Let’s Talk APS High Schools: 4th one or no?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How big is the VHC site? Could they put fields at Kenmore but the classrooms there?

Or is this Career Center or nothing? I know that nice big plot at Kenmore is untouchable for a high school building but something has to be built there.

There is a middle school and elementary school already at that site.

[Anonymous]

VHC has already been designated for other purposes.


Should we rename this thread “ late to the party”...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How big is the VHC site? Could they put fields at Kenmore but the classrooms there?

Or is this Career Center or nothing? I know that nice big plot at Kenmore is untouchable for a high school building but something has to be built there.

There is a middle school and elementary school already at that site.

She means something else. That's more land than one MS and one ES need. If we can't build anything else on it, we need to sell or swap it for land that we can build more density on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:VHC has already been designated for other purposes.


Should we rename this thread “ late to the party”...

It's going to be a bus depot. Much better than a school, don't you think?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How big is the VHC site? Could they put fields at Kenmore but the classrooms there?

Or is this Career Center or nothing? I know that nice big plot at Kenmore is untouchable for a high school building but something has to be built there.

There is a middle school and elementary school already at that site.

She means something else. That's more land than one MS and one ES need. If we can't build anything else on it, we need to sell or swap it for land that we can build more density on.

Uh huh...
and the neighborhood is fighting it

And a land swap... swap what exactly? What land are you looking at that would be a fair trade? Where would the current middle and elementary school go?

It’s the career center. Get used to it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How big is the VHC site? Could they put fields at Kenmore but the classrooms there?

Or is this Career Center or nothing? I know that nice big plot at Kenmore is untouchable for a high school building but something has to be built there.

There is a middle school and elementary school already at that site.

She means something else. That's more land than one MS and one ES need. If we can't build anything else on it, we need to sell or swap it for land that we can build more density on.

Uh huh...
and the neighborhood is fighting it

And a land swap... swap what exactly? What land are you looking at that would be a fair trade? Where would the current middle and elementary school go?

It’s the career center. Get used to it.

Okay, but after they don't build you a comprehensive HS on the Career Center site, what next? And they still need a place for Montessori to be moved. Maybe another building at the Kenmore site? Instead of repurposing the Ed Center seats? It's too big a parcel to leave it as is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How big is the VHC site? Could they put fields at Kenmore but the classrooms there?

Or is this Career Center or nothing? I know that nice big plot at Kenmore is untouchable for a high school building but something has to be built there.

There is a middle school and elementary school already at that site.

She means something else. That's more land than one MS and one ES need. If we can't build anything else on it, we need to sell or swap it for land that we can build more density on.

Uh huh...
and the neighborhood is fighting it

And a land swap... swap what exactly? What land are you looking at that would be a fair trade? Where would the current middle and elementary school go?

It’s the career center. Get used to it.

That doesn't mean the land at Kenmore gets to sit there unused or barely used. APS will need to use that land one way or another and probably sooner rather than later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How big is the VHC site? Could they put fields at Kenmore but the classrooms there?

Or is this Career Center or nothing? I know that nice big plot at Kenmore is untouchable for a high school building but something has to be built there.

There is a middle school and elementary school already at that site.

She means something else. That's more land than one MS and one ES need. If we can't build anything else on it, we need to sell or swap it for land that we can build more density on.

Uh huh...
and the neighborhood is fighting it

And a land swap... swap what exactly? What land are you looking at that would be a fair trade? Where would the current middle and elementary school go?

It’s the career center. Get used to it.

That doesn't mean the land at Kenmore gets to sit there unused or barely used. APS will need to use that land one way or another and probably sooner rather than later.

How old are your kids?
Mine is a toddler. Ok, sure... Kenmore becomes something else someday, but I wouldn’t count on that even being explored for another 6/7 years. So, it’s really not something to worry about right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How big is the VHC site? Could they put fields at Kenmore but the classrooms there?

Or is this Career Center or nothing? I know that nice big plot at Kenmore is untouchable for a high school building but something has to be built there.

There is a middle school and elementary school already at that site.

She means something else. That's more land than one MS and one ES need. If we can't build anything else on it, we need to sell or swap it for land that we can build more density on.

Uh huh...
and the neighborhood is fighting it

And a land swap... swap what exactly? What land are you looking at that would be a fair trade? Where would the current middle and elementary school go?

It’s the career center. Get used to it.

That doesn't mean the land at Kenmore gets to sit there unused or barely used. APS will need to use that land one way or another and probably sooner rather than later.

How old are your kids?
Mine is a toddler. Ok, sure... Kenmore becomes something else someday, but I wouldn’t count on that even being explored for another 6/7 years. So, it’s really not something to worry about right now.

My kids are in ES, and it is something we need to worry about now. They need a comprehensive plan otherwise neither my kids nor yours will have places to got to school. I don't want to be back at this in five years when they need to move Montessori. Make a public plan NOW. None of this we'll vote and then change course in 6 months and end-run the community.

