school board work session on enrollment and transfers in options schools(and also a new high school)

[Anonymous]

Wow. This seems to have some major transparency issues re: middle school boundaries. They seem to have already contempated that Glebe and Taylor would go to the new Stratford program, while Jamestown and Discovery would not. Also, they seem to have decided to redistrict Barcroft to TJ. If they are realigning middle school boundaries as part of this effort, then they need to advertise it as such, not hide it in a slide halfway in about choice programs.

It won't level enrollment, everyone who is not already on immersion or Montessori track will opt for Swanson and Stratford. Kenmore, in particular, will suffer.

[Anonymous]

I don't see how they will be able to allow people to transfer into a choice program at Swanson. Even with Stratford opening, they aren't going to have enough seats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow. This seems to have some major transparency issues re: middle school boundaries. They seem to have already contempated that Glebe and Taylor would go to the new Stratford program, while Jamestown and Discovery would not. Also, they seem to have decided to redistrict Barcroft to TJ. If they are realigning middle school boundaries as part of this effort, then they need to advertise it as such, not hide it in a slide halfway in about choice programs.

It won't level enrollment, everyone who is not already on immersion or Montessori track will opt for Swanson and Stratford. Kenmore, in particular, will suffer.

Jamestown and Discovery sit right on top of WMS. Of course they shouldn't go to Stratford. Get real.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Williamsburg people are already upset about immersion moving there.

Who gives a shit?? These yentas have been running their mouths and screwing up everything for the past 5-7 years.

They just chased another Principal out. They screwed up the new MS plans in the first place, delayed it when many of us would have loved the new MS in Rosslyn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow. This seems to have some major transparency issues re: middle school boundaries. They seem to have already contempated that Glebe and Taylor would go to the new Stratford program, while Jamestown and Discovery would not. Also, they seem to have decided to redistrict Barcroft to TJ. If they are realigning middle school boundaries as part of this effort, then they need to advertise it as such, not hide it in a slide halfway in about choice programs.

It won't level enrollment, everyone who is not already on immersion or Montessori track will opt for Swanson and Stratford. Kenmore, in particular, will suffer.

I don't think this is a roadmap to how the MS boundaries will shift. Ive heard this from a few different folks now, but I only see this as a map for option programs, not MS boundaries.

[Anonymous]

And it looks like it would move Abington out of Gunston boundaries too. Gunston will be very empty after Montessori and half of immersion moves out too. Gunston and Kenmore will end up under enrolled. The other schools (TJ, Swanson, Stratford) will be way overcrowded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And it looks like it would move Abington out of Gunston boundaries too. Gunston will be very empty after Montessori and half of immersion moves out too. Gunston and Kenmore will end up under enrolled. The other schools (TJ, Swanson, Stratford) will be way overcrowded.

That's not what this is. It's not what the MS boundaries will look like. This is only a map showing where you'd be eligible to apply for an option program. Not what MS you'll be zoned to.

[Anonymous]

But you can't be zoned to Kenmore as your neighborhood school but then have Stratford as your STEAM option. That would be two STEAM options.

So it DOES assume middle school boundary changes. Lots of them.

If Abingdon were staying in Kenmore, it wouldn't be in the "East" zone with Stratford as its STEAM school. Same with Barcroft--currently attends Kenmore, but it's in the East district map, so now Stratford would be its STEAM option.

[Anonymous]

Don't freak out about the boundaries and particular ES-MS paths in this. This is a very early concept of the idea. Obviously, with new MS and ES and HS buildings opening ALL the boundaries will need to be considered. Listen to the work session video -- it seemed clear to me that this is a very early concept of looking at they could structure option programs across the country and from ES to HS. They said they were trying to do a rough map of how this could work now because it impacts current decisions about the enrollment/transfers policy.

There will surely be lots of feedback on boundaries/feeders as those new schools are opened.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:But you can't be zoned to Kenmore as your neighborhood school but then have Stratford as your STEAM option. That would be two STEAM options.

So it DOES assume middle school boundary changes. Lots of them.

If Abingdon were staying in Kenmore, it wouldn't be in the "East" zone with Stratford as its STEAM school. Same with Barcroft--currently attends Kenmore, but it's in the East district map, so now Stratford would be its STEAM option.

Oh, yes, I see it now. Interesting. So, I guess what this does is guarantee you a spot at either Kenmore or Stratford STEAM, based on east-west boundary, and then you have the option of either Swanson or Jefferson if you want IB, Williamsburg or Gunston if you want Immersion, and then countywide options for Montessori and HBW. I sure hope a lot of people want IB and Immersion.

[Anonymous]

Not that early of a concept. They play to decide by June. Don't assume APS will magically take care of this. Or, that they will not hold everyone to the middle school boundary assumptions that this document makes. It is exactly the kind of thing that happens with the poor planning in APS.

[Anonymous]

If they move forward with this plan, they should keep Campbell as a county-wide options program and ditch ATS-- not the other way around. APS needs to open either the ATS property or the Reed property as a neighborhood school-- that's the only way to alleviate the overcrowding at McKinley. I like the plan overall though- it is at least creative.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If they move forward with this plan, they should keep Campbell as a county-wide options program and ditch ATS-- not the other way around. APS needs to open either the ATS property or the Reed property as a neighborhood school-- that's the only way to alleviate the overcrowding at McKinley. I like the plan overall though- it is at least creative.

Don't even bother with ATS. It's no closing. Find a different fight. That's a lost cause.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If they move forward with this plan, they should keep Campbell as a county-wide options program and ditch ATS-- not the other way around. APS needs to open either the ATS property or the Reed property as a neighborhood school-- that's the only way to alleviate the overcrowding at McKinley. I like the plan overall though- it is at least creative.

The updated document does show Campbell as a county wide option.

[Anonymous]

Again, 2 choice schools in the McK boundaries while the school grows to 800 is pathetic.