APS Closing Nottingham

[Anonymous]

And yet entertaining. You can’t deny that it’s always entertaining to read the arrogant posts from the Notties’ bubble.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:County projecting in 5 years we will have a surplus of over 1,000 elementary seats. That sounds...optimistic.

Based on what I wonder. There has been a lot of turnover and lots of new kids in the neighborhood. Pandemic dip was a blip driven by desperate parents who could afford alternatives. We’re coming back.

There’s absolutely no facts/data to support this one way or the other. It’s 1,000 kids going to private school and APS doesn’t know or care to know if they are ever coming back. And if they leave for good, what does that mean for other families in the neighborhood when it’s normal to send your kids to private schools?

I have zero confidence in APS planning/projections. I understand that as a member of the public school community we need to every once in a while deal with these adjustments. APS has convinced me that they are totally incompetent at predicting seats so why should we all run around like crazy people on an annual basis trying to fill seats that APS couldn’t accurately predict?

They need better, outside data before I believe that these moves actually need to be made. They have wasted our money long enough on poor planning and annual neighborhood fights over boundaries.

South Arl poster, our neighborhood has kids divided everywhere, especially private. The effect on the neighborhood has been ...just fine. We just had a real July 4th parade you probably have heard of and a neighborhood picnic at the community house. Having your young kids dispersed doesn't not kill your neighborhood, that is blatantly untrue and known by many county residents apparently outside of your neighborhood.
As for no confidence in APS planning, sure, you do your opinion. My opinion is APS is never allowed to make good strategic decisions because of having to give too much deference to neighborhood feedback. I just don't understand how a 26-square mile system allows itself to be handcuffed by a group of maybe a dozen streets at every decision.

I second that!! - different southern neighborhood. We don't have our own parade or community house but still have a vibrant neighborhood community with kids attending minimally 6 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 4 high schools that I can think of quickly off the top of my head.

Kudos to you. Nobody else wants this. You are the vast minority. We want our kids to walk to schools with their neighborhood friends. Hang out after school. Know the parents and families. Know what is happening in the classroom from the crazy moms who are there every other day. We want a little Mayberry. We take comfort in knowing that our neighbors around the corner are just as smart and just fancy elitists as we are and yet also choose to send their kid to this great public school. Seriously. I am not joking. That is why people move to North Arlington. You can delude yourself that others want what you have in terms of “community” but they don’t. What you have is what will happen to us in N Arlington when everyone sends their kids to private schools.

A lot of people would love to send their kids to a great, walkable school. But Arlington is part of a large and diverse school district. There are many different kinds of kids and families. Nobody owns any particular school. I say this gently, but if you want that kind of certainty, you need to pay for private school. And you don’t get a medal for sending your kids to a wealthy, white, walkable elementary school. You’re kidding yourself if you think you’re contributing to some kind of public good through this action. If the Nott community really wants that school to stay open, then they should support denser housing in that part of the county.

Nottingham family. I do support denser housing and proudly supported missing middle. I don’t support public housing projects and never have - not in my neighborhood and not anywhere - because we have known for 40+ years that concentrating poverty in this way is a bad idea. But the so-called “affordable housing” mafia seems to run this place and they get what they want.

I do find it a bit rich, though, when incredibly privileged people pat themselves on the back for buying a $1m+ house in a “diverse” neighborhood, promptly send their kids to option schools, and then berate others for looking after their interests.

Eyeroll. You didn’t even need to tell us you were from Nottingham. Obvious from your nasty tone.

Something sensitive there? Do you have a problem with me pointing out the rampant privilege that runs through this county and how aggressive people are about looking after their own interests everywhere? The average sales and rentals prices don’t lie. People in this town are RICH - and increasingly so with each passing year.

I’m not aware of any MC or above community that has willingly sacrificed itself for the greater good on anything. The communities just have varying levels of effectiveness in getting what they want. That’s the truth.

You want to talk about privilege? It’s laughable that you think the Nott kids getting assigned to another wealthy N Arlington ES is “sacrificing yourself.” You need to get out more.

+1

+1000. Moving your kid to Jamestown, Taylor or Tuckahoe isn’t exactly a hardship. Cut me a break.

Yes, let’s take 2 slightly under capacity schools and a third under capacity school and create 2 over capacity schools complete with long waiting lists for extended day and classrooms in trailers. What a great idea!

FWIW, Nottingham currently has an extensive waiting list for extended day.

There are fewer than 400 kids at Nottingham. Just saying.

And how many will be at Tuckahoe, Taylor and Disocvery in 2026?

Why does it matter? All of these schools are under enrolled and have capacity for higher enrollment. They might become modestly over capacity. Not one of these schools is projected to become significantly overcrowded under this plan.

APS’s projections have been proven to be worse than worthless time and time again. I’m sure their numbers were computed correctly. Or at least I have no reason to doubt it. It’s just their methodology is so limited as to be useless.

People like to make fun of the moms who chose to move to North Arlington specifically for the schools. Problem is, in high enough numbers, this behavior will blow whatever projections APS has based on birth rates and historical patterns clear out of the water. They missed it before and I truly believe they are setting themselves out to miss it again.

I disagree bc the prices are high enough that a lot of people are choosing the neighborhood that they like best, and then paying for private. If you can afford a new SFH in Arlington, you don’t need the public schools.

I mean, you don’t have to believe it, but this is what people have told me. Many people at this point. I know, anecdote is not data, but maybe there’s something reflecting in the preschool waitlists that isn’t showing in APS’s numbers?

Also - not everyone is moving into a brand new house. We still have lots of 1940s stock here. And not everyone who is moving into a brand new house at today’s rates has an extra post-tax $100k to send a couple of kids to private school. There are cheaper places to live if all you’re looking for is a good commute and a leafy neighborhood.

But the replacement houses are going private at significant rates and the birth rate is going down. And you aren’t getting as much as a single CAF building in 22207. Your schools aren’t going to get overcrowded.

I know a ton of people that have moved within the last 2 years to new builds. None are going private, all public, which is partly the reason they moved here to begin with.

I'm in 22207 and know a ton of people in new builds with kids in public schools

+2, 22213

Change is hard. It’s going to be ok. I promise.

Problem for me is the frequency of these change (aka battles) and the fact that they are always wrong in hindsight. Think you could get more of the community behind them if they were a rarer occurrence and people felt that the end result was good for the community as a whole.

They aren’t always wrong in hindsight, there are just various people who can never let anything go. School moves was mostly right. It would have been even better to send Key straight to Reed, but the current outcome is fine.

Alright you anonymous posters, this seems like an invitation to revisit all the dumb moves. I’ll start:

- Cardinal. Building/opening a whole new elementary in … NORTH Arlington.

DP. I guess you weren't here back then. We needed more seats and we had few options/limited money. It was the least bad option.

.

Honey I’ve got 50+ years in this community. Their “planning” was TERRIBLE. Who builds a brand new school that opens in what 2021(?) only to propose closing a nearby one just a couple of years later? Bad planning. Like laugh out loud bad.

“Honey”, no one could have “planned” for the pandemic. GMAFB.

Do you even have kids in APS? Active, engaged parents saw the options at that point. It was the least bad option to add seats.

Some people just like to complain I guess.

But it was entirely predictable what would happen if schools stayed closed for that long. Stop acting like everything was a foregone conclusion.

Like I said, some people just like to complain.

APS has had to deal with some crappy situations - overcrowding, limited real estate, global pandemic. They have made very reasonable decisions along the way.

Whiners gonna whine.

I agree with this. A slice of Arlington parents are so freaking awful I don’t know how APS gets any staff to deal with them. It’s embarrassing the way some people behave.

It’s embarrassing to post your frank views on an anonymous message board? You and I have different thresholds for embarrassment.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:County projecting in 5 years we will have a surplus of over 1,000 elementary seats. That sounds...optimistic.

Based on what I wonder. There has been a lot of turnover and lots of new kids in the neighborhood. Pandemic dip was a blip driven by desperate parents who could afford alternatives. We’re coming back.

There’s absolutely no facts/data to support this one way or the other. It’s 1,000 kids going to private school and APS doesn’t know or care to know if they are ever coming back. And if they leave for good, what does that mean for other families in the neighborhood when it’s normal to send your kids to private schools?

I have zero confidence in APS planning/projections. I understand that as a member of the public school community we need to every once in a while deal with these adjustments. APS has convinced me that they are totally incompetent at predicting seats so why should we all run around like crazy people on an annual basis trying to fill seats that APS couldn’t accurately predict?

They need better, outside data before I believe that these moves actually need to be made. They have wasted our money long enough on poor planning and annual neighborhood fights over boundaries.

South Arl poster, our neighborhood has kids divided everywhere, especially private. The effect on the neighborhood has been ...just fine. We just had a real July 4th parade you probably have heard of and a neighborhood picnic at the community house. Having your young kids dispersed doesn't not kill your neighborhood, that is blatantly untrue and known by many county residents apparently outside of your neighborhood.
As for no confidence in APS planning, sure, you do your opinion. My opinion is APS is never allowed to make good strategic decisions because of having to give too much deference to neighborhood feedback. I just don't understand how a 26-square mile system allows itself to be handcuffed by a group of maybe a dozen streets at every decision.

I second that!! - different southern neighborhood. We don't have our own parade or community house but still have a vibrant neighborhood community with kids attending minimally 6 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 4 high schools that I can think of quickly off the top of my head.

Kudos to you. Nobody else wants this. You are the vast minority. We want our kids to walk to schools with their neighborhood friends. Hang out after school. Know the parents and families. Know what is happening in the classroom from the crazy moms who are there every other day. We want a little Mayberry. We take comfort in knowing that our neighbors around the corner are just as smart and just fancy elitists as we are and yet also choose to send their kid to this great public school. Seriously. I am not joking. That is why people move to North Arlington. You can delude yourself that others want what you have in terms of “community” but they don’t. What you have is what will happen to us in N Arlington when everyone sends their kids to private schools.

