Reply to Is Nottingham going to be the new option school in Arlington or its still being decided?

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Reply to "Is Nottingham going to be the new option school in Arlington or its still being decided?"

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[quote=Anonymous]Snottingham parent here, ready for the flames about to be thrown my way. We'll very likely be a Tuckahoe family in the near future, regardless of how all of this option school stuff plays out. Apparently everyone there hates us as much there as they do here, so that should be fun.

FWIW, I think a lot of Nottingham parents are more concerned about buses and traffic to the school more than anything having to do with giving up their "lily white" status. There aren't a lot of big roads near the school, and only two buses fit in the driveway. People also seem to forget we had a parent killed out in front of the school not long ago. What they may not realize is that after that we asked the county for help with road markings and a light to assist at this already busy intersection; we were denied. Traffic will be a huge issue here, and it's something we are sensitive about...sorry. Many families I know would welcome a more diverse population at the school, mine included. But will an option school in this area actually make that happen?

Overwhelmingly, the concerns I hear are: Where will the buses go? Won't this just mean other nearby schools will become overcrowded, too? And since they can't expand, what would this look like? Will any ED students actually want to ride a bus to Nottingham or another North Arlington school? Won't this change just mean our kids will have more access to an option school, while discouraging kids who live further away due to the distance? Seems this gives our community more access, and those in other areas of Arlington less access.

The other questions I hear concern the entire process and why Nottingham ended up on the list in the first place. Why was it selected as a potential option school based on criteria that it never met at the start? Why were other schools looked over completely? Is it because we are seen as "screwing" over others before? Is it because we have no principal and are an easy target? Or is it just the usual crappy APS process where they don't actually use the data to make good decisions?

It's clear APS projections and numbers are not accurate, based on their past processes and decisions. I think it's important and worthwhile for all schools to get involved in this process so we force APS to use the data they have to make better decisions. Why are kids leaving their neighborhood schools in the first place? I'm guessing they are opting into other schools to escape their neighborhood schools, not because they are so enamored with the option program. To me, this is a problem. We need to find a way to make these struggling neighborhood schools stronger, so people don't feel they have to leave them.

It's clear we have an issue with capacity and will need to move boundaries. Everyone realizes that. How can we do this in a way that makes sense and supports all students? I know many people think drawing new boundaries will just be wonky and difficult, but it seems to me the most straightforward way to be fair to everyone.

Sorry for the rambling.

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