dollars that APS spends, $300,000 to send our best science and math students to the #1 science and math high school in the country seems like a pretty good deal.

This is just silly. What we know is that APS estimates that cutting funding for 25 students going to TJ, which is only a quarter of those who currently attend (since students already attending would be grandfathered), would result in a *net* savings of $300k. That’s the amount APS expects to save beyond the cost of bringing those students back into APS schools, i.e. the marginal cost of sending those students to TJ that you claim is somehow unknowable.

This further means that once the grandfathered students graduate, APS could potentially save upwards of $1.2 million per year by not sending any students to TJ. That’s real money when you’re talking about cutting APS teachers and increasing class sizes.

They are running a couple of buses whether there are 15 kids on each or 25 kids, that cost is basically $300,000 a year either way.

No one has made a good argument for why THIS program is not worth it, compared to all of the other programs Arlington provides for students outside of the basic neighborhood school classroom. We invest way more in students with less academic potential because we believe they deserve an appropriate education and that if they live in Arlington then Arlington schools should provide it. There seems to be a sense that only financially "elite" students can access TJHSST, when the real elite in Arlington are not in APS at all (there are more than 29,000 kids aged 5-18 in Arlington, but fewer than 26,000 enrolled in APS K-12).

I don’t think you understand how the budget works. APS expects to save $300k next year by phasing out TJ funding despite still having to pay the costs you cited. Transportation costs would be an additional savings to APS once the grandfathered students have graduated.

People have provided you with several arguments for why TJ funding should be cut before other line items, repeatedly. That you disagree with them doesn’t mean arguments haven’t been provided.

The only arguments I've seen are:
--the only kids who get in are the ones whose parents test-prep
--people have the option to move to Fairfax
--its elitist

None of those are arguments for why TJ funding should be cut instead of using more of the budget reserve. Or putting class size increases on the table if we are continuing to grow and they need $10 million for new staff and $10 million for a COLA.

That's not an appropriate use of the budget reserve. The budget reserve is meant for unexpected expenses that occur outside of the budget cycle and for which funds therefore are not allocated in the budget, and to cover non-discretionary line items like debt service and mandatory retirement system contributions. Ongoing TJ funding is neither of those things.

And why should thousands of students have to suffer from larger classes for the benefit of 100 students who go to TJ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if Arlington and Alexandria considered opening a joint program. Could help with crowding and creating a specialized program that is easier for both

That would be even more expensive. Remember this is about budget cuts.

Yes the whole point is that Fairfax already has the whole set up, the only extra cost to us is transportation to Fairfax (we are paying to educate our kids either way). Setting up a new school, or adding more advanced classes for a very small number of students, would be a new cost for APS.

And, as has already been said, you can't pay tuition to attend a governor's school, and you can't charge for transportation (unless you charge all high schoolers, which we don't), or decline to offer it (unless we don't provide it to any high schoolers, which again, is not our policy).

While that's how it's supposed to work in theory, in reality it costs APS more than just transportation costs to send students to TJ. APS basically sends to FCPS the entire cost per pupil for each APS student who goes to TJ. Most of the per-pupil costs are effectively fixed rather than variable costs, though, because the small number of students APS sends to TJ doesn't move the needle on how many teachers are needed, how many high school buses are needed, how big the high schools need to be, etc. So APS sends the full per-pupil cost to FCPS for those students but doesn't see any drop in its own operating budget accordingly, which means those students effectively cost APS twice as much as students who stay in the APS system.

True, but we never know how much the marginal cost is for any kid in APS or how that compares to the system per pupil costs. Some kids need buses, some don't. Some kids are in band or sports, some aren't. Some kids have IEPs and need a lot of supports, some don't. It isn't fair to say that because we pay Fairfax the full per-person cost of those students but APS costs' aren't reduced by the same amount that it "costs" us to send kids to TJ -- for all we know we are coming out ahead on some of those kids. (Unlikely, but possible.)

Of the more than half a billion dollars that APS spends, $300,000 to send our best science and math students to the #1 science and math high school in the country seems like a pretty good deal.

