APS - how to advocate for fourth high school now

[Anonymous]

Hi - I have a toddler so am somewhat out of the loop, but know that I really do not think kids would get a good education with a 4000-kid W-L.

I've taken the surveys, emailed the school board with my thoughts, and streamed the working group meetings. What else can I do to advocate for locating the HS seats at Kenmore?

[Anonymous]

Perhaps go to a School Board office hour. Support the Kenmore option. The most open School Board members appear to be Kanninen, Goldstein, and Lander. Perhaps support interim use of the current Ed Center building with minimal renovations.

We had a petition at the end of the school year / CIP process last year that got 1000 signatures in 48 hours and succeeded in temporarily getting the School Board to agree to build all the needed high school seats and back off the proposals for online classes and shift schedules.

I think another petition (to School Board, County Board, and APS stafff) could be helpful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Perhaps go to a School Board office hour. Support the Kenmore option. The most open School Board members appear to be Kanninen, Goldstein, and Lander. Perhaps support interim use of the current Ed Center building with minimal renovations.

We had a petition at the end of the school year / CIP process last year that got 1000 signatures in 48 hours and succeeded in temporarily getting the School Board to agree to build all the needed high school seats and back off the proposals for online classes and shift schedules.

I think another petition (to School Board, County Board, and APS stafff) could be helpful.

Lander is on record as favoring an expanded W-L. Also, he thinks victims of domestic violence are uneducated and to blame for being assaulted and murdered. So, there's that.

[Anonymous]

He's currently on the board and will be voting on this issue, which will be decided in June. If you want a 4th high school you're going to have to get 3 votes. Talento and NVD are not going to happen, IMO. Lander at least seemed open to thinking about relieving traffic via exiting the Kenmore campus on the western end.

[Anonymous]

I'm in the same boat. I've seen the 3 proposed sites and none of them look all that great. I live close to the Career Center and can't picture a high school there without some serious renovations and that school would have little green space.

Make sure you vote, though!

[Anonymous]

If it's convenient to you, the Yorktown PTA is sponsoring a forum with Barbara and Reid on Tuesday (I believe) to discuss capacity issues. Go if you can, and be another voice pushing for a 4th comprehensive high school.

Let James Lander know you intend to vote in the Democratic caucus, and you will not support him unless he publicly states that he will vote in favor of a fourth comprehensive HS rather than any other choice or small program model.

Good for you for paying attention now, it's hard to believe that decisions this spring will impact your child in ten years but it's true!

Also, to that end, get your friends involved. Email information to other friends and neighbors with small kids who might not yet be paying attention. They need to hear from young families. And young families need to show up at the Dem caucus so that it isn't only baby boomers choosing the candidates for us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If it's convenient to you, the Yorktown PTA is sponsoring a forum with Barbara and Reid on Tuesday (I believe) to discuss capacity issues. Go if you can, and be another voice pushing for a 4th comprehensive high school.

Let James Lander know you intend to vote in the Democratic caucus, and you will not support him unless he publicly states that he will vote in favor of a fourth comprehensive HS rather than any other choice or small program model.

Good for you for paying attention now, it's hard to believe that decisions this spring will impact your child in ten years but it's true!

Also, to that end, get your friends involved. Email information to other friends and neighbors with small kids who might not yet be paying attention. They need to hear from young families. And young families need to show up at the Dem caucus so that it isn't only baby boomers choosing the candidates for us.

All good advice.

Also, if you can get in for office hours with Tania, try that. I have a hope that if enough people come to her, she may break free from NVD's manipulative grasp and actually think for herself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it's convenient to you, the Yorktown PTA is sponsoring a forum with Barbara and Reid on Tuesday (I believe) to discuss capacity issues. Go if you can, and be another voice pushing for a 4th comprehensive high school.

Let James Lander know you intend to vote in the Democratic caucus, and you will not support him unless he publicly states that he will vote in favor of a fourth comprehensive HS rather than any other choice or small program model.

Good for you for paying attention now, it's hard to believe that decisions this spring will impact your child in ten years but it's true!

Also, to that end, get your friends involved. Email information to other friends and neighbors with small kids who might not yet be paying attention. They need to hear from young families. And young families need to show up at the Dem caucus so that it isn't only baby boomers choosing the candidates for us.

All good advice.

Also, if you can get in for office hours with Tania, try that. I have a hope that if enough people come to her, she may break free from NVD's manipulative grasp and actually think for herself.

Also, to be a little Machiavellian, let TT know that as more people learn about NVD's outburst, they are going to lose respect for her, so that is not an alliance she should be fostering.

[Anonymous]

Can we take a page out of the orange shirts playbook and show up to future working sessions in the same color?

[Anonymous]

OP- Also join the "Arlington Education Matters" FB page. It is a closed group, but open to anyone who cares about educational issues in Arlington. Just let the moderator know that you have a future APS child in the pipeline when you submit your request. Most of the School Board members are also on AEM and it is not anonymous so they tend to take the AEM comments more seriously than DCUM. (I've heard Barbara K tell people *not* to listen to DCUM, but she actually engages with people in the comments on AEM.)

And of course vote in the caucus! I think Maura McMahon is the only School Board candidate to come out explicitly in favor of building a 4th comprehensive high school at Kenmore. Same with Peter Fallon at the County Board candidate level.

[Anonymous]

There are no good choices for a new school. But Kenmore, my goodness. Having a middle and high school on the same campus - and an elementary school across the street???

Agree on McMahon though, she is a strong thinker and really seems to get it.

[Anonymous]

Maura supports a new neighborhood school.

Monique supports choice schools in general.

Who the hell knows what James supports, except it's not survivors of domestic violence or diverse schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are no good choices for a new school. But Kenmore, my goodness. Having a middle and high school on the same campus - and an elementary school across the street???

Agree on McMahon though, she is a strong thinker and really seems to get it.

HB Woodlawn is a middle school and high school in one building.

Not sure why elementary school gets three question marks. Could you explain the problem?

[Anonymous]

I thought the point was eventually to relocate the middle school at Kenmore. It's a waste of scares acreage to use that land for a middle school.
We can find a smaller space for a middle school- like the VHC PARCEL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought the point was eventually to relocate the middle school at Kenmore. It's a waste of scares acreage to use that land for a middle school.
We can find a smaller space for a middle school- like the VHC PARCEL.

Yes!