Reply to South Arlington elementary school boundary adjustments 2019

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Reply to "South Arlington elementary school boundary adjustments 2019"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]One point of clarification: I don't think they're [b]removing the sibling preference at the choice schools. [/b]It would disadvantage too many families, especially those where you don't have a SAHM or other caregiver. Can you imagine a single parent trying to get a 2nd grader to ATS or Key and a Kindergarten student to Abingdon every day? [/quote]

This is not on the table at the elementary level.

However, there are plenty of families living in the Drew boundary, or potential Drew boundary, who don't have kids in K yet. If the oldest child doesn't get in to an option school, the family has to decide whether it's worth it to move. If they bought in the last five years it's not likely they could afford to move within Arlington to a "good school" in either south or north Arlington. So, do they decide to give up all that time and money commuting or just invest in their own school? I think if a large enough cohort of UMC families decide to make a go of it, the school could be the next "good" school. They need an excellent principal who is really good at managing staff, managing budgets, has experience working with disadvantaged students, and has great ability to inspire confidence in the community. I think sitting around here gnashing our teeth is not very productive. We don't know for sure what the boundary will be. We don't know if they're going to move option programs to locations that might be less attractive to families living in south Arlington. We just don't know how this is going to shake out, so I think panicking and being negative about the situation can only make things worse. And make the families who really will have to make the choice between moving or sending their kid to the new Drew feel more anxiety about it.

As the parent of a neurotypical and bright kid at a Title 1 school, I feel confident telling parents that if they have a child that fits this same profile, a lot of what they are worried about will not come to pass. Being in a less wealthy school will not negatively affect their child or harm their child's education. Will the experience be the same at a Title 1 school as at a school like Discovery? No, probably not. But that doesn't mean they are being harmed. And my child is having interactions and experiences and conversations that kids at a school like Discovery won't have the opportunity to have. The kids truly harmed by socioeconomic segregation don't have parents who are posting here on DCUM. And if we resign ourselves to the fact that Drew is a "no go" before it even has a chance, we're contributing to this phenomenon. [/quote]

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