Anonymous
03/03/2016 22:21
Subject: Alexandria Redistricting Process Starting
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Hello--we are looking to buy a small sfh or th in/or near alexandria because my husband's job is moving there. We do have 2 elementary school kids. Does the redistricting mean we really wont be able to tell which school we are going to with a purchase? Any "safe" neighborhoods (where all options are more or less doable)? Thank you!
Welcome to Alexandria. It's a really fun place to live/work. I would say all the schools on the east side more or less doable - McArthur, George Mason, Barrett, Mount Vernon, Maury, Lyles Crouch are beloved by their attending families and your kids would do fine at any of them. Cora Kelly slightly less so, but still workable. Jury is out on Jefferson-Houston in terms of reputation because of past failures, but the facility is really great and they appear to be making pretty big strides. Redistricting will probably help J-H and put it in the "doable" category.
Don't know as much about the west side schools (Adams, Patrick Henry, Polk, Tucker, Ramsay), but I know several Tucker families who love it there.
Tucker has a year-round calendar and Mount Vernon is dual language, so the impact of redistricting on those schools will be interesting. I think it's likely to be not a big impact since those are special programs that allow people to opt in/opt out.
Excellent categorization of the ACPS elementary schools. Unfortunately, if you live on the West End, only Polk and Tucker (the latter only if your employer can tolerate the alternative schedule) are highly regarded. If you are a West End resident with a transfer into an East-side school, under this redistricting plan, you will be forcibly moved. The School Board is 2/3 East-side, detests the West End and does not want them soiling their schools.
Alexandria resident here and while I wouldn't say the Board dislikes the West End, I will say that for decades now the East End has benefited much more than the West End of Alexandria monetarily from both Board and City Council decision-making and budget allocations.
It's time for West End Alexandria residents to speak up and correct this heavily tilted scale to the East End and correct the fiscal balance.
Anonymous
03/03/2016 20:48
Subject: Alexandria Redistricting Process Starting
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Hello--we are looking to buy a small sfh or th in/or near alexandria because my husband's job is moving there. We do have 2 elementary school kids. Does the redistricting mean we really wont be able to tell which school we are going to with a purchase? Any "safe" neighborhoods (where all options are more or less doable)? Thank you!
Welcome to Alexandria. It's a really fun place to live/work. I would say all the schools on the east side more or less doable - McArthur, George Mason, Barrett, Mount Vernon, Maury, Lyles Crouch are beloved by their attending families and your kids would do fine at any of them. Cora Kelly slightly less so, but still workable. Jury is out on Jefferson-Houston in terms of reputation because of past failures, but the facility is really great and they appear to be making pretty big strides. Redistricting will probably help J-H and put it in the "doable" category.
Don't know as much about the west side schools (Adams, Patrick Henry, Polk, Tucker, Ramsay), but I know several Tucker families who love it there.
Tucker has a year-round calendar and Mount Vernon is dual language, so the impact of redistricting on those schools will be interesting. I think it's likely to be not a big impact since those are special programs that allow people to opt in/opt out.
Excellent categorization of the ACPS elementary schools. Unfortunately, if you live on the West End, only Polk and Tucker (the latter only if your employer can tolerate the alternative schedule) are highly regarded. If you are a West End resident with a transfer into an East-side school, under this redistricting plan, you will be forcibly moved. The School Board is 2/3 East-side, detests the West End and does not want them soiling their schools.
Anonymous
03/03/2016 20:43
Subject: Re:Alexandria Redistricting Process Starting
As with anything like this, make your voice heard. The steering committee and board are still working through these policy decisions. If families are legitimately concerned about the disruption/stingy attitude towards grandfathering, let them know- tell the committee (Redistricting "contact us" link: https://acpsweb.wufoo.com/forms/m1qb8ku1yl1lxl/ ) and tell your school board members (http://www.acps.k12.va.us/board/members/ )
Will that change things? Who knows. But making your voice heard counts for something, at least they have to theoretically acknowledge the difficulties they'd create for families instead of being blissfully ignorant ("No one has said boo about grandfathering, guess they don't care!")
Will that change things? Who knows. But making your voice heard counts for something, at least they have to theoretically acknowledge the difficulties they'd create for families instead of being blissfully ignorant ("No one has said boo about grandfathering, guess they don't care!")
Anonymous
03/03/2016 20:42
Subject: Re:Alexandria Redistricting Process Starting
I don't think that is how people envisioned grandfathering working. I think people envisioned students in K starting in the new district and others remaining where they were formerly districted until they graduate. That would create potential difficulties with bus riders (or at least make it confusing) but would not create the problem you describe.
From the start, there was no commitment by the School Board for grandfathering of any type.
Of course the school board didn't commit. But in town halls, etc, they acknowledged the disruption of redistricting, how families have relationships with schools, etc. There are ways of phasing in plans that don't involve, for example, moving a kid going into fourth after that child has been at a school and formed relationships with students, staff, etc for half a decade- just to have to move again in two years for junior high. Or, on the other end of the spectrum, having a child starting K in one school and the next year having to have another huge transition to do 1st in an all new school, making all new friends, etc. As a pp said, having the new bounds for new students, and the existing ones peacefully age out.
As with anything like this, make your voice heard. The steering committee and board are still working through these policy decisions. If families are legitimately concerned about the disruption/stingy attitude towards grandfathering, let them know- tell the committee (Redistricting "contact us" link: https://acpsweb.wufoo.com/forms/m1qb8ku1yl1lxl/ ) and tell your school board members (http://www.acps.k12.va.us/board/members/ )
Will that change things? Who knows. But making your voice heard counts for something, at least they have to theoretically acknowledge the difficulties they'd create for families instead of being blissfully ignorant ("no one has said boo about grandfathering, guess they don't care!")