Reply to APS Families--Pls email county and school boards by Tues. 5/24!!

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I think it is ironic, if true, that they are thinking of using the Carlin Springs parcel for affordable housing.  The whole point of affordable housing is to provide an opportunity for middle class families who otherwise couldn't afford to live here.  So ostensibly it's to remedy socioeconomic stratification on some level.  But if the public schools are no longer considered a viable option by most people, we'll have an urban style school system with the uber rich, who can afford private school, and people at the other end of the spectrum who may not have many options.  Without viable, quality public schools, a whole lot of people in the middle will view Arlington as unaffordable anyway, regardless of how much affordable housing we have.  [/quote]

I support affordable housing, in principle, but not how it is implemented in Arlington. It is overwhelming NOT occupied by teachers, police, firefighters, etc. who struggle to live in the county where they work. Instead, it is mostly populated by families who make less than 25% of median income (think servers, wait staff, manual laborers, etc., which is still a-ok in my  book) that DON'T EVEN WORK IN THE COUNTY. Why are we putting so many resources to help families who a) don't currently live here, and b) don't even work here? It's crazy.[/quote]

Well, I don't know.  I'm not as in the know about affordable housing and who uses it.  Is the point to provide a benefit for our teachers and firefighters?  Or to preserve some level of socioeconomic diversity within the county?

My only point was that regardless of who lives in affordable housing -- waitstaff or firefighters, current residents or not -- if people don't believe the public schools are a viable choice, like if their kid is going to school in the evening and taking classes online, a whole lot of families will effectively be priced out anyway.  Whether you make $75k or $150k or $200k, you're probably not going to be able to afford private school for 1+ kids.  And you probably can afford to move to Fairfax county or another jurisdiction that may have more attractive options, even if it means a longer commute.  Of course it is possible that people will move out in exactly the right amount to balance enrollment and make this whole crisis go away.  But it seems more likely to me that most people with options will decline to take the chance.  My point is just that if the county is investing in affordable housing in the name of economic diversity, it seems contradictory to adopt school policies that effectively price out a whole lot of middle to upper middle class people anyway.[/quote]

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