A lot of people would love to send their kids to a great, walkable school. But Arlington is part of a large and diverse school district. There are many different kinds of kids and families. Nobody owns any particular school. I say this gently, but if you want that kind of certainty, you need to pay for private school. And you don’t get a medal for sending your kids to a wealthy, white, walkable elementary school. You’re kidding yourself if you think you’re contributing to some kind of public good through this action. If the Nott community really wants that school to stay open, then they should support denser housing in that part of the county.

Nottingham family. I do support denser housing and proudly supported missing middle. I don’t support public housing projects and never have - not in my neighborhood and not anywhere - because we have known for 40+ years that concentrating poverty in this way is a bad idea. But the so-called “affordable housing” mafia seems to run this place and they get what they want.

I do find it a bit rich, though, when incredibly privileged people pat themselves on the back for buying a $1m+ house in a “diverse” neighborhood, promptly send their kids to option schools, and then berate others for looking after their interests.

Eyeroll. You didn’t even need to tell us you were from Nottingham. Obvious from your nasty tone.

Something sensitive there? Do you have a problem with me pointing out the rampant privilege that runs through this county and how aggressive people are about looking after their own interests everywhere? The average sales and rentals prices don’t lie. People in this town are RICH - and increasingly so with each passing year.

I’m not aware of any MC or above community that has willingly sacrificed itself for the greater good on anything. The communities just have varying levels of effectiveness in getting what they want. That’s the truth.

You want to talk about privilege? It’s laughable that you think the Nott kids getting assigned to another wealthy N Arlington ES is “sacrificing yourself.” You need to get out more.

+1

+1000. Moving your kid to Jamestown, Taylor or Tuckahoe isn’t exactly a hardship. Cut me a break.

Yes, let’s take 2 slightly under capacity schools and a third under capacity school and create 2 over capacity schools complete with long waiting lists for extended day and classrooms in trailers. What a great idea!

FWIW, Nottingham currently has an extensive waiting list for extended day.

There are fewer than 400 kids at Nottingham. Just saying.

And how many will be at Tuckahoe, Taylor and Disocvery in 2026?

Why does it matter? All of these schools are under enrolled and have capacity for higher enrollment. They might become modestly over capacity. Not one of these schools is projected to become significantly overcrowded under this plan.

APS’s projections have been proven to be worse than worthless time and time again. I’m sure their numbers were computed correctly. Or at least I have no reason to doubt it. It’s just their methodology is so limited as to be useless.

People like to make fun of the moms who chose to move to North Arlington specifically for the schools. Problem is, in high enough numbers, this behavior will blow whatever projections APS has based on birth rates and historical patterns clear out of the water. They missed it before and I truly believe they are setting themselves out to miss it again.

I disagree bc the prices are high enough that a lot of people are choosing the neighborhood that they like best, and then paying for private. If you can afford a new SFH in Arlington, you don’t need the public schools.

I mean, you don’t have to believe it, but this is what people have told me. Many people at this point. I know, anecdote is not data, but maybe there’s something reflecting in the preschool waitlists that isn’t showing in APS’s numbers?

Also - not everyone is moving into a brand new house. We still have lots of 1940s stock here. And not everyone who is moving into a brand new house at today’s rates has an extra post-tax $100k to send a couple of kids to private school. There are cheaper places to live if all you’re looking for is a good commute and a leafy neighborhood.

But the replacement houses are going private at significant rates and the birth rate is going down. And you aren’t getting as much as a single CAF building in 22207. Your schools aren’t going to get overcrowded.

I know a ton of people that have moved within the last 2 years to new builds. None are going private, all public, which is partly the reason they moved here to begin with.

I'm in 22207 and know a ton of people in new builds with kids in public schools

+2, 22213

Change is hard. It’s going to be ok. I promise.

Problem for me is the frequency of these change (aka battles) and the fact that they are always wrong in hindsight. Think you could get more of the community behind them if they were a rarer occurrence and people felt that the end result was good for the community as a whole.

They aren’t always wrong in hindsight, there are just various people who can never let anything go. School moves was mostly right. It would have been even better to send Key straight to Reed, but the current outcome is fine.

Alright you anonymous posters, this seems like an invitation to revisit all the dumb moves. I’ll start:

- Cardinal. Building/opening a whole new elementary in … NORTH Arlington.

DP. I guess you weren't here back then. We needed more seats and we had few options/limited money. It was the least bad option.

.

Honey I’ve got 50+ years in this community. Their “planning” was TERRIBLE. Who builds a brand new school that opens in what 2021(?) only to propose closing a nearby one just a couple of years later? Bad planning. Like laugh out loud bad.

“Honey”, no one could have “planned” for the pandemic. GMAFB.

Do you even have kids in APS? Active, engaged parents saw the options at that point. It was the least bad option to add seats.

Some people just like to complain I guess.

But it was entirely predictable what would happen if schools stayed closed for that long. Stop acting like everything was a foregone conclusion.

Like I said, some people just like to complain.

APS has had to deal with some crappy situations - overcrowding, limited real estate, global pandemic. They have made very reasonable decisions along the way.

Whiners gonna whine.

Out of curiosity, what do you think causes overcrowding? Who do you think regulates land use in the County?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:County projecting in 5 years we will have a surplus of over 1,000 elementary seats. That sounds...optimistic.

Based on what I wonder. There has been a lot of turnover and lots of new kids in the neighborhood. Pandemic dip was a blip driven by desperate parents who could afford alternatives. We’re coming back.

There’s absolutely no facts/data to support this one way or the other. It’s 1,000 kids going to private school and APS doesn’t know or care to know if they are ever coming back. And if they leave for good, what does that mean for other families in the neighborhood when it’s normal to send your kids to private schools?

I have zero confidence in APS planning/projections. I understand that as a member of the public school community we need to every once in a while deal with these adjustments. APS has convinced me that they are totally incompetent at predicting seats so why should we all run around like crazy people on an annual basis trying to fill seats that APS couldn’t accurately predict?

They need better, outside data before I believe that these moves actually need to be made. They have wasted our money long enough on poor planning and annual neighborhood fights over boundaries.

South Arl poster, our neighborhood has kids divided everywhere, especially private. The effect on the neighborhood has been ...just fine. We just had a real July 4th parade you probably have heard of and a neighborhood picnic at the community house. Having your young kids dispersed doesn't not kill your neighborhood, that is blatantly untrue and known by many county residents apparently outside of your neighborhood.
As for no confidence in APS planning, sure, you do your opinion. My opinion is APS is never allowed to make good strategic decisions because of having to give too much deference to neighborhood feedback. I just don't understand how a 26-square mile system allows itself to be handcuffed by a group of maybe a dozen streets at every decision.

I second that!! - different southern neighborhood. We don't have our own parade or community house but still have a vibrant neighborhood community with kids attending minimally 6 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 4 high schools that I can think of quickly off the top of my head.

Kudos to you. Nobody else wants this. You are the vast minority. We want our kids to walk to schools with their neighborhood friends. Hang out after school. Know the parents and families. Know what is happening in the classroom from the crazy moms who are there every other day. We want a little Mayberry. We take comfort in knowing that our neighbors around the corner are just as smart and just fancy elitists as we are and yet also choose to send their kid to this great public school. Seriously. I am not joking. That is why people move to North Arlington. You can delude yourself that others want what you have in terms of “community” but they don’t. What you have is what will happen to us in N Arlington when everyone sends their kids to private schools.

A lot of people would love to send their kids to a great, walkable school. But Arlington is part of a large and diverse school district. There are many different kinds of kids and families. Nobody owns any particular school. I say this gently, but if you want that kind of certainty, you need to pay for private school. And you don’t get a medal for sending your kids to a wealthy, white, walkable elementary school. You’re kidding yourself if you think you’re contributing to some kind of public good through this action. If the Nott community really wants that school to stay open, then they should support denser housing in that part of the county.

Nottingham family. I do support denser housing and proudly supported missing middle. I don’t support public housing projects and never have - not in my neighborhood and not anywhere - because we have known for 40+ years that concentrating poverty in this way is a bad idea. But the so-called “affordable housing” mafia seems to run this place and they get what they want.

I do find it a bit rich, though, when incredibly privileged people pat themselves on the back for buying a $1m+ house in a “diverse” neighborhood, promptly send their kids to option schools, and then berate others for looking after their interests.

Eyeroll. You didn’t even need to tell us you were from Nottingham. Obvious from your nasty tone.

Something sensitive there? Do you have a problem with me pointing out the rampant privilege that runs through this county and how aggressive people are about looking after their own interests everywhere? The average sales and rentals prices don’t lie. People in this town are RICH - and increasingly so with each passing year.

I’m not aware of any MC or above community that has willingly sacrificed itself for the greater good on anything. The communities just have varying levels of effectiveness in getting what they want. That’s the truth.

You want to talk about privilege? It’s laughable that you think the Nott kids getting assigned to another wealthy N Arlington ES is “sacrificing yourself.” You need to get out more.

+1

+1000. Moving your kid to Jamestown, Taylor or Tuckahoe isn’t exactly a hardship. Cut me a break.

Yes, let’s take 2 slightly under capacity schools and a third under capacity school and create 2 over capacity schools complete with long waiting lists for extended day and classrooms in trailers. What a great idea!

FWIW, Nottingham currently has an extensive waiting list for extended day.

There are fewer than 400 kids at Nottingham. Just saying.

And how many will be at Tuckahoe, Taylor and Disocvery in 2026?

Why does it matter? All of these schools are under enrolled and have capacity for higher enrollment. They might become modestly over capacity. Not one of these schools is projected to become significantly overcrowded under this plan.

