Alexandria HSs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
That's actually not true as of 2021. Now that Alexandria is building a low-level school to remove the West End kids from TC, half the kids in Alexandria will no longer have full academic access. The Alexandria School Board's final, unanimous plan for two different 9-12 high schools is at: http://esbpublic.acps.k12.va.us/public_itemview.aspx?ItemId=9189&mtgId=1003

That is a set of theoretical specs for any possible future high school (including expansion at the present campus) It is NOT a plan for two high schools. No decision has been made on that, and it is certainly not correct that Alexandria "is building" a second high school. The only new school they are building in the West End is an elementary school on Beauregard Street.

Except they can't find a principal for thal school. And the legislature has yet to OK the building.

The General Assembly in Richmond has to okay an elementary school in Alexandria? Link?

The City Council alone needs to approve. The City Manager handles the budget by Council resolution, and the Council votes on the Manager's recommendation. It's in the budget. See: https://www.alexandriava.gov/uploadedFiles/budget/info/budget2019/Section%2015%20-%20CIP%20Overview.pdf

And once the budget goes through, School Board can do anything they want with the money (if it isn't illegal). City Council cannot control one penny of the actual use. The City admits that. See: https://www.alexandriava.gov/uploadedFiles/planning/info/JTFMemofromCAO111317.pdf

As of now, today, Alexandria has budgeted and the school board is proceeding with the division of the high school into two separate 9-12 high schools. That's just a fact.

(reserving $30.0 million for land acquisition and $5.15
million for new high school planning and design).


Nothing for construction. Council would still have to approve. And of course Council and School Board are now doing joint meetings on facility planning.

and still no evidence they are proceeding with two separate 9-12 high schools.

BTW, when you post a link to a multipage document that you claim proves something, it would be helpful to tell us the page number. Netiquette and all that.

I don't think they have any choice at this point but to separate into multiple high schools and it's not a big deal.
The issues in the past regarding segregation no longer hold true. There are no laws in place and there is no desire from residents.

The majority of the public housing is on the east side of the City.
The west end of the City simply has more and cheaper, older market rate multifamily units. Large condo buildings , apartment buildings and garden apartments.
I think it's unfair to assume that families in the west end do not want a high school near them that would offer their kids a walk able school reducing bus rides and hours needed in transport.

[Anonymous]

Wow. Why all the hate on TC? My k-8 private school grad applied and was accepted at several DC private schools, all excellent, but decided to go to TC for 9th instead. Maybe we will live to regret that decision, but we have heard mostly good things from (actual) parents of (actual) kids we know, and are happy to save $40k/year.

[Anonymous]

Most of it is fear of too many brown people. — parent of TC grad who went on to one of the so-called “top ivies”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
That's actually not true as of 2021. Now that Alexandria is building a low-level school to remove the West End kids from TC, half the kids in Alexandria will no longer have full academic access. The Alexandria School Board's final, unanimous plan for two different 9-12 high schools is at: http://esbpublic.acps.k12.va.us/public_itemview.aspx?ItemId=9189&mtgId=1003

That is a set of theoretical specs for any possible future high school (including expansion at the present campus) It is NOT a plan for two high schools. No decision has been made on that, and it is certainly not correct that Alexandria "is building" a second high school. The only new school they are building in the West End is an elementary school on Beauregard Street.

Except they can't find a principal for thal school. And the legislature has yet to OK the building.

The General Assembly in Richmond has to okay an elementary school in Alexandria? Link?

The City Council alone needs to approve. The City Manager handles the budget by Council resolution, and the Council votes on the Manager's recommendation. It's in the budget. See: https://www.alexandriava.gov/uploadedFiles/budget/info/budget2019/Section%2015%20-%20CIP%20Overview.pdf

And once the budget goes through, School Board can do anything they want with the money (if it isn't illegal). City Council cannot control one penny of the actual use. The City admits that. See: https://www.alexandriava.gov/uploadedFiles/planning/info/JTFMemofromCAO111317.pdf

As of now, today, Alexandria has budgeted and the school board is proceeding with the division of the high school into two separate 9-12 high schools. That's just a fact.

(reserving $30.0 million for land acquisition and $5.15
million for new high school planning and design).


Nothing for construction. Council would still have to approve. And of course Council and School Board are now doing joint meetings on facility planning.

and still no evidence they are proceeding with two separate 9-12 high schools.

BTW, when you post a link to a multipage document that you claim proves something, it would be helpful to tell us the page number. Netiquette and all that.

I don't think they have any choice at this point but to separate into multiple high schools and it's not a big deal.
The issues in the past regarding segregation no longer hold true. There are no laws in place and there is no desire from residents.

