APS Boundary tool--anyone get it to work yet?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Don't assume PP is a troll. It is an interesting point. For everyone on here calling for the importance of diversity and the benefit to the disadvantaged kids at Wakefield, have you already submitting the transfer request to have your child attend Wakefield even though you are zoned for Yorktown or W-L? There is capacity, so your transfer request would be approved. It's very easy to be a liberal in far north Arlington and talk about the importance of diversity, but very hypocritical to not then live it when the opportunity exists.

Arlington county as a whole is about 30% economically disadvantaged, and so is W-L.

Wakefield is about 46%.
Yorktown is about 14%.

Can you see where the problem is?

The real problem is that there are six elementary schools over 50% and six elementary schools under 5%.

^^ That is de facto segregation.

Which is illegal by law. APS is above the law, it appears. At least in Loudoun it wasn't allowed...

What law do you believe APS is breaking?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Soooo... western Pike isn't moving to Wakefield and Arlington Forest is?

That's one of 3 options. Nothing is decided yet. In no option does the Western Pike move to Wakefield.

In one option, one of the western pike PLs goes to Wakefield.

Yes! APS found the ONE planning unit of the Western Pike, from Carlin Springs elementary, no less! - that has NO FARMS kids in it! And no siblings coming up. I couldn't believe it when I saw it! Amazing work, APS!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder why they created an additional option for Yorktown but not for Wakefield?

I think the demographics/economics really limit their options for on the Wakefield front. In particular - it is my suspicion that the staff is operating under an implicit mandate to not make Wakefield more minority and/or more FARMs. I think the only way they can meet that goal is to reach north of 50.

Thank god. I had hoped that would be the case and am really heartened to see this. Of course all of this handwringing about FARMS kids would go away, if they would bus 10% of Wakefield's current impoverished population to Yorktown. It would put all three schools much more closely aligned demographically and be much more reflective of the county as a whole.

I appreciate the sentiment and tend to agree with it, but I do think when you start talking about busing some kids who are currently WL/Wakefield, esp WL, to Yorktown, you do get the kind of resistance from parents that people often cite as a reason to oppose busing. I've heard it myself, as recently as the meeting last week. While I think it's unfortunate for Yorktown that it is the way it is, my concern currently lies with making sure Wakefield and WL have balance as among each other. I'm heartened the proposals seem to take that into account as well.

therefore bussing PUs who are currently being bussed to WF or WL to YT makes most sense.

easiest is move YT Island PUs to WL/WF and then bus as many west side PUs as needed to YT to balance things out.

I'm the PP and just reporting what I heard: some parents in those west side PUs currently zoned for WL are concerned that their kids will stick out and/or feel out of place at Yorktown. Right or wrong, they expressed discomfort at the idea and that's a real concern that even those of us who favor balance, including me, should acknowledge.

All I can acknowledge is that they should move more units there, so that those kids don't have to feel out of place. And stop busing Rosslyn to Yorktown. Let them go to WL - if proximity really mattered, they would let them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Soooo... western Pike isn't moving to Wakefield and Arlington Forest is?

That's one of 3 options. Nothing is decided yet. In no option does the Western Pike move to Wakefield.

In one option, one of the western pike PLs goes to Wakefield.

Yes! APS found the ONE planning unit of the Western Pike, from Carlin Springs elementary, no less! - that has NO FARMS kids in it! And no siblings coming up. I couldn't believe it when I saw it! Amazing work, APS!

No, you're mistaken. That PU you're describing is not on the Western Pike, it's the area between Arlington Forest and Buckingham (I think it's technically Buckingham). It includes the Methodist Church and Culpepper Gardens, the AH complex for seniors. So it's no wonder that there aren't many kids here. Not much family housing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Soooo... western Pike isn't moving to Wakefield and Arlington Forest is?

That's one of 3 options. Nothing is decided yet. In no option does the Western Pike move to Wakefield.

In one option, one of the western pike PLs goes to Wakefield.

Yes! APS found the ONE planning unit of the Western Pike, from Carlin Springs elementary, no less! - that has NO FARMS kids in it! And no siblings coming up. I couldn't believe it when I saw it! Amazing work, APS!

No, you're mistaken. That PU you're describing is not on the Western Pike, it's the area between Arlington Forest and Buckingham (I think it's technically Buckingham). It includes the Methodist Church and Culpepper Gardens, the AH complex for seniors. So it's no wonder that there aren't many kids here. Not much family housing.

Oh ok. So APS is moving a senior living AH complex to Yorktown. I can't even. This just keeps getting better and better.
I would cry, but I have no tears left.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Don't assume PP is a troll. It is an interesting point. For everyone on here calling for the importance of diversity and the benefit to the disadvantaged kids at Wakefield, have you already submitting the transfer request to have your child attend Wakefield even though you are zoned for Yorktown or W-L? There is capacity, so your transfer request would be approved. It's very easy to be a liberal in far north Arlington and talk about the importance of diversity, but very hypocritical to not then live it when the opportunity exists.

Arlington county as a whole is about 30% economically disadvantaged, and so is W-L.

Wakefield is about 46%.
Yorktown is about 14%.

Can you see where the problem is?

The real problem is that there are six elementary schools over 50% and six elementary schools under 5%.

^^ That is de facto segregation.

Which is illegal by law. APS is above the law, it appears. At least in Loudoun it wasn't allowed...

