APS Fall boundary questionnaire

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what’s the answer just let Drew fail and continue segregation and redlining?

Did you have a suggestion? We’re all ears.

DP, but how about drawing boundaries that disrupt the segregation?
Or implementing a countywide ranking system for elementary school enrollment that disrupts the segregation?
And how about the County Board changing its affordable housing approach and stopping its modern day version of "segregation and redlining"?

Boundaries won’t work unless you make islands of rich kids to bring south and poor kids to bring north. The distribution just doesn’t work.

Countywide ranking system has the same problem as above. If you have quotas for income level some people are going to be bussed across the county by force and no one wants that (or wants to pay for it).

The county board loves affordable housing. It makes them feel good and makes the developers a ton of money. They aren’t going to stop.

It doesn't work. Remember how "millionaire's row" was zoned to Drew a few years ago. Well only one of the families on that street actually goes there. All the others go to option or private schools. No one is going to chose to go there now that Kim Graves won't be principal anymore. I don't blame them. She was the strong leader and changmaker that community needed to rebuild it's school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what’s the answer just let Drew fail and continue segregation and redlining?

Did you have a suggestion? We’re all ears.

DP, but how about drawing boundaries that disrupt the segregation?
Or implementing a countywide ranking system for elementary school enrollment that disrupts the segregation?
And how about the County Board changing its affordable housing approach and stopping its modern day version of "segregation and redlining"?

This is the approved AH master plan. Page number 42 has the distribution for the next 2 decades.


https://arlingtonva.s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2015/12/AHMP-Published.pdf

As far as I know, APS states they don’t have money to do bussing and that’s one of the reasons for the neighborhood schools. Someone else may know more on this topic.

This merely provides the current rationale for the segregation. The previous poster was asking for solutions. CHANGE is the solution. Changing the affordable housing master plan. Changing the utter dependence on the non-profit affordable housing developers to provide the affordable housing for the County and allowing them to continue putting more where it already is. Changing the public transit system to facilitate its use in getting kids and families to and from schools and just accepting that you're gonna have to pay for transportation, just like you have to pay for teachers.

As for the reasons for neighborhood schools, one of them is anti-diversity attitudes. "walkability!" predominates every boundary discussion because nobody wants to be districted to a "lesser" or "worse" school.
And people just like neighborhood schools. Budget is one of the excuses for not having to do any of the other things to desegregate the schools. They won't eliminate the option programs and their associated transportation costs. If we're so dire on transportation budget, we should be eliminating countywide programs or eliminating transportation for them.

True integration on the elementary level requires making the logistics of life harder for a large number of people, both low income and not. Let’s start with a lottery for high school first. That could actually happen.

People adapt. If the system were something different, people moving here would have still participated in it. It's the process of change that people oppose. Nobody likes going outside their comfort zone. But everyone going out of their comfort zone is essential for actual solutions. It's just pathetic that the opposition is "it's too inconvenient for me and my lifestyle" and even more pathetic when the rich people use "it's too inconvenient for the poor people" as the opposition argument to keep things the way they like them for themselves.

Arlington parents of all backgrounds have said over and over in surveys, public comment, etc. how important neighborhood schools (ie proximity) is to them. When you have two working parents, pick up at aftercare on the other side of the county just isn't feasible. That's more important to most parents than uprooting the entire system to balance numbers. Sorry, that's the truth. Start with the high school kids for the grand lottery experiment. If it goes well, move to the middle schoolers. Only then can you attempt the full lottery elementary idea.

Then maybe we should end options programs

AGREE 1000% OPTION PROGRAMS SHOULD END. People want neighborhood schools. Ending options would end families opting out of their neighborhood schools and would help rebuild neighborhood schools and reduce overcrowding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what’s the answer just let Drew fail and continue segregation and redlining?

Did you have a suggestion? We’re all ears.

DP, but how about drawing boundaries that disrupt the segregation?
Or implementing a countywide ranking system for elementary school enrollment that disrupts the segregation?
And how about the County Board changing its affordable housing approach and stopping its modern day version of "segregation and redlining"?

This is the approved AH master plan. Page number 42 has the distribution for the next 2 decades.


https://arlingtonva.s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2015/12/AHMP-Published.pdf

As far as I know, APS states they don’t have money to do bussing and that’s one of the reasons for the neighborhood schools. Someone else may know more on this topic.

This merely provides the current rationale for the segregation. The previous poster was asking for solutions. CHANGE is the solution. Changing the affordable housing master plan. Changing the utter dependence on the non-profit affordable housing developers to provide the affordable housing for the County and allowing them to continue putting more where it already is. Changing the public transit system to facilitate its use in getting kids and families to and from schools and just accepting that you're gonna have to pay for transportation, just like you have to pay for teachers.

