APS - new CIP proposal

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Getting back to the new CIP - I'm looking back at when we got into this Career Center mess. Details are all here: https://www.apsva.us/instruction/new-high-school/

It was four years ago - June 2017 - that the School Board voted on the very last minute "hybrid plan" to put some of the 1300 new HS seats at the Ed Center and some at the CC. The documents show that they planned 500-600 seats at Ed Center to open most likely before 2022, and 700-800 new HS at the CC to open by Fall 2022. This was instead of building a 1300 seat HS at Kenmore, the option with the most land and the longest term growth potential. And these new CC seats were supposed to be in addition to the 600 seats already planned for Arlington Tech.

So we were supposed to have 1300-1400 CC seats built out by Fall 2022. Instead, we had years of planning commissions trying to figure out how to make this work and how much it would cost. That ended in disaster last spring when the costs where way too high and the neighborhood rejected a school without full facilities, including a pool.

So now, APS puts out this very roughly sketched out plan for up to 1800 MS and HS seats at this site by 2026, with no details about what program(s) this would be, how they will fit, what facilities they will have, etc.

How are we not right back where we started four years ago? And the poor Arlington Tech students still have no facility improvements, right? If we are going back to the beginning, can we please, pretty please reconsider Kenmore now??

No, because no neighborhood is going to be okay with being zoned to the lesser school that lacks equivalent facilities, and APS has said they can’t afford to build a full HS. That’s why these are option seats, wherever they are placed. I don’t think it makes sense to move Montessori and Tech and all the CTE programs to a new location.

Who said anything about moving Arl Tech, CTE, and Montessori? At one point, Kenmore was discussed as an option arts focused high school.

You could build an option HS there now and then down the road add a pool and what not and turn the whole campus into a 2300 seat HS (once you find a new home for the middle school, i.e. the VHC campus). There is a long term possibility to have a comprehensive 4th high school with adequate land.

I agree with this, which is why it doesn’t make sense to build option programs there now. Look how “easy” it has been to move those around once they’re entrenched. I think adding capacity to Arl Tech and maybe putting another small MS/HS program, like an arts focus or whatever, makes more sense if we can’t build a comprehensive HS right now.

Building at the center of the site actually makes this not possible. The only way to get a full size HS field is to make the building be at the south end of the campus. So we are basically committing to options programs forever on this site.

There is a CIP work session tonight. Hopefully there are some good questions asked. I agree this all seems rushed and not well planned.

Most recent PP, we were discussing a full size HS at Kenmore, not CC. Leave CC as an option site, with Montessori at Patrick Henry (no need to tear down and rebuild), Arl Tech at a modified and expanded CC, and maybe some MS Montessori classrooms added in there (the program is small so it wouldn't need much but could free up some seats at Gunmore). Spend the minimum necessary to give the Arl Tech students what they deserve - a nice program with adequate facilities.

Build a new building on the Kenmore campus now with the eventual goal of having a 4th comprehensive HS there. I don't think if it was an option arts program now that such a program would need to be relocated down the road. It could just become a program within a neighborhood HS, which we have already.

But the CIP calls for expanded secondary capacity by 2024 - we need more MS seats desperately by that year. This plan does not provide for those at all. It's a major shortfall.

Someone mentioned earlier that Hamm was supposed to be 1300 seats but was dropped to 1000 at the last minute. That building is still under construction isn't it? Is it too crazy to suggest moving forward with the 1300 seat plan there? I think the architectural drawings were all worked out. I know we would pay more now than we would have before, but we need those seats.

Sorry, following now. Yes, I agree with this. No reason to spend the $ they are planning at this site. You can probably just expand AT by adding the third floor and maybe a small demolition at the back of the building to make a real gym. I do think they have screwed over AT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here are the slides for tonight's CIP work session: https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/arlington/Board.nsf/files/C2WTC373E4E7/$file/CIP%20WS%201%20Presentation%20051121.pdf

Cost estimates won't be provided until June 14 - work session #4 (*tentatively*). But the public hearing is scheduled for June 10 and this is supposed to get voted out on June 24. What a joke.