APS’s projections have been proven to be worse than worthless time and time again. I’m sure their numbers were computed correctly. Or at least I have no reason to doubt it. It’s just their methodology is so limited as to be useless.

People like to make fun of the moms who chose to move to North Arlington specifically for the schools. Problem is, in high enough numbers, this behavior will blow whatever projections APS has based on birth rates and historical patterns clear out of the water. They missed it before and I truly believe they are setting themselves out to miss it again.

I disagree bc the prices are high enough that a lot of people are choosing the neighborhood that they like best, and then paying for private. If you can afford a new SFH in Arlington, you don’t need the public schools.

I mean, you don’t have to believe it, but this is what people have told me. Many people at this point. I know, anecdote is not data, but maybe there’s something reflecting in the preschool waitlists that isn’t showing in APS’s numbers?

Also - not everyone is moving into a brand new house. We still have lots of 1940s stock here. And not everyone who is moving into a brand new house at today’s rates has an extra post-tax $100k to send a couple of kids to private school. There are cheaper places to live if all you’re looking for is a good commute and a leafy neighborhood.

But the replacement houses are going private at significant rates and the birth rate is going down. And you aren’t getting as much as a single CAF building in 22207. Your schools aren’t going to get overcrowded.

I know a ton of people that have moved within the last 2 years to new builds. None are going private, all public, which is partly the reason they moved here to begin with.

I'm in 22207 and know a ton of people in new builds with kids in public schools

+2, 22213

Change is hard. It’s going to be ok. I promise.

Problem for me is the frequency of these change (aka battles) and the fact that they are always wrong in hindsight. Think you could get more of the community behind them if they were a rarer occurrence and people felt that the end result was good for the community as a whole.

They aren’t always wrong in hindsight, there are just various people who can never let anything go. School moves was mostly right. It would have been even better to send Key straight to Reed, but the current outcome is fine.

Alright you anonymous posters, this seems like an invitation to revisit all the dumb moves. I’ll start:

- Cardinal. Building/opening a whole new elementary in … NORTH Arlington.

DP. I guess you weren't here back then. We needed more seats and we had few options/limited money. It was the least bad option.

.

Honey I’ve got 50+ years in this community. Their “planning” was TERRIBLE. Who builds a brand new school that opens in what 2021(?) only to propose closing a nearby one just a couple of years later? Bad planning. Like laugh out loud bad.

I’m sorry but I have to agree: this one is pretty bad and hard to explain away. It’s not exactly a tiny oopsie.

Hard to explain away? Have you been napping for the past couple years and just woke up? There was a pandemic that upended enrollment.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:County projecting in 5 years we will have a surplus of over 1,000 elementary seats. That sounds...optimistic.

Based on what I wonder. There has been a lot of turnover and lots of new kids in the neighborhood. Pandemic dip was a blip driven by desperate parents who could afford alternatives. We’re coming back.

There’s absolutely no facts/data to support this one way or the other. It’s 1,000 kids going to private school and APS doesn’t know or care to know if they are ever coming back. And if they leave for good, what does that mean for other families in the neighborhood when it’s normal to send your kids to private schools?

I have zero confidence in APS planning/projections. I understand that as a member of the public school community we need to every once in a while deal with these adjustments. APS has convinced me that they are totally incompetent at predicting seats so why should we all run around like crazy people on an annual basis trying to fill seats that APS couldn’t accurately predict?

They need better, outside data before I believe that these moves actually need to be made. They have wasted our money long enough on poor planning and annual neighborhood fights over boundaries.

South Arl poster, our neighborhood has kids divided everywhere, especially private. The effect on the neighborhood has been ...just fine. We just had a real July 4th parade you probably have heard of and a neighborhood picnic at the community house. Having your young kids dispersed doesn't not kill your neighborhood, that is blatantly untrue and known by many county residents apparently outside of your neighborhood.
As for no confidence in APS planning, sure, you do your opinion. My opinion is APS is never allowed to make good strategic decisions because of having to give too much deference to neighborhood feedback. I just don't understand how a 26-square mile system allows itself to be handcuffed by a group of maybe a dozen streets at every decision.

I second that!! - different southern neighborhood. We don't have our own parade or community house but still have a vibrant neighborhood community with kids attending minimally 6 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 4 high schools that I can think of quickly off the top of my head.

Kudos to you. Nobody else wants this. You are the vast minority. We want our kids to walk to schools with their neighborhood friends. Hang out after school. Know the parents and families. Know what is happening in the classroom from the crazy moms who are there every other day. We want a little Mayberry. We take comfort in knowing that our neighbors around the corner are just as smart and just fancy elitists as we are and yet also choose to send their kid to this great public school. Seriously. I am not joking. That is why people move to North Arlington. You can delude yourself that others want what you have in terms of “community” but they don’t. What you have is what will happen to us in N Arlington when everyone sends their kids to private schools.

A lot of people would love to send their kids to a great, walkable school. But Arlington is part of a large and diverse school district. There are many different kinds of kids and families. Nobody owns any particular school. I say this gently, but if you want that kind of certainty, you need to pay for private school. And you don’t get a medal for sending your kids to a wealthy, white, walkable elementary school. You’re kidding yourself if you think you’re contributing to some kind of public good through this action. If the Nott community really wants that school to stay open, then they should support denser housing in that part of the county.

Nottingham family. I do support denser housing and proudly supported missing middle. I don’t support public housing projects and never have - not in my neighborhood and not anywhere - because we have known for 40+ years that concentrating poverty in this way is a bad idea. But the so-called “affordable housing” mafia seems to run this place and they get what they want.

I do find it a bit rich, though, when incredibly privileged people pat themselves on the back for buying a $1m+ house in a “diverse” neighborhood, promptly send their kids to option schools, and then berate others for looking after their interests.

Eyeroll. You didn’t even need to tell us you were from Nottingham. Obvious from your nasty tone.

Something sensitive there? Do you have a problem with me pointing out the rampant privilege that runs through this county and how aggressive people are about looking after their own interests everywhere? The average sales and rentals prices don’t lie. People in this town are RICH - and increasingly so with each passing year.

I’m not aware of any MC or above community that has willingly sacrificed itself for the greater good on anything. The communities just have varying levels of effectiveness in getting what they want. That’s the truth.

You want to talk about privilege? It’s laughable that you think the Nott kids getting assigned to another wealthy N Arlington ES is “sacrificing yourself.” You need to get out more.

+1

+1000. Moving your kid to Jamestown, Taylor or Tuckahoe isn’t exactly a hardship. Cut me a break.

Yes, let’s take 2 slightly under capacity schools and a third under capacity school and create 2 over capacity schools complete with long waiting lists for extended day and classrooms in trailers. What a great idea!

FWIW, Nottingham currently has an extensive waiting list for extended day.

There are fewer than 400 kids at Nottingham. Just saying.

And how many will be at Tuckahoe, Taylor and Disocvery in 2026?

Why does it matter? All of these schools are under enrolled and have capacity for higher enrollment. They might become modestly over capacity. Not one of these schools is projected to become significantly overcrowded under this plan.

APS’s projections have been proven to be worse than worthless time and time again. I’m sure their numbers were computed correctly. Or at least I have no reason to doubt it. It’s just their methodology is so limited as to be useless.

People like to make fun of the moms who chose to move to North Arlington specifically for the schools. Problem is, in high enough numbers, this behavior will blow whatever projections APS has based on birth rates and historical patterns clear out of the water. They missed it before and I truly believe they are setting themselves out to miss it again.

I disagree bc the prices are high enough that a lot of people are choosing the neighborhood that they like best, and then paying for private. If you can afford a new SFH in Arlington, you don’t need the public schools.

I mean, you don’t have to believe it, but this is what people have told me. Many people at this point. I know, anecdote is not data, but maybe there’s something reflecting in the preschool waitlists that isn’t showing in APS’s numbers?

Also - not everyone is moving into a brand new house. We still have lots of 1940s stock here. And not everyone who is moving into a brand new house at today’s rates has an extra post-tax $100k to send a couple of kids to private school. There are cheaper places to live if all you’re looking for is a good commute and a leafy neighborhood.

But the replacement houses are going private at significant rates and the birth rate is going down. And you aren’t getting as much as a single CAF building in 22207. Your schools aren’t going to get overcrowded.

I know a ton of people that have moved within the last 2 years to new builds. None are going private, all public, which is partly the reason they moved here to begin with.

I'm in 22207 and know a ton of people in new builds with kids in public schools

+2, 22213

Change is hard. It’s going to be ok. I promise.

Problem for me is the frequency of these change (aka battles) and the fact that they are always wrong in hindsight. Think you could get more of the community behind them if they were a rarer occurrence and people felt that the end result was good for the community as a whole.

They aren’t always wrong in hindsight, there are just various people who can never let anything go. School moves was mostly right. It would have been even better to send Key straight to Reed, but the current outcome is fine.

Alright you anonymous posters, this seems like an invitation to revisit all the dumb moves. I’ll start:

- Cardinal. Building/opening a whole new elementary in … NORTH Arlington.

DP. I guess you weren't here back then. We needed more seats and we had few options/limited money. It was the least bad option.

.

Honey I’ve got 50+ years in this community. Their “planning” was TERRIBLE. Who builds a brand new school that opens in what 2021(?) only to propose closing a nearby one just a couple of years later? Bad planning. Like laugh out loud bad.

“Honey”, no one could have “planned” for the pandemic. GMAFB.

Do you even have kids in APS? Active, engaged parents saw the options at that point. It was the least bad option to add seats.

Some people just like to complain I guess.

But it was entirely predictable what would happen if schools stayed closed for that long. Stop acting like everything was a foregone conclusion.

Like I said, some people just like to complain.

