The discussion on this thread has morphed into something else - definitely not related to virtual learning.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with this fro a PP...

“What I read implied that APS had misrepresented or miscalculated Reed's walkability because they are now spending $$$ to bus kids there. My immediate thought was, well of course the estimated transportation costs went up after they finalized the boundaries, because they probably assumed that all the kids who could walk to Reed would go there. And that someone intimately involved in the process would know that.”

I’m not even half as involved as this woman and I could tell you why Reed suddenly needs more buses.

By the way, the bus and cost implications of the Reed boundary were pointed out to APS repeatedly and also the traffic nightmare they created and it was more important to not upset anyone during a pandemic.

This is why I won't vote for Mary. She prioritized one school over what is better for the system as a whole.

Assuming for the sake of argument that’s what she did, she was PTA for one school at that time. That was kind of her role to advocate for that school. That does not mean she won’t be looking out for all schools as a SB member. This is just silly.

This came up on another thread so interesting to see it come up again. I think it's interesting to see people assert that it's perfectly normal for a PTA president to advocate for something they know is not for the greater good. Because that's their job. If that's what we're all saying is appropriate and normal, PTAs should not be allowed to have such a large voice and sway in the boundary processes.

And we're supposed to now take on face value that really in REAL LIFE she can represent all schools. It was just this other job where she argued in the self-interest of a portion of the student body.

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Anonymous wrote:And if you watch SB meetings, last Fall, Lisa Stengle hinted strongly that an option program may be moved "North of Lee Highway." So my prediction is that Tuckahoe or Nottingham aren't long for the world either. North North Arlington schools will become overcrowded like the rest of the county.

There was no hinting. The proposal specifically identified Discovery, Jamestown, Nottingham, Taylor and Tuckahoe as schools to be considered as potential option sites in the future to provide capacity on the western end of Columbia Pile, and also specifically identified Campbell and Claremont as option schools to evaluate moving north.

And it totally makes sense that discovery Nottingham or Tuckahoe would be used as an option school, since they have overlapping walk boundaries and are all under populated. One of the big push backs is that more kids would have to be bussed up there.

My prediction is that poor Campbell will move to N. Arlington. Discovery may make the most sense for an expeditionary school to move to because it has woods and focuses on green space already, but it will probably be Tuckahoe. Claremont will probably move to Carlin Springs to ease up space for Abington, and the poor Carlin Springs kids will move to Campbell, the one school that isn't walkable for most of its population.

When the original school moves proposal was put out, it included Campbell and Carlin Springs in addition to Key, ATS and McKinley. Kadera saw all of this, and that's where her arguments came from. She wasn't trying to throw other schools under the bus.

All of the outdoor space around Discovery is covered in artificial material or playground mulch. There’s about a 20’ strip of trees behind the soccer fields before you’re in neighbors’ backyards, but that’s it.

My point is that while no N Arlington school has a Long Branch Nature Center next door, Discovery at least has the solar panels, a rain garden and some trees. It's better suited to an expeditionary program than Tuckahoe or Nottingham. But I think due to its proximity to the Metro, Tuckahoe may be the more likely choice for an option program. It's unfortunate that the Pandora's box has been opened with the first school moves, but parents should start strategizing now how to fight back when your turn eventually comes. I hope you have someone like Mary fighting for you.

Signed, an ATS parent

Well they are proposing to close East Falls Church Metro station early next year. So if the argument to use Tuckahoe is the metro accessibility wouldn't count on it.

What elementary kids are going to metro to school??? I have never understood the idea of yet another option school which will just siphon off high functioning kids from families who are engaged in the system. Why? There is a need for this?

The metro is also a mile away and it’s not a pedestrian friendly walk. No one is doing that.

Lots of people walk that route from the Tuckahoe neighborhood every day to commute to work.

That's great. We're talking about 5-11 year olds doing the walk. Not adults commuting to work.

Actually, we are talking about commuting adults. See the post above about parents needing to use public transportation for extended day pick-ups, parent teacher conferences, etc. Also, the 52 ART bus goes from metro to a bus stop at the corner of Sycamore and 26th, which cuts out most of the walk.

With extended day pick up, the kid is with them one way right? But ok, the need is really the parents needing to get to the school using the metro. These parents have enough time and flexibility in their job to take time off to ride the metro, walk to school (or wait for a bus...would take longer but ok), go to the school event or meeting, get back to the metro, ride the metro back to work. This is a multi-hour affair at this point. And yet these very same people don't have cars.

I'd like to meet this population.

You're acting like this is Manhattan.

DP. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you have never ridden an ART bus.

Not only have I ridden an ART bus, through my work I have a lot of knowledge of bus ridership stats and the demographics and housing options along the R-B corridor.

But keep on acting like there is this massive population of people who would behave the way you are suggesting in this part of the County.

