Reply to APS DHMS walk zone nuclear option

Forum Index » VA Public Schools other than FCPS

Reply to "APS DHMS walk zone nuclear option"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The families being rezoned to Williamsburg would have vigorously defended their right to attend Williamsburg before Hamm opened.  That's where they were zoned historically.  But now it's suddenly too inconvenient?  For a cohort of families with amongst the most resources in Arlington?

Instead they're now asking for a [b]cohort of families with far fewer resources and means to trek across the county for MS[/b]?  Most immersion students live in the Gunston/Wakefield boundary.  That's a long way from Williamsburg.  And the program collapses without the Spanish speaking classmates, so that would be the end of it.  All so a few very privileged kids don't have to travel to an excellent MS that was considered their preferred option just a few years ago.[/quote]

Is this actually true? I haven't seen any demographic info for MS immersion. They might not be as disadvantaged as you think considering the Claremont FARMS rate is 27.64%.[/quote]

No Immersion just trots out “Spanish speaking == poor” as a club to get their way.

I can’t believe we prioritizing OPTION program commute comfort over neighborhood schools and busing costs. [/quote]

That is my big issue with all of the option schools. If we need to have them, fine. But they get resources/priority [b][u]after[/u][/b] neighborhood schools. 
[/quote]
Or we could treat all students equally.  [/quote]

Any student that is in immersion has a neighborhood school. That’s being treated equally. The option school is the cherry on top so they can put up with some inconvenience if it’s important to them. [/quote]

Look no one normal is going to buy into this way of thinking.  The school system should not be sticking option schools wherever with no regard to the needs of their populations or their long-term sustainability.  It is normal for public school districts to have these programs.  Move on.[/quote]

On the contrary, I think most “normal” people think it’s asinine to bus neighborhood students all over the place to fit some self interested visioning for an option program. [/quote]
Except this isn't what's being proposed.  [b]With the exception of choice schools, kids are being bused to schools located near them.  They aren't being bused "all over the place."[/b] Students in the Taylor neighborhood traditionally attended Williamsburg.  It's just not that far, even if a bit farther than the absolute closest option.[/quote]

This.  There have always been students who can walk to one school and get bused to another.  It's the nature of a small and dense County with schools build in legacy locations and new schools built where land is available.  Sure, it's maybe disappointing.  My student would have been able to walk to Swanson and now will likely bus to Williamsburg.  Gee, too bad.  That's all the energy I'm giving it.   There are bigger issues going on and it's necessary for the greater good.[/quote]

+1 thank you for being such a reasonable human! That is the right level of energy in my opinion. You can be like dang, I would have preferred it the other way and then let it go. it's a good lesson for your kid that sometimes things are done for the greater good and that is worthy[/quote]

It’s dumb to pretend they couldn’t have middle schools that prioritized walkability.

If HBW was bigger that would have been the first step to reduce overcrowding 
Second, put options schools in the empty sites, rather than crowding everything in the middle.

You can’t claim “sorry it’s a small county so you might have to walk rather than walk to a very close school” and at same time claim “sorry the county is too big to bus an option program to WMS”. Cherry picking at its worst. [/quote]

Agreed. We all saw the exact same people who said that moving Key 2 miles would kill the program turn around and present a custom made version of neighborhood school boundaries with long bus rides that were fine because it's a "tiny county." Make up your minds, people. 
[/quote]

I see your point; but I still think it's a little different to put the choice program far away and relying on hundreds of families being willing to opt out of their neighborhood school to send their kid there, especially if they have other kids not in the program. On the other hand, the neighborhood kids are all going from the same area and much more likely to have multiple siblings going to the same neighborhood school. "Convenience" has been noted as a factor in people opting into programs. [/quote]

If people are opting into options for convenience, they are complete waste of money and resources. WTAF. [/quote]

It's not so much opting for a program because it's convenient, as opting for programs that are of interest/benefit the child AND are convenient. It's about making those opportunities for benefits more "convenient" to optimize the # of students who are most likely to benefit from them actually opt for them. This is mostly directly pertaining, imo, to immersion. Montessori (in APS) is generally a select group of people who are bent toward Montessori, with its pre-K program serving a need for some others and also serving as a tool in Montessori advocates' arguments for Montessori.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics