Reply to Barcroft elementary/ south Arlington crisis

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]It is NIMBYism for the most part. We all value our property values. We all want to give our kids the best shot at success. But we also know that for the most part "we" are very privileged and fortunate, so much more so than many who live around here. So we support affordable housing so long as we don't see it, our property values are not impacted and our kids are not disadvantaged. It isn't a partisan issue.

And yes, arlington county has not learned from the experiences of so many other cities. Why? Because the county is run by north Arlington people. Because it is easier to cram poorer people in one area so that most of the county is the pride of economic development. Because human beings never learn from history. Because people want to say they are helping the poor as long as they don't see them. Because it is more expensive to do things right and the decisions are hard and wealthy areas push back.

The problem is that north Arlington is too expensive even for people who are making a lot of money. So those people moved to south arlington and they are not impressed with the schools. They want to invest in their homes and build their families here, but the schools are no longer diverse, they are overwhelmingly minority. And the color of other kids' skin isn't even important, it is SES. Only a few years ago scores were moing up, but now on the downturn and parents are freaking out and want change. They see the only change is lots of new buildings dedicated to affordable housing and expansion of other low rent units

It is a breaking point and the county better realize it. Or there will be "white flight" out of south arlington and that is not good for anyone.[/quote]

We are the type of family you describe (HHI of 225, priced out of n arlington, purchased a sfh, two preschoolers with k a year out). We were very enthusiastic about our elementary school when we purchased, but that has really fallen over the past few years. Not because of the diversity/minority presence, but because of the overcrowding. We are seriously considering leaving (and we would move out of state) because of the over crowding and class sizes and complete failure of the county to actively manage the issue. [/quote]

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