Reply to APS Elementary Planning Mtg at Swanson - Option 1 in, Option 2 out, McKinley Moms out of contro

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Reply to "APS Elementary Planning Mtg at Swanson - Option 1 in, Option 2 out, McKinley Moms out of contro"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I only moved to Arlington last year. What's the deal with Key and ASFS? Key was offered the opportunity to move into ASFS and they convinced APS it didn't make sense? So now they're getting moved to the ATS building? I understand the Reed school is opening up and all those implications. I'm just trying to understand the Key/ASFS back story. Thanks. [/quote]

here is the short version- if you want a more fulsome explanation- start a new thread this is a bit off topic.

Several years ago, in a time of declining enrollments overall, the Rosslyn courthouse neighborhood was almost entirely native Spanish speakers (in terms of school age population) living in apartments.  APS created the 'team concept'.  Jamestown and Taylor were neighborhood schools.  Arlington Science Focus (located in Cherrydale) was a option choice.  Key immersion was the default neighborhood school for the Rosslyn Courthouse area.  Admittance to ASFS was 1)kids in the Key immersion zone who did not wish to attend Key immersion; 2)kids zoned to Jamestown and Taylor, 3) the rest of the county.  Keep in mind- declining attendance overall, so the priority for admission was initally irrelevant- anyone who wanted to go to ASFS could.  Admission to Key was 1)kids in the Key immersion zone; 2)kids in the Jamestown Taylor zones (the team); 3)the eastern half of the county.
As enrollment increased, the team concept broke down.  ASFS became the de-facto neighborhood school for the Key zone b/c it entirely filled with kids from the Key zone and no one else could get in.
About 4 years ago APS changed the options/transfers policy.  They abolished the team concept, and they declared ASFS a neighborhood school (it had been operating as a de-facto neighborhood school for several years.)  
However, ASFS is actually not located in the Key/ASFS zone- its outside its boundaries.  This causes a tremendous amount of angst for a few different groups of people.
About 18 months ago APS formally proposed to swap Key and ASFS- making the ASFS building the immersion school, and the Key building the neighborhood school.  (I say formally b/c it was the first time it was a formal proposal- it had been talked about for many years however.)   Key launched a massive lobbying campaign to 'stop the swap.'   About 12 months ago APS suspended the swap effort and stated at the time they had concluded they needed both schools as neighborhood schools- and would reconsider what to do in the future- which brings up to the present.
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