The majority of the public housing is on the east side of the City.
The west end of the City simply has more and cheaper, older market rate multifamily units. Large condo buildings , apartment buildings and garden apartments.
I think it's unfair to assume that families in the west end do not want a high school near them that would offer their kids a walk able school reducing bus rides and hours needed in transport.

The total budget line through the effective date of the division of TC is $124.2 million. It's already in the budget.

I don't know one single West End family that wants TC to be split. West End families know that their students will be put into some abandoned building not even designed for school use, like the new West End elementary school. The West End high school will be low-service; it will not have athletic fields, it will not have access to services and facilities that are accessible to the current TC. And it's unnecessary - one in every seven TC classrooms is unused during each class period. The school board knows that it cannot justify the TC split objectively, which is why they voted the plan through without even once announcing their intentions in any formal public hearing of any kind. They haven't even released a comparison of square footages per student at other high schools in the region.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most of it is fear of too many brown people. — parent of TC grad who went on to one of the so-called “top ivies”.

This is exactly right. And this also contributes to the school board's plan to split TC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of it is fear of too many brown people. — parent of TC grad who went on to one of the so-called “top ivies”.

This is exactly right. And this also contributes to the school board's plan to split TC.

ACPS is well integrated and your racist comment is not true. Someone here is trying to get this thread deleted just like the JH thread. That's a bad call, as people in Alexandria need a place to discuss their schools, just like Arlington, Fairfax, Montgomery County parents do.

Just knock it off, pp's.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I don't think they have any choice at this point but to separate into multiple high schools and it's not a big deal.
The issues in the past regarding segregation no longer hold true. There are no laws in place and there is no desire from residents.

The majority of the public housing is on the east side of the City.
The west end of the City simply has more and cheaper, older market rate multifamily units. Large condo buildings , apartment buildings and garden apartments.
I think it's unfair to assume that families in the west end do not want a high school near them that would offer their kids a walk able school reducing bus rides and hours needed in transport.

I am not discussing whether splitting is desirable, or desired by west end residents. My point is that its not at all decided yet. There is a PP here who is up in arms about "two high schools" and claims, regularly, that that is the direction chosen, based on a document that says no such thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
The total budget line through the effective date of the division of TC is $124.2 million. It's already in the budget.

Total budget line for two high schools? For high school expansion in general? For all new capacity? And what "effective date"? Again, please link AND please specify the page number on which any fact you are citing to be found. Until you do, I will assume you are misunderstanding any facts you claim to cite.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The total budget line through the effective date of the division of TC is $124.2 million. It's already in the budget.

Total budget line for two high schools? For high school expansion in general? For all new capacity? And what "effective date"? Again, please link AND please specify the page number on which any fact you are citing to be found. Until you do, I will assume you are misunderstanding any facts you claim to cite.

Is anything being done to fight the division of the high schools in East vs. West. I've seen letters online from a teacher group at TC and from a former school board member advocating for a Minnie Howard expansion (to 9 and 10). The east/ west division of middle schools have a clear imbalance racially and socio-economically, which has been pointed out by at least one school board member publicly. In terms of distance, TC is centrally located and just as close to the West End as the East end. I assume some of this could come out in a community dialogue, which I fear would take away from the capacity discussion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most of it is fear of too many brown people. — parent of TC grad who went on to one of the so-called “top ivies”.

Particularly ironic since the worst people at TC are a couple of white Vice Principals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The total budget line through the effective date of the division of TC is $124.2 million. It's already in the budget.

Total budget line for two high schools? For high school expansion in general? For all new capacity? And what "effective date"? Again, please link AND please specify the page number on which any fact you are citing to be found. Until you do, I will assume you are misunderstanding any facts you claim to cite.

Is anything being done to fight the division of the high schools in East vs. West. I've seen letters online from a teacher group at TC and from a former school board member advocating for a Minnie Howard expansion (to 9 and 10). The east/ west division of middle schools have a clear imbalance racially and socio-economically, which has been pointed out by at least one school board member publicly. In terms of distance, TC is centrally located and just as close to the West End as the East end. I assume some of this could come out in a community dialogue, which I fear would take away from the capacity discussion.

Nothing is being done to fight the TC split that is underway, in part because the school board only recently admitted that this is what they have been planning and implementing. And those recent admissions have been in the press and not in official statements other than the educational specification regulations - those are formal, publicly released, and binding. The school board’s intention is to have all final approvals in place so that the split is irreversible before conducting any formal public proceedings to bless their already-made decision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
The total budget line through the effective date of the division of TC is $124.2 million. It's already in the budget.

Total budget line for two high schools? For high school expansion in general? For all new capacity? And what "effective date"? Again, please link AND please specify the page number on which any fact you are citing to be found. Until you do, I will assume you are misunderstanding any facts you claim to cite.

