Reply to Drew Model Elementary: proposed boundaries (s/o from APS/SA thread specific to Drew)

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Reply to "Drew Model Elementary: proposed boundaries (s/o from APS/SA thread specific to Drew)"

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[quote=Anonymous]I am a Drew parent who has posted several times on the other thread. One or two people asked for thoughts on how to advocate on behalf of the Drew zone, so I am posting my thoughts below. Hopefully this can be a productive conversation on how to create fairness and equity for the entire South Arlington community.

Points for the online questionnaire: This proposal does not honor APS's own criteria for Drew. As everyone knows, APS policy considers 6 factors in adjusting boundaries: efficiency, proximity, stability, alignment, demographics, and contiguity. APS's presentation says that stability and contiguity have “little impact” to this current process, so really we're talking 4 factors. For Drew, and seemingly only for Drew, 3 of those 4 factors are not being honored.

Alignment: Drew goes from sending to one MS to sending to three. Why are those Abingdon units zoned Kenmore being moved to Drew? Those kids in that small corner will be the only Drew-Kenmore students in the county.

Demographics: 'nuff said. Drew will be 83% on a good day. Note, the Drew planning units (like many others) have more fr/l kids as of 2017 than total students that APS is projecting for 2019. In other words, APS is assuming that fewer total students will attend those schools in 2019 even though it knows that more kids are actually attending in 2017, and that every single one of those kids is low-income. So it could be worse than the projected figures. Further, Drew is 51% this year. Yes, that's because of Montessori being there as well -- but don't put Drew in your presentation, APS, and brag on lowering its fr/l rate.

Proximity: Drew has a small walk zone and must draw from outside of the walk zone, but this map is absurd on its face. It looks like it was drawn by the Maryland state legislature. Kids from all the way out to the Pike and Four Mile will be going to Drew. Color me not surprised when it's harder for those families to participate in activities (yes, I know Abingdon is also far for them).

Contiguity: APS says this one isn't in play, but in fact it is. Drew's proposed boundary runs through Jennie Dean Park and Barcroft Park, not through neighborhoods. There are *zero* students in one of those planning units. That's an island and APS said no more islands.

As I said in the other thread, no one is asking for a miracle here. Nauck is a generally lower income neighborhood. But for all the importance of school communities, folks are showing a lot of disregard to the future Drew community by proposing to open it under these circumstances. 
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