APS Elementary Planning Mtg at Swanson - Option 1 in, Option 2 out, McKinley Moms out of contro

[Anonymous]

I only moved to Arlington last year. What's the deal with Key and ASFS? Key was offered the opportunity to move into ASFS and they convinced APS it didn't make sense? So now they're getting moved to the ATS building? I understand the Reed school is opening up and all those implications. I'm just trying to understand the Key/ASFS back story. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:the last speaker may need armed protection to get home- he showed real courage (more than I have).

He's advocated for all schools to be immersion for years. But glad he didn't say that and take away from the strength of his advocacy. And so nice to see someone who believes so strongly in the value of immersion to still talk sense about the current situation and proposal,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We did summer camp at MCKinley and I have to say it was kind of a weird out of the way location. I’m really surprised it’s being pitched as a good option school site. It’s basically super inconvenient if you don’t live right there. And no, I’m not an ATS or McKinley parent. It’s just not a place that’s convenient to anything else if it’s not your immediate neighborhood.

I agree.
I really think the reason staff decided on McKinley is because of the boundaries if both Reed and McKinley stayed neighborhood. There's a lot of overlap in different directions for McKinley; so it makes the most sense to staff to make that the option school site.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am not a Key parent, but I thought APS needs seats at Key because of all the new affordable housing the county just approved. So if most of Key doesn’t follow to ATS, doesn’t that still leave APS without enough seat in that area? The only way to remove that uncertainty is to leave every school where it is and draw boundaries. Broaden the walk zone to the full mile allowed under APS policy instead of 1/2 mile used today if you want to reduce bus costs.

Nobody at APS has said moving Key will solve the capacity problem. What it does is helps get them through because they will not be able to build another school there in the foreseeable future. What it also does, according to APS, is brings immersion closer to more Spanish-speaking families. Even if "most" of Key doesn't move with the program, it still opens a guaranteed minimum # of seats by moving all the immersion students who do not reside in the NE (esp Key/ASFS) boundaries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is this the new Option 3? The one that took hundreds of hours and everyone will love?

It works great for most of Arlington. What is the best way to submit it to APS?

Does it? I’d love to see breakouts of the data: school utilization, FRL rates, transportation costs, how many kids that would have to move, especially any that moved in the last year’s SA boundary adjustment...

DP -- and how many will be moved again in two years when they don't have enough seats in NE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That proposal also screwed over Ashlawn. It moves the Ashlawn tail to McKinley, and then moves half of long branch to Ashlawn. It’s almost as bad as the Key proposal that looked like it only had the walk zone for McKinley at McKinley.

Yup. They do that to Ashlawn, and also snatch the dominion hills part of ashlawn (13040 and 13041) and move them to McK- interestingly while moving 14100, which is north of Wilson and further from Ashlawn FROM McK TO Ashlawn instead - guess that planning unit didn't pay their PTA dues this year!

Agree it also totally screws over Barrett by moving the Arlington Forest planning units to Ashlawn. And there is a ton of other weird stuff going in with the way they've done other boundaries- looking at Taylor and Discovery. Not to mention they are totally slicing off small planning units and shuffling them from one school to another across the county in an effort to make their numbers "work," which is one of the things they are whining about APS doing to some of their planning units.

Get off my lawn, indeed! Save McKinley at the expense of everyone else!

It also makes a bunch of micro moves to make the math work, which was something they specifically criticized about proposal 1 in their slideshow. For instance, they move a single Nottingham unit to Discovery, and two Discovery units to Nottingham. Two (very small) Nottingham units to Tuckahoe. One Glebe unit to Reed. One Barcroft unit to Ashlawn. Two small Fleet units to Barcroft. McKinley's boundary-only scenario is basically everything they's attacked as inappropriate and unacceptable, except it all happens to other peoples' kids while their own are unaffected. It is the one of the most cravenly self-interested things I've seen a community put out in this kind of process.

Um, weren’t those two units McKinley would move from Fleet to Barcroft just moved to Fleet this year, and therefore would be ineligible to be moved again in 2021?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I only moved to Arlington last year. What's the deal with Key and ASFS? Key was offered the opportunity to move into ASFS and they convinced APS it didn't make sense? So now they're getting moved to the ATS building? I understand the Reed school is opening up and all those implications. I'm just trying to understand the Key/ASFS back story. Thanks.

here is the short version- if you want a more fulsome explanation- start a new thread this is a bit off topic.