Is anything being done to fight the division of the high schools in East vs. West. I've seen letters online from a teacher group at TC and from a former school board member advocating for a Minnie Howard expansion (to 9 and 10). The east/ west division of middle schools have a clear imbalance racially and socio-economically, which has been pointed out by at least one school board member publicly. In terms of distance, TC is centrally located and just as close to the West End as the East end. I assume some of this could come out in a community dialogue, which I fear would take away from the capacity discussion.

Nothing is being done to fight the TC split that is underway, in part because the school board only recently admitted that this is what they have been planning and implementing. And those recent admissions have been in the press and not in official statements other than the educational specification regulations - those are formal, publicly released, and binding. The school board’s intention is to have all final approvals in place so that the split is irreversible before conducting any formal public proceedings to bless their already-made decision.

can you cite to articles, would like to read more about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here’s the thing w/ TC- the teachers are doing the best they can with the resources they have available to them. Any progress they make is in spite of, not thanks to, the support of both building admin and central office. The central office is made up of people who’ve either never worked in a classroom and don’t understand the basics of a teacher’s day OR people who’ve only ever worked in ACPS and thus don’t have the frame of reference to realize that there are other, perhaps better, ways to do things (or they DO realize and just don’t care). Building admin is a mess too. The new principal is trying- he really is- but in an oversized, overcrowded cluster-eff that is a school of that size, he needs a top-notch admin staff under him. Unfortunately, they waited until almost summer to fill his roster; if you know anything about the school hiring process, you know that by May, for the most part, you’re stuck with the dregs and leftovers- the people who nobody else wanted to hire. There are exceptions of course, but for the most part that’s what TCW was stuck with- either administrators that flamed out in other districts (*cough* PG *cough* DCPS *cough*) or a bunch of people who’ve bounced around ACPS for years, never staying terribly long in one job, and in a couple cases had been demoted from significantly more senior positions. I won’t name names but a quick glance at the leadership team on the school website will tell you who’s who.

So until this cycle is broken, TCW will continue to struggle. They have two potential things working in their favor: a first-year principal who’s a marked upgrade over his predecessor and an incoming new superintendent who may be hamstrung by the school board to a degree but still has the power to do some housecleaning. Or they can just stay the course and watch the good teachers flee to other districts.

Thanks for this. For those of us who are trying to support TC, what do you recommend we do as parent advocates?

Be the squeaky wheel. Where/when possible, deal with the Principal, not the assistants. And, frankly, make yourself known to the new Superintendent. He's a former ACPS employee himself, so hopefully he's learned some lessons in his time out of the area, but make sure he knows you're not interested in the status quo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here’s the thing w/ TC- the teachers are doing the best they can with the resources they have available to them. Any progress they make is in spite of, not thanks to, the support of both building admin and central office. The central office is made up of people who’ve either never worked in a classroom and don’t understand the basics of a teacher’s day OR people who’ve only ever worked in ACPS and thus don’t have the frame of reference to realize that there are other, perhaps better, ways to do things (or they DO realize and just don’t care). Building admin is a mess too. The new principal is trying- he really is- but in an oversized, overcrowded cluster-eff that is a school of that size, he needs a top-notch admin staff under him. Unfortunately, they waited until almost summer to fill his roster; if you know anything about the school hiring process, you know that by May, for the most part, you’re stuck with the dregs and leftovers- the people who nobody else wanted to hire. There are exceptions of course, but for the most part that’s what TCW was stuck with- either administrators that flamed out in other districts (*cough* PG *cough* DCPS *cough*) or a bunch of people who’ve bounced around ACPS for years, never staying terribly long in one job, and in a couple cases had been demoted from significantly more senior positions. I won’t name names but a quick glance at the leadership team on the school website will tell you who’s who.

So until this cycle is broken, TCW will continue to struggle. They have two potential things working in their favor: a first-year principal who’s a marked upgrade over his predecessor and an incoming new superintendent who may be hamstrung by the school board to a degree but still has the power to do some housecleaning. Or they can just stay the course and watch the good teachers flee to other districts.

Thanks for this. For those of us who are trying to support TC, what do you recommend we do as parent advocates?

Be the squeaky wheel. Where/when possible, deal with the Principal, not the assistants. And, frankly, make yourself known to the new Superintendent. He's a former ACPS employee himself, so hopefully he's learned some lessons in his time out of the area, but make sure he knows you're not interested in the status quo.

And bear in mind that the new Super is pals with the TC principal, and that both of them report to and are evaluated by the school board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

People should ask hard questions about TC admin. Why is someone who was for many years a high-ranking central office administrator suddenly a vice principal?

Who is that?

They probably mean the one who’s married to a prominent and respected APD detective. Not naming names but a quick look at the TCW leadership team on the school website and it’ll be fairly clear.