APS - "Instructional Focus" for new high school?

[Anonymous]

I just saw they have this under their new "engage with APS" tab. Why does a new high school need an "instructional focus"? Is this just code for "We're not building a comprehensive high school so decide now whether you want a theatre or urban farming focus for your night shift/online learners" or am I reading too much into it?

https://www.apsva.us/instruction/new-high-school/

[Anonymous]

It will be a comprehensive high school. An instructional focus just means what instructional model it will follow. A different focus can change things at the margin, but the new HS will be a general, comprehensive HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It will be a comprehensive high school. An instructional focus just means what instructional model it will follow. A different focus can change things at the margin, but the new HS will be a general, comprehensive HS.

Dream on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It will be a comprehensive high school. An instructional focus just means what instructional model it will follow. A different focus can change things at the margin, but the new HS will be a general, comprehensive HS.

No, that's not what it means. Many in the community include a vocal core of us, are calling for a comprehensive HS. That phrase means a stand-alone school with all its own facilities including sports fields, auditorium, etc. HB Woodlawn and Arlington Tech are examples of programs that are not comprehensive. The kids return to their home schools for sports and many/most extracurriculars.

Because of the cost and dirth of space, the SB is looking to put those 1,300 seats likely at the Ed Center as some kind of instructional focus school be it IB, World Language, or some other concept. To many of us, that doesn't solve the capacity problem since the kids are still placing strain on the infrastructure of their home schools - especially W-L if the Ed Center ends up being the chosen location.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It will be a comprehensive high school. An instructional focus just means what instructional model it will follow. A different focus can change things at the margin, but the new HS will be a general, comprehensive HS.

What?? When did his massive shift in what the school board has been telling us happen?

[Anonymous]

Where is this high school supposed to go? Will it draw from Wakefield or WL?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where is this high school supposed to go? Will it draw from Wakefield or WL?

If it's another small program, i.e. only the 1,300 seats, Nancy Van Doren is pretty much dead-set that it would go at the Ed Center on the W-L campus. It would almost have to be some sort of lottery-based school similar to HB and Tech.

There aren't many places to put a comprehensive HS which is part of the problem. One option, if the land swap goes through, is to put it on the VHC property on Carlin Springs Rd. All HS boundaries would be re-drawn. Another option, since the Kenmore MS site is actually bigger, would be to relocate the middle school student body to the Ed Center (or the VHC property if acquired) and put the 4th high school there. A third option being bandied about would be the Career Center/Patrick Henry ES location.

Right now the APS Facilities Advisory Committee is exploring all the options to provide a report to the School Board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where is this high school supposed to go? Will it draw from Wakefield or WL?

If it's another small program, i.e. only the 1,300 seats, Nancy Van Doren is pretty much dead-set that it would go at the Ed Center on the W-L campus. It would almost have to be some sort of lottery-based school similar to HB and Tech.

There aren't many places to put a comprehensive HS which is part of the problem. One option, if the land swap goes through, is to put it on the VHC property on Carlin Springs Rd. All HS boundaries would be re-drawn. Another option, since the Kenmore MS site is actually bigger, would be to relocate the middle school student body to the Ed Center (or the VHC property if acquired) and put the 4th high school there. A third option being bandied about would be the Career Center/Patrick Henry ES location.

Right now the APS Facilities Advisory Committee is exploring all the options to provide a report to the School Board.

For anyone who is interested in these places, the Facilities Advisory Committee is doing a bus tour/discussion of various sites on Saturday. I'm guessing it will mostly be a 'discussion' of why only the Ed Center is feasible since that seems to be what the board wants.

Media Alert: Feb. 11 Joint Facilities Advisory Commission Bus Tour of County Sites

The public and news media are invited to join a three-hour County bus tour by Arlington’s Joint Facilities Advisory Commission (JFAC), as members visit sites that illustrate current conditions or could help the County Government and Arlington Public Schools resolve pressing capital facilities needs.