APS has had to deal with some crappy situations - overcrowding, limited real estate, global pandemic. They have made very reasonable decisions along the way.

Whiners gonna whine.

I agree with this. A slice of Arlington parents are so freaking awful I don’t know how APS gets any staff to deal with them. It’s embarrassing the way some people behave.

It’s embarrassing to post your frank views on an anonymous message board? You and I have different thresholds for embarrassment.

I was thinking both of the entitled, self-serving, I’ll-informed nonsense seen here and how people behave in real life, which will be coming soon.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:County projecting in 5 years we will have a surplus of over 1,000 elementary seats. That sounds...optimistic.

Based on what I wonder. There has been a lot of turnover and lots of new kids in the neighborhood. Pandemic dip was a blip driven by desperate parents who could afford alternatives. We’re coming back.

There’s absolutely no facts/data to support this one way or the other. It’s 1,000 kids going to private school and APS doesn’t know or care to know if they are ever coming back. And if they leave for good, what does that mean for other families in the neighborhood when it’s normal to send your kids to private schools?

I have zero confidence in APS planning/projections. I understand that as a member of the public school community we need to every once in a while deal with these adjustments. APS has convinced me that they are totally incompetent at predicting seats so why should we all run around like crazy people on an annual basis trying to fill seats that APS couldn’t accurately predict?

They need better, outside data before I believe that these moves actually need to be made. They have wasted our money long enough on poor planning and annual neighborhood fights over boundaries.

South Arl poster, our neighborhood has kids divided everywhere, especially private. The effect on the neighborhood has been ...just fine. We just had a real July 4th parade you probably have heard of and a neighborhood picnic at the community house. Having your young kids dispersed doesn't not kill your neighborhood, that is blatantly untrue and known by many county residents apparently outside of your neighborhood.
As for no confidence in APS planning, sure, you do your opinion. My opinion is APS is never allowed to make good strategic decisions because of having to give too much deference to neighborhood feedback. I just don't understand how a 26-square mile system allows itself to be handcuffed by a group of maybe a dozen streets at every decision.

I second that!! - different southern neighborhood. We don't have our own parade or community house but still have a vibrant neighborhood community with kids attending minimally 6 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 4 high schools that I can think of quickly off the top of my head.

Kudos to you. Nobody else wants this. You are the vast minority. We want our kids to walk to schools with their neighborhood friends. Hang out after school. Know the parents and families. Know what is happening in the classroom from the crazy moms who are there every other day. We want a little Mayberry. We take comfort in knowing that our neighbors around the corner are just as smart and just fancy elitists as we are and yet also choose to send their kid to this great public school. Seriously. I am not joking. That is why people move to North Arlington. You can delude yourself that others want what you have in terms of “community” but they don’t. What you have is what will happen to us in N Arlington when everyone sends their kids to private schools.

A lot of people would love to send their kids to a great, walkable school. But Arlington is part of a large and diverse school district. There are many different kinds of kids and families. Nobody owns any particular school. I say this gently, but if you want that kind of certainty, you need to pay for private school. And you don’t get a medal for sending your kids to a wealthy, white, walkable elementary school. You’re kidding yourself if you think you’re contributing to some kind of public good through this action. If the Nott community really wants that school to stay open, then they should support denser housing in that part of the county.

Nottingham family. I do support denser housing and proudly supported missing middle. I don’t support public housing projects and never have - not in my neighborhood and not anywhere - because we have known for 40+ years that concentrating poverty in this way is a bad idea. But the so-called “affordable housing” mafia seems to run this place and they get what they want.

I do find it a bit rich, though, when incredibly privileged people pat themselves on the back for buying a $1m+ house in a “diverse” neighborhood, promptly send their kids to option schools, and then berate others for looking after their interests.

Eyeroll. You didn’t even need to tell us you were from Nottingham. Obvious from your nasty tone.

Something sensitive there? Do you have a problem with me pointing out the rampant privilege that runs through this county and how aggressive people are about looking after their own interests everywhere? The average sales and rentals prices don’t lie. People in this town are RICH - and increasingly so with each passing year.

I’m not aware of any MC or above community that has willingly sacrificed itself for the greater good on anything. The communities just have varying levels of effectiveness in getting what they want. That’s the truth.

You want to talk about privilege? It’s laughable that you think the Nott kids getting assigned to another wealthy N Arlington ES is “sacrificing yourself.” You need to get out more.

+1

+1000. Moving your kid to Jamestown, Taylor or Tuckahoe isn’t exactly a hardship. Cut me a break.

Yes, let’s take 2 slightly under capacity schools and a third under capacity school and create 2 over capacity schools complete with long waiting lists for extended day and classrooms in trailers. What a great idea!

FWIW, Nottingham currently has an extensive waiting list for extended day.

There are fewer than 400 kids at Nottingham. Just saying.

And how many will be at Tuckahoe, Taylor and Disocvery in 2026?

Why does it matter? All of these schools are under enrolled and have capacity for higher enrollment. They might become modestly over capacity. Not one of these schools is projected to become significantly overcrowded under this plan.

APS’s projections have been proven to be worse than worthless time and time again. I’m sure their numbers were computed correctly. Or at least I have no reason to doubt it. It’s just their methodology is so limited as to be useless.

People like to make fun of the moms who chose to move to North Arlington specifically for the schools. Problem is, in high enough numbers, this behavior will blow whatever projections APS has based on birth rates and historical patterns clear out of the water. They missed it before and I truly believe they are setting themselves out to miss it again.

I disagree bc the prices are high enough that a lot of people are choosing the neighborhood that they like best, and then paying for private. If you can afford a new SFH in Arlington, you don’t need the public schools.

I mean, you don’t have to believe it, but this is what people have told me. Many people at this point. I know, anecdote is not data, but maybe there’s something reflecting in the preschool waitlists that isn’t showing in APS’s numbers?

Also - not everyone is moving into a brand new house. We still have lots of 1940s stock here. And not everyone who is moving into a brand new house at today’s rates has an extra post-tax $100k to send a couple of kids to private school. There are cheaper places to live if all you’re looking for is a good commute and a leafy neighborhood.

But the replacement houses are going private at significant rates and the birth rate is going down. And you aren’t getting as much as a single CAF building in 22207. Your schools aren’t going to get overcrowded.

I know a ton of people that have moved within the last 2 years to new builds. None are going private, all public, which is partly the reason they moved here to begin with.

I'm in 22207 and know a ton of people in new builds with kids in public schools

+2, 22213

Change is hard. It’s going to be ok. I promise.

Problem for me is the frequency of these change (aka battles) and the fact that they are always wrong in hindsight. Think you could get more of the community behind them if they were a rarer occurrence and people felt that the end result was good for the community as a whole.

They aren’t always wrong in hindsight, there are just various people who can never let anything go. School moves was mostly right. It would have been even better to send Key straight to Reed, but the current outcome is fine.

Alright you anonymous posters, this seems like an invitation to revisit all the dumb moves. I’ll start:

- Cardinal. Building/opening a whole new elementary in … NORTH Arlington.

DP. I guess you weren't here back then. We needed more seats and we had few options/limited money. It was the least bad option.

.

Honey I’ve got 50+ years in this community. Their “planning” was TERRIBLE. Who builds a brand new school that opens in what 2021(?) only to propose closing a nearby one just a couple of years later? Bad planning. Like laugh out loud bad.

“Honey”, no one could have “planned” for the pandemic. GMAFB.

Do you even have kids in APS? Active, engaged parents saw the options at that point. It was the least bad option to add seats.

Some people just like to complain I guess.

But it was entirely predictable what would happen if schools stayed closed for that long. Stop acting like everything was a foregone conclusion.

Like I said, some people just like to complain.

APS has had to deal with some crappy situations - overcrowding, limited real estate, global pandemic. They have made very reasonable decisions along the way.

Whiners gonna whine.

I agree with this. A slice of Arlington parents are so freaking awful I don’t know how APS gets any staff to deal with them. It’s embarrassing the way some people behave.

It’s embarrassing to post your frank views on an anonymous message board? You and I have different thresholds for embarrassment.

I was thinking both of the entitled, self-serving, I’ll-informed nonsense seen here and how people behave in real life, which will be coming soon.

*ill-informed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:County projecting in 5 years we will have a surplus of over 1,000 elementary seats. That sounds...optimistic.

Based on what I wonder. There has been a lot of turnover and lots of new kids in the neighborhood. Pandemic dip was a blip driven by desperate parents who could afford alternatives. We’re coming back.

There’s absolutely no facts/data to support this one way or the other. It’s 1,000 kids going to private school and APS doesn’t know or care to know if they are ever coming back. And if they leave for good, what does that mean for other families in the neighborhood when it’s normal to send your kids to private schools?

I have zero confidence in APS planning/projections. I understand that as a member of the public school community we need to every once in a while deal with these adjustments. APS has convinced me that they are totally incompetent at predicting seats so why should we all run around like crazy people on an annual basis trying to fill seats that APS couldn’t accurately predict?

They need better, outside data before I believe that these moves actually need to be made. They have wasted our money long enough on poor planning and annual neighborhood fights over boundaries.

South Arl poster, our neighborhood has kids divided everywhere, especially private. The effect on the neighborhood has been ...just fine. We just had a real July 4th parade you probably have heard of and a neighborhood picnic at the community house. Having your young kids dispersed doesn't not kill your neighborhood, that is blatantly untrue and known by many county residents apparently outside of your neighborhood.
As for no confidence in APS planning, sure, you do your opinion. My opinion is APS is never allowed to make good strategic decisions because of having to give too much deference to neighborhood feedback. I just don't understand how a 26-square mile system allows itself to be handcuffed by a group of maybe a dozen streets at every decision.

I second that!! - different southern neighborhood. We don't have our own parade or community house but still have a vibrant neighborhood community with kids attending minimally 6 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 4 high schools that I can think of quickly off the top of my head.

