Cross-posting from the other thread about emailing the county and school boards:

The County Board apparently thinks that parents aren't paying attention. As mentioned pages and pages ago, John Vihstadt joked during the Joint Work Session about giving teens coffee so that they'll go to zero period classes.

I also just got a form letter response to the email I sent to the County Board, and it was signed by Libby Garvey. It reads in part: For this proposed CIP Budget, the School Board showed us a 10-year plan to meet nearly all of the increasing capacity demand at the elementary, middle and high school levels through new construction projects and through renovation and modification of existing school buildings. This is an outright lie. The CIP shows a TBD line for 1,000 HS seats. The County Board either still doesn't get it, or really thinks they can just punt this down the road. My letter to the School Board got a form response signed by the chair, indicating that their final decisions would take into account community input. I'll be emailing back today, treating it as if it were a real email, asking exactly what they mean by that since it's great to hear that they are listening to the concerns of the taxpayers (can you sense my sarcasm?).

If you haven't already, please reach out to the school and county board!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How about imminent domain? Buy houses near larger lots and build the schools there, or some of these churches that keep turning into affording housing? The county could step in and buy the land for a school instead, or even make it a mixed use facility with a nontraditional school building and apartments on top.

There are very few parcels in Arlington with the acreage for a school, even an elementary school. But its not a bad idea, especially some of these churches that are actually sitting on a decent amount of land.

Yeah, instead of increasing the demand for schools, why not build one? It still serves the community, but I'm guessing part of it is to potentially boost numbers of chruch-goers. But then we have people who don't live in our area who drive up to go to the church in our area.

Anonymous wrote:How about imminent domain? Buy houses near larger lots and build the schools there, or some of these churches that keep turning into affording housing? The county could step in and buy the land for a school instead, or even make it a mixed use facility with a nontraditional school building and apartments on top.

There are very few parcels in Arlington with the acreage for a school, even an elementary school. But its not a bad idea, especially some of these churches that are actually sitting on a decent amount of land.

How about imminent domain? Buy houses near larger lots and build the schools there, or some of these churches that keep turning into affording housing? The county could step in and buy the land for a school instead, or even make it a mixed use facility with a nontraditional school building and apartments on top.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What??? I live in Arlington so my kids won't have to deal with the DCPS kids.

If the county temporarily rents a school building, its possible they wouldn't really be with DCPS kids. Or if it were a joint magnet school, it would relieve crowding, if 50% come from Arlington.

Do you realize that DC has a severe shortage of school space, and that the competition from charters for underutilized buildings is intense? Why would DC allocate their space to kids from Arlington?

In other states, districts free up space in the high schools by allowing blended homeschool/public school programs, allowing kids to take online classes, and allowing for juniors and seniors to attend community college as dual enrollment students. Those seem like better ideas to me.

By all means, lets aspire to be like the shitty situations in other states. Let's aim as low as possible!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What??? I live in Arlington so my kids won't have to deal with the DCPS kids.

If the county temporarily rents a school building, its possible they wouldn't really be with DCPS kids. Or if it were a joint magnet school, it would relieve crowding, if 50% come from Arlington.

Do you realize that DC has a severe shortage of school space, and that the competition from charters for underutilized buildings is intense? Why would DC allocate their space to kids from Arlington?

In other states, districts free up space in the high schools by allowing blended homeschool/public school programs, allowing kids to take online classes, and allowing for juniors and seniors to attend community college as dual enrollment students. Those seem like better ideas to me.

Anonymous wrote:Sorry lady, but I want my kid going to school at normal hours in a building. Not eating lunch at 9:45 and able to play a sport in a field nearby. Not asking for the moon here. Just normal stuff.

Define "normal." What you grew up with? What FCPS have? What DCPS have?

Sorry lady, but I want my kid going to school at normal hours in a building. Not eating lunch at 9:45 and able to play a sport in a field nearby. Not asking for the moon here. Just normal stuff.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it mostly immigrants making up the majority of the new students who are causing overcrowding?

No

If by "immigrants" you mean wealthy people decamping from DC to new 5k square foot homes, then yes.

Strange that, if those people are really so wealthy, they don't care that the school system is facing a crisis.

How do you know that they don't?

Well, they aren't acting like it. They are insisting on getting the impossible: enough schools in a style they're used to, despite the fact that the land and money to do so aren't there. (I am saying "they" even though I am technically one of them -- but I am willing to accept plainer buildings and certain cuts to some of the things APS offers now -- maybe we should have a separate thread for that? Or did another poster cover it when she said "Arlington parents are insufferable? -- so that we can have fewer trailers and preserve green space & social services and still have a good academic experience for all students.)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it mostly immigrants making up the majority of the new students who are causing overcrowding?

No

If by "immigrants" you mean wealthy people decamping from DC to new 5k square foot homes, then yes.

Strange that, if those people are really so wealthy, they don't care that the school system is facing a crisis.

How do you know that they don't?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it mostly immigrants making up the majority of the new students who are causing overcrowding?

No

If by "immigrants" you mean wealthy people decamping from DC to new 5k square foot homes, then yes.

Strange that, if those people are really so wealthy, they don't care that the school system is facing a crisis.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it mostly immigrants making up the majority of the new students who are causing overcrowding?

No

If by "immigrants" you mean wealthy people decamping from DC to new 5k square foot homes, then yes.

+1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it mostly immigrants making up the majority of the new students who are causing overcrowding?

No

If by "immigrants" you mean wealthy people decamping from DC to new 5k square foot homes, then yes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it mostly immigrants making up the majority of the new students who are causing overcrowding?

No

Across the system no. But yes, they are the majority in some of the over crowded schools in south Arlington. The county looks at where the kids are coming from and in the past 15 years it's been overwhelmingly sfh's. Typically not immigrants. Of course if you break that information down more, you will see a shift towards multi family in recent years. They seem to be unwilling to accept this possibility.

In the North, the schools are victims of their own success and the desire for folks to be as close as possible to DC. Any modest homes left are being bulldozed into enormous SFH that usually house 2 kids or more. Schools in the South are good as well, but the demographics are different.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it mostly immigrants making up the majority of the new students who are causing overcrowding?

No

Across the system no. But yes, they are the majority in some of the over crowded schools in south Arlington. The county looks at where the kids are coming from and in the past 15 years it's been overwhelmingly sfh's. Typically not immigrants. Of course if you break that information down more, you will see a shift towards multi family in recent years. They seem to be unwilling to accept this possibility.