Anonymous wrote:It's a terrible idea to leave Swanson overcrowded. Just like it was a terrible idea to leave W-L ovecrowded. But the problem is that the parents at these schools refuse to contemplate going elsewhere. So they get continued overcrowding at their schools. If they don't want to come to Williamsburg, no one will make them. In my opinion, they could've fixed this by splitting Glebe elementary between Williamsburg and Stratford. But the Swanson walkers east of George Mason wouldn't have it. So they forced themselves back into Swanson.

Some portions of Glebe are in that 1.5mi walk zone, and so rather than having them move to Williamsburg with the other Glebe units there, they acquiesced and moved the planning units all to Swanson. One option would be to say "if you all want to be together, it has to be at Williamsburg since that's where we have room", but Glebe showed up in force last night. I don't blame them for all wanting to be together, but Swanson's going to be a mess again. Two other neighborhoods that Nancy Van Doren mentioned are also trying to move to Swanson. It can't take everyone.

They need to re-draw and re-evaluate what walk zones really are. Do kids that are at that 1.5mi mark actually walk? If they do, then it's a good measure. If they don't, then they're boxed in by walkzone arguments by people who don't walk, similar to the Arlington Forest people at W-L last year.

It's a terrible idea to leave Swanson overcrowded. Just like it was a terrible idea to leave W-L ovecrowded. But the problem is that the parents at these schools refuse to contemplate going elsewhere. So they get continued overcrowding at their schools. If they don't want to come to Williamsburg, no one will make them. In my opinion, they could've fixed this by splitting Glebe elementary between Williamsburg and Stratford. But the Swanson walkers east of George Mason wouldn't have it. So they forced themselves back into Swanson.

Did anyone notice that they are leaving Swanson overcrowded? This is the area with the greatest growth (Ballston and Westover). They aren't leaving any room for error in their numbers, despite them being historically wrong. I'm not sure the right answer was to put more kids into Swanson when Stratford and Williamsburg had more room.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can the open slots at Williamsburg be converted to an APS lottery? Like H-B Woodlawn.

They should do a lottery but only for ED students.

Like VPI but for Middle School - VMI?

Yes. Otherwise it will just be a brain drain with the highest SES kids from Jefferson and Kenmore transferring.

You may be overestimating the appeal of attending school with the spawn of snotty rich folks.

Not the PP, but my neighborhood school loses MC/UMC families with school-aged children to choice, private schools, and north Arlington every year. It's real. Williamsburg would not be my first choice either, but I recognize that many don't feel the same as I do. And the more disparate the schools become, the more likely this phenomenon is to ramp up.

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looks like my kids will be at Stratford. I'm not really sure how to feel about it, but I do think that the SB has not handled the Williamsburg situation well. They need something more than a maybe we'll allow transfers in the future. They need to say exactly how many kids from Kenmore, etc. will go to Williamsburg every year and what the selection method is. Otherwise it's all hot air and every school except Williamsburg will be absorbing ESL and Farms. And I actually think that the 1% ED figure for Williamsburg is a flat out lie. It will be zero.

How would you feel if your kids were going to Williamsburg?

I would probably be feeling pretty good about it, that's where I'm currently zoned for. I bet the Williamsburg parents who made the cut are high fiving each other. The only bad thing about Williamsburg is the drug use, but I'm not sure my kids will avoid that at Stratford.

NP. I for one am glad my kids will be at Straftford. I know other parents whose kids were originally zoned for Williamsburg and are fine wiht Stratford.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can the open slots at Williamsburg be converted to an APS lottery? Like H-B Woodlawn.

They should do a lottery but only for ED students.

Like VPI but for Middle School - VMI?

Yes. Otherwise it will just be a brain drain with the highest SES kids from Jefferson and Kenmore transferring.

Exactly! That's why they need to establish the parameters right now or they're just going to make flight easier for advantaged families. The best thing they could do would be to continue to allow transfers at Kenmore and Jefferson for the families who WOULD voluntarily bus their students in from more advantaged schools, and open a new program at Williamsburg, that is both appealing to and possibly limited to economically disadvantaged students. Like Montessori? 2/3 of the program seats are set aside for students who qualify for fr/l, right?

I don't really want to leave my neighborhood school, despite what some on DCUM think of it. I think it's a good school and that they are doing pretty well for all groups right now; well enough that we are willing to stay though we have options. But we will leave if every other involved family leaves. My child deserves an equitable and appropriate education, too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can the open slots at Williamsburg be converted to an APS lottery? Like H-B Woodlawn.

They should do a lottery but only for ED students.

Like VPI but for Middle School - VMI?

Yes. Otherwise it will just be a brain drain with the highest SES kids from Jefferson and Kenmore transferring.

You may be overestimating the appeal of attending school with the spawn of snotty rich folks.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can the open slots at Williamsburg be converted to an APS lottery? Like H-B Woodlawn.

They should do a lottery but only for ED students.

Like VPI but for Middle School - VMI?

Yes. Otherwise it will just be a brain drain with the highest SES kids from Jefferson and Kenmore transferring.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can the open slots at Williamsburg be converted to an APS lottery? Like H-B Woodlawn.

They should do a lottery but only for ED students.

Like VPI but for Middle School - VMI?

Anonymous wrote:Can the open slots at Williamsburg be converted to an APS lottery? Like H-B Woodlawn.

They should do a lottery but only for ED students.

Can the open slots at Williamsburg be converted to an APS lottery? Like H-B Woodlawn.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looks like my kids will be at Stratford. I'm not really sure how to feel about it, but I do think that the SB has not handled the Williamsburg situation well. They need something more than a maybe we'll allow transfers in the future. They need to say exactly how many kids from Kenmore, etc. will go to Williamsburg every year and what the selection method is. Otherwise it's all hot air and every school except Williamsburg will be absorbing ESL and Farms. And I actually think that the 1% ED figure for Williamsburg is a flat out lie. It will be zero.

How would you feel if your kids were going to Williamsburg?

I would probably be feeling pretty good about it, that's where I'm currently zoned for. I bet the Williamsburg parents who made the cut are high fiving each other. The only bad thing about Williamsburg is the drug use, but I'm not sure my kids will avoid that at Stratford.

Anonymous wrote:Looks like my kids will be at Stratford. I'm not really sure how to feel about it, but I do think that the SB has not handled the Williamsburg situation well. They need something more than a maybe we'll allow transfers in the future. They need to say exactly how many kids from Kenmore, etc. will go to Williamsburg every year and what the selection method is. Otherwise it's all hot air and every school except Williamsburg will be absorbing ESL and Farms. And I actually think that the 1% ED figure for Williamsburg is a flat out lie. It will be zero.

How would you feel if your kids were going to Williamsburg?

Looks like my kids will be at Stratford. I'm not really sure how to feel about it, but I do think that the SB has not handled the Williamsburg situation well. They need something more than a maybe we'll allow transfers in the future. They need to say exactly how many kids from Kenmore, etc. will go to Williamsburg every year and what the selection method is. Otherwise it's all hot air and every school except Williamsburg will be absorbing ESL and Farms. And I actually think that the 1% ED figure for Williamsburg is a flat out lie. It will be zero.

Anonymous wrote:Did they decide to drop Diversity as a consideration last night? It seems to have the lowest priority.

Various members of the Board commented on what they believe consideration means. The policy states that these six factors must be considerations, but it is silent on how they should be prioritized and whether they must be evidenced in the final product. Most if not all of the Board seemed comfortable that the staff had actively taken all six into consideration over the last few months, although the final map doesn't equitably reflect all of those factors. My own opinion is that based on housing patterns, there isn't a way to treat these factors equitably.