pattern of siblings "winning lottery"at HB Woodlawn

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:It may not cost more per student, but it is grossly unfair to provide this small-sized model to some students and not to others. Everyone would want this model if they could get it, so why should only the lucky few get this? I say toss it out until everyone can have access.

Do you go on threads about W-L's IB program to make the same comment?

Capital idea. We should move HB program to Yorktown campus and house it there. School within a school.

Actually Wakefield is bigger, so let’s go there. Then we can turn Heights into bigger higher school and alleviate WL.

If Wakefield has room, isn't the easiest solution to alleviate WL by moving kids there?

Are you being intentionally obtuse? We could also make HB a school within a school at the Heights. The point is that we would make room at Wakefield by expanding the population at the Heights building. My point is HB having its own CAMPUS is what makes it dissimilar to the IB program.

No, you are literally moving the goalposts

The problem with HB is that it is small .... IB is small
The problem with HB is that it isn't available to everyone ..... IB isn't available to everyone
The problem with HB is that it has its own building....

All of the option programs, other than IB (which is a diploma) have their own buildings, except at the middle school level. (And the middle school HB program does not have its own building, either, it shares with high school HB and Shriver.)

My understanding was there is NO LIMIT on IB. If anyone tests in, they are accepted. Is there a hard cap on IB population like at HB?

HB has its own building with a far small population than other schools. And yes, my stance is that ALL option programs should has overcapacity and crowded as the least crowded neighborhood school, thanks for supporting that.

There is no test. If you live outside the WL boundary, IB admittance is pure lottery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It may not cost more per student, but it is grossly unfair to provide this small-sized model to some students and not to others. Everyone would want this model if they could get it, so why should only the lucky few get this? I say toss it out until everyone can have access.

+10000
They should end the entire stupid school. All it does is frustrate and piss off lots of people for the benefit of so few.

[Anonymous]

Until there is no longer an overcrowding problem in APS, HB should carry the same load/amount of students very other MS/HS is carrying in the county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Until there is no longer an overcrowding problem in APS, HB should carry the same load/amount of students very other MS/HS is carrying in the county.

what does this mean in practice to you

[Anonymous]

Why don’t they start more programs like HBW? It seems like if you are doing a small program you don’t need a lot of space and they should have more options as far as a campus goes.

[Anonymous]

IB at W-L is pure lottery and if you don't take the required classes to remain an IB student, back you go to your home school. You're only guaranteed IB if you live in the W-L neighborhood zone.

I don't know how HB could expand the current building to house 2000 students. It was not built to be a comprehensive high school. There's no field, no big cafeteria, every teacher and admin teaches classes and there are many fewer classes than are available at any of the other high schools. How about Arlington Tech? I don't hear anyone saying they should be closed. Huh, that's really strange. They are a small program as well with waiting lists too. Weird they don't garner the hate that HB seems to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why don’t they start more programs like HBW? It seems like if you are doing a small program you don’t need a lot of space and they should have more options as far as a campus goes.

They are trying to, with Arlington Tech. Of course, crazy competitive parents don't feel like their kids are being deprived because Arlington Tech exists, so they don't yell and scream about it the way they do with H-B.

Read the Fairfax boards and threads on their gifted pull out program for elementary. There is always a group of parents who are hysterical at the idea that their kid may not be getting every possible advantage in the public schools. In Arlington that is mostly focused on H-B.

[Anonymous]

Is there an equity concern with HB? We weren’t interested in it due to all the factors listed above (just in case someone wants to claim sour grapes). But I was disturbed by the diversity. Close to Yorktown in white students (Y - 64% and HB - 59%). Smallest presence of Black (4%) and Hispanic (17%) kids in the county. I am wondering why this is and should there be a concern?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is there an equity concern with HB? We weren’t interested in it due to all the factors listed above (just in case someone wants to claim sour grapes). But I was disturbed by the diversity. Close to Yorktown in white students (Y - 64% and HB - 59%). Smallest presence of Black (4%) and Hispanic (17%) kids in the county. I am wondering why this is and should there be a concern?

Each school in APS gets an allocation of spots according to the population attending the school. HB has put more effort to visit schools and outreach to parents to apply to the lottery to get more diversity. But the reality is they are choosing students from the pool that has applied. You have to apply to be selected. From previous surveys many parents have voiced that their priority is a neighborhood school and being able to walk. Unless you live in Rosslyn, HB doesn't have that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It may not cost more per student, but it is grossly unfair to provide this small-sized model to some students and not to others. Everyone would want this model if they could get it, so why should only the lucky few get this? I say toss it out until everyone can have access.

This makes no sense. If you want it because it's a good program and desirable, then create more of these types of program so more kids can access them.

I actually can’t create more schools like it. My kid didn’t lottery in, and despite all my wishful thinking, a second HB didn’t appear. All these defenders of HB wouldnt be doing that if their kid wasn’t the golden ticket holder. Applying the Rawls veil of ignorance, I say shut this down until it isn’t so unfair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:IB at W-L is pure lottery and if you don't take the required classes to remain an IB student, back you go to your home school. You're only guaranteed IB if you live in the W-L neighborhood zone.

I don't know how HB could expand the current building to house 2000 students. It was not built to be a comprehensive high school. There's no field, no big cafeteria, every teacher and admin teaches classes and there are many fewer classes than are available at any of the other high schools. How about Arlington Tech? I don't hear anyone saying they should be closed. Huh, that's really strange. They are a small program as well with waiting lists too. Weird they don't garner the hate that HB seems to.

Yeah they shouldn’t have built that crazy expensive building that can’t hold enough kids! That’s exactly what I’m mad about. Millions and millions of dollars so some kids can have a “small school environment.” Give me a break! We’re too overcrowded to pay for that nonsense. I can’t unspend that money, but I can demand not a penny more of sunk costs into that nonsense n

[Anonymous]

I agree. I don’t think people would be as angry about HB if there wasn’t such a horrible overcrowding problem in all the other arlington public schools. My kids have had over 30 kids in some of their HS classes. It’s hard not to get irritated when you hear that HB classes have 10 students. Feels like our tax dollars are paying for the privilege of a handful of students to attend a public private school which in addition lacks any diversity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It may not cost more per student, but it is grossly unfair to provide this small-sized model to some students and not to others. Everyone would want this model if they could get it, so why should only the lucky few get this? I say toss it out until everyone can have access.

This makes no sense. If you want it because it's a good program and desirable, then create more of these types of program so more kids can access them.

I actually can’t create more schools like it. My kid didn’t lottery in, and despite all my wishful thinking, a second HB didn’t appear. All these defenders of HB wouldnt be doing that if their kid wasn’t the golden ticket holder. Applying the Rawls veil of ignorance, I say shut this down until it isn’t so unfair.

If you really thought it was so unfair, why did your kid apply to lottery in? Hypocrite.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree. I don’t think people would be as angry about HB if there wasn’t such a horrible overcrowding problem in all the other arlington public schools. My kids have had over 30 kids in some of their HS classes. It’s hard not to get irritated when you hear that HB classes have 10 students. Feels like our tax dollars are paying for the privilege of a handful of students to attend a public private school which in addition lacks any diversity.

I have one at HB and one at Yorktown. You can cool your jets, they are both getting an equally ok education. HB is a great community but it has its drawbacks. And the building looks nice on the outside grant you, but the inside is, well, a very vertical public high school building.

[Anonymous]

It’s clear OP’s main incentive is that they are mad their kid didn’t get a spot because of that HB must fall! If they had gotten a spot, forget that- HB is important!

Great attitude, OP.