Several years ago, in a time of declining enrollments overall, the Rosslyn courthouse neighborhood was almost entirely native Spanish speakers (in terms of school age population) living in apartments. APS created the 'team concept'. Jamestown and Taylor were neighborhood schools. Arlington Science Focus (located in Cherrydale) was a option choice. Key immersion was the default neighborhood school for the Rosslyn Courthouse area. Admittance to ASFS was 1)kids in the Key immersion zone who did not wish to attend Key immersion; 2)kids zoned to Jamestown and Taylor, 3) the rest of the county. Keep in mind- declining attendance overall, so the priority for admission was initally irrelevant- anyone who wanted to go to ASFS could. Admission to Key was 1)kids in the Key immersion zone; 2)kids in the Jamestown Taylor zones (the team); 3)the eastern half of the county.
As enrollment increased, the team concept broke down. ASFS became the de-facto neighborhood school for the Key zone b/c it entirely filled with kids from the Key zone and no one else could get in.
About 4 years ago APS changed the options/transfers policy. They abolished the team concept, and they declared ASFS a neighborhood school (it had been operating as a de-facto neighborhood school for several years.)
However, ASFS is actually not located in the Key/ASFS zone- its outside its boundaries. This causes a tremendous amount of angst for a few different groups of people.
About 18 months ago APS formally proposed to swap Key and ASFS- making the ASFS building the immersion school, and the Key building the neighborhood school. (I say formally b/c it was the first time it was a formal proposal- it had been talked about for many years however.) Key launched a massive lobbying campaign to 'stop the swap.' About 12 months ago APS suspended the swap effort and stated at the time they had concluded they needed both schools as neighborhood schools- and would reconsider what to do in the future- which brings up to the present.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I sure hope the SB backs the staff on this and shuts this ridiculousness down. The only people fit to make proposals for the entire district are staff. If you can show they are flawed, then Give the specifics. Otherwise, please stop. Any “proposal” from a self interested school is inherently suspect. That said m, I bet the SB ends up moving no school. And the boundary madness that follows will be epic. One for the ages.

If they think a lot of people are angry now, just wait until they announce that they’re going with the crazy boundary scenario after all.

+100 I hope they realize that if they cave to the tantrums by McKinley and Key they'll see a 100x more of it from every school if they go with that boundary scenario.

Well, they have already caved to the tantrums of Tuckahoe and then Nottingham in 2018-- https://www.arlnow.com/2018/04/24/parents-push-back-on-proposed-attendance-changes-at-nottingham-elementary-school/

And then to Fairlington last year-- https://www.arlnow.com/2018/10/30/aps-proposes-new-boundary-map-to-keep-fairlington-students-at-abingdon-though-concerns-linger/

This is just the way it is done at APS. Sorry, but most of you parents on here making crappy comments about Key, ATS, and McKinley would be doing the same thing if your school was in the cross-fire. We're a county that is probably 30% lawyers and lobbyists. We're fighters by nature. How do you expect these decisions to happen? I know that sounds cynical, but this process is never going to change. I can't wait until my kids are done.

I think you’re missing the fact that MANY school communities will be impacted - whether programs move or not. Some significantly. But they aren’t protesting in a self-serving manner because they understand change is necessary.

Just wait until boundary time. Those communities that aren't making noise now will make noise then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I only moved to Arlington last year. What's the deal with Key and ASFS? Key was offered the opportunity to move into ASFS and they convinced APS it didn't make sense? So now they're getting moved to the ATS building? I understand the Reed school is opening up and all those implications. I'm just trying to understand the Key/ASFS back story. Thanks.

Key didn’t want to swap with ASFS. Not sure what else you’re struggling to understand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I only moved to Arlington last year. What's the deal with Key and ASFS? Key was offered the opportunity to move into ASFS and they convinced APS it didn't make sense? So now they're getting moved to the ATS building? I understand the Reed school is opening up and all those implications. I'm just trying to understand the Key/ASFS back story. Thanks.

here is the short version- if you want a more fulsome explanation- start a new thread this is a bit off topic.