Not PP, but I think they are suggesting that if they relocate a school that’s currently in south Arlington, where people who don’t have cars DO commute by bus, even to and from their school events, they could continue to send their child to this particular school IF it were relocated to a place with public transportation in place. As with all other option schools, over time, the population would likely shift to more heavily reflect its location. New families in the neighborhood where Campbell is currently located may not consider it and may not apply. But at least with the consideration of public transportation, current families might not be forced out of the option school due to lack of transportation if the program were relocated.

This is a great point. I see this.

I also think this exactly points up one of APS's problem. They focus heavily on and appease current families and then the rest of us are left holding the bag when those families are gone. Make more strategic long-term decisions. Down the road I continue to think yet another option school in this part of the County does not make sense.

For all of the issue spotting you’re doing, I don’t believe you’ve proposed a better alternative to the capacity issues APS is facing at the elementary level over the next 5-10 years, other than “don’t touch my neighborhood school.”

My kids don't go to Tuckahoe. Or any of the other schools in play. Yes, I'm apparently a total unicorn and think beyond my own nose.

Things I would explore:
Don't feel obligated to just move an existing option school program from south to north.
Campbell is freed up for neighborhood and get rid of the program.
Go to one immersion program more centrally located (already done) and invest in that building and free up Claremont
Explore old VHC site on Carlin Springs
Evaluate whether Montessori still makes sense for the school district- can something more comprehensive be done at Career Center site K-12 that would be high quality and draw families.
Don't just move the existing pieces around the game board. Attempt to have some vision.

Ah, now this makes sense. Yours is more of an opposition to option programs generally than to their specific locations and how they affect accessibility. Got it.

It's less opposition to option schools and more why do we have the ones we have, what goals are we accomplishing. I think a STEM one makes a lot of sense in today's world, as an example.

The criteria seems to be...do the invested and loud families want to keep it. Things should never change if some people will be sad. The end.

I think the APS position is that all ES are STEAM. A STEM-focused ES isn’t necessary. The kids at option schools are just being taught the curriculum in a different manner: part of the day in Spanish for Immersion, through “expeditions” at Campbell, through the Montessori method at MPSA. I am less clear about what makes ATS distinct, except their administration seems to have a resistance to faddish curriculum (not necessarily a bad thing, especially as far as reading is concerned). I don’t think there’s a concern about filling the option schools. They all have waitlists. The concern is that less advantaged families might not be able to access the option schools due to logistics if they are moved that quadrant, which, to date, is not a place in which disadvantaged families can afford to live.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree with this fro a PP...

“What I read implied that APS had misrepresented or miscalculated Reed's walkability because they are now spending $$$ to bus kids there. My immediate thought was, well of course the estimated transportation costs went up after they finalized the boundaries, because they probably assumed that all the kids who could walk to Reed would go there. And that someone intimately involved in the process would know that.”

I’m not even half as involved as this woman and I could tell you why Reed suddenly needs more buses.

By the way, the bus and cost implications of the Reed boundary were pointed out to APS repeatedly and also the traffic nightmare they created and it was more important to not upset anyone during a pandemic.

This is why I won't vote for Mary. She prioritized one school over what is better for the system as a whole.

Assuming for the sake of argument that’s what she did, she was PTA for one school at that time. That was kind of her role to advocate for that school. That does not mean she won’t be looking out for all schools as a SB member. This is just silly.

Anonymous wrote:I agree with this fro a PP...

“What I read implied that APS had misrepresented or miscalculated Reed's walkability because they are now spending $$$ to bus kids there. My immediate thought was, well of course the estimated transportation costs went up after they finalized the boundaries, because they probably assumed that all the kids who could walk to Reed would go there. And that someone intimately involved in the process would know that.”

I’m not even half as involved as this woman and I could tell you why Reed suddenly needs more buses.

By the way, the bus and cost implications of the Reed boundary were pointed out to APS repeatedly and also the traffic nightmare they created and it was more important to not upset anyone during a pandemic.

This is why I won't vote for Mary. She prioritized one school over what is better for the system as a whole.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, I think the "theme" of the option school will be as important as the location. Make it a STEM magnet and people will be clamoring to get in.

The themes of the option programs are already set (with the exception that ATS will likely become an IB program in the next few years). The issue is where they will be located.

I understand that there is a concern that not enough students from S. Arlington will enroll in the option program in N. Arlington, especially if it's inconveniently located. One way of solving that is by making the school more desirable by choosing a more popular theme. Then you cap the number of students who can lotto in from each elementary school to make sure that you don't fill the highly desired school with all N. Arlington kids.

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Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:And if you watch SB meetings, last Fall, Lisa Stengle hinted strongly that an option program may be moved "North of Lee Highway." So my prediction is that Tuckahoe or Nottingham aren't long for the world either. North North Arlington schools will become overcrowded like the rest of the county.

There was no hinting. The proposal specifically identified Discovery, Jamestown, Nottingham, Taylor and Tuckahoe as schools to be considered as potential option sites in the future to provide capacity on the western end of Columbia Pile, and also specifically identified Campbell and Claremont as option schools to evaluate moving north.

And it totally makes sense that discovery Nottingham or Tuckahoe would be used as an option school, since they have overlapping walk boundaries and are all under populated. One of the big push backs is that more kids would have to be bussed up there.