The plan for the up to 550 MS seats to be added to the site is that they will be part of Arl Tech and feed into the high school program. They better make it one hell of an awesome building if they want that many people to opt into this.

So it doesn't seem they are thinking of moving MS Montessori over, but it's not entirely clear (see slide 7: https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/2021-05-11-FY22-CIP-Staff-Responses-to-SB-Questions_1_16-1.pdf). That program has shrunk from 90 to 37 students, so maybe it will be phased out and the path for Montessori kids will be to feed into Arl Tech.

I wonder if they are somehow obligated to use all the bond funds at the CC site because that's the plan they approved (and got bond funding for) back in 2017. Could that be it? Is that why everything is going to the CC site even though this seems insanely expensive and wasteful?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

"What are you talking about. It will be 1300 with the addition. It’s almost 900 now without!"

Wrong. It is 1000.

It was approved at 1300 seats. Then APS made the extremely short-sighted (and typical for APS) decision to only build it out for 1000 students to save something like $11 million. I might be wrong on that figure but it was absurdly low and a bad move. But it was APS admin stupidity not parent pressure, as I remember it. (And I don't live in the neighborhood, so no dog in that fight).

The problem with the Heights was trying to build an architectural masterpiece instead of a basic school to maximize capacity. APS went WAY over budget on it and is still paying for it's flaws.

NP - I thought this was also intended to keep it in line with the size of the other middle schools? Even though they are crowded. Not saying it was a good decision - because it was absolutely stupid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Getting back to the new CIP - I'm looking back at when we got into this Career Center mess. Details are all here: https://www.apsva.us/instruction/new-high-school/

It was four years ago - June 2017 - that the School Board voted on the very last minute "hybrid plan" to put some of the 1300 new HS seats at the Ed Center and some at the CC. The documents show that they planned 500-600 seats at Ed Center to open most likely before 2022, and 700-800 new HS at the CC to open by Fall 2022. This was instead of building a 1300 seat HS at Kenmore, the option with the most land and the longest term growth potential. And these new CC seats were supposed to be in addition to the 600 seats already planned for Arlington Tech.

So we were supposed to have 1300-1400 CC seats built out by Fall 2022. Instead, we had years of planning commissions trying to figure out how to make this work and how much it would cost. That ended in disaster last spring when the costs where way too high and the neighborhood rejected a school without full facilities, including a pool.

So now, APS puts out this very roughly sketched out plan for up to 1800 MS and HS seats at this site by 2026, with no details about what program(s) this would be, how they will fit, what facilities they will have, etc.

How are we not right back where we started four years ago? And the poor Arlington Tech students still have no facility improvements, right? If we are going back to the beginning, can we please, pretty please reconsider Kenmore now??

Here's how we're not where we were 4 years ago:
We now have the beginning of a permanent online school program and 2,000 fewer students.
The permanent online instructional program will not be the solution the Board (and County Board) hope.
In a short time, APS enrollment will increase by more than the 2,000 students "lost" this pandemic year.
Because neighborhoods continue to oppose everything, because costs continue to increase with each delay, and because the SB continues to kick cans around due to a complete inability to make hard decisions, we are worse off than we were four years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Getting back to the new CIP - I'm looking back at when we got into this Career Center mess. Details are all here: https://www.apsva.us/instruction/new-high-school/

It was four years ago - June 2017 - that the School Board voted on the very last minute "hybrid plan" to put some of the 1300 new HS seats at the Ed Center and some at the CC. The documents show that they planned 500-600 seats at Ed Center to open most likely before 2022, and 700-800 new HS at the CC to open by Fall 2022. This was instead of building a 1300 seat HS at Kenmore, the option with the most land and the longest term growth potential. And these new CC seats were supposed to be in addition to the 600 seats already planned for Arlington Tech.

So we were supposed to have 1300-1400 CC seats built out by Fall 2022. Instead, we had years of planning commissions trying to figure out how to make this work and how much it would cost. That ended in disaster last spring when the costs where way too high and the neighborhood rejected a school without full facilities, including a pool.