Several years ago, in a time of declining enrollments overall, the Rosslyn courthouse neighborhood was almost entirely native Spanish speakers (in terms of school age population) living in apartments. APS created the 'team concept'. Jamestown and Taylor were neighborhood schools. Arlington Science Focus (located in Cherrydale) was a option choice. Key immersion was the default neighborhood school for the Rosslyn Courthouse area. Admittance to ASFS was 1)kids in the Key immersion zone who did not wish to attend Key immersion; 2)kids zoned to Jamestown and Taylor, 3) the rest of the county. Keep in mind- declining attendance overall, so the priority for admission was initally irrelevant- anyone who wanted to go to ASFS could. Admission to Key was 1)kids in the Key immersion zone; 2)kids in the Jamestown Taylor zones (the team); 3)the eastern half of the county.
As enrollment increased, the team concept broke down. ASFS became the de-facto neighborhood school for the Key zone b/c it entirely filled with kids from the Key zone and no one else could get in.
About 4 years ago APS changed the options/transfers policy. They abolished the team concept, and they declared ASFS a neighborhood school (it had been operating as a de-facto neighborhood school for several years.)
However, ASFS is actually not located in the Key/ASFS zone- its outside its boundaries. This causes a tremendous amount of angst for a few different groups of people.
About 18 months ago APS formally proposed to swap Key and ASFS- making the ASFS building the immersion school, and the Key building the neighborhood school. (I say formally b/c it was the first time it was a formal proposal- it had been talked about for many years however.) Key launched a massive lobbying campaign to 'stop the swap.' About 12 months ago APS suspended the swap effort and stated at the time they had concluded they needed both schools as neighborhood schools- and would reconsider what to do in the future- which brings up to the present.

zzzzzzz....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm trying to understand why Key thinks it is compelling that not that many Lyon Village families are interested in attending an immersion school at ATS. Of course they are more likely to consider immersion if it is closer to them. But if they choose not to- so what? APS isn't counting on Lyon Village opting for immersion, they are considering future Lyon Village families as needing neighborhood seats.

That sounds right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I sure hope the SB backs the staff on this and shuts this ridiculousness down. The only people fit to make proposals for the entire district are staff. If you can show they are flawed, then Give the specifics. Otherwise, please stop. Any “proposal” from a self interested school is inherently suspect. That said m, I bet the SB ends up moving no school. And the boundary madness that follows will be epic. One for the ages.

If they think a lot of people are angry now, just wait until they announce that they’re going with the crazy boundary scenario after all.

+100 I hope they realize that if they cave to the tantrums by McKinley and Key they'll see a 100x more of it from every school if they go with that boundary scenario.

Well, they have already caved to the tantrums of Tuckahoe and then Nottingham in 2018-- https://www.arlnow.com/2018/04/24/parents-push-back-on-proposed-attendance-changes-at-nottingham-elementary-school/

And then to Fairlington last year-- https://www.arlnow.com/2018/10/30/aps-proposes-new-boundary-map-to-keep-fairlington-students-at-abingdon-though-concerns-linger/

This is just the way it is done at APS. Sorry, but most of you parents on here making crappy comments about Key, ATS, and McKinley would be doing the same thing if your school was in the cross-fire. We're a county that is probably 30% lawyers and lobbyists. We're fighters by nature. How do you expect these decisions to happen? I know that sounds cynical, but this process is never going to change. I can't wait until my kids are done.

I think you’re missing the fact that MANY school communities will be impacted - whether programs move or not. Some significantly. But they aren’t protesting in a self-serving manner because they understand change is necessary.

Just wait until boundary time. Those communities that aren't making noise now will make noise then.

This is what I've been saying. All the parents crying that McK is crazy for fighting will be up in arms when their planning unit is the only one or two moving to a new school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That proposal also screwed over Ashlawn. It moves the Ashlawn tail to McKinley, and then moves half of long branch to Ashlawn. It’s almost as bad as the Key proposal that looked like it only had the walk zone for McKinley at McKinley.

