Anonymous wrote:Do kids really want to walk 1.5 miles to school everyday? I'd bike but not walk.

We are in a walk zone labeled as 1.5 miles.

Our house is 0.95 miles door-to-door from WL and YES all the kids in my neighborhood walk to and from there or ride bikes.

I pass my 3 neighbor HS WL boys on my afternoon run.

My own kids bike up to WL field all the time and they are 11. By 14, yes, they would be doing that on their own.

Hell, some of the MS neighbor's have walked home from Swanson.

We aren't all pansies.

Anonymous wrote:Moving Arlington Forest PUs is not really "keeping a neighborhood together." Arlington Forest is separated by route 50. It might as well be two separate neighborhoods. My kid attends WL from one of the Arlington Forest PUs under consideration for a rezone to Wakefield. He takes a bus to WL but can walk to/from WL, and does, several times a week. No way would he be able to walk to/from Wakefield. Arlington county needs to increase diversity in the south Arlington neighborhoods in order to achieve it in the schools, not bus it in.

I'm not part of the contingent that advocates leaving the western planning units closest to wakefield out of wakefield, but it seems like there's been momentum at least on this board to move one of the arlington forest PUs to wakefield.

Moving Arlington Forest PUs is not really "keeping a neighborhood together." Arlington Forest is separated by route 50. It might as well be two separate neighborhoods. My kid attends WL from one of the Arlington Forest PUs under consideration for a rezone to Wakefield. He takes a bus to WL but can walk to/from WL, and does, several times a week. No way would he be able to walk to/from Wakefield. Arlington county needs to increase diversity in the south Arlington neighborhoods in order to achieve it in the schools, not bus it in.

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Anonymous wrote:Pretty much anyone arguing for strictly geography to be considered. Also, it's mostly classism. So there's that.

Bullshit. The is efficiency, contiguity and alignment which most people would probably list if not even looking at any sort of demographic numbers. My spouse looked at the demographics that were available outside of just the free lunch data and the fact of the matter is that most if the poorer neighborhoods are clustered in the south do it is really difficult to achieve balance among all 3 schools. As others have noted in prior postings above the county is largely to blame for approving all of the affirdable units in the south with no requirement to factor in how this impacts the current school system.

BS. I chose W-L after having gone to a similarity diverse (but good academically) HS filled with kids of different races and SES backgrounds. I bought a house before my kids started Kindergartem zoned specifically for W-L, as well as another diverse N Arlington elementary school.

My kids walk to elementary and we planned to have them walk to WL in coming years. We are 0.97 miles through neighborhoods to W-L, but our planning unit (a chunk out of the middle of a cohesive neighborhood) is under consideration for a move to Yorktown. The distance ranges from 1.0-1.6 miles.

If I were racist, I'd be ecstatic instead of upset.

We are in the same boat as you. Don't want to possibly move to yorktown. But the more honest quwstion us how would you feel about moving to wakefield. Also you also showed support that you want contiguity, efficiency and alignment.

I want to maintain my walkability to HS. Wakefield is an even longer bus ride. Much longer.

I didn't pay $1 million+ for Wakefield. For the County to take walkers and instead add 45 min to and from their homes in the morning (waiting for bus; bus stops, etc) is a County that is not thinking properly--especially when they made such a big deal about more sleep for HS students. It's untenable to use my children to support their social objective and increase the amount of bussing when they claim to want AC as car-free as possible.

You didn't pay $1 million for any school. You bought a house. The end.

I am not the poster above who said they paid $1 million so they wouldn't have to be in Wakefield, but it's also true that housing prices are strongly tied to school zones. To say it's not true, is naive.

I didn't say that housing prices are not influenced by schools. I'm not some rube who just fell from a turnip truck passing through Arlington.

I simply stated that things change and you have no more right to attend the school you were zoned for at the time of house purchase because you paid $1 million than someone who paid a mere $700,000. It doesn't work like that. The only way to guarantee a school through money is by paying tuition at a private school. It was your mistake not to realize this.

Sounds like you are somewhere between WL and Wakefield. Too bad for you. We are way further north. so yeah, our $1 million+ was well spent.

Chadwick lies

Blah. My neighborhood is Yktn. It's split down the Kidd and we are walkers. I really want my friends across the street to switch, but all that is talked about is the damn island.

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Anonymous wrote:Pretty much anyone arguing for strictly geography to be considered. Also, it's mostly classism. So there's that.

Bullshit. The is efficiency, contiguity and alignment which most people would probably list if not even looking at any sort of demographic numbers. My spouse looked at the demographics that were available outside of just the free lunch data and the fact of the matter is that most if the poorer neighborhoods are clustered in the south do it is really difficult to achieve balance among all 3 schools. As others have noted in prior postings above the county is largely to blame for approving all of the affirdable units in the south with no requirement to factor in how this impacts the current school system.

BS. I chose W-L after having gone to a similarity diverse (but good academically) HS filled with kids of different races and SES backgrounds. I bought a house before my kids started Kindergartem zoned specifically for W-L, as well as another diverse N Arlington elementary school.

