Ideas of How APS Can Solve High School Overcrowding

[Anonymous]

I'm an overextended mom who participates in 3 committees (that meet either once or twice each per month), the PTA, other random volunteering, I'm the room mom, have a weekly date night with my husband, and I have friends I occasionally like to have dinner with. So I'm sorry I didn't participate in the CIP forums, but I did fill out the survey. I have now also read ALL of the background materials to the CIP. I wrote to the board and spoke at a school board meeting, and did a LOT of reading.

Looks like you need to consult the dictionary....no job and actually lists date night with DH and dinner with friends as evidence of how busy you are. Please.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Didn't they just come out with the terrible recommendations? Like last week?
I don't even have a kid in school yet, so no. I haven't gone to a bunch meetings while breastfeeding a newborn. I guess I just assumed the people making decisions didn't have their heads up their asses.
My bad.

The proposed CIP was released in May after a year long public process. It's fine if you didn't pay attention--everyone has their own stuff--but it's pretty obnoxious to write off something you don't understand and only know about because of DCUM.

[Anonymous]

The hostility of the APS apologists on this thread is amazing. No wonder it's made bad decisions that leave APS unprepared to handle the number of MS and HS students in a few years. The leadership clearly has surrounded itself with a bunch of sycophants that defend every decision made or left unmade by Murphy and crew.

[Anonymous]

I loathe Murphy and want the SB to fire his ass.

But I am pretty impatient with parents who don't want to acknowledge other needs in the community beyond schools and who refuse to name what they're willing to give up -- things that will come at a personal cost to them -- in order to get the building they want.

I am willing to fault Arlington for not consistently presenting options in a way that requires parents to do so. But parents seem happy to engage in magical thinking, so the blame is not all on one side.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The hostility of the APS apologists on this thread is amazing. No wonder it's made bad decisions that leave APS unprepared to handle the number of MS and HS students in a few years. The leadership clearly has surrounded itself with a bunch of sycophants that defend every decision made or left unmade by Murphy and crew.

I don't think these are APS apologists. These are people who either won't be affected because they don't have kids, or their kids are older, and they would rather the county spend its money on THEM or their pet causes. Seriously, there's some jerk in the ArlNow comments talking about how her teenager would LOVE the option to go to school from 3-10 pm. OKAY DUMMY. But she's pretty stupid to use her real name, because I also know that she's been working for an organization that has had areas of Columbia Pike declared "urban blight" so that they can qualify for more money for Affordable Housing. The latest building in this area of "blight" is about to break ground and will add hundreds of units of housing, targeted at families. But who cares if all of those children, and mine, will have to go to HS in shifts. It's good enough, right? Eye roll.

[Anonymous]

I think the County should redraw the boundary lines to alleviate crowding and make Woodlawn a bigger program. Wakefield looks like it could have more capacity, and if the County didn't take it into account when they rebuilt it, they are crazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I loathe Murphy and want the SB to fire his ass.

But I am pretty impatient with parents who don't want to acknowledge other needs in the community beyond schools and who refuse to name what they're willing to give up -- things that will come at a personal cost to them -- in order to get the building they want.

I am willing to fault Arlington for not consistently presenting options in a way that requires parents to do so. But parents seem happy to engage in magical thinking, so the blame is not all on one side.

Our family will gladly give up every single dollar being spent to support affordable housing and all other affiliated costs including social services. We don't live in affordable housing, but the County and all the AH proponents say that affordable housing is important and beneficial to all Arlingtonians. Well, I'm willing to give up that benefit.

More parkland. I love living in Arlington because of all the greenspace, however I'd rather my child actually have a seat in a real classroom building rather than yet another park to play in.

What else? I'd be willing to pay higher taxes directed at school capacity solutions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the County should redraw the boundary lines to alleviate crowding and make Woodlawn a bigger program. Wakefield looks like it could have more capacity, and if the County didn't take it into account when they rebuilt it, they are crazy.

