Anonymous wrote:I am OP - incidentally, I am on the CARD mailing list. I do hope that does something. We don't want to move, but we would love it if the school got better before our kid gets there. It was better when we bought here and has since gone down hill from the report cards I can see on DOE. Something changed and I wondered if the rumors of what had happened elsewhere were true and if so what recourse I would have. I would rather stay here and have the school improve, but our kid's education comes first.

Of course it comes first. It's disgraceful what has happened.
I'm glad you are involved with card, I am too. I'm concerned that we don't have the numbers to make enough noise.
Of course a new county board with new priorities would be really helpful. There is an opportunity to change the course the county has been on. It really needs to happen.
We shouldn't have to be trying to shoehorn our children into north Arlington schools.

I am OP - incidentally, I am on the CARD mailing list. I do hope that does something. We don't want to move, but we would love it if the school got better before our kid gets there. It was better when we bought here and has since gone down hill from the report cards I can see on DOE. Something changed and I wondered if the rumors of what had happened elsewhere were true and if so what recourse I would have. I would rather stay here and have the school improve, but our kid's education comes first.

I believe Jamestown's enrollment won't fluctuate that much over the next few years, but I think Discovery will see an increase as of next year when grandfathering of current rising 5th graders and their siblings ends and everyone zoned for Discovery will have to attend (or go to a county wide school).

Anonymous wrote:Is it true that you could end up getting transferred back to your home school the next year if the school hits the 95% capacity threshold, meaning the transfer has to be granted anew every year? That would suck to have your kid denied a transfer in, say, second grade after really settling in. Or maybe it's just a one time transfer process?

Yes, you need to reapply every year. The only year you probably wouldn't be forced to move back to your neighborhood school is 5th grade...they tend to grandfather those students who just have one year left...

Is it true that you could end up getting transferred back to your home school the next year if the school hits the 95% capacity threshold, meaning the transfer has to be granted anew every year? That would suck to have your kid denied a transfer in, say, second grade after really settling in. Or maybe it's just a one time transfer process?

why don't you just consider moving? Personally, I would want my child in an elementary school that feeds into middle and high schools with friends from the neighborhood and relationships built at the young age. just a thought..

The SB is getting very hesitant to allow any more south Arlington transfers to Discovery or Jamesfown. You have to make your case and be extremely persistent and throw their own policies in their faces because they will push back. And, every year you have to reapply and do it all over again.

It is embarrassing for the SB to have these types of transfer requests. I think south Arlington parents who can work out transportation should apply in mass numbers
. Call attention to the mess we have in south Arlington schools, sans the two that are doing well, albeit overcrowded.

The county plans to build thousands of more affordable housing units along the pike. This will aggravate the housing and achievment gap for those schools. So get your transfers in, maybe the SB will build two elementary schools in south Arlington rather than just one.

So we're all just going to hunt around for whatever better school will let us in. Thanks, County Board! I look forward to this stressful time. Although I too hope that change comes and soon.

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Anonymous wrote:Concerning the new Discovery ES, where a few S Arlington families transferred into, it is easy to forget that the neighborhoods in far North Arlington opposed the new elementary school when it was first proposed.

The overcrowding was at a critical point however, and so the neighborhoods had no choice but to accept the inevitable. It will be a beautiful facility, arguably the best in the county, but the design or the money spent has nothing to do with the neighborhoods it will serve.

Hold the presses- S Arl families were allowed to transfer to Discovery?

It wasn't publicized, but Discovery will be underenrolled due to sketchy (at best!) boundary planning. APS can't force your child to go to an overcrowded school when there are available seats elsewhere. You just need to provide transportation.

Yep. If I lived in S. Arlington, I'd be looking into requesting transfer to Jamestown or Discovery. Based on the latest enrollment estimates I saw, both are projected to be at less than 90% capacity.

it isn't for s arl kids only, i imagine?

No, but they have the worst overcrowding/poverty/ESL challenges.

No kidding- you have to currently be zoned for an over crowded school to pull this off.

which is pretty much every school sans a few

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Concerning the new Discovery ES, where a few S Arlington families transferred into, it is easy to forget that the neighborhoods in far North Arlington opposed the new elementary school when it was first proposed.