Kudos to you. Nobody else wants this. You are the vast minority. We want our kids to walk to schools with their neighborhood friends. Hang out after school. Know the parents and families. Know what is happening in the classroom from the crazy moms who are there every other day. We want a little Mayberry. We take comfort in knowing that our neighbors around the corner are just as smart and just fancy elitists as we are and yet also choose to send their kid to this great public school. Seriously. I am not joking. That is why people move to North Arlington. You can delude yourself that others want what you have in terms of “community” but they don’t. What you have is what will happen to us in N Arlington when everyone sends their kids to private schools.

A lot of people would love to send their kids to a great, walkable school. But Arlington is part of a large and diverse school district. There are many different kinds of kids and families. Nobody owns any particular school. I say this gently, but if you want that kind of certainty, you need to pay for private school. And you don’t get a medal for sending your kids to a wealthy, white, walkable elementary school. You’re kidding yourself if you think you’re contributing to some kind of public good through this action. If the Nott community really wants that school to stay open, then they should support denser housing in that part of the county.

Nottingham family. I do support denser housing and proudly supported missing middle. I don’t support public housing projects and never have - not in my neighborhood and not anywhere - because we have known for 40+ years that concentrating poverty in this way is a bad idea. But the so-called “affordable housing” mafia seems to run this place and they get what they want.

I do find it a bit rich, though, when incredibly privileged people pat themselves on the back for buying a $1m+ house in a “diverse” neighborhood, promptly send their kids to option schools, and then berate others for looking after their interests.

Eyeroll. You didn’t even need to tell us you were from Nottingham. Obvious from your nasty tone.

Something sensitive there? Do you have a problem with me pointing out the rampant privilege that runs through this county and how aggressive people are about looking after their own interests everywhere? The average sales and rentals prices don’t lie. People in this town are RICH - and increasingly so with each passing year.

I’m not aware of any MC or above community that has willingly sacrificed itself for the greater good on anything. The communities just have varying levels of effectiveness in getting what they want. That’s the truth.

You want to talk about privilege? It’s laughable that you think the Nott kids getting assigned to another wealthy N Arlington ES is “sacrificing yourself.” You need to get out more.

+1

+1000. Moving your kid to Jamestown, Taylor or Tuckahoe isn’t exactly a hardship. Cut me a break.

Yes, let’s take 2 slightly under capacity schools and a third under capacity school and create 2 over capacity schools complete with long waiting lists for extended day and classrooms in trailers. What a great idea!

FWIW, Nottingham currently has an extensive waiting list for extended day.

There are fewer than 400 kids at Nottingham. Just saying.

And how many will be at Tuckahoe, Taylor and Disocvery in 2026?

Why does it matter? All of these schools are under enrolled and have capacity for higher enrollment. They might become modestly over capacity. Not one of these schools is projected to become significantly overcrowded under this plan.

APS’s projections have been proven to be worse than worthless time and time again. I’m sure their numbers were computed correctly. Or at least I have no reason to doubt it. It’s just their methodology is so limited as to be useless.

People like to make fun of the moms who chose to move to North Arlington specifically for the schools. Problem is, in high enough numbers, this behavior will blow whatever projections APS has based on birth rates and historical patterns clear out of the water. They missed it before and I truly believe they are setting themselves out to miss it again.

I disagree bc the prices are high enough that a lot of people are choosing the neighborhood that they like best, and then paying for private. If you can afford a new SFH in Arlington, you don’t need the public schools.

I mean, you don’t have to believe it, but this is what people have told me. Many people at this point. I know, anecdote is not data, but maybe there’s something reflecting in the preschool waitlists that isn’t showing in APS’s numbers?

Also - not everyone is moving into a brand new house. We still have lots of 1940s stock here. And not everyone who is moving into a brand new house at today’s rates has an extra post-tax $100k to send a couple of kids to private school. There are cheaper places to live if all you’re looking for is a good commute and a leafy neighborhood.

But the replacement houses are going private at significant rates and the birth rate is going down. And you aren’t getting as much as a single CAF building in 22207. Your schools aren’t going to get overcrowded.

I know a ton of people that have moved within the last 2 years to new builds. None are going private, all public, which is partly the reason they moved here to begin with.

I'm in 22207 and know a ton of people in new builds with kids in public schools

+2, 22213

Change is hard. It’s going to be ok. I promise.

Problem for me is the frequency of these change (aka battles) and the fact that they are always wrong in hindsight. Think you could get more of the community behind them if they were a rarer occurrence and people felt that the end result was good for the community as a whole.

They aren’t always wrong in hindsight, there are just various people who can never let anything go. School moves was mostly right. It would have been even better to send Key straight to Reed, but the current outcome is fine.

Alright you anonymous posters, this seems like an invitation to revisit all the dumb moves. I’ll start:

- Cardinal. Building/opening a whole new elementary in … NORTH Arlington.

DP. I guess you weren't here back then. We needed more seats and we had few options/limited money. It was the least bad option.

.

Honey I’ve got 50+ years in this community. Their “planning” was TERRIBLE. Who builds a brand new school that opens in what 2021(?) only to propose closing a nearby one just a couple of years later? Bad planning. Like laugh out loud bad.

“Honey”, no one could have “planned” for the pandemic. GMAFB.

Do you even have kids in APS? Active, engaged parents saw the options at that point. It was the least bad option to add seats.

Some people just like to complain I guess.

But it was entirely predictable what would happen if schools stayed closed for that long. Stop acting like everything was a foregone conclusion.

Like I said, some people just like to complain.

APS has had to deal with some crappy situations - overcrowding, limited real estate, global pandemic. They have made very reasonable decisions along the way.

Whiners gonna whine.

Out of curiosity, what do you think causes overcrowding? Who do you think regulates land use in the County?

Growing metro areas experience increasing enrollment. This is standard stuff. I understand some of you want these areas to stand still in time and not allow anyone else to move in and no building density to occur. Go live some place rural or with a depressed economy. Your enrollment will stay nice and flat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:County projecting in 5 years we will have a surplus of over 1,000 elementary seats. That sounds...optimistic.

Based on what I wonder. There has been a lot of turnover and lots of new kids in the neighborhood. Pandemic dip was a blip driven by desperate parents who could afford alternatives. We’re coming back.

There’s absolutely no facts/data to support this one way or the other. It’s 1,000 kids going to private school and APS doesn’t know or care to know if they are ever coming back. And if they leave for good, what does that mean for other families in the neighborhood when it’s normal to send your kids to private schools?

I have zero confidence in APS planning/projections. I understand that as a member of the public school community we need to every once in a while deal with these adjustments. APS has convinced me that they are totally incompetent at predicting seats so why should we all run around like crazy people on an annual basis trying to fill seats that APS couldn’t accurately predict?

They need better, outside data before I believe that these moves actually need to be made. They have wasted our money long enough on poor planning and annual neighborhood fights over boundaries.

South Arl poster, our neighborhood has kids divided everywhere, especially private. The effect on the neighborhood has been ...just fine. We just had a real July 4th parade you probably have heard of and a neighborhood picnic at the community house. Having your young kids dispersed doesn't not kill your neighborhood, that is blatantly untrue and known by many county residents apparently outside of your neighborhood.
As for no confidence in APS planning, sure, you do your opinion. My opinion is APS is never allowed to make good strategic decisions because of having to give too much deference to neighborhood feedback. I just don't understand how a 26-square mile system allows itself to be handcuffed by a group of maybe a dozen streets at every decision.

I second that!! - different southern neighborhood. We don't have our own parade or community house but still have a vibrant neighborhood community with kids attending minimally 6 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 4 high schools that I can think of quickly off the top of my head.

Kudos to you. Nobody else wants this. You are the vast minority. We want our kids to walk to schools with their neighborhood friends. Hang out after school. Know the parents and families. Know what is happening in the classroom from the crazy moms who are there every other day. We want a little Mayberry. We take comfort in knowing that our neighbors around the corner are just as smart and just fancy elitists as we are and yet also choose to send their kid to this great public school. Seriously. I am not joking. That is why people move to North Arlington. You can delude yourself that others want what you have in terms of “community” but they don’t. What you have is what will happen to us in N Arlington when everyone sends their kids to private schools.

A lot of people would love to send their kids to a great, walkable school. But Arlington is part of a large and diverse school district. There are many different kinds of kids and families. Nobody owns any particular school. I say this gently, but if you want that kind of certainty, you need to pay for private school. And you don’t get a medal for sending your kids to a wealthy, white, walkable elementary school. You’re kidding yourself if you think you’re contributing to some kind of public good through this action. If the Nott community really wants that school to stay open, then they should support denser housing in that part of the county.

Nottingham family. I do support denser housing and proudly supported missing middle. I don’t support public housing projects and never have - not in my neighborhood and not anywhere - because we have known for 40+ years that concentrating poverty in this way is a bad idea. But the so-called “affordable housing” mafia seems to run this place and they get what they want.

I do find it a bit rich, though, when incredibly privileged people pat themselves on the back for buying a $1m+ house in a “diverse” neighborhood, promptly send their kids to option schools, and then berate others for looking after their interests.

Eyeroll. You didn’t even need to tell us you were from Nottingham. Obvious from your nasty tone.

Something sensitive there? Do you have a problem with me pointing out the rampant privilege that runs through this county and how aggressive people are about looking after their own interests everywhere? The average sales and rentals prices don’t lie. People in this town are RICH - and increasingly so with each passing year.

I’m not aware of any MC or above community that has willingly sacrificed itself for the greater good on anything. The communities just have varying levels of effectiveness in getting what they want. That’s the truth.

You want to talk about privilege? It’s laughable that you think the Nott kids getting assigned to another wealthy N Arlington ES is “sacrificing yourself.” You need to get out more.

