Anonymous wrote:So maybe then some of this choice schools shouldn't exist anymore. Aren't some of them a relic of a past era when Arlington needed to retain students rather than having too many? Aren't neighborhood schools what everyone wants now?

Your'e right, they did come out of a different era. But that doesn't make them undesirable now. Key & Claremont are both over capacity. There's a long wait list for ATS. I'm less sure about Campbell, but there seems to be interest there. Montessori hasn't moved into its own building yet, so have to wait and see how it performs at the Patrick Henry site. But there's clearly a demand for choice. And honestly, if you think about it - that's only 5 out of APS' 24 elementary schools. It doesn't help that the Board underestimated growth, or built too many schools in one section of the county. But there should be a way to balance out enrollment to meet most students' needs in a geographic area this small.

Anonymous wrote:These kids have had enough shifting - it's disruptive to their early and most important, education years.

most of 'these kids' haven't had any shifting- we are talking about 2021- when the current kindergartners will be 4th graders.

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Anonymous wrote:Drop the "choice" - allow transfers. SIMPLE!!!!!!

Jamestown should be allowing transfers already

why do you think that the hundreds of students who currently live in the Key neighborhood would rather 'transfer' to another neighborhood school that is a long distance from their house, rather than have a walkable neighborhood school?
If the greatest need for seats is in the North East- Key/ASFS area, then doesn't it make sense to make both of those neighborhood schools?

There are valid points to not moving the choice schools- but allowing 'transfers' is not an easy solution.

Also- if they keep all the north west schools (Tuckahoe/Reed/Nottingham/Discovery) as neighborhood- there are going to be some awfully funny looking boundaries having to be drawn. All those planning units that are walkable to Reed and think they are going to Reed will actually be at Tuckahoe, because Reed will have to be taking the Ballston/VA square planning units, etc-

ASFS & Key switch - ASFS is a neighborhood school. Doesn't that resolve the Key situation? To your point above, why would anyone want to schlep their kids to Tuckahoe/Nottingham/Discovery for a choice school? Poor kids would be on busses at the crack of dawn.

No it doesn't. If you look at the projection charts- https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Capacity_Utilization_FallProjections17-26_Final_Web.pdf
in 2021 when Reed opens Key is short 210 seats (that's based on its current boundary- not the idea that it is immersion) and ASFS is short 81 seats. Long Branch is short 84 seats. Glebe is short 80 seats, Taylor is short 30 seats. Add those numbers up and you get to 485. ASFS has a capacity of 553. It is almost entirely filled if you make both ASFS and Key neighborhood- just be the overflow from the boundaries surrounding it.

in 2021 mcKinley has a surplus of 14 seats, Tuckahoe is short 67, Nottingham is short 35. Discovery has a surplus of 43. That means in order to fill Reed- without changing the status of Tuckahoe- then the Reed Boundary is going to have to reach deep into the orange line corridor- busing the kids around ASFS and Key to Reed, and continue to bus the kids around Reed to Tuckahoe.

These kids have had enough shifting - it's disruptive to their early and most important, education years.

Priorities should be to redistribute in the most cost-effective, and least disruptive manner:

1) Minimize change for elementary kids. IMO, Reed should give existing students the option to transfer or stay where they are.
2) Maximize walk zones and reduce bus costs
3) Choice schools need to prioritize location and convenience.

So maybe then some of this choice schools shouldn't exist anymore. Aren't some of them a relic of a past era when Arlington needed to retain students rather than having too many? Aren't neighborhood schools what everyone wants now?

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Anonymous wrote:Drop the "choice" - allow transfers. SIMPLE!!!!!!

Jamestown should be allowing transfers already

why do you think that the hundreds of students who currently live in the Key neighborhood would rather 'transfer' to another neighborhood school that is a long distance from their house, rather than have a walkable neighborhood school?
If the greatest need for seats is in the North East- Key/ASFS area, then doesn't it make sense to make both of those neighborhood schools?

There are valid points to not moving the choice schools- but allowing 'transfers' is not an easy solution.

Also- if they keep all the north west schools (Tuckahoe/Reed/Nottingham/Discovery) as neighborhood- there are going to be some awfully funny looking boundaries having to be drawn. All those planning units that are walkable to Reed and think they are going to Reed will actually be at Tuckahoe, because Reed will have to be taking the Ballston/VA square planning units, etc-

ASFS & Key switch - ASFS is a neighborhood school. Doesn't that resolve the Key situation? To your point above, why would anyone want to schlep their kids to Tuckahoe/Nottingham/Discovery for a choice school? Poor kids would be on busses at the crack of dawn.

Choice schools are optional. Presumably the program is enough of a draw that parents will put their kid on the bus at the crack of dawn. Otherwise, there's no reason for them to exist. There's no way people are going to transfer into those schools in large numbers without some kind of hook, especially since transportation isn't provided for regular transfers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Drop the "choice" - allow transfers. SIMPLE!!!!!!

Jamestown should be allowing transfers already

why do you think that the hundreds of students who currently live in the Key neighborhood would rather 'transfer' to another neighborhood school that is a long distance from their house, rather than have a walkable neighborhood school?
If the greatest need for seats is in the North East- Key/ASFS area, then doesn't it make sense to make both of those neighborhood schools?