So now, APS puts out this very roughly sketched out plan for up to 1800 MS and HS seats at this site by 2026, with no details about what program(s) this would be, how they will fit, what facilities they will have, etc.

How are we not right back where we started four years ago? And the poor Arlington Tech students still have no facility improvements, right? If we are going back to the beginning, can we please, pretty please reconsider Kenmore now??

Ironically I recall one of the reasons they rejected Kenmore was that it would take too long to get street access to a state maintained road - 50 I guess.

heavy sigh. Yeah. I guess it does take forever - when you don't even try.
But I think it had something to do with access from a Fairfax County road. Not sure why they need that access, though. If they really wanted to, they could figure something out from what they already have in front of the Kenmore building and with improvements to Carlin Springs Rd, including taking a lane's worth of the Kenmore parcel to widen it. But they don't really want to. It's "Too hard."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Getting back to the new CIP - I'm looking back at when we got into this Career Center mess. Details are all here: https://www.apsva.us/instruction/new-high-school/

It was four years ago - June 2017 - that the School Board voted on the very last minute "hybrid plan" to put some of the 1300 new HS seats at the Ed Center and some at the CC. The documents show that they planned 500-600 seats at Ed Center to open most likely before 2022, and 700-800 new HS at the CC to open by Fall 2022. This was instead of building a 1300 seat HS at Kenmore, the option with the most land and the longest term growth potential. And these new CC seats were supposed to be in addition to the 600 seats already planned for Arlington Tech.

So we were supposed to have 1300-1400 CC seats built out by Fall 2022. Instead, we had years of planning commissions trying to figure out how to make this work and how much it would cost. That ended in disaster last spring when the costs where way too high and the neighborhood rejected a school without full facilities, including a pool.

So now, APS puts out this very roughly sketched out plan for up to 1800 MS and HS seats at this site by 2026, with no details about what program(s) this would be, how they will fit, what facilities they will have, etc.

How are we not right back where we started four years ago? And the poor Arlington Tech students still have no facility improvements, right? If we are going back to the beginning, can we please, pretty please reconsider Kenmore now??

No, because no neighborhood is going to be okay with being zoned to the lesser school that lacks equivalent facilities, and APS has said they can’t afford to build a full HS. That’s why these are option seats, wherever they are placed. I don’t think it makes sense to move Montessori and Tech and all the CTE programs to a new location.

Who said anything about moving Arl Tech, CTE, and Montessori? At one point, Kenmore was discussed as an option arts focused high school.

You could build an option HS there now and then down the road add a pool and what not and turn the whole campus into a 2300 seat HS (once you find a new home for the middle school, i.e. the VHC campus). There is a long term possibility to have a comprehensive 4th high school with adequate land.

I agree with this, which is why it doesn’t make sense to build option programs there now. Look how “easy” it has been to move those around once they’re entrenched. I think adding capacity to Arl Tech and maybe putting another small MS/HS program, like an arts focus or whatever, makes more sense if we can’t build a comprehensive HS right now.

But we CAN build a comprehensive HS now. They just don't want to. And the County doesn't want to - they don't believe it's needed and they won't prioritize capital projects for schools in their maximum debt allowance. Gotta have a fancy aquatic center.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Getting back to the new CIP - I'm looking back at when we got into this Career Center mess. Details are all here: https://www.apsva.us/instruction/new-high-school/

It was four years ago - June 2017 - that the School Board voted on the very last minute "hybrid plan" to put some of the 1300 new HS seats at the Ed Center and some at the CC. The documents show that they planned 500-600 seats at Ed Center to open most likely before 2022, and 700-800 new HS at the CC to open by Fall 2022. This was instead of building a 1300 seat HS at Kenmore, the option with the most land and the longest term growth potential. And these new CC seats were supposed to be in addition to the 600 seats already planned for Arlington Tech.