My kids walk to elementary and we planned to have them walk to WL in coming years. We are 0.97 miles through neighborhoods to W-L, but our planning unit (a chunk out of the middle of a cohesive neighborhood) is under consideration for a move to Yorktown. The distance ranges from 1.0-1.6 miles.

If I were racist, I'd be ecstatic instead of upset.

We are in the same boat as you. Don't want to possibly move to yorktown. But the more honest quwstion us how would you feel about moving to wakefield. Also you also showed support that you want contiguity, efficiency and alignment.

I want to maintain my walkability to HS. Wakefield is an even longer bus ride. Much longer.

I didn't pay $1 million+ for Wakefield. For the County to take walkers and instead add 45 min to and from their homes in the morning (waiting for bus; bus stops, etc) is a County that is not thinking properly--especially when they made such a big deal about more sleep for HS students. It's untenable to use my children to support their social objective and increase the amount of bussing when they claim to want AC as car-free as possible.

You didn't pay $1 million for any school. You bought a house. The end.

I am not the poster above who said they paid $1 million so they wouldn't have to be in Wakefield, but it's also true that housing prices are strongly tied to school zones. To say it's not true, is naive.

I didn't say that housing prices are not influenced by schools. I'm not some rube who just fell from a turnip truck passing through Arlington.

I simply stated that things change and you have no more right to attend the school you were zoned for at the time of house purchase because you paid $1 million than someone who paid a mere $700,000. It doesn't work like that. The only way to guarantee a school through money is by paying tuition at a private school. It was your mistake not to realize this.

Anonymous wrote:Arlington Forest opposes the move.

So does every other neighborhood.

Arlington Forest opposes the move.

Do kids really want to walk 1.5 miles to school everyday? I'd bike but not walk.

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Anonymous wrote:Pretty much anyone arguing for strictly geography to be considered. Also, it's mostly classism. So there's that.

Bullshit. The is efficiency, contiguity and alignment which most people would probably list if not even looking at any sort of demographic numbers. My spouse looked at the demographics that were available outside of just the free lunch data and the fact of the matter is that most if the poorer neighborhoods are clustered in the south do it is really difficult to achieve balance among all 3 schools. As others have noted in prior postings above the county is largely to blame for approving all of the affirdable units in the south with no requirement to factor in how this impacts the current school system.

BS. I chose W-L after having gone to a similarity diverse (but good academically) HS filled with kids of different races and SES backgrounds. I bought a house before my kids started Kindergartem zoned specifically for W-L, as well as another diverse N Arlington elementary school.

My kids walk to elementary and we planned to have them walk to WL in coming years. We are 0.97 miles through neighborhoods to W-L, but our planning unit (a chunk out of the middle of a cohesive neighborhood) is under consideration for a move to Yorktown. The distance ranges from 1.0-1.6 miles.

If I were racist, I'd be ecstatic instead of upset.

We are in the same boat as you. Don't want to possibly move to yorktown. But the more honest quwstion us how would you feel about moving to wakefield. Also you also showed support that you want contiguity, efficiency and alignment.

I want to maintain my walkability to HS. Wakefield is an even longer bus ride. Much longer.

I didn't pay $1 million+ for Wakefield. For the County to take walkers and instead add 45 min to and from their homes in the morning (waiting for bus; bus stops, etc) is a County that is not thinking properly--especially when they made such a big deal about more sleep for HS students. It's untenable to use my children to support their social objective and increase the amount of bussing when they claim to want AC as car-free as possible.

You didn't pay $1 million for any school. You bought a house. The end.

I am not the poster above who said they paid $1 million so they wouldn't have to be in Wakefield, but it's also true that housing prices are strongly tied to school zones. To say it's not true, is naive.

I haven't been on the planning tool for a few days (just following this thread) and it looks like they just added a new 1.5 potential walkability zone as of today? If you leave most of the WL planning units w/n that zone alone has anyone managed to achieve the rebalance with the zones outside the circle? Just curious. Given that Chadwick said they would try to minimize walkers having to move.

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Anonymous wrote:Pretty much anyone arguing for strictly geography to be considered. Also, it's mostly classism. So there's that.

Bullshit. The is efficiency, contiguity and alignment which most people would probably list if not even looking at any sort of demographic numbers. My spouse looked at the demographics that were available outside of just the free lunch data and the fact of the matter is that most if the poorer neighborhoods are clustered in the south do it is really difficult to achieve balance among all 3 schools. As others have noted in prior postings above the county is largely to blame for approving all of the affirdable units in the south with no requirement to factor in how this impacts the current school system.

BS. I chose W-L after having gone to a similarity diverse (but good academically) HS filled with kids of different races and SES backgrounds. I bought a house before my kids started Kindergartem zoned specifically for W-L, as well as another diverse N Arlington elementary school.