As for the reasons for neighborhood schools, one of them is anti-diversity attitudes. "walkability!" predominates every boundary discussion because nobody wants to be districted to a "lesser" or "worse" school.
And people just like neighborhood schools. Budget is one of the excuses for not having to do any of the other things to desegregate the schools. They won't eliminate the option programs and their associated transportation costs. If we're so dire on transportation budget, we should be eliminating countywide programs or eliminating transportation for them.

True integration on the elementary level requires making the logistics of life harder for a large number of people, both low income and not. Let’s start with a lottery for high school first. That could actually happen.

People adapt. If the system were something different, people moving here would have still participated in it. It's the process of change that people oppose. Nobody likes going outside their comfort zone. But everyone going out of their comfort zone is essential for actual solutions. It's just pathetic that the opposition is "it's too inconvenient for me and my lifestyle" and even more pathetic when the rich people use "it's too inconvenient for the poor people" as the opposition argument to keep things the way they like them for themselves.

Arlington parents of all backgrounds have said over and over in surveys, public comment, etc. how important neighborhood schools (ie proximity) is to them. When you have two working parents, pick up at aftercare on the other side of the county just isn't feasible. That's more important to most parents than uprooting the entire system to balance numbers. Sorry, that's the truth. Start with the high school kids for the grand lottery experiment. If it goes well, move to the middle schoolers. Only then can you attempt the full lottery elementary idea.

I'll repeat: people adapt. And I'll repeat this: everyone going out of their comfort zone is essential for actual solutions. Everyone is inconvenienced, not just the poor people and not just the rich people.

In a lottery system, most people get their first choice and the vast majority get their first or second choice. Most people will choose something nearby if that's their priority. And schools aren't that far apart and the county isn't all that big. People adapt. Even if they adapt by moving or sending their kids to private school - which likely isn't conveniently located in their neighborhood, either.

Public education isn't for parental convenience. It's for educating our youth, particularly for educating our youth in the best way we can do it so that they become responsible contributing members of our diverse community and global economy. Segregated schools doesn't do that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what’s the answer just let Drew fail and continue segregation and redlining?

Did you have a suggestion? We’re all ears.

DP, but how about drawing boundaries that disrupt the segregation?
Or implementing a countywide ranking system for elementary school enrollment that disrupts the segregation?
And how about the County Board changing its affordable housing approach and stopping its modern day version of "segregation and redlining"?

This is the approved AH master plan. Page number 42 has the distribution for the next 2 decades.


https://arlingtonva.s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2015/12/AHMP-Published.pdf

As far as I know, APS states they don’t have money to do bussing and that’s one of the reasons for the neighborhood schools. Someone else may know more on this topic.

This merely provides the current rationale for the segregation. The previous poster was asking for solutions. CHANGE is the solution. Changing the affordable housing master plan. Changing the utter dependence on the non-profit affordable housing developers to provide the affordable housing for the County and allowing them to continue putting more where it already is. Changing the public transit system to facilitate its use in getting kids and families to and from schools and just accepting that you're gonna have to pay for transportation, just like you have to pay for teachers.

As for the reasons for neighborhood schools, one of them is anti-diversity attitudes. "walkability!" predominates every boundary discussion because nobody wants to be districted to a "lesser" or "worse" school.
And people just like neighborhood schools. Budget is one of the excuses for not having to do any of the other things to desegregate the schools. They won't eliminate the option programs and their associated transportation costs. If we're so dire on transportation budget, we should be eliminating countywide programs or eliminating transportation for them.

True integration on the elementary level requires making the logistics of life harder for a large number of people, both low income and not. Let’s start with a lottery for high school first. That could actually happen.

People adapt. If the system were something different, people moving here would have still participated in it. It's the process of change that people oppose. Nobody likes going outside their comfort zone. But everyone going out of their comfort zone is essential for actual solutions. It's just pathetic that the opposition is "it's too inconvenient for me and my lifestyle" and even more pathetic when the rich people use "it's too inconvenient for the poor people" as the opposition argument to keep things the way they like them for themselves.

Arlington parents of all backgrounds have said over and over in surveys, public comment, etc. how important neighborhood schools (ie proximity) is to them. When you have two working parents, pick up at aftercare on the other side of the county just isn't feasible. That's more important to most parents than uprooting the entire system to balance numbers. Sorry, that's the truth. Start with the high school kids for the grand lottery experiment. If it goes well, move to the middle schoolers. Only then can you attempt the full lottery elementary idea.