My prediction is that poor Campbell will move to N. Arlington. Discovery may make the most sense for an expeditionary school to move to because it has woods and focuses on green space already, but it will probably be Tuckahoe. Claremont will probably move to Carlin Springs to ease up space for Abington, and the poor Carlin Springs kids will move to Campbell, the one school that isn't walkable for most of its population.

When the original school moves proposal was put out, it included Campbell and Carlin Springs in addition to Key, ATS and McKinley. Kadera saw all of this, and that's where her arguments came from. She wasn't trying to throw other schools under the bus.

All of the outdoor space around Discovery is covered in artificial material or playground mulch. There’s about a 20’ strip of trees behind the soccer fields before you’re in neighbors’ backyards, but that’s it.

My point is that while no N Arlington school has a Long Branch Nature Center next door, Discovery at least has the solar panels, a rain garden and some trees. It's better suited to an expeditionary program than Tuckahoe or Nottingham. But I think due to its proximity to the Metro, Tuckahoe may be the more likely choice for an option program. It's unfortunate that the Pandora's box has been opened with the first school moves, but parents should start strategizing now how to fight back when your turn eventually comes. I hope you have someone like Mary fighting for you.

Signed, an ATS parent

Well they are proposing to close East Falls Church Metro station early next year. So if the argument to use Tuckahoe is the metro accessibility wouldn't count on it.

What elementary kids are going to metro to school??? I have never understood the idea of yet another option school which will just siphon off high functioning kids from families who are engaged in the system. Why? There is a need for this?

The metro is also a mile away and it’s not a pedestrian friendly walk. No one is doing that.

Lots of people walk that route from the Tuckahoe neighborhood every day to commute to work.

That's great. We're talking about 5-11 year olds doing the walk. Not adults commuting to work.

Actually, we are talking about commuting adults. See the post above about parents needing to use public transportation for extended day pick-ups, parent teacher conferences, etc. Also, the 52 ART bus goes from metro to a bus stop at the corner of Sycamore and 26th, which cuts out most of the walk.

With extended day pick up, the kid is with them one way right? But ok, the need is really the parents needing to get to the school using the metro. These parents have enough time and flexibility in their job to take time off to ride the metro, walk to school (or wait for a bus...would take longer but ok), go to the school event or meeting, get back to the metro, ride the metro back to work. This is a multi-hour affair at this point. And yet these very same people don't have cars.

I'd like to meet this population.

You're acting like this is Manhattan.

DP. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you have never ridden an ART bus.

Not only have I ridden an ART bus, through my work I have a lot of knowledge of bus ridership stats and the demographics and housing options along the R-B corridor.

But keep on acting like there is this massive population of people who would behave the way you are suggesting in this part of the County.

Not PP, but I think they are suggesting that if they relocate a school that’s currently in south Arlington, where people who don’t have cars DO commute by bus, even to and from their school events, they could continue to send their child to this particular school IF it were relocated to a place with public transportation in place. As with all other option schools, over time, the population would likely shift to more heavily reflect its location. New families in the neighborhood where Campbell is currently located may not consider it and may not apply. But at least with the consideration of public transportation, current families might not be forced out of the option school due to lack of transportation if the program were relocated.

This is a great point. I see this.

I also think this exactly points up one of APS's problem. They focus heavily on and appease current families and then the rest of us are left holding the bag when those families are gone. Make more strategic long-term decisions. Down the road I continue to think yet another option school in this part of the County does not make sense.

For all of the issue spotting you’re doing, I don’t believe you’ve proposed a better alternative to the capacity issues APS is facing at the elementary level over the next 5-10 years, other than “don’t touch my neighborhood school.”

My kids don't go to Tuckahoe. Or any of the other schools in play. Yes, I'm apparently a total unicorn and think beyond my own nose.

Things I would explore:
Don't feel obligated to just move an existing option school program from south to north.
Campbell is freed up for neighborhood and get rid of the program.
Go to one immersion program more centrally located (already done) and invest in that building and free up Claremont
Explore old VHC site on Carlin Springs
Evaluate whether Montessori still makes sense for the school district- can something more comprehensive be done at Career Center site K-12 that would be high quality and draw families.
Don't just move the existing pieces around the game board. Attempt to have some vision.

Ah, now this makes sense. Yours is more of an opposition to option programs generally than to their specific locations and how they affect accessibility. Got it.

It's less opposition to option schools and more why do we have the ones we have, what goals are we accomplishing. I think a STEM one makes a lot of sense in today's world, as an example.

The criteria seems to be...do the invested and loud families want to keep it. Things should never change if some people will be sad. The end.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And if you watch SB meetings, last Fall, Lisa Stengle hinted strongly that an option program may be moved "North of Lee Highway." So my prediction is that Tuckahoe or Nottingham aren't long for the world either. North North Arlington schools will become overcrowded like the rest of the county.

