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

[Anonymous]

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

No one is forcing you people to live in Westover. Move if you don't like it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

No one is forcing you people to live in Westover. Move if you don't like it.

Really? You think that people should just up and move rather than insisting that problems be fixed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

But for Williamsbug and Gunston, the schools would be mainly regular neighborhood schools. Assuming they are like Gunston is now, the majority of students are not in the immersion program.

IB is different in that it's a neighborhood school that out-of-neighborhood kids can opt into and every student in the school is part of the IB program because it's just how an IB Middle Years school is run.

Would STEAM be the school-wide program like IB, or a school-in-a-school program like Immersion?

[Anonymous]

Yes. That could really overcrowd Swanson. Given the choice, won't every--or at least most-- families otherwise zoned to Kenmore try to opt into Swanson?

[Anonymous]

I should say overcrowd Swanson *more*.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. That could really overcrowd Swanson. Given the choice, won't every--or at least most-- families otherwise zoned to Kenmore try to opt into Swanson?

Maybe? Or maybe many families would prefer STEAM to IB? And the demographics (economic inequity), which is honestly what I think scares off many middle class families from Kenmore, would change given the new feeder schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. That could really overcrowd Swanson. Given the choice, won't every--or at least most-- families otherwise zoned to Kenmore try to opt into Swanson?

Seems like they'd have to go to lottery if demand exceeds capacity for certain programs. Still, I wouldn't think all or most zone Kenmore would want to go to Swanson. I know plenty of families very happy at Kenmore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

No one is forcing you people to live in Westover. Move if you don't like it.

Really? You think that people should just up and move rather than insisting that problems be fixed?

Sweetheart, I live in South Arlington, and that's what we hear everyday. Zero sympathy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

We can have both. They are very different schools.

--Campbell Parent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

We can have both. They are very different schools.

--Campbell Parent

Agree.

-- ATS Parent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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

I am a "Williamsburg person". Really glad to see the new idea of East-West and hope they will redraw all boundaries to level out school capacity. Immersion in 2 middle schools seems great!

Thank you for saying this. It's nice to know there are folks in north Arlington who aren't immediately opposed to this concept.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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

I am a "Williamsburg person". Really glad to see the new idea of East-West and hope they will redraw all boundaries to level out school capacity. Immersion in 2 middle schools seems great!

Thank you for saying this. It's nice to know there are folks in north Arlington who aren't immediately opposed to this concept.

Thanks - I will be rallying friends and neighbors to support this general concept. Will be interesting to better understand how they will implement this. I would be in favor of doing a one-time countywide rezoning to help reset serious issues with overcrowding and underutilization at some schools.

I lived in South Arlington for years. I miss Columbia Pike, especially now with some of the new restaurants! North Arlington gets a bad rap. There are lots of nice people here who want great outcomes for all students and all Arlingtonians.

[Anonymous]

I like the creative thinking this represents- but I don't think the east/west zones they are proposing are realistic.
What I heard at the work session is the reason for adding additional middle school and high school immersion options was the thought that kids were dropping out of immersion b/c they didn't want to go all the way to Gunston.
But now- they expect kids to go to Claremont for elementary- which is next door to Wakefield- but then trek all the way to Williamsburg for middle, and Yorktown for Highschool- when they live next to Wakefield?

By the last transfer report I could find- there were only 42 kids who transferred to Wakefield for Immersion, and 227 who transferred to Gunston. None of those transferred from Williamsburg, and 3 transferred from Swanson.
So I get why they might think that kids are being lost to immersion b/c they have to trek to Gunston.
However- I think this sets up most of the Claremont population to also drop out of immersion if they are told to go to Williamsburg.
If the concern is distance- they need to draw the zones North/South.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like the creative thinking this represents- but I don't think the east/west zones they are proposing are realistic.
What I heard at the work session is the reason for adding additional middle school and high school immersion options was the thought that kids were dropping out of immersion b/c they didn't want to go all the way to Gunston.
But now- they expect kids to go to Claremont for elementary- which is next door to Wakefield- but then trek all the way to Williamsburg for middle, and Yorktown for Highschool- when they live next to Wakefield?

By the last transfer report I could find- there were only 42 kids who transferred to Wakefield for Immersion, and 227 who transferred to Gunston. None of those transferred from Williamsburg, and 3 transferred from Swanson.
So I get why they might think that kids are being lost to immersion b/c they have to trek to Gunston.
However- I think this sets up most of the Claremont population to also drop out of immersion if they are told to go to Williamsburg.
If the concern is distance- they need to draw the zones North/South.

Or perhaps they did some analysis of who drops out of the program and why? Perhaps those who'd have the furthest to travel for MS and HS under the new plan have exhibited a willingness to do so?

Also, the east-west divide for immersion is not new. It's been like this at the ES level since forever. It's just they're giving additional options at the MS and HS level. I'd imagine they'll adjust if it seems not to be working to balance populations for both the dual-immersion model and crowding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like the creative thinking this represents- but I don't think the east/west zones they are proposing are realistic.
What I heard at the work session is the reason for adding additional middle school and high school immersion options was the thought that kids were dropping out of immersion b/c they didn't want to go all the way to Gunston.
But now- they expect kids to go to Claremont for elementary- which is next door to Wakefield- but then trek all the way to Williamsburg for middle, and Yorktown for Highschool- when they live next to Wakefield?

By the last transfer report I could find- there were only 42 kids who transferred to Wakefield for Immersion, and 227 who transferred to Gunston. None of those transferred from Williamsburg, and 3 transferred from Swanson.
So I get why they might think that kids are being lost to immersion b/c they have to trek to Gunston.
However- I think this sets up most of the Claremont population to also drop out of immersion if they are told to go to Williamsburg.
If the concern is distance- they need to draw the zones North/South.

I love the Williamsburg proposal! I also agree, however, that they will face similar geography problems with this arrangement as they have faced with Gunston. I hope they figure out an arrangement that gives people increased flexibility. For example, the way the lines are drawn, some folks who live very close to Williamsburg will still be expected to go to Gunston (with a similar problem w/r/t proximity to Gunston and being assigned to Williamsburg). I do think many more people would continue with the program - which participants seem to really love - if there were a wider range of options to make it more convenient at the higher levels.