[Anonymous]

I seem to recall that, before the two years of working groups that were needed to agree to build Fleet at TJ, the original plan for a new South Arlington elementary school was to build a second ES on the Kenmore campus and move Montessori there (I think the SB voted it out and everything). That got nixed by the community and delayed bringing S. Arlington elementary seats online by years. How ironic if now - in order to demolish Henry to make room for HS seats at the CC - that plan was revived and a school built for Montessori at Kenmore. I think it would be a great plan. Something has to go on that campus.

[Anonymous]

See page 17 of the 2013 CIP here:
https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/legacy_assets/www/eb0c563b13-CIP2013-22_FINAL.pdf

This plan also had an addition being built at ATS to add capacity there. I believe ATS killed that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:See page 17 of the 2013 CIP here:
https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/legacy_assets/www/eb0c563b13-CIP2013-22_FINAL.pdf

This plan also had an addition being built at ATS to add capacity there. I believe ATS killed that.

I have this constant internal debate over whether ATS should be shut down because the parents there tend to be such assholes, or whether it should continue because it isolates so many of the assholes away from the rest of us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How big is the VHC site? Could they put fields at Kenmore but the classrooms there?

Or is this Career Center or nothing? I know that nice big plot at Kenmore is untouchable for a high school building but something has to be built there.

There is a middle school and elementary school already at that site.

She means something else. That's more land than one MS and one ES need. If we can't build anything else on it, we need to sell or swap it for land that we can build more density on.

Uh huh...
and the neighborhood is fighting it

And a land swap... swap what exactly? What land are you looking at that would be a fair trade? Where would the current middle and elementary school go?

It’s the career center. Get used to it.

That doesn't mean the land at Kenmore gets to sit there unused or barely used. APS will need to use that land one way or another and probably sooner rather than later.

How old are your kids?
Mine is a toddler. Ok, sure... Kenmore becomes something else someday, but I wouldn’t count on that even being explored for another 6/7 years. So, it’s really not something to worry about right now.

My kids are in ES, and it is something we need to worry about now. They need a comprehensive plan otherwise neither my kids nor yours will have places to got to school. I don't want to be back at this in five years when they need to move Montessori. Make a public plan NOW. None of this we'll vote and then change course in 6 months and end-run the community.

Well then You definitely need to get on board with the career center being a full fourth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How big is the VHC site? Could they put fields at Kenmore but the classrooms there?

Or is this Career Center or nothing? I know that nice big plot at Kenmore is untouchable for a high school building but something has to be built there.

There is a middle school and elementary school already at that site.

She means something else. That's more land than one MS and one ES need. If we can't build anything else on it, we need to sell or swap it for land that we can build more density on.

Uh huh...
and the neighborhood is fighting it

And a land swap... swap what exactly? What land are you looking at that would be a fair trade? Where would the current middle and elementary school go?

It’s the career center. Get used to it.

That doesn't mean the land at Kenmore gets to sit there unused or barely used. APS will need to use that land one way or another and probably sooner rather than later.

How old are your kids?
Mine is a toddler. Ok, sure... Kenmore becomes something else someday, but I wouldn’t count on that even being explored for another 6/7 years. So, it’s really not something to worry about right now.

My kids are in ES, and it is something we need to worry about now. They need a comprehensive plan otherwise neither my kids nor yours will have places to got to school. I don't want to be back at this in five years when they need to move Montessori. Make a public plan NOW. None of this we'll vote and then change course in 6 months and end-run the community.

Well then You definitely need to get on board with the career center being a full fourth.

I really don't. We won't be zoned there, so, not my problem. If they make it a second HB, they will fill the seats, amenities or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:See page 17 of the 2013 CIP here:
https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/legacy_assets/www/eb0c563b13-CIP2013-22_FINAL.pdf

This plan also had an addition being built at ATS to add capacity there. I believe ATS killed that.

I have this constant internal debate over whether ATS should be shut down because the parents there tend to be such assholes, or whether it should continue because it isolates so many of the assholes away from the rest of us.

Except that ATS didn't kill that, that I know of. They may have raised the usual questions about how the school would continue to function while under construction. I'm sure McKinley raised the same questions. The ATS principal started planning for the eventual addition. The parent community beefed up their PTA bank account so that there'd be money to stock the extra classrooms and do things for the additional teachers and kids. And then nothing happened. The renovation got killed because the money was used elsewhere. We've talked about it at PTA meetings over the last few months, and the principal is open to it, but the funds aren't there anymore.

We are fighting the school board's idea to put 10 additional trailers on the site. (We already have 4.) Just because there is technically room for them on the grounds doesn't mean there is room for 200 (!!!) more kids in the school. We are already over capacity with 539 kids vs. our capacity of 465. The first lunch shift starts at 10:20. Our class sizes are already the largest in the county. There's no way you could shove 200 more kids in there without an addition; the facilities just aren't that big. The SB is not suggesting adding 200 more kids to any other school, so we are fighting it. Can you honestly tell me that you wouldn't fight an effort to add 40% more kids to your school without any sort of infrastructure improvements? I doubt it.

I'm sorry your kid didn't get into ATS, but I'm glad someone so bitter isn't part of our community.