Anonymous wrote:
FCPS has set up middle school centers. Kilmer was a dump, got renovated, and a center. Carson was a new building. It is easy since your child will move with her local people plus those in her center.

Anonymous wrote:The focus among parents seems to be more on "will my kid have to leave his or her AAP center in elementary school" and not on the proposal for an AAP center in every MIDDLE school.

What about those of us who have sixth grade AAP center students right now?

Does this proposal mean that next year, rather than going to the AAP center school she had expected to attend (which is not in our pyramid), she would be required instead to attend a brand-new "center" at the middle school that is in our pyramid?

I have a question in to FCPS about that but haven't heard back yet.

Frankly we want her at the well-established center at the school that is not in our pyramid. I don't see how FCPS can set up a fully functioning AAP center with qualified teachers in just this one school year and have it ready and running by next fall anyway, but a lot of parents of sixth graders in AAP centers are confused right now about what happens to our kids next fall -- whether they'll be going to established centers or ones that are quickly put together just to meet a mandate that every middle school have something it can call a "center."

Any other parents of AAP sixth graders out there have any insights or have you heard anything yet?

Anonymous wrote:Does this proposal mean that next year, rather than going to the AAP center school she had expected to attend (which is not in our pyramid), she would be required instead to attend a brand-new "center" at the middle school that is in our pyramid?

Anonymous wrote:Marshall Road to Archer is a guess. Since MRES goes to Madison and Thoreau, I assume they would go to Archer. The really stupid thing is, I have friends that live about 1/2 mile from Louise Archer, but because they are in MRES district, they go to Mosby Woods.

Anonymous wrote:I think I understand the proposal. My DD is at Louise Archer AAP, which is also her base school. She will remain there. Kids in the AAP center at LA are in either the Madison or Marshall Pyramid.

The county will create another AAP center at a school in the Marshall Pyramid, which will result in incoming 3rd graders from Stenwood, westbrier and Freedom Hill going to the new school. In addition, kids from Marshall Road ES will now go to Louise Archer instead of Mantua.

When my child enters middle school, she will go to Thoreau for AAP instead of Luther Jackson.

For us, I think it makes sense. We were facing the question of Thoreau vs. Jackson: Thoreau much closer to us. We were not sure where DD's friends would go. Now most of her friends would go to Thoreau.

The problem I see is not in Pyramids like Madison, but in ones which have smaller AAP populations. There might not be critical mass in ES or MS.

Anonymous wrote:You hit the nail on the head with the problem. It will work in some pyramids but not others, which is probably why it has never gone by pyramids. Unfortunately, the sad part is that the heavily lower income and minority pyramids will probably be the ones that have the smaller, less effective AAP centers. So, once again, the wealthier kids get a better education.

As for your child in ES, nothing for her will change except she'll get a little more space at school. Unless, of course, they decide not to grandfather, then some of her friends will probably be forced to leave.