There are valid points to not moving the choice schools- but allowing 'transfers' is not an easy solution.

Also- if they keep all the north west schools (Tuckahoe/Reed/Nottingham/Discovery) as neighborhood- there are going to be some awfully funny looking boundaries having to be drawn. All those planning units that are walkable to Reed and think they are going to Reed will actually be at Tuckahoe, because Reed will have to be taking the Ballston/VA square planning units, etc-

ASFS & Key switch - ASFS is a neighborhood school. Doesn't that resolve the Key situation? To your point above, why would anyone want to schlep their kids to Tuckahoe/Nottingham/Discovery for a choice school? Poor kids would be on busses at the crack of dawn.

Anonymous wrote:Drop the "choice" - allow transfers. SIMPLE!!!!!!

Jamestown should be allowing transfers already

why do you think that the hundreds of students who currently live in the Key neighborhood would rather 'transfer' to another neighborhood school that is a long distance from their house, rather than have a walkable neighborhood school?
If the greatest need for seats is in the North East- Key/ASFS area, then doesn't it make sense to make both of those neighborhood schools?

There are valid points to not moving the choice schools- but allowing 'transfers' is not an easy solution.

Also- if they keep all the north west schools (Tuckahoe/Reed/Nottingham/Discovery) as neighborhood- there are going to be some awfully funny looking boundaries having to be drawn. All those planning units that are walkable to Reed and think they are going to Reed will actually be at Tuckahoe, because Reed will have to be taking the Ballston/VA square planning units, etc-

Drop the "choice" - allow transfers. SIMPLE!!!!!!

Jamestown should be allowing transfers already

Anonymous wrote:Isn't most of Nottingham also walkable to Discovery?

But Discovery is already an almost-full school. Reed will be a brand-new school that needs to be filled.

Isn't most of Nottingham also walkable to Discovery?

Anonymous wrote:All those planning units noted above are also walkable to Tuckahoe. Plus more that are not walkable to Nottingham. And the remaining Nottingham units are walkable to Discovery. Just saying. All 3 are very walkable schools. What scenario leaves the fewest bus riders?

Making Tuckahoe an option school leaves the fewest bus riders.
I just saw the next door post from the parents organizing to save Tuckahoe. I think their post makes it even more obvious that Tuckahoe should be choice if what we are prioritizing is maximizing walkers. They are trying to get several current Nottingham zoned units moved to Tuckahoe. The most bizarre to me is suggesting that unit 17021, which is literally the unit that Nottingham is in, should be zoned to Tuckahoe.

I think the writing is on the wall- either Nottingham or Tuckahoe are going to be choice, the schools are too close together. The least disruptive is to make it Tuckahoe given that most of the Tuckahoe boundary is walkable to Reed.

All those planning units noted above are also walkable to Tuckahoe. Plus more that are not walkable to Nottingham. And the remaining Nottingham units are walkable to Discovery. Just saying. All 3 are very walkable schools. What scenario leaves the fewest bus riders?

All this talk about poor planning, not forecasting the overcrowding issues, etc.

Then why is everyone freaking out if a couple schools end up under-enrolled? If any schools end up under capacity, then they can accept transfers. In another 5-10 years, they will probably end up overcrowded again..

Everyone just needs to relax.

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Anonymous wrote:Choice schools are at the root of so many APS issues

Nope. Option schools are just more choices for the very fortunate that can afford to live in Arlington.

The real root cause is the expectations of Arlington parents. That and the myopic view of some that their interests are more important than those of others.

The root issue is not choice schools, it's limited resources. APS, badly, badly fumbled growth projections a decade ago and the result is that now there is competition for those resources. Of course expectations are high. Arlington County has been in the top fifty or so counties nationally in terms of educational attainment and income for at least 60 years. High expectations are not a problem.

Nope. Nobody said high expectations. The issue is not high expectations.

The issue is the expectation that others will bear the brunt of negative consequences caused by doing what is best for all of APS.

And the expectation that if parents advocate loudly enough, they can force APS to ensure their preferred outcome, regardless of the impact to others elsewhere.

Nope on the limited resources. Every school system faces this and APS has far more resources than most. Bad past choices, sure.

Yup on poor forecasting in the past. 100%.

What you're describing is in no way unique to APS. It's called politics.

I agree with PP. Expectations are out of whack. A lot of school systems just tell students where they will go.

Except, if, for whatever reason, the school doesn't satisfy the student's family, they move or go private. That has its own consequences. Point being, the county gov has a vested interest in having schools that are considered high quality because of their impact on commercial development and tax revenue.

Given how much of the current problems is the result of the system growing too fast for the county to keep up, I don't think anyone is too concerned about this possibility.

Besides being a symptom of poor planning in this case, school overcrowding, and in-migration and immigration in general are symptoms of economic health. People have moved here for proximity to jobs and good schools. If the schools were to lose that rep, there are plenty of other close in burbs without a rep for good schools to choose from, and their ower housing prices, fewer employment opportunities, higher crime rates and less economic development reflects that. So yeah, reputation for quality matters a lot more than overcrowding.