This is just silly. What we know is that APS estimates that cutting funding for 25 students going to TJ, which is only a quarter of those who currently attend (since students already attending would be grandfathered), would result in a *net* savings of $300k. That’s the amount APS expects to save beyond the cost of bringing those students back into APS schools, i.e. the marginal cost of sending those students to TJ that you claim is somehow unknowable.

This further means that once the grandfathered students graduate, APS could potentially save upwards of $1.2 million per year by not sending any students to TJ. That’s real money when you’re talking about cutting APS teachers and increasing class sizes.

They are running a couple of buses whether there are 15 kids on each or 25 kids, that cost is basically $300,000 a year either way.

No one has made a good argument for why THIS program is not worth it, compared to all of the other programs Arlington provides for students outside of the basic neighborhood school classroom. We invest way more in students with less academic potential because we believe they deserve an appropriate education and that if they live in Arlington then Arlington schools should provide it. There seems to be a sense that only financially "elite" students can access TJHSST, when the real elite in Arlington are not in APS at all (there are more than 29,000 kids aged 5-18 in Arlington, but fewer than 26,000 enrolled in APS K-12).

Offering a TJ-like environment is not a requirement, and no student has a right to it. If a family really cares about TJ, they can move to FCPS (most of the neighborhoods in Fairfax are less expensive than Arlington, so cost isn’t a barrier there). All public school systems are required to provide FAPE to students with special needs - it’s not optional because students have a right to FAPE, whether you think they are worth it or not,

Also, it is really gross that you apparently view people as more or less worthy depending on their aptitude for math and science.

Sorry, I didn't think I had to spell it out, but I guess I do if people are determined to read this negatively.

All students have the right to a free and appropriate public education. People are complaining about the "extra" cost of TJ compared to what it would cost to educate those students in APS schools. APS schools do not provide courses as challenging as those at TJHSST, nor do they provide the same peer group or extracurricular activities. We invest way more than average in students with less academic potential because we believe they deserve an appropriate education and that if they live in Arlington then Arlington schools should provide it. Why shouldn't we invest in students with high academic potential--aren't they also entitled to an education that is appropriately challenging, if that is not what is provided in a regular classroom? And if a student lives in Arlington, doesn't Arlington schools have to provide access to an appropriate education, even if the mechanism is busing them to a governor's school located in the next county?

BTW, APS isn't required to provide Montessori, or busing to choice schools, or high school marching band, or lots of other things that are definitively not part of providing a free and appropriate education. But we do.

Are you seriously suggesting that APS is responsible for providing a certain peer group and certain extracurricular activities? For just the best and brightest math and science students? or for all students? What about our best and brightest artists and musicians? Are they getting a "free and appropriate public education" in Arlington? Or are only the handful of students who actually get admitted to TJ the ones who are entitled to a different peer group and extracurricular activities? Would APS be expected to provide those peers and activities if a school in a neighboring jurisdiction did not provide them; or are you saying we have to offer them because they are available at TJ?

If you believe APS fully provides what the students in every academic category need or deserve, you are a fool. Nobody is entitled to the perfect education and social experience. They are entitled to a free, quality public education. Period. If APS isn't providing a good enough education, then parents advocate, vote, and may need to make some sacrifices and move to another district that will.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if Arlington and Alexandria considered opening a joint program. Could help with crowding and creating a specialized program that is easier for both

That would be even more expensive. Remember this is about budget cuts.

Yes the whole point is that Fairfax already has the whole set up, the only extra cost to us is transportation to Fairfax (we are paying to educate our kids either way). Setting up a new school, or adding more advanced classes for a very small number of students, would be a new cost for APS.

And, as has already been said, you can't pay tuition to attend a governor's school, and you can't charge for transportation (unless you charge all high schoolers, which we don't), or decline to offer it (unless we don't provide it to any high schoolers, which again, is not our policy).

While that's how it's supposed to work in theory, in reality it costs APS more than just transportation costs to send students to TJ. APS basically sends to FCPS the entire cost per pupil for each APS student who goes to TJ. Most of the per-pupil costs are effectively fixed rather than variable costs, though, because the small number of students APS sends to TJ doesn't move the needle on how many teachers are needed, how many high school buses are needed, how big the high schools need to be, etc. So APS sends the full per-pupil cost to FCPS for those students but doesn't see any drop in its own operating budget accordingly, which means those students effectively cost APS twice as much as students who stay in the APS system.