+1

+1000. Moving your kid to Jamestown, Taylor or Tuckahoe isn’t exactly a hardship. Cut me a break.

Yes, let’s take 2 slightly under capacity schools and a third under capacity school and create 2 over capacity schools complete with long waiting lists for extended day and classrooms in trailers. What a great idea!

FWIW, Nottingham currently has an extensive waiting list for extended day.

There are fewer than 400 kids at Nottingham. Just saying.

And how many will be at Tuckahoe, Taylor and Disocvery in 2026?

Why does it matter? All of these schools are under enrolled and have capacity for higher enrollment. They might become modestly over capacity. Not one of these schools is projected to become significantly overcrowded under this plan.

APS’s projections have been proven to be worse than worthless time and time again. I’m sure their numbers were computed correctly. Or at least I have no reason to doubt it. It’s just their methodology is so limited as to be useless.

People like to make fun of the moms who chose to move to North Arlington specifically for the schools. Problem is, in high enough numbers, this behavior will blow whatever projections APS has based on birth rates and historical patterns clear out of the water. They missed it before and I truly believe they are setting themselves out to miss it again.

I disagree bc the prices are high enough that a lot of people are choosing the neighborhood that they like best, and then paying for private. If you can afford a new SFH in Arlington, you don’t need the public schools.

I mean, you don’t have to believe it, but this is what people have told me. Many people at this point. I know, anecdote is not data, but maybe there’s something reflecting in the preschool waitlists that isn’t showing in APS’s numbers?

Also - not everyone is moving into a brand new house. We still have lots of 1940s stock here. And not everyone who is moving into a brand new house at today’s rates has an extra post-tax $100k to send a couple of kids to private school. There are cheaper places to live if all you’re looking for is a good commute and a leafy neighborhood.

But the replacement houses are going private at significant rates and the birth rate is going down. And you aren’t getting as much as a single CAF building in 22207. Your schools aren’t going to get overcrowded.

I know a ton of people that have moved within the last 2 years to new builds. None are going private, all public, which is partly the reason they moved here to begin with.

I'm in 22207 and know a ton of people in new builds with kids in public schools

+2, 22213

Change is hard. It’s going to be ok. I promise.

Problem for me is the frequency of these change (aka battles) and the fact that they are always wrong in hindsight. Think you could get more of the community behind them if they were a rarer occurrence and people felt that the end result was good for the community as a whole.

They aren’t always wrong in hindsight, there are just various people who can never let anything go. School moves was mostly right. It would have been even better to send Key straight to Reed, but the current outcome is fine.

Alright you anonymous posters, this seems like an invitation to revisit all the dumb moves. I’ll start:

- Cardinal. Building/opening a whole new elementary in … NORTH Arlington.

Wrong. The bad move was not opening Cardinal. The bad move was promising Westover it would be a neighborhood school. They needed the seats at the time in the south. Cardinal was never about seats for N Arl. Cardinal didn’t cause the big drop at Nottingham. 1/4 of Nottingham going private did that.

THIS! AB.SO.LUTELY!
APS intended for that to be an option school. But, surprise surprise - not, SB catered to neighborhood pushback insisting it should have a "walkable" neighborhood school and that traffic there was going to be so bad if a choice school went there. (Sound familiar?)

At the time, however, we were bursting at the seams as a system, especially Oakridge, and we needed another elementary school. People seem to think these things happen in a flash. They don't. Takes years to get a new school opened. So while Cardinal may not have opened until 2021 (wow! seems odd that it opened during COVID?) anyway, it may have opened then, but it was decided and planned out years earlier. And the whole process was limited by APS only being 'able' to build on land it owned; lack of County offering land; and neighborhood insistence on a walkable neighborhood school.

Maybe seems like poor planning; but it wasn't APS' actual plan.

[Anonymous]

Isn't the main problem with dwindling numbers at Nottingham due to many Nottingham families going private? I think it was just under capacity before covid about 4 years ago. It's shrunk to under 400 kids because so many took their kids out for private, I thought? Not sure if I can find the 2017 numbers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isn't the main problem with dwindling numbers at Nottingham due to many Nottingham families going private? I think it was just under capacity before covid about 4 years ago. It's shrunk to under 400 kids because so many took their kids out for private, I thought? Not sure if I can find the 2017 numbers.

Here: In 2017, APS was projecting that Nottingham would have 535 kids attending in 2018, which for Nottingham is about 100% capacity (I think without trailers their capacity is 530). So in just 5 years they've lost more than 140 kids and their school now has under 400 kids. You're seeing that shrinkage more in the way way North where parents wend private due to school closures and less in the south where minority families who were actually more likely to be negatively affected by covid healthwise were often okay with the closures. But you can't have your cake and eat it too -- have kids leave the system in your northern elementary schools and think that's "fair" -- the reality is you're spending more on your school to staff and operate it when you've only got 400 kids compared to a school that's closer to full capacity.

[Anonymous]

Forgot the link: https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/FallProjections18-27_Official_Web.pdf

[Anonymous]

There is no land where schools are desperately needed- in the south. So APS keeps on building schools where they aren’t needed so much- North Arlington- because that is where land is available, with the idea that seats are better than no seats. But then the seats aren’t where they are needed. People by and large want their kids at neighborhood schools. Not having your kids at a neigborhood school is a huge pain for friendships, activities, drop offs and pick ups on days when you can’t take the bus, etc. this is true at all levels, it makes life a lot less convenient regardless of SES. I’ve got a kid at HB and they love the school but we live up near Tuckahoe and their best friend lives near the Reagan airport. Not convenient. Even less so for families without a car, or inconsistent working hours, etc.

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Anonymous wrote:County projecting in 5 years we will have a surplus of over 1,000 elementary seats. That sounds...optimistic.

Based on what I wonder. There has been a lot of turnover and lots of new kids in the neighborhood. Pandemic dip was a blip driven by desperate parents who could afford alternatives. We’re coming back.

There’s absolutely no facts/data to support this one way or the other. It’s 1,000 kids going to private school and APS doesn’t know or care to know if they are ever coming back. And if they leave for good, what does that mean for other families in the neighborhood when it’s normal to send your kids to private schools?

I have zero confidence in APS planning/projections. I understand that as a member of the public school community we need to every once in a while deal with these adjustments. APS has convinced me that they are totally incompetent at predicting seats so why should we all run around like crazy people on an annual basis trying to fill seats that APS couldn’t accurately predict?

They need better, outside data before I believe that these moves actually need to be made. They have wasted our money long enough on poor planning and annual neighborhood fights over boundaries.

South Arl poster, our neighborhood has kids divided everywhere, especially private. The effect on the neighborhood has been ...just fine. We just had a real July 4th parade you probably have heard of and a neighborhood picnic at the community house. Having your young kids dispersed doesn't not kill your neighborhood, that is blatantly untrue and known by many county residents apparently outside of your neighborhood.
As for no confidence in APS planning, sure, you do your opinion. My opinion is APS is never allowed to make good strategic decisions because of having to give too much deference to neighborhood feedback. I just don't understand how a 26-square mile system allows itself to be handcuffed by a group of maybe a dozen streets at every decision.

I second that!! - different southern neighborhood. We don't have our own parade or community house but still have a vibrant neighborhood community with kids attending minimally 6 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 4 high schools that I can think of quickly off the top of my head.

Kudos to you. Nobody else wants this. You are the vast minority. We want our kids to walk to schools with their neighborhood friends. Hang out after school. Know the parents and families. Know what is happening in the classroom from the crazy moms who are there every other day. We want a little Mayberry. We take comfort in knowing that our neighbors around the corner are just as smart and just fancy elitists as we are and yet also choose to send their kid to this great public school. Seriously. I am not joking. That is why people move to North Arlington. You can delude yourself that others want what you have in terms of “community” but they don’t. What you have is what will happen to us in N Arlington when everyone sends their kids to private schools.

A lot of people would love to send their kids to a great, walkable school. But Arlington is part of a large and diverse school district. There are many different kinds of kids and families. Nobody owns any particular school. I say this gently, but if you want that kind of certainty, you need to pay for private school. And you don’t get a medal for sending your kids to a wealthy, white, walkable elementary school. You’re kidding yourself if you think you’re contributing to some kind of public good through this action. If the Nott community really wants that school to stay open, then they should support denser housing in that part of the county.

Nottingham family. I do support denser housing and proudly supported missing middle. I don’t support public housing projects and never have - not in my neighborhood and not anywhere - because we have known for 40+ years that concentrating poverty in this way is a bad idea. But the so-called “affordable housing” mafia seems to run this place and they get what they want.

I do find it a bit rich, though, when incredibly privileged people pat themselves on the back for buying a $1m+ house in a “diverse” neighborhood, promptly send their kids to option schools, and then berate others for looking after their interests.

Eyeroll. You didn’t even need to tell us you were from Nottingham. Obvious from your nasty tone.

Something sensitive there? Do you have a problem with me pointing out the rampant privilege that runs through this county and how aggressive people are about looking after their own interests everywhere? The average sales and rentals prices don’t lie. People in this town are RICH - and increasingly so with each passing year.

I’m not aware of any MC or above community that has willingly sacrificed itself for the greater good on anything. The communities just have varying levels of effectiveness in getting what they want. That’s the truth.

You want to talk about privilege? It’s laughable that you think the Nott kids getting assigned to another wealthy N Arlington ES is “sacrificing yourself.” You need to get out more.

+1

+1000. Moving your kid to Jamestown, Taylor or Tuckahoe isn’t exactly a hardship. Cut me a break.

Yes, let’s take 2 slightly under capacity schools and a third under capacity school and create 2 over capacity schools complete with long waiting lists for extended day and classrooms in trailers. What a great idea!

FWIW, Nottingham currently has an extensive waiting list for extended day.

