APS middle school boundary process

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They really need to put some kind of choice program at Williamsburg -- under capacity AND dropping their already low 10% economically disadvantaged population down to 5%!

At first. If you look out a few years, it's projected to drop to 1%. Better get some affordable housing along Lee Hwy soon or those kids will be so busy doing drugs they won't ever have a chance to meet a poor person.

Lol that's unreal. And, I think that's the appropriate apples-to-apples comparison, right? The Oct. 25 presentation appears to use only projected economic disadvantage (ED) in the years 2022-23. Previously, W'burg was at 4. Now it will be at 1. A more cynical person might think they're trying to hide this fact.

Can one of you tell me where it shows Williamsburg dropping to 1%? Seriously, what is wrong with the SB? Why can't Williamsburg MS pick up more planning units in Swanson to at least alleviate overcrowding at Swanson?!

For Williamsburg to pick up a higher percentage of ED population they would need to bus from planning units that are farther away. That's the whole reason the Williamsburg Island existed in the first place. Do you think those planning units actually WANT to go to Williamsburg? Probably not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can one of you tell me where it shows Williamsburg dropping to 1%? Seriously, what is wrong with the SB? Why can't Williamsburg MS pick up more planning units in Swanson to at least alleviate overcrowding at Swanson?!

Glebe didn't want to be split between three MS, which I agree with. It looks like they sent them all to Swanson, rather than splitting between 2 MS. Of course, if you read the comments and feedback, Discovery and Jamestown also believe that all of their children should all stay together from K-12.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did you guys even read the whole thing? They specifically said the plan is making room for future transfers and possibly a choice program at Williamsburg to alleviate the diversity problem. They simply can't improve diversity at Williamsburg through any rational boundary drawing, so they're giving themselves options to do it other ways. Assuming those plans move forward (and as a future Williamsburg parent, I hope they do), the ED and capacity numbers won't stay that way because people from other parts of the county will transfer in. This is a good compromise because those who believe busing is a good option for their kids will have a chance to do it, but kids won't be forced out of walk zones onto a bus if that's not what they want.

Wi it be the second Immersion site do you think? Now that they aren't moving it to Kenmore?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can one of you tell me where it shows Williamsburg dropping to 1%? Seriously, what is wrong with the SB? Why can't Williamsburg MS pick up more planning units in Swanson to at least alleviate overcrowding at Swanson?!

Glebe didn't want to be split between three MS, which I agree with. It looks like they sent them all to Swanson, rather than splitting between 2 MS. Of course, if you read the comments and feedback, Discovery and Jamestown also believe that all of their children should all stay together from K-12.

And now they're splitting Abindgon between 3 MS instead. Basically, the families who have the least warning and least amount of time to complain get the least desirable outcomes. The Arlington Way!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can one of you tell me where it shows Williamsburg dropping to 1%? Seriously, what is wrong with the SB? Why can't Williamsburg MS pick up more planning units in Swanson to at least alleviate overcrowding at Swanson?!

Glebe didn't want to be split between three MS, which I agree with. It looks like they sent them all to Swanson, rather than splitting between 2 MS. Of course, if you read the comments and feedback, Discovery and Jamestown also believe that all of their children should all stay together from K-12.

Look at page 4
https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Updated_Option_A_Packet.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can one of you tell me where it shows Williamsburg dropping to 1%? Seriously, what is wrong with the SB? Why can't Williamsburg MS pick up more planning units in Swanson to at least alleviate overcrowding at Swanson?!

Glebe didn't want to be split between three MS, which I agree with. It looks like they sent them all to Swanson, rather than splitting between 2 MS. Of course, if you read the comments and feedback, Discovery and Jamestown also believe that all of their children should all stay together from K-12.

Yes, and the diverse area of Hall's Hill wanted to stay with their classmates at Glebe. They don't want to be the token diversity at Williamsburg. It apparently worked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can one of you tell me where it shows Williamsburg dropping to 1%? Seriously, what is wrong with the SB? Why can't Williamsburg MS pick up more planning units in Swanson to at least alleviate overcrowding at Swanson?!

Glebe didn't want to be split between three MS, which I agree with. It looks like they sent them all to Swanson, rather than splitting between 2 MS. Of course, if you read the comments and feedback, Discovery and Jamestown also believe that all of their children should all stay together from K-12.

Actually, I think Glebe is still split, but between two (Swanson and Stratford) instead of three.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They really need to put some kind of choice program at Williamsburg -- under capacity AND dropping their already low 10% economically disadvantaged population down to 5%!

At first. If you look out a few years, it's projected to drop to 1%. Better get some affordable housing along Lee Hwy soon or those kids will be so busy doing drugs they won't ever have a chance to meet a poor person.

Lol that's unreal. And, I think that's the appropriate apples-to-apples comparison, right? The Oct. 25 presentation appears to use only projected economic disadvantage (ED) in the years 2022-23. Previously, W'burg was at 4. Now it will be at 1. A more cynical person might think they're trying to hide this fact.

Can one of you tell me where it shows Williamsburg dropping to 1%? Seriously, what is wrong with the SB? Why can't Williamsburg MS pick up more planning units in Swanson to at least alleviate overcrowding at Swanson?!

For Williamsburg to pick up a higher percentage of ED population they would need to bus from planning units that are farther away. That's the whole reason the Williamsburg Island existed in the first place. Do you think those planning units actually WANT to go to Williamsburg? Probably not.

No, they don't. And that's what the Glebe/Williamsburg people said, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did you guys even read the whole thing? They specifically said the plan is making room for future transfers and possibly a choice program at Williamsburg to alleviate the diversity problem. They simply can't improve diversity at Williamsburg through any rational boundary drawing, so they're giving themselves options to do it other ways. Assuming those plans move forward (and as a future Williamsburg parent, I hope they do), the ED and capacity numbers won't stay that way because people from other parts of the county will transfer in. This is a good compromise because those who believe busing is a good option for their kids will have a chance to do it, but kids won't be forced out of walk zones onto a bus if that's not what they want.