True, but we never know how much the marginal cost is for any kid in APS or how that compares to the system per pupil costs. Some kids need buses, some don't. Some kids are in band or sports, some aren't. Some kids have IEPs and need a lot of supports, some don't. It isn't fair to say that because we pay Fairfax the full per-person cost of those students but APS costs' aren't reduced by the same amount that it "costs" us to send kids to TJ -- for all we know we are coming out ahead on some of those kids. (Unlikely, but possible.)

Of the more than half a billion dollars that APS spends, $300,000 to send our best science and math students to the #1 science and math high school in the country seems like a pretty good deal.

This is just silly. What we know is that APS estimates that cutting funding for 25 students going to TJ, which is only a quarter of those who currently attend (since students already attending would be grandfathered), would result in a *net* savings of $300k. That’s the amount APS expects to save beyond the cost of bringing those students back into APS schools, i.e. the marginal cost of sending those students to TJ that you claim is somehow unknowable.

This further means that once the grandfathered students graduate, APS could potentially save upwards of $1.2 million per year by not sending any students to TJ. That’s real money when you’re talking about cutting APS teachers and increasing class sizes.

They are running a couple of buses whether there are 15 kids on each or 25 kids, that cost is basically $300,000 a year either way.

No one has made a good argument for why THIS program is not worth it, compared to all of the other programs Arlington provides for students outside of the basic neighborhood school classroom. We invest way more in students with less academic potential because we believe they deserve an appropriate education and that if they live in Arlington then Arlington schools should provide it. There seems to be a sense that only financially "elite" students can access TJHSST, when the real elite in Arlington are not in APS at all (there are more than 29,000 kids aged 5-18 in Arlington, but fewer than 26,000 enrolled in APS K-12).

Offering a TJ-like environment is not a requirement, and no student has a right to it. If a family really cares about TJ, they can move to FCPS (most of the neighborhoods in Fairfax are less expensive than Arlington, so cost isn’t a barrier there). All public school systems are required to provide FAPE to students with special needs - it’s not optional because students have a right to FAPE, whether you think they are worth it or not,

Also, it is really gross that you apparently view people as more or less worthy depending on their aptitude for math and science.

Sorry, I didn't think I had to spell it out, but I guess I do if people are determined to read this negatively.

All students have the right to a free and appropriate public education. People are complaining about the "extra" cost of TJ compared to what it would cost to educate those students in APS schools. APS schools do not provide courses as challenging as those at TJHSST, nor do they provide the same peer group or extracurricular activities. We invest way more than average in students with less academic potential because we believe they deserve an appropriate education and that if they live in Arlington then Arlington schools should provide it. Why shouldn't we invest in students with high academic potential--aren't they also entitled to an education that is appropriately challenging, if that is not what is provided in a regular classroom? And if a student lives in Arlington, doesn't Arlington schools have to provide access to an appropriate education, even if the mechanism is busing them to a governor's school located in the next county?

BTW, APS isn't required to provide Montessori, or busing to choice schools, or high school marching band, or lots of other things that are definitively not part of providing a free and appropriate education. But we do.

Marching band typically has to fundraise for its activities because it gets very little financial support from APS. The other two items you mention serve a population of students that is several times over the population that benefits from access to TJ, and at a lower marginal cost per student to APS. If we had unlimited funds, I would have no problem continuing to send APS students to TJ. But when we’re facing the current budget constraints, hard choices have to be made based on a cost-benefit analysis to the population as a whole. If access to TJ is that important to your family, Fairfax is a very large county with lots of housing options.

And good luck to your kid getting into TJ. No guarantees in Fairfax, either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if Arlington and Alexandria considered opening a joint program. Could help with crowding and creating a specialized program that is easier for both

That would be even more expensive. Remember this is about budget cuts.

Yes the whole point is that Fairfax already has the whole set up, the only extra cost to us is transportation to Fairfax (we are paying to educate our kids either way). Setting up a new school, or adding more advanced classes for a very small number of students, would be a new cost for APS.

And, as has already been said, you can't pay tuition to attend a governor's school, and you can't charge for transportation (unless you charge all high schoolers, which we don't), or decline to offer it (unless we don't provide it to any high schoolers, which again, is not our policy).

