Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Since we've been "exploring" the relocation of fire station 8 for going on 20 years, I have little hope for the schools.

+1

Vote Independent.

Make change after 15+ years of the same.

How the County can be showing off the beautiful new Homeless Shelter in Courthouse and applauding themselves for the Affordable Housing win---and COMPLETELY IGNORING THE DIRE SCHOOL SITUATION IS NOT JUST RIDICULOUS ITS ALMOST CRIMINAL!!!

Talk about being out-of-touch.

It does send the message that the County doesn't care about the middle class - just the wealthy and the poor. Maybe now that we've helped the homeless, we can work on those schools?

Anonymous wrote:Since we've been "exploring" the relocation of fire station 8 for going on 20 years, I have little hope for the schools.

Something to also note- our fire houses are understaffed. For such wealthy county - that's pretty bad.

Anonymous wrote:Since we've been "exploring" the relocation of fire station 8 for going on 20 years, I have little hope for the schools.

+1

Vote Independent.

Make change after 15+ years of the same.

How the County can be showing off the beautiful new Homeless Shelter in Courthouse and applauding themselves for the Affordable Housing win---and COMPLETELY IGNORING THE DIRE SCHOOL SITUATION IS NOT JUST RIDICULOUS ITS ALMOST CRIMINAL!!!

Talk about being out-of-touch.

Since we've been "exploring" the relocation of fire station 8 for going on 20 years, I have little hope for the schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. Arlington is being driven now by long time residents in their 60/70ss who are unabashedly liberal and have nothing better to do but attend the endless stream meetings. Even if you do attend those meeting (and believe me, I have) the message sent by the old timers and the staff is that if you haven't been involved in the XX sector plan and the XX transportation plan that were drafted 10 years ago, your views on the XX housing plan or the XX school plan count for less. The Arlington Way is broken. There is virtually no way for busy residents aged 25-55 to work for a living and participate in all their "process,' which is not process, but just a way for staff to pretend to listen to residents and then do whatever they and the liberal idealist old timers (and the developers, don't forget them!) want. We need a new model for governing--and I don't mean the ridiculous "twitter town halls' that are just more propaganda from the County PR folks. Another vote for McMenamin and Dorsey. At least Dorsey has kids in this county and can relate. Katie Cristol. Ha.

I'm glad younger people are participating in some way. As a Millenial, I want my voice heard too. But we all work and don't have time to run for office. Whether you agree with Cristol or not, at least she is getting out there. The County Board needs to be much more balanced. Sometimes it seems as if there should be districts or seats apportioned along north and south, but that would acknowledge the divide that exists, and I don't know that it would help to do that. More of the South needs to vote!!!

Um, I am an unabashed liberal, and I have a problem with the way things have been done in the recent past. I think some of our older, liberal residents have subscribed to an ideology that is being challenged by more recent data, and are refusing to accept that data because they see it as a repudiation of their life's work. That's not what it is. I've always liked the saying, "when you know better, you do better."

And I am really glad younger people are being inspired to participate by Katie's campaign. That is wonderful. From what I know of her, she's really smart, articulate, and driven. And in a couple years, I think she'll be a much better candidate, and I would consider voting for her at that time. My sense is that once Peter Fallon and Andrew Schnieder, the "insider" ACDC candidates, failed to win the D primary, ACDC attention and support shifted to Katie. I don't want an "insider" of any sort right now, because I am not impressed with the status quo.

Politics makes strange bedfellows.

Very good post. It's incongruent to think of Cristol as the establishment candidate, but that is what has happened. I don't think we need anymore people towing the party line. The county needs more moderation right now. I'm liberal, but I want balanced governance. I really want the focus to shift to the vacant office rate, 100 year old water mains, schools, and transportation. I feel like we've taken our eye off the ball as a county.