The HB thing hasn't been on the table. Redistricting and additions at the current high schools to provide roughly 300 more seats are part of the plan. Challenge is, the current plan still falls short by 1,000 HS seats by 2025.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The hostility of the APS apologists on this thread is amazing. No wonder it's made bad decisions that leave APS unprepared to handle the number of MS and HS students in a few years. The leadership clearly has surrounded itself with a bunch of sycophants that defend every decision made or left unmade by Murphy and crew.

I'm not an APS apologist. I'm well informed -- informed enough to know that there aren't any easy answers.

I see the people demanding that someone "do something" the same way I see Trump voters -- as people who believe that there is some obvious solution out there and we just need the right leaders to say it. In fact, at the national and the local levels, policy and budget trade offs create winners and losers and there are a lot of entrenched opposing viewpoints, which is why both Trump voters and parents who think the rest of the Arlington taxpayers are just going to roll over and build a fourth high school because you signed a petition are WASTING THEIR TIME. There are no simple, obvious solutions to our problems, just tough choices that require a lot of time and effort to build consensus around.

Public policy is not a one-time vote on a candidate or a one-time vote on a CIP. It's a process and you have to stay informed and stay active if you want to make a difference and get support for your point of view.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I'm an overextended mom who participates in 3 committees (that meet either once or twice each per month), the PTA, other random volunteering, I'm the room mom, have a weekly date night with my husband, and I have friends I occasionally like to have dinner with. So I'm sorry I didn't participate in the CIP forums, but I did fill out the survey. I have now also read ALL of the background materials to the CIP. I wrote to the board and spoke at a school board meeting, and did a LOT of reading.

Looks like you need to consult the dictionary....no job and actually lists date night with DH and dinner with friends as evidence of how busy you are. Please.

PP here. Oh right, this is DCUM where you only get respect if you work full time. I worked 35 hrs/week in March and April when the CIP stuff was going on (not quite full time, so hang me I guess).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The hostility of the APS apologists on this thread is amazing. No wonder it's made bad decisions that leave APS unprepared to handle the number of MS and HS students in a few years. The leadership clearly has surrounded itself with a bunch of sycophants that defend every decision made or left unmade by Murphy and crew.

I'm not an APS apologist. I'm well informed -- informed enough to know that there aren't any easy answers.

I see the people demanding that someone "do something" the same way I see Trump voters -- as people who believe that there is some obvious solution out there and we just need the right leaders to say it. In fact, at the national and the local levels, policy and budget trade offs create winners and losers and there are a lot of entrenched opposing viewpoints, which is why both Trump voters and parents who think the rest of the Arlington taxpayers are just going to roll over and build a fourth high school because you signed a petition are WASTING THEIR TIME. There are no simple, obvious solutions to our problems, just tough choices that require a lot of time and effort to build consensus around.

Public policy is not a one-time vote on a candidate or a one-time vote on a CIP. It's a process and you have to stay informed and stay active if you want to make a difference and get support for your point of view.

Exactly. Tough choices.

Out of curiosity, what would you propose APS and the County do to fix this problem? You're not the only one following this issue, and many of us see them as being unwilling to make hard choices and instead leave this as TBD in the CIP, thereby continuing to kick the can down the road until it's too late. Since you, like others of us, are well informed I'm guessing you have your own views. I'm interested in hearing other alternatives that actually fix the problem of having sufficient APS capacity for all students.

As for wasting time, at least one School Board member has privately said to small groups of parents that they need more public outcry since the County Board rarely hears from those who care about schools. The CB hears plenty from the affordable housing advocates and other public interest needs. Those of us who care about schools have either typically only engaged the school board, or in the case of many like another poster, not engaged at all assuming that Arlington wouldn't ever let a situation like this happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The hostility of the APS apologists on this thread is amazing. No wonder it's made bad decisions that leave APS unprepared to handle the number of MS and HS students in a few years. The leadership clearly has surrounded itself with a bunch of sycophants that defend every decision made or left unmade by Murphy and crew.

I'm not an APS apologist. I'm well informed -- informed enough to know that there aren't any easy answers.