So we were supposed to have 1300-1400 CC seats built out by Fall 2022. Instead, we had years of planning commissions trying to figure out how to make this work and how much it would cost. That ended in disaster last spring when the costs where way too high and the neighborhood rejected a school without full facilities, including a pool.

So now, APS puts out this very roughly sketched out plan for up to 1800 MS and HS seats at this site by 2026, with no details about what program(s) this would be, how they will fit, what facilities they will have, etc.

How are we not right back where we started four years ago? And the poor Arlington Tech students still have no facility improvements, right? If we are going back to the beginning, can we please, pretty please reconsider Kenmore now??

No, because no neighborhood is going to be okay with being zoned to the lesser school that lacks equivalent facilities, and APS has said they can’t afford to build a full HS. That’s why these are option seats, wherever they are placed. I don’t think it makes sense to move Montessori and Tech and all the CTE programs to a new location.

Who said anything about moving Arl Tech, CTE, and Montessori? At one point, Kenmore was discussed as an option arts focused high school.

You could build an option HS there now and then down the road add a pool and what not and turn the whole campus into a 2300 seat HS (once you find a new home for the middle school, i.e. the VHC campus). There is a long term possibility to have a comprehensive 4th high school with adequate land.

I agree with this, which is why it doesn’t make sense to build option programs there now. Look how “easy” it has been to move those around once they’re entrenched. I think adding capacity to Arl Tech and maybe putting another small MS/HS program, like an arts focus or whatever, makes more sense if we can’t build a comprehensive HS right now.

Building at the center of the site actually makes this not possible. The only way to get a full size HS field is to make the building be at the south end of the campus. So we are basically committing to options programs forever on this site.

There is a CIP work session tonight. Hopefully there are some good questions asked. I agree this all seems rushed and not well planned.

Most recent PP, we were discussing a full size HS at Kenmore, not CC. Leave CC as an option site, with Montessori at Patrick Henry (no need to tear down and rebuild), Arl Tech at a modified and expanded CC, and maybe some MS Montessori classrooms added in there (the program is small so it wouldn't need much but could free up some seats at Gunmore). Spend the minimum necessary to give the Arl Tech students what they deserve - a nice program with adequate facilities.

Build a new building on the Kenmore campus now with the eventual goal of having a 4th comprehensive HS there. I don't think if it was an option arts program now that such a program would need to be relocated down the road. It could just become a program within a neighborhood HS, which we have already.

But the CIP calls for expanded secondary capacity by 2024 - we need more MS seats desperately by that year. This plan does not provide for those at all. It's a major shortfall.

Someone mentioned earlier that Hamm was supposed to be 1300 seats but was dropped to 1000 at the last minute. That building is still under construction isn't it? Is it too crazy to suggest moving forward with the 1300 seat plan there? I think the architectural drawings were all worked out. I know we would pay more now than we would have before, but we need those seats.

Sorry, following now. Yes, I agree with this. No reason to spend the $ they are planning at this site. You can probably just expand AT by adding the third floor and maybe a small demolition at the back of the building to make a real gym. I do think they have screwed over AT.

They have definitely screwed AT. But the CC kids deserve better than the building they currently have; so just adding a big gym doesn't fix the crappy condition of that building. I'm not saying they need to go all out and re-do the whole site; but more than adding a partial third floor and enlarging the gym. In fact, I think the whole thing should be expanded because the comprehensive HS kids are losing access to those CTE classes. AT kids get priority because they don't have many electives within their own program. These things need to be fixed!

[Anonymous]

APS presented updated CIP plans for the Career Center tonight:
https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/2021-05-24-WS-2-Inst-messages-FINAL.pdf

Tonight's work session is available for viewing here:
https://www.apsva.us/school-board-meetings/school-board-work-sessions-meetings/

The plan is a 1,700 seat building for the new Career Center:
- 450 middle school Arl Tech seats
- 950 high school Arl Tech seats (I think - this number isn't spelled out, but based on the total of 1,700)
- 300 part-time CTE seats (to accommodate 900 students from other high schools coming to CC for classes in three blocks)

Montessori gets a new building and grows to 775 seats (it's 460 now). All satellite preschool Montessori classes from around the County will move to the campus, as well as the middle school seats (which are now about 70 Gunston students).