YES, agree 1000x. I'm also a millennial (a very old one), and I like having younger blood in there, but not someone who is just espousing the same policies as the older folks. And I 100% agree with the first Arlington Way PP. I don't think people understand how wedded county staff and other residents are to Neighborhood Conservation Plans of sector plans that were developed years ago, without contemplating the demographic shifts that have occurred in the past 10 years. The population of school age kids in Arlington now is higher than it has been since the 1960's. Planning documents from 10 years ago just do not yield useful solutions.

I like that Cristol wants to make the county accessible to young professional families, but it's not going to be an attractive place to live if we can't guarantee top notch facilities, including schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. Arlington is being driven now by long time residents in their 60/70ss who are unabashedly liberal and have nothing better to do but attend the endless stream meetings. Even if you do attend those meeting (and believe me, I have) the message sent by the old timers and the staff is that if you haven't been involved in the XX sector plan and the XX transportation plan that were drafted 10 years ago, your views on the XX housing plan or the XX school plan count for less. The Arlington Way is broken. There is virtually no way for busy residents aged 25-55 to work for a living and participate in all their "process,' which is not process, but just a way for staff to pretend to listen to residents and then do whatever they and the liberal idealist old timers (and the developers, don't forget them!) want. We need a new model for governing--and I don't mean the ridiculous "twitter town halls' that are just more propaganda from the County PR folks. Another vote for McMenamin and Dorsey. At least Dorsey has kids in this county and can relate. Katie Cristol. Ha.

I'm glad younger people are participating in some way. As a Millenial, I want my voice heard too. But we all work and don't have time to run for office. Whether you agree with Cristol or not, at least she is getting out there. The County Board needs to be much more balanced. Sometimes it seems as if there should be districts or seats apportioned along north and south, but that would acknowledge the divide that exists, and I don't know that it would help to do that. More of the South needs to vote!!!

Um, I am an unabashed liberal, and I have a problem with the way things have been done in the recent past. I think some of our older, liberal residents have subscribed to an ideology that is being challenged by more recent data, and are refusing to accept that data because they see it as a repudiation of their life's work. That's not what it is. I've always liked the saying, "when you know better, you do better."

And I am really glad younger people are being inspired to participate by Katie's campaign. That is wonderful. From what I know of her, she's really smart, articulate, and driven. And in a couple years, I think she'll be a much better candidate, and I would consider voting for her at that time. My sense is that once Peter Fallon and Andrew Schnieder, the "insider" ACDC candidates, failed to win the D primary, ACDC attention and support shifted to Katie. I don't want an "insider" of any sort right now, because I am not impressed with the status quo.

Politics makes strange bedfellows.

Very good post. It's incongruent to think of Cristol as the establishment candidate, but that is what has happened. I don't think we need anymore people towing the party line. The county needs more moderation right now. I'm liberal, but I want balanced governance. I really want the focus to shift to the vacant office rate, 100 year old water mains, schools, and transportation. I feel like we've taken our eye off the ball as a county.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. Arlington is being driven now by long time residents in their 60/70ss who are unabashedly liberal and have nothing better to do but attend the endless stream meetings. Even if you do attend those meeting (and believe me, I have) the message sent by the old timers and the staff is that if you haven't been involved in the XX sector plan and the XX transportation plan that were drafted 10 years ago, your views on the XX housing plan or the XX school plan count for less. The Arlington Way is broken. There is virtually no way for busy residents aged 25-55 to work for a living and participate in all their "process,' which is not process, but just a way for staff to pretend to listen to residents and then do whatever they and the liberal idealist old timers (and the developers, don't forget them!) want. We need a new model for governing--and I don't mean the ridiculous "twitter town halls' that are just more propaganda from the County PR folks. Another vote for McMenamin and Dorsey. At least Dorsey has kids in this county and can relate. Katie Cristol. Ha.

I'm glad younger people are participating in some way. As a Millenial, I want my voice heard too. But we all work and don't have time to run for office. Whether you agree with Cristol or not, at least she is getting out there. The County Board needs to be much more balanced. Sometimes it seems as if there should be districts or seats apportioned along north and south, but that would acknowledge the divide that exists, and I don't know that it would help to do that. More of the South needs to vote!!!