Yup. They do that to Ashlawn, and also snatch the dominion hills part of ashlawn (13040 and 13041) and move them to McK- interestingly while moving 14100, which is north of Wilson and further from Ashlawn FROM McK TO Ashlawn instead - guess that planning unit didn't pay their PTA dues this year!

Agree it also totally screws over Barrett by moving the Arlington Forest planning units to Ashlawn. And there is a ton of other weird stuff going in with the way they've done other boundaries- looking at Taylor and Discovery. Not to mention they are totally slicing off small planning units and shuffling them from one school to another across the county in an effort to make their numbers "work," which is one of the things they are whining about APS doing to some of their planning units.

Get off my lawn, indeed! Save McKinley at the expense of everyone else!

It also makes a bunch of micro moves to make the math work, which was something they specifically criticized about proposal 1 in their slideshow. For instance, they move a single Nottingham unit to Discovery, and two Discovery units to Nottingham. Two (very small) Nottingham units to Tuckahoe. One Glebe unit to Reed. One Barcroft unit to Ashlawn. Two small Fleet units to Barcroft. McKinley's boundary-only scenario is basically everything they's attacked as inappropriate and unacceptable, except it all happens to other peoples' kids while their own are unaffected. It is the one of the most cravenly self-interested things I've seen a community put out in this kind of process.

Um, weren’t those two units McKinley would move from Fleet to Barcroft just moved to Fleet this year, and therefore would be ineligible to be moved again in 2021?

+1 They are ignoring a lot of issues to make this crazy map.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That proposal also screwed over Ashlawn. It moves the Ashlawn tail to McKinley, and then moves half of long branch to Ashlawn. It’s almost as bad as the Key proposal that looked like it only had the walk zone for McKinley at McKinley.

Yup. They do that to Ashlawn, and also snatch the dominion hills part of ashlawn (13040 and 13041) and move them to McK- interestingly while moving 14100, which is north of Wilson and further from Ashlawn FROM McK TO Ashlawn instead - guess that planning unit didn't pay their PTA dues this year!

Agree it also totally screws over Barrett by moving the Arlington Forest planning units to Ashlawn. And there is a ton of other weird stuff going in with the way they've done other boundaries- looking at Taylor and Discovery. Not to mention they are totally slicing off small planning units and shuffling them from one school to another across the county in an effort to make their numbers "work," which is one of the things they are whining about APS doing to some of their planning units.

Get off my lawn, indeed! Save McKinley at the expense of everyone else!

It also makes a bunch of micro moves to make the math work, which was something they specifically criticized about proposal 1 in their slideshow. For instance, they move a single Nottingham unit to Discovery, and two Discovery units to Nottingham. Two (very small) Nottingham units to Tuckahoe. One Glebe unit to Reed. One Barcroft unit to Ashlawn. Two small Fleet units to Barcroft. McKinley's boundary-only scenario is basically everything they's attacked as inappropriate and unacceptable, except it all happens to other peoples' kids while their own are unaffected. It is the one of the most cravenly self-interested things I've seen a community put out in this kind of process.

Um, weren’t those two units McKinley would move from Fleet to Barcroft just moved to Fleet this year, and therefore would be ineligible to be moved again in 2021?

+1 They are ignoring a lot of issues to make this crazy map.

The McK and Ashlawn boundaries are crazy. It just makes sense for ATS to move to Ashlawn. That will fix this mess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is this the new Option 3? The one that took hundreds of hours and everyone will love?

It works great for most of Arlington. What is the best way to submit it to APS?

Does it? I’d love to see breakouts of the data: school utilization, FRL rates, transportation costs, how many kids that would have to move, especially any that moved in the last year’s SA boundary adjustment...

DP -- and how many will be moved again in two years when they don't have enough seats in NE.

I hope that isn't option 3 - looks like it needs to tweak details. It takes families now at fleet and puts them into barcroft. This includes families literally across the street from fleet, and Gilliam place where families are moving into right now, and going to Fleet. APS decided that Gillimam place would go to Fleet to give Fleet some FRL and not increase it at already high poverty Barcroft. It also takes Arlington Forest south of 50 and sends it ashlawn, screwing Barcoft out of an entire neighborhood of middle class families.