Reply to APS middle school boundary process

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I admit to being part of the problem. We live in S Arlington and have kids in the Immersion program. When the idea was raised to send half of Immersion to Williamsburg, we were up in arms. I really admire the academics there, but it's just way too far - especially juggling several kids at different school ages. And I was a little worried about some of the social problems at Williamsburg as well. Bottom line, I'd like to see the schools better integrated - but honestly don't want my kids bussed all the way to Williamsburg.  [/quote]

[b]I don't think we've found anyone who wants THEIR kid to be bussed to Williamsburg. [/b]People want other people's brown and/or poor kids to be bussed to Williamsburg so that "the numbers look better.". You're not part of any problem.[/quote]
dumb question but has anyone considered moving hb woodlawn to williamsburg?  i think that would make an option program there much more appealing.  [/quote]

Not even the students who live nearby want to go to Williamsburg if they have a decent other option. I have not argued that they should be forced to do so. [b]Many of us arguing for diversity actually DON'T want ED or ethnic/racial minorities put on buses and sent away, rather the other way around (send some north kids who live closer south), [/b]until the County makes good on their promise of diverse and inclusive communities.

As for locating a choice option at Williamsburg, I think if you're going to be in an option program, you don't also get to demand where it's located. They'll put it where they have space. Generally, it makes more sense to have the option schools centrally located, but the problem is that the centrally located schools already have capacity programs and don't really want to host additional programs when they've spent time building the programs that they have. I think APS is going to have to consider what happens to the MS Immersion program if it grows the way the elementary programs have. I think they might even have to consider a stand-alone immersion MS. It would make sense to locate that school centrally and closer to populations that can benefit most from easier access. The VHC parcel on Carlin Springs comes to mind. They're going to use it for something--might as well be a school.

Putting HB at Williamsburg is a bad idea. HB Woodlawn is less diverse even than Williamsburg. There are a number of rumors as to why that is, but it certainly would not help it's reputation as a school for "the elite" if they moved it into the wealthiest, whitest, and least accessible (for ED students who mainly live very far from there) of the existing high schools. I think moving the Montessori middle years program here might be better, acknowledging that it would be more difficult choice for minority/ED families. But it's exactly that--a choice. If you're going to be in a program, that's part of the trade-off. Potentially this move could free up a little space at Gunston, so some additional planning units could be moved back out of Kenmore. That way Kenmore could continue to allow transfers and build up their STEAM certificate program. I don't think moving any existing program can happen in time for the boundary change, but maybe they can begin planning how to do this with the least amount of disruption and make the change(s) over the next few years.

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How do you think that will work out? Yeah, let's bus a bunch of kids from Williamsburg (which will already have excess capacity) south into schools that are already over capacity, making overcrowding in those schools even worse, but then bus no one north to fill their seats at Williamsburg. WTF?[/quote]

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