Um, I am an unabashed liberal, and I have a problem with the way things have been done in the recent past. I think some of our older, liberal residents have subscribed to an ideology that is being challenged by more recent data, and are refusing to accept that data because they see it as a repudiation of their life's work. That's not what it is. I've always liked the saying, "when you know better, you do better."

And I am really glad younger people are being inspired to participate by Katie's campaign. That is wonderful. From what I know of her, she's really smart, articulate, and driven. And in a couple years, I think she'll be a much better candidate, and I would consider voting for her at that time. My sense is that once Peter Fallon and Andrew Schnieder, the "insider" ACDC candidates, failed to win the D primary, ACDC attention and support shifted to Katie. I don't want an "insider" of any sort right now, because I am not impressed with the status quo.

Politics makes strange bedfellows.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not to derail - but I just read an interesting article about how minority kids aren't singled out for gifted programs. Stark contrasts exist all over the country when it comes to identifying GT kids from less advantaged homes. It was depressing.

Very true - I don't know if I saw the same article you did (could your provide the link?), but minority children often have to score much higher to get into gifted or magnet programs that majority children in many districts. In some places, magnet schools and gifted programs were just a way to segregate out wealthy, white students from the riff-raff, as it were.

At our school--the pushy parents get their kids in the program. There is only so much space with the GT teacher. At our school it's not a problem since about 75-80% of the regular class would qualify under the gifted guidelines--the kids that don't have parents pushing or going to the Principal about it are still being appropriately challenged. I laugh because my kids scores off the charts on their standardized test, made their 'honor/principal' list every quarter and he wasn't in the pull-out group. He's still not been identified as GT even with test scores that warrant it but is in the 'high' math group, etc. I don't care because, again, at our school it only equates to more homework something we don't want.

BUT--I can see in an environment with many, many underperforming kids how important it would be for those kids/minorities to be properly identified since--most likely--it wouldn't be a scenario like with my kids. They aren't being guaranteed to be appropriately challenged.

A magnet school could help South, in terms of kids who are performing at level or above, but then we're splitting kids up... *sigh*

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not to derail - but I just read an interesting article about how minority kids aren't singled out for gifted programs. Stark contrasts exist all over the country when it comes to identifying GT kids from less advantaged homes. It was depressing.

Very true - I don't know if I saw the same article you did (could your provide the link?), but minority children often have to score much higher to get into gifted or magnet programs that majority children in many districts. In some places, magnet schools and gifted programs were just a way to segregate out wealthy, white students from the riff-raff, as it were.

At our school--the pushy parents get their kids in the program. There is only so much space with the GT teacher. At our school it's not a problem since about 75-80% of the regular class would qualify under the gifted guidelines--the kids that don't have parents pushing or going to the Principal about it are still being appropriately challenged. I laugh because my kids scores off the charts on their standardized test, made their 'honor/principal' list every quarter and he wasn't in the pull-out group. He's still not been identified as GT even with test scores that warrant it but is in the 'high' math group, etc. I don't care because, again, at our school it only equates to more homework something we don't want.

BUT--I can see in an environment with many, many underperforming kids how important it would be for those kids/minorities to be properly identified since--most likely--it wouldn't be a scenario like with my kids. They aren't being guaranteed to be appropriately challenged.

Anonymous wrote:Not to derail - but I just read an interesting article about how minority kids aren't singled out for gifted programs. Stark contrasts exist all over the country when it comes to identifying GT kids from less advantaged homes. It was depressing.

Very true - I don't know if I saw the same article you did (could your provide the link?), but minority children often have to score much higher to get into gifted or magnet programs that majority children in many districts. In some places, magnet schools and gifted programs were just a way to segregate out wealthy, white students from the riff-raff, as it were.

Not to derail - but I just read an interesting article about how minority kids aren't singled out for gifted programs. Stark contrasts exist all over the country when it comes to identifying GT kids from less advantaged homes. It was depressing.

