Reply to What do you expect from APS staff (option/neighborhood) on 4/30?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I think you would be suprised by the number of rising kindergarten families who are not aware this process is going on as they make their option decisions. Heck, I was surprised by the number of current elementary families I know who have no idea what's going on because their schools haven't made a short list so their PTAs aren't keeping them informed.[/quote]

While many people look at PTAs as fundraisers and party throwers, this is a great example of why you also need PTA folks who are going to pay attention to this type of thing and can communicate effectively (especially when APS staff cannot).  [/quote]

I agree, as someone who is active in this area for my children's PTA, but I am also a big believer that people need to take some responsibility for themselves.  If you are an APS family, you should be signed up for their Engage and APS Updates.  Ask your PTA or principal.  Read the Sun Gazette or ArlNow.  Maybe that's beyond the reality for low SES families, but if you're an UMC family in the school system anywhere in the county, then it's on you to be engaged in your child's education.

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PP here.  Absolutely and I didn't mean to imply otherwise.  Parents must not expect the PTA and other parents to do the work for them.  Our PTA has sent weekly emails that contain info on this.  I'm sure many parents never bother to read them.  [/quote]

Original pp here, and I agree with this too. But the communications from APS around this issue have been terrible (for instance, they never actually sent a follow-up email letting people know the analysis had been posted on 5/1 after sending the email the day before saying it had been delayed). And skipping things like a meeting or a summary slideshow to breakdown what the analysis means left a lot of people uncertain or confused after reading a very dense analysis document. It sure has the appearance that APS is holding back on engaging with the community on this, because they know that if more people start really digging into what this could mean for themselves even though they're not at an option school or one of the short-listed neighborhood schools, they're going to have some serious concerns.

If all a PTA does is pass along notices when information is released, well, that's better than APS is doing but still not great. This is an incredibly complex process, it's difficult to understand all of the implications just from reading what APS posts, and the staff is not being forthcoming about their thought process here. If people want to really understand all of the implications, they need to be digging into the data, but it's too big a job for just one person. That's where PTAs should come in, organizing efforts to do their own analysis and figure out the implications now rather than being caught short later (see, e.g., Tuckahoe; whatever you may think about their PTA's motivations, they saw the writing on the wall and jumped in early rather than waiting until it was too late, although it's not clear that they're continuing to follow the issue anymore now that they're not short-listed). Anyone saying people at neighborhood schools that are likely to stay neighborhood schools shouldn't get worked up until the boundaries are released is a fool, because the location selection will ultimately dictate the boundaries, and by the time we see boundary proposals the staff will have finished its analysis and sent its recommendation to the board. There won't be an opportunity to revisit the location selection if you realize the boundaries in both options are bad for you.[/quote]

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