Reply to Tell me about Alexandria and South Arlington Schools

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]^^^ you are very right. This needs to be talked about. Arlington has plenty to be ashamed about. [/quote]

Why isn't the same venom directed at Alexandria.  ACPS has a far more blatant track record of segregating their students and the current process to change boundaries has exposed the total hypocrisy of many of the progressive/liberals who are "living out their ideals" and patting themselves on the back for sticking it out in a poorer performing school district.  No one wants to go to J-H and many families are fighting to protect their administrative transfers, which are doled out in a process that is completely not transparent and clearly favors only rich, white people.

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I'm sure it's not good, but I don't live in  Alexandria, and I'm not as  familiar with their struggles. I get the sense that there is something different happening happening in Arlington now a days. Seems that in previous years it was just accepted that the southern schools didn't perform well. [b]A younger generation of middle class moved in and decided to give the schools a try. Things were trending better, and then the county actively swooped in to undermine that progress.[/b] It's a little unique. There is a specific tipping point, and think a school that is over 60% poverty is it. Even the most well intentioned, dyed In the wool liberal questions what kind of school experience their kid is getting at that point.
Maybe it just proves that liberals who try and actually walk the walk are suckers. [/quote]

This is exactly how ACPS parents in many schools feel right now with the current boundary drawing process.  The situation really isn't all that unique.

People want the diversity up to a point until they don't and I don't know what the right answer is.[/quote]

Both Arlington and Alexandria City should revoke their Sanctuary City status. Alexandria City established it in 1997, but in spite of all our fiscal problems continues to allow it to be on the books.

People want diversity in terms of race and ethnicity but do not want socio-economic diversity.  They just don't realize that until their child gets to about 2nd/3rd grade. 
I am in ACPS and I can say it's not race and ethnicity that's the problem, it's money.  White parents are more than happy to have non-white kids in the schools as long as they come from middle and upper middle class families.  But that's not what happens and those kids are coming from low income families.  [/quote]

Sanctuary status has resulted in word of mouth to the usual countries in South America, definitely resulting in moves to Alexandria City, some legal, others not so much. It's expensive to live here in Alexandria City, but that doesn't seem to stop them. One South American mom tried to run for ACPS school board years back after having been here 1 year, just to find out you have to have full residency status which she took umbrage to. Not kidding-it was in the papers. Number of Gangs up in Arlington and Alexandria City? Look no further than "come on down" or in our case up.  Middle Eastern immigration is up a lot in the last decade too, at least in Alexandria City. Some legal, others probably not. Also, in Alexandria, many out of Virginia licensed cars continue to roll up to ACPS schools each morning. Grandma may live in Alexandria, and so their grandchild is sent here, even though they may live part time with Grandma, part time other out of Alexandria City: this is against the law here. I know several families with this arrangement. Then too there are the federal immigrants that Senator Kaine has smoothed the way for the Federal Government to send to our area, unfortunately without Adequate Federal Support. All these factors are why our schools are bloated and school budget strained so much: ESL is so expensive and takes such a tool on teachers and students alike etc. As the ACPS school budget is strained so are City Social Services, Affordable or Low Income housing, health facilities and police etc.

[b]I am a lifelong democrat and a long time resident of Alexandria.[/b] Taxpayers can only pay so much in taxes before their own family welfare is really threatened: local private sector wages have not grown since 2008 the way Alexandria City public wages have. Personally, we cut back: no vacations x years, limited big purchases keeping the old cars and appliances instead, little new clothing just the essentials and no eating out. Nada. Just to pay Alexandria City taxes, which are not only increasing in amount, but increasing in number via add-on taxes (utilities, special area housing tax, and soon the storm water impermeable surface tax). None of these were here when we move in. I guess we may have to move out but after decades you'd think our work in and for the City via communities would not push us to do so because of local taxes.We are reaching a dangerous tipping point here in Alexandria City: our infrastructure needs repair as much as we need new schools. Equally lamentable is that Alexandria City Public Schools still rate So LOW, both on the Virginia Department of Education as well as public rating sites that it cuts off new residency and taxes to Alexandria. I was reminded of this just yesterday by a local realtor. Really, how many Decades do you have to hear this before the problem is fixed. It's obvious this poor rating is not important to either the ACPS school Board or the City Council or Staff, even though lip service is given. Potomac Yards at $285+Million is more important to them. What if that money was put into ACPS instead to truly improve academics and to build all those new schools?

To sum up: Alexandria City can't have it both ways when it comes down to city resident's pockets: if they are threatened fiscally they will voice their opinion loudly-perhaps not this year but the clock is ticking here. Drip. Drip. Then again, maybe Alexandria City is becoming a one Party run Democratic City of the rich and the not so rich![/quote]

Ugh, and you are exactly the City residents I was talking about. You ruined the City by voting year after year for Democrats and killing yourself patting yourself on the back for being such a good little white liberal and supporting all the ton of social service/welfare programs in the City but now you can't afford to be a white liberal Democrat anymore and still live in the City because City housing and services is only for the very rich or the very poor. 
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