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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]APS has nothing to do with housing. You don't like the huge FARMS rates at certain schools? Go advocate to the County Board that you want to see affordable housing around Jamestown and Tuckahoe.

Alternatively, go advocate in front of APS that you want forced busing to equalize FARMS rates across schools.

People love to complain about this issue, but they're unwilling to actually do anything about it.

[/quote]

Oh please. There have been many of us advocating on these issues to both the school and county boards for YEARS. and "forced busing" isn't the only way to improve socioeconomic diversity within the schools. Those of use who have been in this conversation WITH the TWO boards over the years have made various arguments and [b]proposed various ways[/b] forward. But people have only so much energy, time, and tolerance for the ignorance, politics, and denialism of both boards who find it easier to just point their fingers at each other.[/quote]
Exactly. Giving back the options schools to the neighborhood isn’t a magical fox either, most of them will reflect the same demographic pattern
Such as? 
[/quote]

1. Ranked choice admissions process
2. Incremental steps with every boundary change requiring FRL% to be a primary consideration - implementing options that improve, not worsen, the situation
3. Ways to increase interaction between schools -- it's the social interaction with peers that's most important
4. Locating option programs (if we have to keep them) centrally and in locations easily accessed by transportation (car, bus) to encourage low-income families to opt in
5. Stop telling immigrant communities that boundary changes will "tear their community apart"
6. Stop acquiescing to the white affluent parents crying "walkability" or whining about passing a closer school to get to their assigned school
7.And imagine what impact could be made if people stopped all their crap arguments pushing back against distributing committed affordable housing geographically throughout the county - or at least stopping additional construction/addition of CAFs in the areas where the neighborhood schools already exceed 40% FRL.
8. Electing a school board and hiring administration who don't dismiss or deny the research demonstrating the academic (and future income prospects for generational poor) benefits of socioeconomic diversity, and who prioritize providing the best education for ALL students.

That's a start.
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4. Already doing it. 
3. Agree. 
7. Totally agree. This actually would make the most impact. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of political will to make it happen. 
[b]8. I think they already do that. [/b]
5. Didn’t see that happening. 
1. & 2. This doesn’t work on a large scale for ES because almost everyone wants their young kids close to home. They don’t want super long bus rides for Kindergartners or long treks to pick them up from Extended Day after work. Plus, transportation is already a nightmare. 
6. Again, parents across the county value proximity. That’s not unique to white, affluent parents. 
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#8 -- NO, we do not have a school board or administration that does not dismiss the research or that prioritizes diversity and its academic and social benefits
#1 and #2 -- follows along with not acquiescing  (it also ties-in with establishing an effective and more thorough transit system with the County). Incremental steps in each boundary process (#2) does not require busing kids 3/4 of the way across the County. [b] It starts with shifting kids to neighboring schools [/b]and, again, #6 and #8 -- not about parent preferences, prioritizing what's best for students' education/providing comparable academic and social experiences at every school (or as many as possible)/etc.  You need to let go of the same old pushback "we can't because" arguments and start SOLVING the obstacles.
#6 -- your response is a "no-duh" -- that's why #6 is to stop acquiescing.
#5 -- Do you mean that you've not witnessed or heard of this fear-mongering occurring; or do you mean you don't see that argument stopping? Because I assure you - it. absolutely. happens. Even though it's ludicrous. Yes, maybe Barcroft Apartments don't all go to Randolph or all of the west end affordable housing highrises don't all go to Carlin Springs. But significant groups of children from within would still go to school together. Nobody would be sent onesies-twosies to Jamestown.[/quote]

Yeah, so the issue is that the neighboring schools that you would use to shift are already at the county average FARMS rate or higher, with the exception of Ashlawn. You'd be taking schools that are diverse and balanced (Long Branch, Fleet, Oakridge, Abingdon) and pushing them up to 50% FARMs while leaving the sub 10% schools untouched. [/quote][/quote]

Right, if we are just shifting kids around the lower income schools while not touching the north, does that really solve the problem?  And is it worth the cost?[/quote]

Balancing SES can’t be done by boundary changes. Could tweak a few schools, but won’t significantly change the schools far from Rt 50.

Anyone who has participated in the many boundary changes would realize this.

The only way to balance SES is busing. [b]And not many ES parents want that.[/b] 
[/quote]
 And again we're back to the same excuse for not doing it.  #6 above....#6 above.....#6 above!  #8 above.....#8 above....#8 above!
[/quote]

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