10:48 gets it. Have had kids in schools north & south. Speaking only for my middle class kids (And my family was not afraid of the 50% ++ FARMS school that we attended for 5 years), the difference in the learning environment & opportunities in class & out are night & day. It's a shame that VOICE & Mary Hynes don't want to pursue that for less affluent kids. They will at least get adequate schools though. And that seems To be all the VOICE advocates in S. Arl want.

Anonymous wrote:Yes. Arlington is being driven now by long time residents in their 60/70ss who are unabashedly liberal and have nothing better to do but attend the endless stream meetings. Even if you do attend those meeting (and believe me, I have) the message sent by the old timers and the staff is that if you haven't been involved in the XX sector plan and the XX transportation plan that were drafted 10 years ago, your views on the XX housing plan or the XX school plan count for less. The Arlington Way is broken. There is virtually no way for busy residents aged 25-55 to work for a living and participate in all their "process,' which is not process, but just a way for staff to pretend to listen to residents and then do whatever they and the liberal idealist old timers (and the developers, don't forget them!) want. We need a new model for governing--and I don't mean the ridiculous "twitter town halls' that are just more propaganda from the County PR folks. Another vote for McMenamin and Dorsey. At least Dorsey has kids in this county and can relate. Katie Cristol. Ha.

+100

Change needs to happen

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. He has kids in elementary school. So he gets it. Katie Cristol is just Mary Hyne's protege. It's nice that 's she's under 60, but she does not understand the school situation in Arlington.Talk about out of touch. She's an educational consultant and Randolph school volunteer who claims the school is doing well. Has she even looked at their scores Spend a day in the at Randolph and then go to, say, Glebe or Long Branch or McKinley for a day. NOT the same. And look at SOLs. Oh--and please call me in 5 years and let me know if Katie Cristol is sending her kids to Randolph. Ha.

Wow. Head. In. The. Sand. To spend time in these schools and still not be willing to have an honest conversation about it?



No thanks

Wait, could a regular person go to different schools like that and then bring it up at the county meetings? Like, I visited my South Arl school and a North Arl school and its clear my child is not getting an equal education?

It's not that the education isn't equal, in the sense that the facilities and the resources and the quality of the teachers is the same in all schools across Arlington. What's different is--what the teachers have to spend time in class focusing on, what kinds of opportunities the kids have (funding for after school activities, parent support for various clubs, etc.), what the general tenor of the school is. My kids go to schools in south Arlington and the stuff that we get from the schools and the stuff the parents talk about is different from north Arlington schools. We get flyers about sending in food for backpacks for kids who would otherwise go hungry on the weekends. Other schools send home flyers about enrichment activities and academic competitions. The focus at our middle school seems to be on getting kids to pass and stay in school through high school graduation--it emphasizes "career" readiness as much as "college" readiness. If I have a kid who I want to go to college, he is missing out somewhat by not being immersed in a culture where college is the expectation. We just don't hear about certain opportunities, because the teachers and the other parents don't know about them or don't focus on them. If the schools were less segregated economically, you wouldn't have this kind of divide, but the board is unwilling to implement more choice schools or drastically redraw the boundaries to get this kind of change.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. He has kids in elementary school. So he gets it. Katie Cristol is just Mary Hyne's protege. It's nice that 's she's under 60, but she does not understand the school situation in Arlington.Talk about out of touch. She's an educational consultant and Randolph school volunteer who claims the school is doing well. Has she even looked at their scores Spend a day in the at Randolph and then go to, say, Glebe or Long Branch or McKinley for a day. NOT the same. And look at SOLs. Oh--and please call me in 5 years and let me know if Katie Cristol is sending her kids to Randolph. Ha.

Wow. Head. In. The. Sand. To spend time in these schools and still not be willing to have an honest conversation about it?



No thanks

Wait, could a regular person go to different schools like that and then bring it up at the county meetings? Like, I visited my South Arl school and a North Arl school and its clear my child is not getting an equal education?