What law do you believe APS is breaking?

NP. Presumably the Constitution, as the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment was cited by the Supreme Court in Brown vs Board of Education when ruling that separate but equal schools were illegal.

Unfortunately, it was speaking of de jure segregation, not de facto segregation, so what Arlington is doing now is not illegal. But I think it is, as John Oliver pointed out last Sunday, bullshit to argue that de facto segregation (we're just doing it by neighborhood!) is a whole lot better than what Virginia was doing 50 years ago, if the end result is THE EXACT SAME.

[Anonymous]

I think due to congestion around Ballston, the drive from AF to W-L and the drive from AF to Wakefield are pretty close. But there is no disputing the walk from the neighborhood to W-L is shorter and the bike routes are safer.

The walk from AF to Wakefield via George Mason is much longer than on the bike path. But I would not let my kids walk or bike on the bike path - I won't even walk or bike on it myself if I'm alone. It's very isolated and in the 10+ years we've lived here there have been enough crime reports involving that stretch that for our family it's a non starter.

This. My child walks home from W-L after a late football game to the farthest part of Arlington Forest. It's fine because it's well lit, many people are out, and much of it is through residential streets. Wakefield would mean another teen driver on the roads, often late at night.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I think due to congestion around Ballston, the drive from AF to W-L and the drive from AF to Wakefield are pretty close. But there is no disputing the walk from the neighborhood to W-L is shorter and the bike routes are safer.

The walk from AF to Wakefield via George Mason is much longer than on the bike path. But I would not let my kids walk or bike on the bike path - I won't even walk or bike on it myself if I'm alone. It's very isolated and in the 10+ years we've lived here there have been enough crime reports involving that stretch that for our family it's a non starter.

This. My child walks home from W-L after a late football game to the farthest part of Arlington Forest. It's fine because it's well lit, many people are out, and much of it is through residential streets. Wakefield would mean another teen driver on the roads, often late at night.


I guess both your AF families should start getting involved and lobbying for better lit and safer routes for your kids to go Wakefield.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:



I guess both your AF families should start getting involved and lobbying for better lit and safer routes for your kids to go Wakefield.

As I said, my kid walks from W-L, and therefore won't be going to Wakefield regardless of any changes. But yes, other parents might want to point out this issue.

[Anonymous]

If Washington-Lee just accepted fewer (or no more) IB transfers, would that solve the problem?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Soooo... western Pike isn't moving to Wakefield and Arlington Forest is?

That's one of 3 options. Nothing is decided yet. In no option does the Western Pike move to Wakefield.

In one option, one of the western pike PLs goes to Wakefield.

Yes! APS found the ONE planning unit of the Western Pike, from Carlin Springs elementary, no less! - that has NO FARMS kids in it! And no siblings coming up. I couldn't believe it when I saw it! Amazing work, APS!

No, you're mistaken. That PU you're describing is not on the Western Pike, it's the area between Arlington Forest and Buckingham (I think it's technically Buckingham). It includes the Methodist Church and Culpepper Gardens, the AH complex for seniors. So it's no wonder that there aren't many kids here. Not much family housing.

Oh ok. So APS is moving a senior living AH complex to Yorktown. I can't even. This just keeps getting better and better.
I would cry, but I have no tears left.

No, it may be moved to Wakefield.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Soooo... western Pike isn't moving to Wakefield and Arlington Forest is?

That's one of 3 options. Nothing is decided yet. In no option does the Western Pike move to Wakefield.

In one option, one of the western pike PLs goes to Wakefield.

Yes! APS found the ONE planning unit of the Western Pike, from Carlin Springs elementary, no less! - that has NO FARMS kids in it! And no siblings coming up. I couldn't believe it when I saw it! Amazing work, APS!

No, you're mistaken. That PU you're describing is not on the Western Pike, it's the area between Arlington Forest and Buckingham (I think it's technically Buckingham). It includes the Methodist Church and Culpepper Gardens, the AH complex for seniors. So it's no wonder that there aren't many kids here. Not much family housing.

Oh ok. So APS is moving a senior living AH complex to Yorktown. I can't even. This just keeps getting better and better.
I would cry, but I have no tears left.

No, it may be moved to Wakefield.

Oh wait, I think I see what unit you were referring to as being moved to YHS. That's 3503. Yeah, that neighborhood is not one lumped in with "west Pike." It's Glencarlyn, which is a completely middle class and not all that racially or ethnically diverse, relative to other parts of south Arlington. But there's no way to move the units way down along the Pike to YHS without bypassing all those middle class PU's that are between 50 and Columbia Pike. At least this way, YHS will be gaining some Southies. That's something.

[Anonymous]

Yes, because just by virture of living south of 50, you bring diversity to Yorktown. Really? Ok...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If Washington-Lee just accepted fewer (or no more) IB transfers, would that solve the problem?

You are late to the party. No, that would not help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If Washington-Lee just accepted fewer (or no more) IB transfers, would that solve the problem?

It would reduce the number of transfers by about 300 (http://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Transfer-Report-2015-16.pdf), so in a sense, yes. But that would mean the IB program would get smaller, and that brings problems of its own.

I think requiring IB transfers to do full IB is reasonable. Not allowing any transfers doesn't sit well with me (and we are in a W-L PU that is not in play, and our kid is doing full IB).