Then maybe we should end options programs

AGREE 1000% OPTION PROGRAMS SHOULD END. People want neighborhood schools. Ending options would end families opting out of their neighborhood schools and would help rebuild neighborhood schools and reduce overcrowding.

Can you explain your logic as to how ending option programs reduces overcrowding?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what’s the answer just let Drew fail and continue segregation and redlining?

Did you have a suggestion? We’re all ears.

DP, but how about drawing boundaries that disrupt the segregation?
Or implementing a countywide ranking system for elementary school enrollment that disrupts the segregation?
And how about the County Board changing its affordable housing approach and stopping its modern day version of "segregation and redlining"?

This is the approved AH master plan. Page number 42 has the distribution for the next 2 decades.


https://arlingtonva.s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2015/12/AHMP-Published.pdf

As far as I know, APS states they don’t have money to do bussing and that’s one of the reasons for the neighborhood schools. Someone else may know more on this topic.

This merely provides the current rationale for the segregation. The previous poster was asking for solutions. CHANGE is the solution. Changing the affordable housing master plan. Changing the utter dependence on the non-profit affordable housing developers to provide the affordable housing for the County and allowing them to continue putting more where it already is. Changing the public transit system to facilitate its use in getting kids and families to and from schools and just accepting that you're gonna have to pay for transportation, just like you have to pay for teachers.

As for the reasons for neighborhood schools, one of them is anti-diversity attitudes. "walkability!" predominates every boundary discussion because nobody wants to be districted to a "lesser" or "worse" school.
And people just like neighborhood schools. Budget is one of the excuses for not having to do any of the other things to desegregate the schools. They won't eliminate the option programs and their associated transportation costs. If we're so dire on transportation budget, we should be eliminating countywide programs or eliminating transportation for them.

True integration on the elementary level requires making the logistics of life harder for a large number of people, both low income and not. Let’s start with a lottery for high school first. That could actually happen.

People adapt. If the system were something different, people moving here would have still participated in it. It's the process of change that people oppose. Nobody likes going outside their comfort zone. But everyone going out of their comfort zone is essential for actual solutions. It's just pathetic that the opposition is "it's too inconvenient for me and my lifestyle" and even more pathetic when the rich people use "it's too inconvenient for the poor people" as the opposition argument to keep things the way they like them for themselves.

Arlington parents of all backgrounds have said over and over in surveys, public comment, etc. how important neighborhood schools (ie proximity) is to them. When you have two working parents, pick up at aftercare on the other side of the county just isn't feasible. That's more important to most parents than uprooting the entire system to balance numbers. Sorry, that's the truth. Start with the high school kids for the grand lottery experiment. If it goes well, move to the middle schoolers. Only then can you attempt the full lottery elementary idea.

I'll repeat: people adapt. And I'll repeat this: everyone going out of their comfort zone is essential for actual solutions. Everyone is inconvenienced, not just the poor people and not just the rich people.

In a lottery system, most people get their first choice and the vast majority get their first or second choice. Most people will choose something nearby if that's their priority. And schools aren't that far apart and the county isn't all that big. People adapt. Even if they adapt by moving or sending their kids to private school - which likely isn't conveniently located in their neighborhood, either.

Public education isn't for parental convenience. It's for educating our youth, particularly for educating our youth in the best way we can do it so that they become responsible contributing members of our diverse community and global economy. Segregated schools doesn't do that.

The bolded quote is exactly why a lottery system wouldn’t make the schools less segregated. It would just complicate transportation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what’s the answer just let Drew fail and continue segregation and redlining?

Did you have a suggestion? We’re all ears.

DP, but how about drawing boundaries that disrupt the segregation?
Or implementing a countywide ranking system for elementary school enrollment that disrupts the segregation?
And how about the County Board changing its affordable housing approach and stopping its modern day version of "segregation and redlining"?

This is the approved AH master plan. Page number 42 has the distribution for the next 2 decades.


https://arlingtonva.s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2015/12/AHMP-Published.pdf

As far as I know, APS states they don’t have money to do bussing and that’s one of the reasons for the neighborhood schools. Someone else may know more on this topic.

This merely provides the current rationale for the segregation. The previous poster was asking for solutions. CHANGE is the solution. Changing the affordable housing master plan. Changing the utter dependence on the non-profit affordable housing developers to provide the affordable housing for the County and allowing them to continue putting more where it already is. Changing the public transit system to facilitate its use in getting kids and families to and from schools and just accepting that you're gonna have to pay for transportation, just like you have to pay for teachers.