Total students at the Career Center campus at any time will be 2,475.

Costs aren't broken down but total costs are estimated at $185 million.

My first reaction is that it's so many option seats. I hope families will apply for all these seats.

Does Arl Tech allow students to take the full range of AP classes, languages, etc?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:APS presented updated CIP plans for the Career Center tonight:
https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/2021-05-24-WS-2-Inst-messages-FINAL.pdf

Tonight's work session is available for viewing here:
https://www.apsva.us/school-board-meetings/school-board-work-sessions-meetings/

The plan is a 1,700 seat building for the new Career Center:
- 450 middle school Arl Tech seats
- 950 high school Arl Tech seats (I think - this number isn't spelled out, but based on the total of 1,700)
- 300 part-time CTE seats (to accommodate 900 students from other high schools coming to CC for classes in three blocks)

Montessori gets a new building and grows to 775 seats (it's 460 now). All satellite preschool Montessori classes from around the County will move to the campus, as well as the middle school seats (which are now about 70 Gunston students).

Total students at the Career Center campus at any time will be 2,475.

Costs aren't broken down but total costs are estimated at $185 million.

My first reaction is that it's so many option seats. I hope families will apply for all these seats.

Does Arl Tech allow students to take the full range of AP classes, languages, etc?

LOL, the County needs 10 years to get Carlin Springs Road ready for Kenmore to be turned into a high school. And it sounds like APS and the County have taken zero steps toward this since this issue was discussed and debated in 2017 (52.30 minute mark).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:APS presented updated CIP plans for the Career Center tonight:
https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/2021-05-24-WS-2-Inst-messages-FINAL.pdf

Tonight's work session is available for viewing here:
https://www.apsva.us/school-board-meetings/school-board-work-sessions-meetings/

The plan is a 1,700 seat building for the new Career Center:
- 450 middle school Arl Tech seats
- 950 high school Arl Tech seats (I think - this number isn't spelled out, but based on the total of 1,700)
- 300 part-time CTE seats (to accommodate 900 students from other high schools coming to CC for classes in three blocks)

Montessori gets a new building and grows to 775 seats (it's 460 now). All satellite preschool Montessori classes from around the County will move to the campus, as well as the middle school seats (which are now about 70 Gunston students).

Total students at the Career Center campus at any time will be 2,475.

Costs aren't broken down but total costs are estimated at $185 million.

My first reaction is that it's so many option seats. I hope families will apply for all these seats.

Does Arl Tech allow students to take the full range of AP classes, languages, etc?

LOL, the County needs 10 years to get Carlin Springs Road ready for Kenmore to be turned into a high school. And it sounds like APS and the County have taken zero steps toward this since this issue was discussed and debated in 2017 (52.30 minute mark).

I think it's a clever bit of politics. The neighborhood leaned on the fact that the existing transportation infrastructure couldn't support a high school there back in 2017, when really what they wanted was just to veto the whole project so they could stay zoned to W-L. Now APS is trying to get the county to just offer them transportation improvements, no strings attached. What neighborhood would refuse that? Then, when the project is complete, the neighborhood won't have that argument to fall back on to stop the high school from being built.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:APS presented updated CIP plans for the Career Center tonight:
https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/2021-05-24-WS-2-Inst-messages-FINAL.pdf

Tonight's work session is available for viewing here:
https://www.apsva.us/school-board-meetings/school-board-work-sessions-meetings/

The plan is a 1,700 seat building for the new Career Center:
- 450 middle school Arl Tech seats
- 950 high school Arl Tech seats (I think - this number isn't spelled out, but based on the total of 1,700)
- 300 part-time CTE seats (to accommodate 900 students from other high schools coming to CC for classes in three blocks)

Montessori gets a new building and grows to 775 seats (it's 460 now). [b]All satellite preschool Montessori classes from around the County will move to the campus, as well as the middle school seats (which are now about 70 Gunston students).