There was no hinting. The proposal specifically identified Discovery, Jamestown, Nottingham, Taylor and Tuckahoe as schools to be considered as potential option sites in the future to provide capacity on the western end of Columbia Pile, and also specifically identified Campbell and Claremont as option schools to evaluate moving north.

And it totally makes sense that discovery Nottingham or Tuckahoe would be used as an option school, since they have overlapping walk boundaries and are all under populated. One of the big push backs is that more kids would have to be bussed up there.

My prediction is that poor Campbell will move to N. Arlington. Discovery may make the most sense for an expeditionary school to move to because it has woods and focuses on green space already, but it will probably be Tuckahoe. Claremont will probably move to Carlin Springs to ease up space for Abington, and the poor Carlin Springs kids will move to Campbell, the one school that isn't walkable for most of its population.

When the original school moves proposal was put out, it included Campbell and Carlin Springs in addition to Key, ATS and McKinley. Kadera saw all of this, and that's where her arguments came from. She wasn't trying to throw other schools under the bus.

All of the outdoor space around Discovery is covered in artificial material or playground mulch. There’s about a 20’ strip of trees behind the soccer fields before you’re in neighbors’ backyards, but that’s it.

My point is that while no N Arlington school has a Long Branch Nature Center next door, Discovery at least has the solar panels, a rain garden and some trees. It's better suited to an expeditionary program than Tuckahoe or Nottingham. But I think due to its proximity to the Metro, Tuckahoe may be the more likely choice for an option program. It's unfortunate that the Pandora's box has been opened with the first school moves, but parents should start strategizing now how to fight back when your turn eventually comes. I hope you have someone like Mary fighting for you.

Signed, an ATS parent

Well they are proposing to close East Falls Church Metro station early next year. So if the argument to use Tuckahoe is the metro accessibility wouldn't count on it.

What elementary kids are going to metro to school??? I have never understood the idea of yet another option school which will just siphon off high functioning kids from families who are engaged in the system. Why? There is a need for this?

The metro is also a mile away and it’s not a pedestrian friendly walk. No one is doing that.

Lots of people walk that route from the Tuckahoe neighborhood every day to commute to work.

That's great. We're talking about 5-11 year olds doing the walk. Not adults commuting to work.

Actually, we are talking about commuting adults. See the post above about parents needing to use public transportation for extended day pick-ups, parent teacher conferences, etc. Also, the 52 ART bus goes from metro to a bus stop at the corner of Sycamore and 26th, which cuts out most of the walk.

With extended day pick up, the kid is with them one way right? But ok, the need is really the parents needing to get to the school using the metro. These parents have enough time and flexibility in their job to take time off to ride the metro, walk to school (or wait for a bus...would take longer but ok), go to the school event or meeting, get back to the metro, ride the metro back to work. This is a multi-hour affair at this point. And yet these very same people don't have cars.

I'd like to meet this population.

You're acting like this is Manhattan.

DP. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you have never ridden an ART bus.

Not only have I ridden an ART bus, through my work I have a lot of knowledge of bus ridership stats and the demographics and housing options along the R-B corridor.

But keep on acting like there is this massive population of people who would behave the way you are suggesting in this part of the County.

Not PP, but I think they are suggesting that if they relocate a school that’s currently in south Arlington, where people who don’t have cars DO commute by bus, even to and from their school events, they could continue to send their child to this particular school IF it were relocated to a place with public transportation in place. As with all other option schools, over time, the population would likely shift to more heavily reflect its location. New families in the neighborhood where Campbell is currently located may not consider it and may not apply. But at least with the consideration of public transportation, current families might not be forced out of the option school due to lack of transportation if the program were relocated.

This is a great point. I see this.

I also think this exactly points up one of APS's problem. They focus heavily on and appease current families and then the rest of us are left holding the bag when those families are gone. Make more strategic long-term decisions. Down the road I continue to think yet another option school in this part of the County does not make sense.

For all of the issue spotting you’re doing, I don’t believe you’ve proposed a better alternative to the capacity issues APS is facing at the elementary level over the next 5-10 years, other than “don’t touch my neighborhood school.”

My kids don't go to Tuckahoe. Or any of the other schools in play. Yes, I'm apparently a total unicorn and think beyond my own nose.

Things I would explore:
Don't feel obligated to just move an existing option school program from south to north.
Campbell is freed up for neighborhood and get rid of the program.
Go to one immersion program more centrally located (already done) and invest in that building and free up Claremont
Explore old VHC site on Carlin Springs
Evaluate whether Montessori still makes sense for the school district- can something more comprehensive be done at Career Center site K-12 that would be high quality and draw families.
Don't just move the existing pieces around the game board. Attempt to have some vision.

Ah, now this makes sense. Yours is more of an opposition to option programs generally than to their specific locations and how they affect accessibility. Got it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And if you watch SB meetings, last Fall, Lisa Stengle hinted strongly that an option program may be moved "North of Lee Highway." So my prediction is that Tuckahoe or Nottingham aren't long for the world either. North North Arlington schools will become overcrowded like the rest of the county.