While that's how it's supposed to work in theory, in reality it costs APS more than just transportation costs to send students to TJ. APS basically sends to FCPS the entire cost per pupil for each APS student who goes to TJ. Most of the per-pupil costs are effectively fixed rather than variable costs, though, because the small number of students APS sends to TJ doesn't move the needle on how many teachers are needed, how many high school buses are needed, how big the high schools need to be, etc. So APS sends the full per-pupil cost to FCPS for those students but doesn't see any drop in its own operating budget accordingly, which means those students effectively cost APS twice as much as students who stay in the APS system.

True, but we never know how much the marginal cost is for any kid in APS or how that compares to the system per pupil costs. Some kids need buses, some don't. Some kids are in band or sports, some aren't. Some kids have IEPs and need a lot of supports, some don't. It isn't fair to say that because we pay Fairfax the full per-person cost of those students but APS costs' aren't reduced by the same amount that it "costs" us to send kids to TJ -- for all we know we are coming out ahead on some of those kids. (Unlikely, but possible.)

Of the more than half a billion dollars that APS spends, $300,000 to send our best science and math students to the #1 science and math high school in the country seems like a pretty good deal.

This is just silly. What we know is that APS estimates that cutting funding for 25 students going to TJ, which is only a quarter of those who currently attend (since students already attending would be grandfathered), would result in a *net* savings of $300k. That’s the amount APS expects to save beyond the cost of bringing those students back into APS schools, i.e. the marginal cost of sending those students to TJ that you claim is somehow unknowable.

This further means that once the grandfathered students graduate, APS could potentially save upwards of $1.2 million per year by not sending any students to TJ. That’s real money when you’re talking about cutting APS teachers and increasing class sizes.

They are running a couple of buses whether there are 15 kids on each or 25 kids, that cost is basically $300,000 a year either way.

No one has made a good argument for why THIS program is not worth it, compared to all of the other programs Arlington provides for students outside of the basic neighborhood school classroom. We invest way more in students with less academic potential because we believe they deserve an appropriate education and that if they live in Arlington then Arlington schools should provide it. There seems to be a sense that only financially "elite" students can access TJHSST, when the real elite in Arlington are not in APS at all (there are more than 29,000 kids aged 5-18 in Arlington, but fewer than 26,000 enrolled in APS K-12).

Offering a TJ-like environment is not a requirement, and no student has a right to it. If a family really cares about TJ, they can move to FCPS (most of the neighborhoods in Fairfax are less expensive than Arlington, so cost isn’t a barrier there). All public school systems are required to provide FAPE to students with special needs - it’s not optional because students have a right to FAPE, whether you think they are worth it or not,

Also, it is really gross that you apparently view people as more or less worthy depending on their aptitude for math and science.

Sorry, I didn't think I had to spell it out, but I guess I do if people are determined to read this negatively.

All students have the right to a free and appropriate public education. People are complaining about the "extra" cost of TJ compared to what it would cost to educate those students in APS schools. APS schools do not provide courses as challenging as those at TJHSST, nor do they provide the same peer group or extracurricular activities. We invest way more than average in students with less academic potential because we believe they deserve an appropriate education and that if they live in Arlington then Arlington schools should provide it. Why shouldn't we invest in students with high academic potential--aren't they also entitled to an education that is appropriately challenging, if that is not what is provided in a regular classroom? And if a student lives in Arlington, doesn't Arlington schools have to provide access to an appropriate education, even if the mechanism is busing them to a governor's school located in the next county?

BTW, APS isn't required to provide Montessori, or busing to choice schools, or high school marching band, or lots of other things that are definitively not part of providing a free and appropriate education. But we do.

Marching band typically has to fundraise for its activities because it gets very little financial support from APS. The other two items you mention serve a population of students that is several times over the population that benefits from access to TJ, and at a lower marginal cost per student to APS. If we had unlimited funds, I would have no problem continuing to send APS students to TJ. But when we’re facing the current budget constraints, hard choices have to be made based on a cost-benefit analysis to the population as a whole. If access to TJ is that important to your family, Fairfax is a very large county with lots of housing options.

And good luck to your kid getting into TJ. No guarantees in Fairfax, either.

But Larla has high academic potential, of course she’ll get in!