As for the reasons for neighborhood schools, one of them is anti-diversity attitudes. "walkability!" predominates every boundary discussion because nobody wants to be districted to a "lesser" or "worse" school.
And people just like neighborhood schools. Budget is one of the excuses for not having to do any of the other things to desegregate the schools. They won't eliminate the option programs and their associated transportation costs. If we're so dire on transportation budget, we should be eliminating countywide programs or eliminating transportation for them.

True integration on the elementary level requires making the logistics of life harder for a large number of people, both low income and not. Let’s start with a lottery for high school first. That could actually happen.

People adapt. If the system were something different, people moving here would have still participated in it. It's the process of change that people oppose. Nobody likes going outside their comfort zone. But everyone going out of their comfort zone is essential for actual solutions. It's just pathetic that the opposition is "it's too inconvenient for me and my lifestyle" and even more pathetic when the rich people use "it's too inconvenient for the poor people" as the opposition argument to keep things the way they like them for themselves.

Arlington parents of all backgrounds have said over and over in surveys, public comment, etc. how important neighborhood schools (ie proximity) is to them. When you have two working parents, pick up at aftercare on the other side of the county just isn't feasible. That's more important to most parents than uprooting the entire system to balance numbers. Sorry, that's the truth. Start with the high school kids for the grand lottery experiment. If it goes well, move to the middle schoolers. Only then can you attempt the full lottery elementary idea.

I'll repeat: people adapt. And I'll repeat this: everyone going out of their comfort zone is essential for actual solutions. Everyone is inconvenienced, not just the poor people and not just the rich people.

In a lottery system, most people get their first choice and the vast majority get their first or second choice. Most people will choose something nearby if that's their priority. And schools aren't that far apart and the county isn't all that big. People adapt. Even if they adapt by moving or sending their kids to private school - which likely isn't conveniently located in their neighborhood, either.

Public education isn't for parental convenience. It's for educating our youth, particularly for educating our youth in the best way we can do it so that they become responsible contributing members of our diverse community and global economy. Segregated schools doesn't do that.

Pie in the sky. Never going to happen- not nearly enough support.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what’s the answer just let Drew fail and continue segregation and redlining?

Did you have a suggestion? We’re all ears.

DP, but how about drawing boundaries that disrupt the segregation?
Or implementing a countywide ranking system for elementary school enrollment that disrupts the segregation?
And how about the County Board changing its affordable housing approach and stopping its modern day version of "segregation and redlining"?

This is the approved AH master plan. Page number 42 has the distribution for the next 2 decades.


https://arlingtonva.s3.dualstack.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2015/12/AHMP-Published.pdf

As far as I know, APS states they don’t have money to do bussing and that’s one of the reasons for the neighborhood schools. Someone else may know more on this topic.

This merely provides the current rationale for the segregation. The previous poster was asking for solutions. CHANGE is the solution. Changing the affordable housing master plan. Changing the utter dependence on the non-profit affordable housing developers to provide the affordable housing for the County and allowing them to continue putting more where it already is. Changing the public transit system to facilitate its use in getting kids and families to and from schools and just accepting that you're gonna have to pay for transportation, just like you have to pay for teachers.

As for the reasons for neighborhood schools, one of them is anti-diversity attitudes. "walkability!" predominates every boundary discussion because nobody wants to be districted to a "lesser" or "worse" school.
And people just like neighborhood schools. Budget is one of the excuses for not having to do any of the other things to desegregate the schools. They won't eliminate the option programs and their associated transportation costs. If we're so dire on transportation budget, we should be eliminating countywide programs or eliminating transportation for them.

True integration on the elementary level requires making the logistics of life harder for a large number of people, both low income and not. Let’s start with a lottery for high school first. That could actually happen.

People adapt. If the system were something different, people moving here would have still participated in it. It's the process of change that people oppose. Nobody likes going outside their comfort zone. But everyone going out of their comfort zone is essential for actual solutions. It's just pathetic that the opposition is "it's too inconvenient for me and my lifestyle" and even more pathetic when the rich people use "it's too inconvenient for the poor people" as the opposition argument to keep things the way they like them for themselves.

Arlington parents of all backgrounds have said over and over in surveys, public comment, etc. how important neighborhood schools (ie proximity) is to them. When you have two working parents, pick up at aftercare on the other side of the county just isn't feasible. That's more important to most parents than uprooting the entire system to balance numbers. Sorry, that's the truth. Start with the high school kids for the grand lottery experiment. If it goes well, move to the middle schoolers. Only then can you attempt the full lottery elementary idea.

I'll repeat: people adapt. And I'll repeat this: everyone going out of their comfort zone is essential for actual solutions. Everyone is inconvenienced, not just the poor people and not just the rich people.