My kids walk to elementary and we planned to have them walk to WL in coming years. We are 0.97 miles through neighborhoods to W-L, but our planning unit (a chunk out of the middle of a cohesive neighborhood) is under consideration for a move to Yorktown. The distance ranges from 1.0-1.6 miles.

If I were racist, I'd be ecstatic instead of upset.

We are in the same boat as you. Don't want to possibly move to yorktown. But the more honest quwstion us how would you feel about moving to wakefield. Also you also showed support that you want contiguity, efficiency and alignment.

I want to maintain my walkability to HS. Wakefield is an even longer bus ride. Much longer.

I didn't pay $1 million+ for Wakefield. For the County to take walkers and instead add 45 min to and from their homes in the morning (waiting for bus; bus stops, etc) is a County that is not thinking properly--especially when they made such a big deal about more sleep for HS students. It's untenable to use my children to support their social objective and increase the amount of bussing when they claim to want AC as car-free as possible.

You didn't pay $1 million for any school. You bought a house. The end.

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Anonymous wrote:^^yes. What is being talked about is taking walkers and having them wake up 30 minute earlier to catch a 40-min bus ride (accounting for drop off and pick ups).

Real brainy idea there. Especially when kids across the street will remain walkers.

#family/neighborhoodorientedgreencountyinitiativeS.

And I saw County Board members that have denied more schools are currently asking for a pay raise. You can't make this stuff up...

The above is talking about shipping rich white kids to Wakefield. Not what's on the table.

Shipping rich white WALKERS on a bus that will add 40+ minutes on each side of their day to YHS is what is on the table.

Support less pollution, more HS sleep time and keeping neighborhood kids at the same HS. Less bussing of HS kids that can safely walk to and from school!'

Less buses and HS drivers on our roads.

Fine, but do that without adding poverty to Wakefield.

I'm not adding anything to Wakefield. I don't live anywhere near Wakefield.

The people at Wakefield should be angry with the County, not other homeowners/neighborhoods all the way across the County.

The Board is doing a great job at diversion tactics to draw away from the fact they've done nothing about a problem that was well-known for over 10 years plus. They waited until true crisis mode was upon them. They went and built the Taj Mahal of elementary schools and wasted countless hours in that whole debacle with public Hearings, etc. and could have used that time and $ in much better places.

Lady, you are fed up at the wrong people.

You want everyone to suffer-even people and kids that have zero to do with the situation you find yourself in. 30 trailers in my kids middle school should I be mad at you about that?

I think PP is specifically responding to the idea of moving the 386 economically disadvantaged students in planning units 3506, 3507, 3508, 3509, and 3510 to Wakefield, which will push the percentage of economically disadvantaged students well beyond 50%. Just do anything but that. Okay? There are other options. The disadvantaged students who live in those units have the option of transferring to Wakefield from W-L if they choose to prioritize proximity. They will not have the same choices if we rezone them.

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Anonymous wrote:^^yes. What is being talked about is taking walkers and having them wake up 30 minute earlier to catch a 40-min bus ride (accounting for drop off and pick ups).

Real brainy idea there. Especially when kids across the street will remain walkers.

#family/neighborhoodorientedgreencountyinitiativeS.

And I saw County Board members that have denied more schools are currently asking for a pay raise. You can't make this stuff up...

The above is talking about shipping rich white kids to Wakefield. Not what's on the table.

Shipping rich white WALKERS on a bus that will add 40+ minutes on each side of their day to YHS is what is on the table.

Support less pollution, more HS sleep time and keeping neighborhood kids at the same HS. Less bussing of HS kids that can safely walk to and from school!'

Less buses and HS drivers on our roads.

You're stuck pages back people. I solved it. You can stay where you are for now wealthy white walkers, but we're taking Arlington Forest (north) to Wakefield, you know, for contiguity and keeping neighborhoods together (the southern half of the neighborhood is already at Wakefield, and we all go to the same pool and neighborhood events and Kenmore MS), and Yorktown gets the east end of Columbia Pike for the diversity they seek (those kids are on a bus no matter what; it is about 3 miles to Wakefield and W-L, and 5 miles to Yorktown, so not a huge difference). Problem solved. I think this is a reasonable solution that doesn't rebuild the wheel but also doesn't blow up one of our three high schools in a way that will have more affluent families scrambling to cram themselves into the walk zone at W-L. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to deliberately turn one of your three schools into a high poverty school that people are wary of when you NEED those seats and to have ALL the families who are headed for those seats happy to occupy them instead of trying to transfer or move into one of the other schools.

In this scenario, the units on the Western end of Columbia Pike stay at W-L where they've been for decades. Transfers from W-L into Wakefield will still be allowed for at least the next few years, so if walkability is such a great concern for those students or their families, that option is still available to them. If we just rezone them, then they have no choices. Seems like it's pretty unfair to take choices away from those already at a greater disadvantage. If we leave them alone, they can decide on an individual basis. This is the only way they'll get to choose because of the economic barriers that have been put up around most areas of Arlington.