There was no hinting. The proposal specifically identified Discovery, Jamestown, Nottingham, Taylor and Tuckahoe as schools to be considered as potential option sites in the future to provide capacity on the western end of Columbia Pile, and also specifically identified Campbell and Claremont as option schools to evaluate moving north.

And it totally makes sense that discovery Nottingham or Tuckahoe would be used as an option school, since they have overlapping walk boundaries and are all under populated. One of the big push backs is that more kids would have to be bussed up there.

My prediction is that poor Campbell will move to N. Arlington. Discovery may make the most sense for an expeditionary school to move to because it has woods and focuses on green space already, but it will probably be Tuckahoe. Claremont will probably move to Carlin Springs to ease up space for Abington, and the poor Carlin Springs kids will move to Campbell, the one school that isn't walkable for most of its population.

When the original school moves proposal was put out, it included Campbell and Carlin Springs in addition to Key, ATS and McKinley. Kadera saw all of this, and that's where her arguments came from. She wasn't trying to throw other schools under the bus.

All of the outdoor space around Discovery is covered in artificial material or playground mulch. There’s about a 20’ strip of trees behind the soccer fields before you’re in neighbors’ backyards, but that’s it.

My point is that while no N Arlington school has a Long Branch Nature Center next door, Discovery at least has the solar panels, a rain garden and some trees. It's better suited to an expeditionary program than Tuckahoe or Nottingham. But I think due to its proximity to the Metro, Tuckahoe may be the more likely choice for an option program. It's unfortunate that the Pandora's box has been opened with the first school moves, but parents should start strategizing now how to fight back when your turn eventually comes. I hope you have someone like Mary fighting for you.

Signed, an ATS parent

Well they are proposing to close East Falls Church Metro station early next year. So if the argument to use Tuckahoe is the metro accessibility wouldn't count on it.

What elementary kids are going to metro to school??? I have never understood the idea of yet another option school which will just siphon off high functioning kids from families who are engaged in the system. Why? There is a need for this?

The metro is also a mile away and it’s not a pedestrian friendly walk. No one is doing that.

Lots of people walk that route from the Tuckahoe neighborhood every day to commute to work.

That's great. We're talking about 5-11 year olds doing the walk. Not adults commuting to work.

Actually, we are talking about commuting adults. See the post above about parents needing to use public transportation for extended day pick-ups, parent teacher conferences, etc. Also, the 52 ART bus goes from metro to a bus stop at the corner of Sycamore and 26th, which cuts out most of the walk.

With extended day pick up, the kid is with them one way right? But ok, the need is really the parents needing to get to the school using the metro. These parents have enough time and flexibility in their job to take time off to ride the metro, walk to school (or wait for a bus...would take longer but ok), go to the school event or meeting, get back to the metro, ride the metro back to work. This is a multi-hour affair at this point. And yet these very same people don't have cars.

I'd like to meet this population.

You're acting like this is Manhattan.

DP. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you have never ridden an ART bus.

Not only have I ridden an ART bus, through my work I have a lot of knowledge of bus ridership stats and the demographics and housing options along the R-B corridor.

But keep on acting like there is this massive population of people who would behave the way you are suggesting in this part of the County.

Not PP, but I think they are suggesting that if they relocate a school that’s currently in south Arlington, where people who don’t have cars DO commute by bus, even to and from their school events, they could continue to send their child to this particular school IF it were relocated to a place with public transportation in place. As with all other option schools, over time, the population would likely shift to more heavily reflect its location. New families in the neighborhood where Campbell is currently located may not consider it and may not apply. But at least with the consideration of public transportation, current families might not be forced out of the option school due to lack of transportation if the program were relocated.

This is a great point. I see this.

I also think this exactly points up one of APS's problem. They focus heavily on and appease current families and then the rest of us are left holding the bag when those families are gone. Make more strategic long-term decisions. Down the road I continue to think yet another option school in this part of the County does not make sense.

For all of the issue spotting you’re doing, I don’t believe you’ve proposed a better alternative to the capacity issues APS is facing at the elementary level over the next 5-10 years, other than “don’t touch my neighborhood school.”

My kids don't go to Tuckahoe. Or any of the other schools in play. Yes, I'm apparently a total unicorn and think beyond my own nose.

Things I would explore:
Don't feel obligated to just move an existing option school program from south to north.
Campbell is freed up for neighborhood and get rid of the program.
Go to one immersion program more centrally located (already done) and invest in that building and free up Claremont
Explore old VHC site on Carlin Springs
Evaluate whether Montessori still makes sense for the school district- can something more comprehensive be done at Career Center site K-12 that would be high quality and draw families.
Don't just move the existing pieces around the game board. Attempt to have some vision.

I don’t know why they’d reinvent the wheel. They have a popular program there already. The teachers are already trained in that model. Eliminating it, especially if they need to fill space in the NW, seems kind of silly. There’s no reason to think parents of the NW wouldn’t want that model for their kids if it were located near them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And if you watch SB meetings, last Fall, Lisa Stengle hinted strongly that an option program may be moved "North of Lee Highway." So my prediction is that Tuckahoe or Nottingham aren't long for the world either. North North Arlington schools will become overcrowded like the rest of the county.