Total students at the Career Center campus at any time will be 2,475.

Costs aren't broken down but total costs are estimated at $185 million.

My first reaction is that it's so many option seats. I hope families will apply for all these seats.

Does Arl Tech allow students to take the full range of AP classes, languages, etc?

New building or renovated current CC building? Also, I don’t think Tech students do have access, on site, for all AP or Language courses offered at the comprehensive HS, but that’s part of the calculation families make when opting for this school, which has access to other different courses that aren’t offered at the comprehensive schools, I believe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:APS presented updated CIP plans for the Career Center tonight:
https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/2021-05-24-WS-2-Inst-messages-FINAL.pdf

Tonight's work session is available for viewing here:
https://www.apsva.us/school-board-meetings/school-board-work-sessions-meetings/

The plan is a 1,700 seat building for the new Career Center:
- 450 middle school Arl Tech seats
- 950 high school Arl Tech seats (I think - this number isn't spelled out, but based on the total of 1,700)
- 300 part-time CTE seats (to accommodate 900 students from other high schools coming to CC for classes in three blocks)

Montessori gets a new building and grows to 775 seats (it's 460 now). [b]All satellite preschool Montessori classes from around the County will move to the campus, as well as the middle school seats (which are now about 70 Gunston students).

Total students at the Career Center campus at any time will be 2,475.

Costs aren't broken down but total costs are estimated at $185 million.

My first reaction is that it's so many option seats. I hope families will apply for all these seats.

Does Arl Tech allow students to take the full range of AP classes, languages, etc?

New building or renovated current CC building? Also, I don’t think Tech students do have access, on site, for all AP or Language courses offered at the comprehensive HS, but that’s part of the calculation families make when opting for this school, which has access to other different courses that aren’t offered at the comprehensive schools, I believe.

APS is proposing to renovate the existing CC building for Montessori but I imagine the renovations will have to be substantial to work for a PreK and up program vs a high school. APS hasn't estimated the real costs yet. $185 million is just a placeholder.

They said that currently 304 of the 513 Arlington Tech students are in trailers and it will stay that way until this building is completed in 5 years. That sounds awful for those kids. What is the plan for where all those trailers and students will go during construction of the new CC?

I don't agree that we can plan on excess elementary capacity (if we actually get that, which seems unlikely) to solve our problems with secondary capacity, but I wonder about putting all the eggs in one basket with the CC project. It's so expensive, requires so many phases, and isn't flexible at all. We urgently need middle school seats by 2024. Why not focus on one or two smaller and quicker additions to our middle schools - Kenmore? And build the current CC out so that it adequately serves the current Arl Tech students but not more than that for now. And leave Montessori and ACHS where they are. They don't need to move - it is unnecessary extra cost that we can't afford.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:APS presented updated CIP plans for the Career Center tonight:
https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/2021-05-24-WS-2-Inst-messages-FINAL.pdf

Tonight's work session is available for viewing here:
https://www.apsva.us/school-board-meetings/school-board-work-sessions-meetings/

The plan is a 1,700 seat building for the new Career Center:
- 450 middle school Arl Tech seats
- 950 high school Arl Tech seats (I think - this number isn't spelled out, but based on the total of 1,700)
- 300 part-time CTE seats (to accommodate 900 students from other high schools coming to CC for classes in three blocks)

Montessori gets a new building and grows to 775 seats (it's 460 now). [b]All satellite preschool Montessori classes from around the County will move to the campus, as well as the middle school seats (which are now about 70 Gunston students).

Total students at the Career Center campus at any time will be 2,475.

Costs aren't broken down but total costs are estimated at $185 million.

My first reaction is that it's so many option seats. I hope families will apply for all these seats.

Does Arl Tech allow students to take the full range of AP classes, languages, etc?

New building or renovated current CC building? Also, I don’t think Tech students do have access, on site, for all AP or Language courses offered at the comprehensive HS, but that’s part of the calculation families make when opting for this school, which has access to other different courses that aren’t offered at the comprehensive schools, I believe.