Sure they will. What a convenient solution to justify keeping Williamsburg so below capacity.

Signed a North Arlington parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can one of you tell me where it shows Williamsburg dropping to 1%? Seriously, what is wrong with the SB? Why can't Williamsburg MS pick up more planning units in Swanson to at least alleviate overcrowding at Swanson?!

Glebe didn't want to be split between three MS, which I agree with. It looks like they sent them all to Swanson, rather than splitting between 2 MS. Of course, if you read the comments and feedback, Discovery and Jamestown also believe that all of their children should all stay together from K-12.

And now they're splitting Abindgon between 3 MS instead. Basically, the families who have the least warning and least amount of time to complain get the least desirable outcomes. The Arlington Way!

Given that the school board will be redrawing elementary boundaries in the spring, it wouldn't surprise me if they're anticipating that the northern portion of Abingdon (which would go to Kenmore in this map) will be moved to Carlin Springs, which would keep the kids in those units with their classmates from elementary to middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did you guys even read the whole thing? They specifically said the plan is making room for future transfers and possibly a choice program at Williamsburg to alleviate the diversity problem. They simply can't improve diversity at Williamsburg through any rational boundary drawing, so they're giving themselves options to do it other ways. Assuming those plans move forward (and as a future Williamsburg parent, I hope they do), the ED and capacity numbers won't stay that way because people from other parts of the county will transfer in. This is a good compromise because those who believe busing is a good option for their kids will have a chance to do it, but kids won't be forced out of walk zones onto a bus if that's not what they want.

Sure they will. What a convenient solution to justify keeping Williamsburg so below capacity.

Signed a North Arlington parent.

Do you think you get more credit for being a North Arlington parent? It's otherwise a pretty worthless label to give yourself here since it doesn't tell us anything about which schools you're in or what your priorities are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did you guys even read the whole thing? They specifically said the plan is making room for future transfers and possibly a choice program at Williamsburg to alleviate the diversity problem. They simply can't improve diversity at Williamsburg through any rational boundary drawing, so they're giving themselves options to do it other ways. Assuming those plans move forward (and as a future Williamsburg parent, I hope they do), the ED and capacity numbers won't stay that way because people from other parts of the county will transfer in. This is a good compromise because those who believe busing is a good option for their kids will have a chance to do it, but kids won't be forced out of walk zones onto a bus if that's not what they want.

Sure they will. What a convenient solution to justify keeping Williamsburg so below capacity.

Signed a North Arlington parent.

I don’t think they are intentionally keeping it below capacity. I think the parents in the Williamsburg island and the parents in Hall’s Hill were tired of being sent to Williamsburg for diversity’s sake and separated from their elementary school peers, and they said so. That’s why the numbers are down. Like a pp said, in order to get more kid they would have to pull them From further away, and most people don’t want that either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It wouldn't make any sense to move IB to Williamsburg if IB stays at W-L. At least from Jefferson there's already a large group continuing to W-L. Doesn't mean they won't do it, but it would be short-sighted.

Except Jefferson is too crowded to allow transfers, so they have to move it somewhere where all kids have a shot to attend. Same as W-L. We're not in that boundary either, but planned to apply to the program because we really want IB. We're a family with an international background and I would like our kids to get IB diplomas so that they are better poised to apply to colleges abroad.

There is really no connection between the Middle Years IB program and Jefferson and the IB Diploma at W-L so while I can appreciate wanting your kids in that program (my kids go there), not going there won't hurt their ability to pursue the IB diploma.

I still want them to have equal access to the middle years program. Or it's not a program, in which case they can do away with it. Just like the RD. Either everyone has equal access or they are eliminated.

Meant to say, just like the ES.

FYI there is currently one elementary IB program at Randolph.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did you guys even read the whole thing? They specifically said the plan is making room for future transfers and possibly a choice program at Williamsburg to alleviate the diversity problem. They simply can't improve diversity at Williamsburg through any rational boundary drawing, so they're giving themselves options to do it other ways. Assuming those plans move forward (and as a future Williamsburg parent, I hope they do), the ED and capacity numbers won't stay that way because people from other parts of the county will transfer in. This is a good compromise because those who believe busing is a good option for their kids will have a chance to do it, but kids won't be forced out of walk zones onto a bus if that's not what they want.

Sure they will. What a convenient solution to justify keeping Williamsburg so below capacity.

Signed a North Arlington parent.

Do you think you get more credit for being a North Arlington parent? It's otherwise a pretty worthless label to give yourself here since it doesn't tell us anything about which schools you're in or what your priorities are.

We are completely happy with our new MS. All I'm saying is that the SB is pretty tone deaf to also allow williamsburg to be below capacity by that much when other schools will be so overcrowded. you think they could at least attempt to fix that situation. And then of course the amount of economically disadvantaged students drops to 1%, which is also absurd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are completely happy with our new MS. All I'm saying is that the SB is pretty tone deaf to also allow williamsburg to be below capacity by that much when other schools will be so overcrowded. you think they could at least attempt to fix that situation. And then of course the amount of economically disadvantaged students drops to 1%, which is also absurd.

Right now this is the staff's recommendation, sending it to the Superintendent to offer up to the SB. What are the viable options is really the question at this point. Do they move a program to Williamsburg? Offer bussing for families who transfer in from other parts of the county? I agree the outcome that the rich white families who got a boondoggle under-capacity elementary school now get an under-capacity, 1% FARMS middle school is ridiculous, but I also think there are limited options at this point.