There was no hinting. The proposal specifically identified Discovery, Jamestown, Nottingham, Taylor and Tuckahoe as schools to be considered as potential option sites in the future to provide capacity on the western end of Columbia Pile, and also specifically identified Campbell and Claremont as option schools to evaluate moving north.

And it totally makes sense that discovery Nottingham or Tuckahoe would be used as an option school, since they have overlapping walk boundaries and are all under populated. One of the big push backs is that more kids would have to be bussed up there.

My prediction is that poor Campbell will move to N. Arlington. Discovery may make the most sense for an expeditionary school to move to because it has woods and focuses on green space already, but it will probably be Tuckahoe. Claremont will probably move to Carlin Springs to ease up space for Abington, and the poor Carlin Springs kids will move to Campbell, the one school that isn't walkable for most of its population.

When the original school moves proposal was put out, it included Campbell and Carlin Springs in addition to Key, ATS and McKinley. Kadera saw all of this, and that's where her arguments came from. She wasn't trying to throw other schools under the bus.

All of the outdoor space around Discovery is covered in artificial material or playground mulch. There’s about a 20’ strip of trees behind the soccer fields before you’re in neighbors’ backyards, but that’s it.

My point is that while no N Arlington school has a Long Branch Nature Center next door, Discovery at least has the solar panels, a rain garden and some trees. It's better suited to an expeditionary program than Tuckahoe or Nottingham. But I think due to its proximity to the Metro, Tuckahoe may be the more likely choice for an option program. It's unfortunate that the Pandora's box has been opened with the first school moves, but parents should start strategizing now how to fight back when your turn eventually comes. I hope you have someone like Mary fighting for you.

Signed, an ATS parent

Well they are proposing to close East Falls Church Metro station early next year. So if the argument to use Tuckahoe is the metro accessibility wouldn't count on it.

What elementary kids are going to metro to school??? I have never understood the idea of yet another option school which will just siphon off high functioning kids from families who are engaged in the system. Why? There is a need for this?

The metro is also a mile away and it’s not a pedestrian friendly walk. No one is doing that.

Lots of people walk that route from the Tuckahoe neighborhood every day to commute to work.

That's great. We're talking about 5-11 year olds doing the walk. Not adults commuting to work.

Actually, we are talking about commuting adults. See the post above about parents needing to use public transportation for extended day pick-ups, parent teacher conferences, etc. Also, the 52 ART bus goes from metro to a bus stop at the corner of Sycamore and 26th, which cuts out most of the walk.

With extended day pick up, the kid is with them one way right? But ok, the need is really the parents needing to get to the school using the metro. These parents have enough time and flexibility in their job to take time off to ride the metro, walk to school (or wait for a bus...would take longer but ok), go to the school event or meeting, get back to the metro, ride the metro back to work. This is a multi-hour affair at this point. And yet these very same people don't have cars.

I'd like to meet this population.

You're acting like this is Manhattan.

DP. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you have never ridden an ART bus.

Not only have I ridden an ART bus, through my work I have a lot of knowledge of bus ridership stats and the demographics and housing options along the R-B corridor.

But keep on acting like there is this massive population of people who would behave the way you are suggesting in this part of the County.

Not PP, but I think they are suggesting that if they relocate a school that’s currently in south Arlington, where people who don’t have cars DO commute by bus, even to and from their school events, they could continue to send their child to this particular school IF it were relocated to a place with public transportation in place. As with all other option schools, over time, the population would likely shift to more heavily reflect its location. New families in the neighborhood where Campbell is currently located may not consider it and may not apply. But at least with the consideration of public transportation, current families might not be forced out of the option school due to lack of transportation if the program were relocated.

This is a great point. I see this.

I also think this exactly points up one of APS's problem. They focus heavily on and appease current families and then the rest of us are left holding the bag when those families are gone. Make more strategic long-term decisions. Down the road I continue to think yet another option school in this part of the County does not make sense.

For all of the issue spotting you’re doing, I don’t believe you’ve proposed a better alternative to the capacity issues APS is facing at the elementary level over the next 5-10 years, other than “don’t touch my neighborhood school.”

My kids don't go to Tuckahoe. Or any of the other schools in play. Yes, I'm apparently a total unicorn and think beyond my own nose.

Things I would explore:
Don't feel obligated to just move an existing option school program from south to north.
Campbell is freed up for neighborhood and get rid of the program.
Go to one immersion program more centrally located (already done) and invest in that building and free up Claremont
Explore old VHC site on Carlin Springs
Evaluate whether Montessori still makes sense for the school district- can something more comprehensive be done at Career Center site K-12 that would be high quality and draw families.
Don't just move the existing pieces around the game board. Attempt to have some vision.

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, I think the "theme" of the option school will be as important as the location. Make it a STEM magnet and people will be clamoring to get in.