There are fewer than 400 kids at Nottingham. Just saying.

And how many will be at Tuckahoe, Taylor and Disocvery in 2026?

Why does it matter? All of these schools are under enrolled and have capacity for higher enrollment. They might become modestly over capacity. Not one of these schools is projected to become significantly overcrowded under this plan.

APS’s projections have been proven to be worse than worthless time and time again. I’m sure their numbers were computed correctly. Or at least I have no reason to doubt it. It’s just their methodology is so limited as to be useless.

People like to make fun of the moms who chose to move to North Arlington specifically for the schools. Problem is, in high enough numbers, this behavior will blow whatever projections APS has based on birth rates and historical patterns clear out of the water. They missed it before and I truly believe they are setting themselves out to miss it again.

I disagree bc the prices are high enough that a lot of people are choosing the neighborhood that they like best, and then paying for private. If you can afford a new SFH in Arlington, you don’t need the public schools.

I mean, you don’t have to believe it, but this is what people have told me. Many people at this point. I know, anecdote is not data, but maybe there’s something reflecting in the preschool waitlists that isn’t showing in APS’s numbers?

Also - not everyone is moving into a brand new house. We still have lots of 1940s stock here. And not everyone who is moving into a brand new house at today’s rates has an extra post-tax $100k to send a couple of kids to private school. There are cheaper places to live if all you’re looking for is a good commute and a leafy neighborhood.

But the replacement houses are going private at significant rates and the birth rate is going down. And you aren’t getting as much as a single CAF building in 22207. Your schools aren’t going to get overcrowded.

I know a ton of people that have moved within the last 2 years to new builds. None are going private, all public, which is partly the reason they moved here to begin with.

I'm in 22207 and know a ton of people in new builds with kids in public schools

+2, 22213

Change is hard. It’s going to be ok. I promise.

Problem for me is the frequency of these change (aka battles) and the fact that they are always wrong in hindsight. Think you could get more of the community behind them if they were a rarer occurrence and people felt that the end result was good for the community as a whole.

They aren’t always wrong in hindsight, there are just various people who can never let anything go. School moves was mostly right. It would have been even better to send Key straight to Reed, but the current outcome is fine.

Alright you anonymous posters, this seems like an invitation to revisit all the dumb moves. I’ll start:

- Cardinal. Building/opening a whole new elementary in … NORTH Arlington.

Wrong. The bad move was not opening Cardinal. The bad move was promising Westover it would be a neighborhood school. They needed the seats at the time in the south. Cardinal was never about seats for N Arl. Cardinal didn’t cause the big drop at Nottingham. 1/4 of Nottingham going private did that.

THIS! AB.SO.LUTELY!
APS intended for that to be an option school. But, surprise surprise - not, SB catered to neighborhood pushback insisting it should have a "walkable" neighborhood school and that traffic there was going to be so bad if a choice school went there. (Sound familiar?)

At the time, however, we were bursting at the seams as a system, especially Oakridge, and we needed another elementary school. People seem to think these things happen in a flash. They don't. Takes years to get a new school opened. So while Cardinal may not have opened until 2021 (wow! seems odd that it opened during COVID?) anyway, it may have opened then, but it was decided and planned out years earlier. And the whole process was limited by APS only being 'able' to build on land it owned; lack of County offering land; and neighborhood insistence on a walkable neighborhood school.

Maybe seems like poor planning; but it wasn't APS' actual plan.

+1. It was the school board caving to the absurd “Reed must be a walkable neighborhood school” crowd. Which did sound a lot like the Nottingham crowd does today. And by the way, because of the redistricting required by keeping Cardinal neighborhood when there was no need for seats there, it had a bunch of busses now anyway.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:County projecting in 5 years we will have a surplus of over 1,000 elementary seats. That sounds...optimistic.

Based on what I wonder. There has been a lot of turnover and lots of new kids in the neighborhood. Pandemic dip was a blip driven by desperate parents who could afford alternatives. We’re coming back.

There’s absolutely no facts/data to support this one way or the other. It’s 1,000 kids going to private school and APS doesn’t know or care to know if they are ever coming back. And if they leave for good, what does that mean for other families in the neighborhood when it’s normal to send your kids to private schools?

I have zero confidence in APS planning/projections. I understand that as a member of the public school community we need to every once in a while deal with these adjustments. APS has convinced me that they are totally incompetent at predicting seats so why should we all run around like crazy people on an annual basis trying to fill seats that APS couldn’t accurately predict?

They need better, outside data before I believe that these moves actually need to be made. They have wasted our money long enough on poor planning and annual neighborhood fights over boundaries.

South Arl poster, our neighborhood has kids divided everywhere, especially private. The effect on the neighborhood has been ...just fine. We just had a real July 4th parade you probably have heard of and a neighborhood picnic at the community house. Having your young kids dispersed doesn't not kill your neighborhood, that is blatantly untrue and known by many county residents apparently outside of your neighborhood.
As for no confidence in APS planning, sure, you do your opinion. My opinion is APS is never allowed to make good strategic decisions because of having to give too much deference to neighborhood feedback. I just don't understand how a 26-square mile system allows itself to be handcuffed by a group of maybe a dozen streets at every decision.

I second that!! - different southern neighborhood. We don't have our own parade or community house but still have a vibrant neighborhood community with kids attending minimally 6 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 4 high schools that I can think of quickly off the top of my head.

Kudos to you. Nobody else wants this. You are the vast minority. We want our kids to walk to schools with their neighborhood friends. Hang out after school. Know the parents and families. Know what is happening in the classroom from the crazy moms who are there every other day. We want a little Mayberry. We take comfort in knowing that our neighbors around the corner are just as smart and just fancy elitists as we are and yet also choose to send their kid to this great public school. Seriously. I am not joking. That is why people move to North Arlington. You can delude yourself that others want what you have in terms of “community” but they don’t. What you have is what will happen to us in N Arlington when everyone sends their kids to private schools.

A lot of people would love to send their kids to a great, walkable school. But Arlington is part of a large and diverse school district. There are many different kinds of kids and families. Nobody owns any particular school. I say this gently, but if you want that kind of certainty, you need to pay for private school. And you don’t get a medal for sending your kids to a wealthy, white, walkable elementary school. You’re kidding yourself if you think you’re contributing to some kind of public good through this action. If the Nott community really wants that school to stay open, then they should support denser housing in that part of the county.

Nottingham family. I do support denser housing and proudly supported missing middle. I don’t support public housing projects and never have - not in my neighborhood and not anywhere - because we have known for 40+ years that concentrating poverty in this way is a bad idea. But the so-called “affordable housing” mafia seems to run this place and they get what they want.

I do find it a bit rich, though, when incredibly privileged people pat themselves on the back for buying a $1m+ house in a “diverse” neighborhood, promptly send their kids to option schools, and then berate others for looking after their interests.

Eyeroll. You didn’t even need to tell us you were from Nottingham. Obvious from your nasty tone.

Something sensitive there? Do you have a problem with me pointing out the rampant privilege that runs through this county and how aggressive people are about looking after their own interests everywhere? The average sales and rentals prices don’t lie. People in this town are RICH - and increasingly so with each passing year.

I’m not aware of any MC or above community that has willingly sacrificed itself for the greater good on anything. The communities just have varying levels of effectiveness in getting what they want. That’s the truth.

You want to talk about privilege? It’s laughable that you think the Nott kids getting assigned to another wealthy N Arlington ES is “sacrificing yourself.” You need to get out more.

+1

+1000. Moving your kid to Jamestown, Taylor or Tuckahoe isn’t exactly a hardship. Cut me a break.

Yes, let’s take 2 slightly under capacity schools and a third under capacity school and create 2 over capacity schools complete with long waiting lists for extended day and classrooms in trailers. What a great idea!

FWIW, Nottingham currently has an extensive waiting list for extended day.

There are fewer than 400 kids at Nottingham. Just saying.

And how many will be at Tuckahoe, Taylor and Disocvery in 2026?

Why does it matter? All of these schools are under enrolled and have capacity for higher enrollment. They might become modestly over capacity. Not one of these schools is projected to become significantly overcrowded under this plan.

APS’s projections have been proven to be worse than worthless time and time again. I’m sure their numbers were computed correctly. Or at least I have no reason to doubt it. It’s just their methodology is so limited as to be useless.

People like to make fun of the moms who chose to move to North Arlington specifically for the schools. Problem is, in high enough numbers, this behavior will blow whatever projections APS has based on birth rates and historical patterns clear out of the water. They missed it before and I truly believe they are setting themselves out to miss it again.

I disagree bc the prices are high enough that a lot of people are choosing the neighborhood that they like best, and then paying for private. If you can afford a new SFH in Arlington, you don’t need the public schools.

I mean, you don’t have to believe it, but this is what people have told me. Many people at this point. I know, anecdote is not data, but maybe there’s something reflecting in the preschool waitlists that isn’t showing in APS’s numbers?

Also - not everyone is moving into a brand new house. We still have lots of 1940s stock here. And not everyone who is moving into a brand new house at today’s rates has an extra post-tax $100k to send a couple of kids to private school. There are cheaper places to live if all you’re looking for is a good commute and a leafy neighborhood.

But the replacement houses are going private at significant rates and the birth rate is going down. And you aren’t getting as much as a single CAF building in 22207. Your schools aren’t going to get overcrowded.

I know a ton of people that have moved within the last 2 years to new builds. None are going private, all public, which is partly the reason they moved here to begin with.

I'm in 22207 and know a ton of people in new builds with kids in public schools

+2, 22213

Change is hard. It’s going to be ok. I promise.

Problem for me is the frequency of these change (aka battles) and the fact that they are always wrong in hindsight. Think you could get more of the community behind them if they were a rarer occurrence and people felt that the end result was good for the community as a whole.