I see the people demanding that someone "do something" the same way I see Trump voters -- as people who believe that there is some obvious solution out there and we just need the right leaders to say it. In fact, at the national and the local levels, policy and budget trade offs create winners and losers and there are a lot of entrenched opposing viewpoints, which is why both Trump voters and parents who think the rest of the Arlington taxpayers are just going to roll over and build a fourth high school because you signed a petition are WASTING THEIR TIME. There are no simple, obvious solutions to our problems, just tough choices that require a lot of time and effort to build consensus around.

Public policy is not a one-time vote on a candidate or a one-time vote on a CIP. It's a process and you have to stay informed and stay active if you want to make a difference and get support for your point of view.

This will never happen. It's time for the people we elected to lead to do just that and to make the tough choices. Because there is no neighborhood that won't try to fight a new school for one reason or another. And there will always be some who think it's okay to short-change today's children in order to keep their taxes lower. "The Arlington Way" is now just a smoke screen for officials to hide behind. MAKE THE TOUGH CHOICES. THAT WHAT LEADERS DO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn't they just come out with the terrible recommendations? Like last week?
I don't even have a kid in school yet, so no. I haven't gone to a bunch meetings while breastfeeding a newborn. I guess I just assumed the people making decisions didn't have their heads up their asses.
My bad.

The proposed CIP was released in May after a year long public process. It's fine if you didn't pay attention--everyone has their own stuff--but it's pretty obnoxious to write off something you don't understand and only know about because of DCUM.

Who said I haven't been paying attention. I filled out the online survey. I've written emails to both the SB and CB. They had an agenda from the start. They thought they were just gonna scoot on by, and looks like they were wrong. I live off of Columbia Pike and we were promised the fucking moon and stars for transportation. Well- now it's bus service.
Well I say fuck it. We need a new high school more than whatever bullshit they are selling us as a transportation plan on the Pike.
Take the money from that and affordable housing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The hostility of the APS apologists on this thread is amazing. No wonder it's made bad decisions that leave APS unprepared to handle the number of MS and HS students in a few years. The leadership clearly has surrounded itself with a bunch of sycophants that defend every decision made or left unmade by Murphy and crew.

I'm not an APS apologist. I'm well informed -- informed enough to know that there aren't any easy answers.

I see the people demanding that someone "do something" the same way I see Trump voters -- as people who believe that there is some obvious solution out there and we just need the right leaders to say it. In fact, at the national and the local levels, policy and budget trade offs create winners and losers and there are a lot of entrenched opposing viewpoints, which is why both Trump voters and parents who think the rest of the Arlington taxpayers are just going to roll over and build a fourth high school because you signed a petition are WASTING THEIR TIME. There are no simple, obvious solutions to our problems, just tough choices that require a lot of time and effort to build consensus around.

Public policy is not a one-time vote on a candidate or a one-time vote on a CIP. It's a process and you have to stay informed and stay active if you want to make a difference and get support for your point of view.

This will never happen. It's time for the people we elected to lead to do just that and to make the tough choices. Because there is no neighborhood that won't try to fight a new school for one reason or another. And there will always be some who think it's okay to short-change today's children in order to keep their taxes lower. "The Arlington Way" is now just a smoke screen for officials to hide behind. MAKE THE TOUGH CHOICES. THAT WHAT LEADERS DO.

I don't think people understand that some of the tradeoffs are between today's children and today's children. If they commit to a new high school, that takes a lot of other construction off the table. Kids at the elementary and middle school level will be in trailers and unrenovated schools for the next 10 years. There won't be enough money to deal with the overcrowding at Long Branch, the R-B corridor, Oakridge overcrowding that isn't addressed by the new S. Arlington elementary, etc. The tradeoffs aren't all between a new high school and parkland. It's between a high school and two new elementary schools and two expansions.

[Anonymous]

Then this isn't even a school problem.
This is a " smart growth " problem.
Why the hell is the CB pushing for more urbanization and more density?