Space on the tour bus will be filled in the order of reservations received. Interested parties are also welcome to follow the bus from the Education Center in their own vehicles and must contact Jennifer Fioretti in advance and check in with staff at the Education Center at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

What: Joint Facilities Advisory Commission bus tour of County sites
Who: Members of Arlington’s Joint Facilities Advisory Commission Arlington County staff
When: Saturday, Feb. 11, 9 a.m. gathering followed by bus departure from the Arlington Education Center, 1426 N. Quincy St.
Where: Departing from the Arlington Education Center, 1426 N. Quincy St., the bus tour will make stops at:

9 a.m. Education Center, 1426 N. Quincy Street*
9:05 a.m. Presentation of Siting Process
9:15 a.m. Tour Begins
9:17 a.m. Travel to Buck Property – drive by, across from Education Center
9:30 a.m. Travel to Lee Highway properties
9:40 a.m. Walk exterior of properties, 5226-5275 Lee Highway**
10 a.m. Travel to properties – drive-by, 5138 and 5130 16th St N.
10:15 a.m. Travel to Carlin Springs property
10:25 a.m. Walk Carlin Springs site, 601 S. Carlin Springs Road*
10:55 a.m. Travel to Shirlington Road site
11 a.m. Tour Shirlington Road site, 2629 Shirlington Road
11:05 a.m. Travel to Arlington County Trades Center
11:10 a.m. Tour Trades Center, 2700 S. Taylor St.*
11:35 a.m. Travel back to Education Center

Those wishing to reserve a seat on the bus or follow along must contact Jennifer Fioretti at 703-228-4967 / [e-mail] or Kurt Larrick at 703-228-1775 / [e-mail]

[Anonymous]

Apparently one of the properties on the drawing board is the ATS property. Naturally, those of us with kids at ATS are less than excited about this. (And given how bad traffic is at the location with a 500-kid school, I have no confidence that the site could handle a 1300-kid school.)

[Anonymous]

Is there an online explanation anywhere of these properties? I can't swing a 3 hour bus tour. I'm curious for what use the county has for these very small parcels:

9:40 a.m. Walk exterior of properties, 5226-5275 Lee Highway**

These are a Bank of America and an office building on opposite sides of Lee Hwy from each other.

10 a.m. Travel to properties – drive-by, 5138 and 5130 16th St N.

These are two non-adjoining SFHs across from the hospital.

[Anonymous]

I'd guess some small parcels may be in consideration for moving the Children's School/Integration Station out of Reed. Apparently that's under discussion as part of making Reed a neighborhood ES.

There's also been some debate about whether or not that 1,300 seats is all in one place or a couple smaller programs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Apparently one of the properties on the drawing board is the ATS property. Naturally, those of us with kids at ATS are less than excited about this. (And given how bad traffic is at the location with a 500-kid school, I have no confidence that the site could handle a 1300-kid school.)

The ATS property is certainly large enough for a 1300 seat school and since ATS is not a neighborhood school, it could go anywhere.

[Anonymous]

if it's not a comprehensive HS that accommodate roughly 2,500 students and with a full compliment of facilities, then we must vote out every single member of the SB and the superintendent must be forced to resign.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Apparently one of the properties on the drawing board is the ATS property. Naturally, those of us with kids at ATS are less than excited about this. (And given how bad traffic is at the location with a 500-kid school, I have no confidence that the site could handle a 1300-kid school.)

And this is the NIMBY problem. As PP noted, ATS is not a neighborhood school, so if that particular school is important to you, I'm sure you'd be willing to have your kid follow it to a different location. Same thing, surely the Kenmore MS parents wouldn't want their kids to move. The W-L parents didn't want their kids redistricted to Yorktown and Wakefield. The Tuckahoe and Glebe families didn't want to come to McKinley. We get it. BUT, as a school system ALL our kids will suffer if the HS problem isn't addressed. Your kids are at ATS now, but in half a dozen years you will be bitching that they are in a 3,000+ student school and eating lunch at 10am.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Apparently one of the properties on the drawing board is the ATS property. Naturally, those of us with kids at ATS are less than excited about this. (And given how bad traffic is at the location with a 500-kid school, I have no confidence that the site could handle a 1300-kid school.)

If you find a school that none of the parents care to preserve in a location with no traffic, please report back.