They aren’t always wrong in hindsight, there are just various people who can never let anything go. School moves was mostly right. It would have been even better to send Key straight to Reed, but the current outcome is fine.

Alright you anonymous posters, this seems like an invitation to revisit all the dumb moves. I’ll start:

- Cardinal. Building/opening a whole new elementary in … NORTH Arlington.

Wrong. The bad move was not opening Cardinal. The bad move was promising Westover it would be a neighborhood school. They needed the seats at the time in the south. Cardinal was never about seats for N Arl. Cardinal didn’t cause the big drop at Nottingham. 1/4 of Nottingham going private did that.

THIS! AB.SO.LUTELY!
APS intended for that to be an option school. But, surprise surprise - not, SB catered to neighborhood pushback insisting it should have a "walkable" neighborhood school and that traffic there was going to be so bad if a choice school went there. (Sound familiar?)

At the time, however, we were bursting at the seams as a system, especially Oakridge, and we needed another elementary school. People seem to think these things happen in a flash. They don't. Takes years to get a new school opened. So while Cardinal may not have opened until 2021 (wow! seems odd that it opened during COVID?) anyway, it may have opened then, but it was decided and planned out years earlier. And the whole process was limited by APS only being 'able' to build on land it owned; lack of County offering land; and neighborhood insistence on a walkable neighborhood school.

Maybe seems like poor planning; but it wasn't APS' actual plan.

+1. It was the school board caving to the absurd “Reed must be a walkable neighborhood school” crowd. Which did sound a lot like the Nottingham crowd does today. And by the way, because of the redistricting required by keeping Cardinal neighborhood when there was no need for seats there, it had a bunch of busses now anyway.

Agree. And that is APS’s fault as the decision-maker. Not the parents. APS shouldn’t cave when it’s not the best decision for APS as a whole. I do not understand why the APS defenders can’t see that. And it’s probably bc their own unreasonable demands have been met so they are the “winners” of the bad behavior wars. Anyone saying APS made all the right decisions - or even the best of the bad decisions- can’t be right. Just own that they have made some bad calls, people.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:County projecting in 5 years we will have a surplus of over 1,000 elementary seats. That sounds...optimistic.

Based on what I wonder. There has been a lot of turnover and lots of new kids in the neighborhood. Pandemic dip was a blip driven by desperate parents who could afford alternatives. We’re coming back.

There’s absolutely no facts/data to support this one way or the other. It’s 1,000 kids going to private school and APS doesn’t know or care to know if they are ever coming back. And if they leave for good, what does that mean for other families in the neighborhood when it’s normal to send your kids to private schools?

I have zero confidence in APS planning/projections. I understand that as a member of the public school community we need to every once in a while deal with these adjustments. APS has convinced me that they are totally incompetent at predicting seats so why should we all run around like crazy people on an annual basis trying to fill seats that APS couldn’t accurately predict?

They need better, outside data before I believe that these moves actually need to be made. They have wasted our money long enough on poor planning and annual neighborhood fights over boundaries.

South Arl poster, our neighborhood has kids divided everywhere, especially private. The effect on the neighborhood has been ...just fine. We just had a real July 4th parade you probably have heard of and a neighborhood picnic at the community house. Having your young kids dispersed doesn't not kill your neighborhood, that is blatantly untrue and known by many county residents apparently outside of your neighborhood.
As for no confidence in APS planning, sure, you do your opinion. My opinion is APS is never allowed to make good strategic decisions because of having to give too much deference to neighborhood feedback. I just don't understand how a 26-square mile system allows itself to be handcuffed by a group of maybe a dozen streets at every decision.

I second that!! - different southern neighborhood. We don't have our own parade or community house but still have a vibrant neighborhood community with kids attending minimally 6 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 4 high schools that I can think of quickly off the top of my head.

Kudos to you. Nobody else wants this. You are the vast minority. We want our kids to walk to schools with their neighborhood friends. Hang out after school. Know the parents and families. Know what is happening in the classroom from the crazy moms who are there every other day. We want a little Mayberry. We take comfort in knowing that our neighbors around the corner are just as smart and just fancy elitists as we are and yet also choose to send their kid to this great public school. Seriously. I am not joking. That is why people move to North Arlington. You can delude yourself that others want what you have in terms of “community” but they don’t. What you have is what will happen to us in N Arlington when everyone sends their kids to private schools.

A lot of people would love to send their kids to a great, walkable school. But Arlington is part of a large and diverse school district. There are many different kinds of kids and families. Nobody owns any particular school. I say this gently, but if you want that kind of certainty, you need to pay for private school. And you don’t get a medal for sending your kids to a wealthy, white, walkable elementary school. You’re kidding yourself if you think you’re contributing to some kind of public good through this action. If the Nott community really wants that school to stay open, then they should support denser housing in that part of the county.

Nottingham family. I do support denser housing and proudly supported missing middle. I don’t support public housing projects and never have - not in my neighborhood and not anywhere - because we have known for 40+ years that concentrating poverty in this way is a bad idea. But the so-called “affordable housing” mafia seems to run this place and they get what they want.

I do find it a bit rich, though, when incredibly privileged people pat themselves on the back for buying a $1m+ house in a “diverse” neighborhood, promptly send their kids to option schools, and then berate others for looking after their interests.

Eyeroll. You didn’t even need to tell us you were from Nottingham. Obvious from your nasty tone.

Something sensitive there? Do you have a problem with me pointing out the rampant privilege that runs through this county and how aggressive people are about looking after their own interests everywhere? The average sales and rentals prices don’t lie. People in this town are RICH - and increasingly so with each passing year.

I’m not aware of any MC or above community that has willingly sacrificed itself for the greater good on anything. The communities just have varying levels of effectiveness in getting what they want. That’s the truth.

You want to talk about privilege? It’s laughable that you think the Nott kids getting assigned to another wealthy N Arlington ES is “sacrificing yourself.” You need to get out more.

+1

+1000. Moving your kid to Jamestown, Taylor or Tuckahoe isn’t exactly a hardship. Cut me a break.

Yes, let’s take 2 slightly under capacity schools and a third under capacity school and create 2 over capacity schools complete with long waiting lists for extended day and classrooms in trailers. What a great idea!

FWIW, Nottingham currently has an extensive waiting list for extended day.

There are fewer than 400 kids at Nottingham. Just saying.

And how many will be at Tuckahoe, Taylor and Disocvery in 2026?

Why does it matter? All of these schools are under enrolled and have capacity for higher enrollment. They might become modestly over capacity. Not one of these schools is projected to become significantly overcrowded under this plan.

APS’s projections have been proven to be worse than worthless time and time again. I’m sure their numbers were computed correctly. Or at least I have no reason to doubt it. It’s just their methodology is so limited as to be useless.

People like to make fun of the moms who chose to move to North Arlington specifically for the schools. Problem is, in high enough numbers, this behavior will blow whatever projections APS has based on birth rates and historical patterns clear out of the water. They missed it before and I truly believe they are setting themselves out to miss it again.

I disagree bc the prices are high enough that a lot of people are choosing the neighborhood that they like best, and then paying for private. If you can afford a new SFH in Arlington, you don’t need the public schools.

I mean, you don’t have to believe it, but this is what people have told me. Many people at this point. I know, anecdote is not data, but maybe there’s something reflecting in the preschool waitlists that isn’t showing in APS’s numbers?

Also - not everyone is moving into a brand new house. We still have lots of 1940s stock here. And not everyone who is moving into a brand new house at today’s rates has an extra post-tax $100k to send a couple of kids to private school. There are cheaper places to live if all you’re looking for is a good commute and a leafy neighborhood.

But the replacement houses are going private at significant rates and the birth rate is going down. And you aren’t getting as much as a single CAF building in 22207. Your schools aren’t going to get overcrowded.

I know a ton of people that have moved within the last 2 years to new builds. None are going private, all public, which is partly the reason they moved here to begin with.

I'm in 22207 and know a ton of people in new builds with kids in public schools

+2, 22213

Change is hard. It’s going to be ok. I promise.

Problem for me is the frequency of these change (aka battles) and the fact that they are always wrong in hindsight. Think you could get more of the community behind them if they were a rarer occurrence and people felt that the end result was good for the community as a whole.

They aren’t always wrong in hindsight, there are just various people who can never let anything go. School moves was mostly right. It would have been even better to send Key straight to Reed, but the current outcome is fine.

Alright you anonymous posters, this seems like an invitation to revisit all the dumb moves. I’ll start:

- Cardinal. Building/opening a whole new elementary in … NORTH Arlington.

DP. I guess you weren't here back then. We needed more seats and we had few options/limited money. It was the least bad option.

.

Honey I’ve got 50+ years in this community. Their “planning” was TERRIBLE. Who builds a brand new school that opens in what 2021(?) only to propose closing a nearby one just a couple of years later? Bad planning. Like laugh out loud bad.

“Honey”, no one could have “planned” for the pandemic. GMAFB.

Do you even have kids in APS? Active, engaged parents saw the options at that point. It was the least bad option to add seats.

Some people just like to complain I guess.

But it was entirely predictable what would happen if schools stayed closed for that long. Stop acting like everything was a foregone conclusion.

Like I said, some people just like to complain.

APS has had to deal with some crappy situations - overcrowding, limited real estate, global pandemic. They have made very reasonable decisions along the way.

Whiners gonna whine.

I agree with this. A slice of Arlington parents are so freaking awful I don’t know how APS gets any staff to deal with them. It’s embarrassing the way some people behave.

It’s embarrassing to post your frank views on an anonymous message board? You and I have different thresholds for embarrassment.

I was thinking both of the entitled, self-serving, I’ll-informed nonsense seen here and how people behave in real life, which will be coming soon.

I'm thinking of the behavior from a certain group of parents during the pandemic.