The overcrowding was at a critical point however, and so the neighborhoods had no choice but to accept the inevitable. It will be a beautiful facility, arguably the best in the county, but the design or the money spent has nothing to do with the neighborhoods it will serve.

Hold the presses- S Arl families were allowed to transfer to Discovery?

It wasn't publicized, but Discovery will be underenrolled due to sketchy (at best!) boundary planning. APS can't force your child to go to an overcrowded school when there are available seats elsewhere. You just need to provide transportation.

Yep. If I lived in S. Arlington, I'd be looking into requesting transfer to Jamestown or Discovery. Based on the latest enrollment estimates I saw, both are projected to be at less than 90% capacity.

it isn't for s arl kids only, i imagine?

No, but they have the worst overcrowding/poverty/ESL challenges.

No kidding- you have to currently be zoned for an over crowded school to pull this off.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Concerning the new Discovery ES, where a few S Arlington families transferred into, it is easy to forget that the neighborhoods in far North Arlington opposed the new elementary school when it was first proposed.

The overcrowding was at a critical point however, and so the neighborhoods had no choice but to accept the inevitable. It will be a beautiful facility, arguably the best in the county, but the design or the money spent has nothing to do with the neighborhoods it will serve.

Hold the presses- S Arl families were allowed to transfer to Discovery?

It wasn't publicized, but Discovery will be underenrolled due to sketchy (at best!) boundary planning. APS can't force your child to go to an overcrowded school when there are available seats elsewhere. You just need to provide transportation.

Yep. If I lived in S. Arlington, I'd be looking into requesting transfer to Jamestown or Discovery. Based on the latest enrollment estimates I saw, both are projected to be at less than 90% capacity.

it isn't for s arl kids only, i imagine?

No, but they have the worst overcrowding/poverty/ESL challenges.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Concerning the new Discovery ES, where a few S Arlington families transferred into, it is easy to forget that the neighborhoods in far North Arlington opposed the new elementary school when it was first proposed.

The overcrowding was at a critical point however, and so the neighborhoods had no choice but to accept the inevitable. It will be a beautiful facility, arguably the best in the county, but the design or the money spent has nothing to do with the neighborhoods it will serve.

Hold the presses- S Arl families were allowed to transfer to Discovery?

It wasn't publicized, but Discovery will be underenrolled due to sketchy (at best!) boundary planning. APS can't force your child to go to an overcrowded school when there are available seats elsewhere. You just need to provide transportation.

Yep. If I lived in S. Arlington, I'd be looking into requesting transfer to Jamestown or Discovery. Based on the latest enrollment estimates I saw, both are projected to be at less than 90% capacity.

it isn't for s arl kids only, i imagine?

Anonymous wrote:Remember that if you transfer to Discovery, you will be responsible for your child's transportation.

Small price to pay. Especially when you are faced with an over crowded title 1 school. Look, when I bought in my neighborhood the local school was under capacity. I figured being largely poor and immigrant wasn't great, but with 10:1 teacher student ratio my kid would be ok. Adding over crowding to that and it's just too much. We'll be exploring all options. I strongly suspect the county will have legitimate choices back on the table in the next few years. It's easier than answering questions about zoning.

Remember that if you transfer to Discovery, you will be responsible for your child's transportation.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Concerning the new Discovery ES, where a few S Arlington families transferred into, it is easy to forget that the neighborhoods in far North Arlington opposed the new elementary school when it was first proposed.

The overcrowding was at a critical point however, and so the neighborhoods had no choice but to accept the inevitable. It will be a beautiful facility, arguably the best in the county, but the design or the money spent has nothing to do with the neighborhoods it will serve.

Hold the presses- S Arl families were allowed to transfer to Discovery?

It wasn't publicized, but Discovery will be underenrolled due to sketchy (at best!) boundary planning. APS can't force your child to go to an overcrowded school when there are available seats elsewhere. You just need to provide transportation.

Yep. If I lived in S. Arlington, I'd be looking into requesting transfer to Jamestown or Discovery. Based on the latest enrollment estimates I saw, both are projected to be at less than 90% capacity.