The themes of the option programs are already set (with the exception that ATS will likely become an IB program in the next few years). The issue is where they will be located.

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Anonymous wrote:And if you watch SB meetings, last Fall, Lisa Stengle hinted strongly that an option program may be moved "North of Lee Highway." So my prediction is that Tuckahoe or Nottingham aren't long for the world either. North North Arlington schools will become overcrowded like the rest of the county.

There was no hinting. The proposal specifically identified Discovery, Jamestown, Nottingham, Taylor and Tuckahoe as schools to be considered as potential option sites in the future to provide capacity on the western end of Columbia Pile, and also specifically identified Campbell and Claremont as option schools to evaluate moving north.

And it totally makes sense that discovery Nottingham or Tuckahoe would be used as an option school, since they have overlapping walk boundaries and are all under populated. One of the big push backs is that more kids would have to be bussed up there.

My prediction is that poor Campbell will move to N. Arlington. Discovery may make the most sense for an expeditionary school to move to because it has woods and focuses on green space already, but it will probably be Tuckahoe. Claremont will probably move to Carlin Springs to ease up space for Abington, and the poor Carlin Springs kids will move to Campbell, the one school that isn't walkable for most of its population.

When the original school moves proposal was put out, it included Campbell and Carlin Springs in addition to Key, ATS and McKinley. Kadera saw all of this, and that's where her arguments came from. She wasn't trying to throw other schools under the bus.

All of the outdoor space around Discovery is covered in artificial material or playground mulch. There’s about a 20’ strip of trees behind the soccer fields before you’re in neighbors’ backyards, but that’s it.

My point is that while no N Arlington school has a Long Branch Nature Center next door, Discovery at least has the solar panels, a rain garden and some trees. It's better suited to an expeditionary program than Tuckahoe or Nottingham. But I think due to its proximity to the Metro, Tuckahoe may be the more likely choice for an option program. It's unfortunate that the Pandora's box has been opened with the first school moves, but parents should start strategizing now how to fight back when your turn eventually comes. I hope you have someone like Mary fighting for you.

Signed, an ATS parent

Well they are proposing to close East Falls Church Metro station early next year. So if the argument to use Tuckahoe is the metro accessibility wouldn't count on it.

What elementary kids are going to metro to school??? I have never understood the idea of yet another option school which will just siphon off high functioning kids from families who are engaged in the system. Why? There is a need for this?

The metro is also a mile away and it’s not a pedestrian friendly walk. No one is doing that.

Lots of people walk that route from the Tuckahoe neighborhood every day to commute to work.

That's great. We're talking about 5-11 year olds doing the walk. Not adults commuting to work.

Actually, we are talking about commuting adults. See the post above about parents needing to use public transportation for extended day pick-ups, parent teacher conferences, etc. Also, the 52 ART bus goes from metro to a bus stop at the corner of Sycamore and 26th, which cuts out most of the walk.

With extended day pick up, the kid is with them one way right? But ok, the need is really the parents needing to get to the school using the metro. These parents have enough time and flexibility in their job to take time off to ride the metro, walk to school (or wait for a bus...would take longer but ok), go to the school event or meeting, get back to the metro, ride the metro back to work. This is a multi-hour affair at this point. And yet these very same people don't have cars.

I'd like to meet this population.

You're acting like this is Manhattan.

DP. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you have never ridden an ART bus.

Not only have I ridden an ART bus, through my work I have a lot of knowledge of bus ridership stats and the demographics and housing options along the R-B corridor.

But keep on acting like there is this massive population of people who would behave the way you are suggesting in this part of the County.

Not PP, but I think they are suggesting that if they relocate a school that’s currently in south Arlington, where people who don’t have cars DO commute by bus, even to and from their school events, they could continue to send their child to this particular school IF it were relocated to a place with public transportation in place. As with all other option schools, over time, the population would likely shift to more heavily reflect its location. New families in the neighborhood where Campbell is currently located may not consider it and may not apply. But at least with the consideration of public transportation, current families might not be forced out of the option school due to lack of transportation if the program were relocated.

This is a great point. I see this.

I also think this exactly points up one of APS's problem. They focus heavily on and appease current families and then the rest of us are left holding the bag when those families are gone. Make more strategic long-term decisions. Down the road I continue to think yet another option school in this part of the County does not make sense.

The problem is development. South Arlington is going gang busters and they don’t have any land or money to build new schools, so they have to move an option school away. And the NW quadrant is zoned in a way that the surge of school-aged children has come and gone. SFHs don’t turn over at the rate that apartments and condos and CAFs do. They know the ES growth won’t be in this part of the county, but this is where they had the land to build new schools. So, they either have to draw very large “gerrymandered”-looking boundaries to fill the schools equally, or relocate yet another option school.

This is likely not going to be true for Lee Hwy for long if you've followed that planning process. But yes, it will take some time to hit.