APS is proposing to renovate the existing CC building for Montessori but I imagine the renovations will have to be substantial to work for a PreK and up program vs a high school. APS hasn't estimated the real costs yet. $185 million is just a placeholder.

They said that currently 304 of the 513 Arlington Tech students are in trailers and it will stay that way until this building is completed in 5 years. That sounds awful for those kids. What is the plan for where all those trailers and students will go during construction of the new CC?

I don't agree that we can plan on excess elementary capacity (if we actually get that, which seems unlikely) to solve our problems with secondary capacity, but I wonder about putting all the eggs in one basket with the CC project. It's so expensive, requires so many phases, and isn't flexible at all. We urgently need middle school seats by 2024. Why not focus on one or two smaller and quicker additions to our middle schools - Kenmore? And build the current CC out so that it adequately serves the current Arl Tech students but not more than that for now. And leave Montessori and ACHS where they are. They don't need to move - it is unnecessary extra cost that we can't afford.

Because Kenmore is the highest poverty middle school and shouldn’t be the one to take on the burden of 300 additional students, to boot. That’s not equitable in the least. I like the idea of adding MS seats to Tech, just wish it were sooner. I think the not bad/riskiest part of this plan is that it’s adding so many seats to Montessori, which hasn’t proven to be that popular, or attractive beyond Pre-K. Especially to diverse communities. Not sure that spending so much to grow Montessori is the wisest choice, or one based on data, rather it seems to be based on their small and very vocal lobby.

[Anonymous]

Did APS do any outreach to families to see if they would actually send their kids to Arlington Tech for middle school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:APS presented updated CIP plans for the Career Center tonight:
https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/2021-05-24-WS-2-Inst-messages-FINAL.pdf

Tonight's work session is available for viewing here:
https://www.apsva.us/school-board-meetings/school-board-work-sessions-meetings/

The plan is a 1,700 seat building for the new Career Center:
- 450 middle school Arl Tech seats
- 950 high school Arl Tech seats (I think - this number isn't spelled out, but based on the total of 1,700)
- 300 part-time CTE seats (to accommodate 900 students from other high schools coming to CC for classes in three blocks)

Montessori gets a new building and grows to 775 seats (it's 460 now). [b]All satellite preschool Montessori classes from around the County will move to the campus, as well as the middle school seats (which are now about 70 Gunston students).

Total students at the Career Center campus at any time will be 2,475.

Costs aren't broken down but total costs are estimated at $185 million.

My first reaction is that it's so many option seats. I hope families will apply for all these seats.

Does Arl Tech allow students to take the full range of AP classes, languages, etc?

New building or renovated current CC building? Also, I don’t think Tech students do have access, on site, for all AP or Language courses offered at the comprehensive HS, but that’s part of the calculation families make when opting for this school, which has access to other different courses that aren’t offered at the comprehensive schools, I believe.

APS is proposing to renovate the existing CC building for Montessori but I imagine the renovations will have to be substantial to work for a PreK and up program vs a high school. APS hasn't estimated the real costs yet. $185 million is just a placeholder.

They said that currently 304 of the 513 Arlington Tech students are in trailers and it will stay that way until this building is completed in 5 years. That sounds awful for those kids. What is the plan for where all those trailers and students will go during construction of the new CC?

I don't agree that we can plan on excess elementary capacity (if we actually get that, which seems unlikely) to solve our problems with secondary capacity, but I wonder about putting all the eggs in one basket with the CC project. It's so expensive, requires so many phases, and isn't flexible at all. We urgently need middle school seats by 2024. Why not focus on one or two smaller and quicker additions to our middle schools - Kenmore? And build the current CC out so that it adequately serves the current Arl Tech students but not more than that for now. And leave Montessori and ACHS where they are. They don't need to move - it is unnecessary extra cost that we can't afford.

Why is APS focusing on options programs here when we are in serous need of capacity in neighborhood schools?

Well, we know that Montessori is Monique’s baby, so she’s going to push and push until she leaves.