In a lottery system, most people get their first choice and the vast majority get their first or second choice. Most people will choose something nearby if that's their priority. And schools aren't that far apart and the county isn't all that big. People adapt. Even if they adapt by moving or sending their kids to private school - which likely isn't conveniently located in their neighborhood, either.

Public education isn't for parental convenience. It's for educating our youth, particularly for educating our youth in the best way we can do it so that they become responsible contributing members of our diverse community and global economy. Segregated schools doesn't do that.

The bolded quote is exactly why a lottery system wouldn’t make the schools less segregated. It would just complicate transportation.

The lottery system (rather, ranked choice) includes demographic stipulations. That's what de-segregates the schools. Certain %es of girls v boys and FRL-eligibility v non-FRL eligibility.
It's not like it's a new idea. It's been done (and is being done) in other places. Arlington's supposed to be so fabulous, if other places can figure out the transportation logistics, so can Arlington.

[Anonymous]

Personally, I'm in favor of making Claremont a neighborhood school. Now you'll ask me, "Where does the immersion program go?" The answer to that is, "I don't know." I rather agree with above posters who are critical of the need for option schools @ the ES level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Personally, I'm in favor of making Claremont a neighborhood school. Now you'll ask me, "Where does the immersion program go?" The answer to that is, "I don't know." I rather agree with above posters who are critical of the need for option schools @ the ES level.

+1. Claremont is right where we need seats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Personally, I'm in favor of making Claremont a neighborhood school. Now you'll ask me, "Where does the immersion program go?" The answer to that is, "I don't know." I rather agree with above posters who are critical of the need for option schools @ the ES level.

+1. Claremont is right where we need seats.

Drew has seats available and can easily resolve the capacity issue at Abingdon. Nevertheless, don't be surprised if that happens in the near future. I expect Claremont immersion to be relocated; but that doesn't help fill Drew and there will still be empty seats in that part of the county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Personally, I'm in favor of making Claremont a neighborhood school. Now you'll ask me, "Where does the immersion program go?" The answer to that is, "I don't know." I rather agree with above posters who are critical of the need for option schools @ the ES level.

+1. Claremont is right where we need seats.

Most of the students at Claremont are from the immediately surrounding school zones, so moving it only creates seats if the same population follows the program long term. On one hand, we know option programs disproportionately pull from geographically close areas so that would imply few new seats created by a move. On the other hand, Claremont is definitely used as an escape valve by the UMC of S Arlington as evidenced by it having a much lower FARMS rate than the major feeder schools. If people are using it to avoid their zoned school they are more likely to follow to a new location.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Personally, I'm in favor of making Claremont a neighborhood school. Now you'll ask me, "Where does the immersion program go?" The answer to that is, "I don't know." I rather agree with above posters who are critical of the need for option schools @ the ES level.

+1. Claremont is right where we need seats.

Drew has seats available and can easily resolve the capacity issue at Abingdon. Nevertheless, don't be surprised if that happens in the near future. I expect Claremont immersion to be relocated; but that doesn't help fill Drew and there will still be empty seats in that part of the county.

This. Now that Abingdon parents know there’s a chance they’ll be zoned Drew, they suddenly **need** immersion to move for neighborhood seats. Seats exist, in an adjacent zone, AT DREW, and it’s irresponsible not to use existing capacity before taking the expense of building new seats and/or relocating an option program. Frankly, Montessori should never have moved. Drew is too big a school for just its own neighborhood. It was built to be a Montessori school. And thanks to that decision, now we had to pay to relocate Montessori once already, renovate Henry for them, and now again if they go forward with tearing down Henry and moving Montessori to a new school, will pay for it AGAIN. What a waste of time and resources, which was absolutely foreseeable.

[Anonymous]

^this is what happens when you have a powerful action group like Montessori. The MPSA building isn’t good enough for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^this is what happens when you have a powerful action group like Montessori. The MPSA building isn’t good enough for them.

Yep. There plan (hope) was for the new building that became Fleet to be their new home instead. They didn't win that one; so we're paying to appease them multiple times until they get what they want. Like their program isn't expensive enough already -- countywide transportation, small classes, teacher assistants for all classrooms, special equipment and curriculum, specially qualified Montessori teachers and ongoing Montessori training.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Personally, I'm in favor of making Claremont a neighborhood school. Now you'll ask me, "Where does the immersion program go?" The answer to that is, "I don't know." I rather agree with above posters who are critical of the need for option schools @ the ES level.

+1. Claremont is right where we need seats.

That's why the immersion program should have been relocated when they built Fleet.