Yes, that’s decades away. In the meantime, I don’t think they can just do nothing to address the current lopsided enrollment. This is all theoretical, anyway. It’s unclear that they will need to relocate another option school to the NW. They might also decide to consolidate the two Immersion programs and build out the current ATS building instead, freeing up Claremont for neighborhood seats. There are a couple ways they could address the issue, and it’s not clear which path would be best for budget and most palatable to the community. That said, IF they decide to relocate the EL program, out of the schools named by a PP, Tuckahoe seems the best fit, for both transportation and access to nature.

Yes let's built a flagship, amazing option program...and stick it in a part of the County where all the Type A freaks will flock to it. That will solve all our problems. Won't create ANY other ones.

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Anonymous wrote:And if you watch SB meetings, last Fall, Lisa Stengle hinted strongly that an option program may be moved "North of Lee Highway." So my prediction is that Tuckahoe or Nottingham aren't long for the world either. North North Arlington schools will become overcrowded like the rest of the county.

There was no hinting. The proposal specifically identified Discovery, Jamestown, Nottingham, Taylor and Tuckahoe as schools to be considered as potential option sites in the future to provide capacity on the western end of Columbia Pile, and also specifically identified Campbell and Claremont as option schools to evaluate moving north.

And it totally makes sense that discovery Nottingham or Tuckahoe would be used as an option school, since they have overlapping walk boundaries and are all under populated. One of the big push backs is that more kids would have to be bussed up there.

My prediction is that poor Campbell will move to N. Arlington. Discovery may make the most sense for an expeditionary school to move to because it has woods and focuses on green space already, but it will probably be Tuckahoe. Claremont will probably move to Carlin Springs to ease up space for Abington, and the poor Carlin Springs kids will move to Campbell, the one school that isn't walkable for most of its population.

When the original school moves proposal was put out, it included Campbell and Carlin Springs in addition to Key, ATS and McKinley. Kadera saw all of this, and that's where her arguments came from. She wasn't trying to throw other schools under the bus.

All of the outdoor space around Discovery is covered in artificial material or playground mulch. There’s about a 20’ strip of trees behind the soccer fields before you’re in neighbors’ backyards, but that’s it.

My point is that while no N Arlington school has a Long Branch Nature Center next door, Discovery at least has the solar panels, a rain garden and some trees. It's better suited to an expeditionary program than Tuckahoe or Nottingham. But I think due to its proximity to the Metro, Tuckahoe may be the more likely choice for an option program. It's unfortunate that the Pandora's box has been opened with the first school moves, but parents should start strategizing now how to fight back when your turn eventually comes. I hope you have someone like Mary fighting for you.

Signed, an ATS parent

Well they are proposing to close East Falls Church Metro station early next year. So if the argument to use Tuckahoe is the metro accessibility wouldn't count on it.

What elementary kids are going to metro to school??? I have never understood the idea of yet another option school which will just siphon off high functioning kids from families who are engaged in the system. Why? There is a need for this?

The metro is also a mile away and it’s not a pedestrian friendly walk. No one is doing that.

Lots of people walk that route from the Tuckahoe neighborhood every day to commute to work.

That's great. We're talking about 5-11 year olds doing the walk. Not adults commuting to work.

Actually, we are talking about commuting adults. See the post above about parents needing to use public transportation for extended day pick-ups, parent teacher conferences, etc. Also, the 52 ART bus goes from metro to a bus stop at the corner of Sycamore and 26th, which cuts out most of the walk.

With extended day pick up, the kid is with them one way right? But ok, the need is really the parents needing to get to the school using the metro. These parents have enough time and flexibility in their job to take time off to ride the metro, walk to school (or wait for a bus...would take longer but ok), go to the school event or meeting, get back to the metro, ride the metro back to work. This is a multi-hour affair at this point. And yet these very same people don't have cars.

I'd like to meet this population.

You're acting like this is Manhattan.

DP. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you have never ridden an ART bus.

Not only have I ridden an ART bus, through my work I have a lot of knowledge of bus ridership stats and the demographics and housing options along the R-B corridor.

But keep on acting like there is this massive population of people who would behave the way you are suggesting in this part of the County.

Not PP, but I think they are suggesting that if they relocate a school that’s currently in south Arlington, where people who don’t have cars DO commute by bus, even to and from their school events, they could continue to send their child to this particular school IF it were relocated to a place with public transportation in place. As with all other option schools, over time, the population would likely shift to more heavily reflect its location. New families in the neighborhood where Campbell is currently located may not consider it and may not apply. But at least with the consideration of public transportation, current families might not be forced out of the option school due to lack of transportation if the program were relocated.

This is a great point. I see this.

I also think this exactly points up one of APS's problem. They focus heavily on and appease current families and then the rest of us are left holding the bag when those families are gone. Make more strategic long-term decisions. Down the road I continue to think yet another option school in this part of the County does not make sense.

For all of the issue spotting you’re doing, I don’t believe you’ve proposed a better alternative to the capacity issues APS is facing at the elementary level over the next 5-10 years, other than “don’t touch my neighborhood school.”

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, I think the "theme" of the option school will be as important as the location. Make it a STEM magnet and people will be clamoring to get in.

Or "science of reading".

AKA...ATS