On the subject of Drew, are there stats available for the traditional vs. Montessori programs? Drew is around 55% FARMS, which I believe is the aggregate number for the whole school. If 2/3 of the slots for Montessori are reserved for low income, then that suggests the traditional program FARMS rate is lower, probably in the low 40s or high 30s. If that's the case, looks like the new Drew zone can be used to alleviate some of the demographic issues at Randolph. IIRC from a meeting last year, the plan is for Drew to take some of Oakridge's overcrowding, some of Hoffman Boston, and some kids from Randolph. I don't know if Hoffman Boston is overcrowded or not.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It all comes back to concentrated AH. The longer I live in S Arlington the more convinced I am of this. And it doesn’t look like it’s going to change soon.

Of course it’s concentrated AH. The demographics totally suck, and some of these schools have such an overwhelming amount of shitty housing zoned to them, there is no way to balance enrollment with the meager handful of sfh’s zoned to the school.
Randolph has something like over 3,000 low income apts to its 800 sfh’s. 3,000 apts with a new crop of families every year. No way to balance that as things are.
Tax break? It wouldn’t be enough - if it were legal.
They need a choice program in those schools ( ironic that Drew is dying to get rid of theirs), but that’s what
It will take. Promise those families a school within the school.

The problem with Drew is that they have tried to combine a "choice" program plus a fairly small amount of neighborhood seats that aren't part of the choice program. So kids who get stuck with that neighborhood program are not well served. It should be completely one program -- either choice or neighborhood. The combination does not seem to work well.

+1

When we toured Drew a couple years ago, there was one fourth grade class on the "traditional" side, and it was small to boot. I just could not credit that my child in the traditional program would get the same level of attention, resources, whatever as a child in the Montessori program. I think a PP upthread noted that his/her tour didn't even cover the traditional program.

We are in the Montessori (I also posted upthread) and happy with it so will likely stick with it until our two younger go through the primary years at least. But we are zoned for Drew and as of this moment I would have no problem putting my kids in the new Drew starting in 2019 after it has been rezoned and is a full and unified school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does that work exactly?
If you send your kid to a school with over 59% farms, you get a tax break?
Is that even legal?

If it were set up by HHI to qualify for the tax break, then it would be legal. E.g., any family with an HHI above $350k who sends there kids to a school that has FARMS higher than 50%, gets a 50% deduction in state taxes. And then the higher the Farms, the more of a break you get, e.g., 75% farms = 75% reduction in state taxes. Arlington must ncentivize the poors to leave the county (e.g., pay them to leave and never return, institute a poors tax) or incentivize high income families to send their kids to school with the poors. This is the only way the situation will improve.

A “poors tax”?
Come on. People have very real concerns and grievances here. Leave the hyperbole and satire elsewhere.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It all comes back to concentrated AH. The longer I live in S Arlington the more convinced I am of this. And it doesn’t look like it’s going to change soon.

Of course it’s concentrated AH. The demographics totally suck, and some of these schools have such an overwhelming amount of shitty housing zoned to them, there is no way to balance enrollment with the meager handful of sfh’s zoned to the school.
Randolph has something like over 3,000 low income apts to its 800 sfh’s. 3,000 apts with a new crop of families every year. No way to balance that as things are.
Tax break? It wouldn’t be enough - if it were legal.
They need a choice program in those schools ( ironic that Drew is dying to get rid of theirs), but that’s what
It will take. Promise those families a school within the school.

The problem with Drew is that they have tried to combine a "choice" program plus a fairly small amount of neighborhood seats that aren't part of the choice program. So kids who get stuck with that neighborhood program are not well served. It should be completely one program -- either choice or neighborhood. The combination does not seem to work well.

Anonymous wrote:How does that work exactly?
If you send your kid to a school with over 59% farms, you get a tax break?
Is that even legal?

If it were set up by HHI to qualify for the tax break, then it would be legal. E.g., any family with an HHI above $350k who sends there kids to a school that has FARMS higher than 50%, gets a 50% deduction in state taxes. And then the higher the Farms, the more of a break you get, e.g., 75% farms = 75% reduction in state taxes. Arlington must ncentivize the poors to leave the county (e.g., pay them to leave and never return, institute a poors tax) or incentivize high income families to send their kids to school with the poors. This is the only way the situation will improve.

Anonymous wrote:It all comes back to concentrated AH. The longer I live in S Arlington the more convinced I am of this. And it doesn’t look like it’s going to change soon.

Of course it’s concentrated AH. The demographics totally suck, and some of these schools have such an overwhelming amount of shitty housing zoned to them, there is no way to balance enrollment with the meager handful of sfh’s zoned to the school.
Randolph has something like over 3,000 low income apts to its 800 sfh’s. 3,000 apts with a new crop of families every year. No way to balance that as things are.
Tax break? It wouldn’t be enough - if it were legal.
They need a choice program in those schools ( ironic that Drew is dying to get rid of theirs), but that’s what
It will take. Promise those families a school within the school.

It all comes back to concentrated AH. The longer I live in S Arlington the more convinced I am of this. And it doesn’t look like it’s going to change soon.

How does that work exactly?
If you send your kid to a school with over 59% farms, you get a tax break?
Is that even legal?

Let's cut to the chase - APS needs to incentivize upper middle class and weathy whites and Asians to move to South A for the schools to improve. As parent of 2'in Hoffman Boston, I welcome any such families. The county should consider giving these families a tax break if they move to South A and send kids to pubic school there.

Anonymous wrote:I know I'll get flamed but there is a difference in the type of families that move to HB, Henry areas than Abbingdon. Lots of Asians, East Asians, Mongolians in Henry and HB area. I live in Henry district and see them at the park. Talking to the parents they say they moved specifically into these districts for the diversity and high ranked elementary schools. These families may stay or may move to different apartments for middle school, high school. They are not the families clustered around the west end of the pike.

PP whose kids go to Hoffman Boston here. Yes, there are a ton of Mongolians at our school. They don't seem to speak much English, but they are able to actively participate in PTA meetings because the school provides an in-house Mongolian interpreter. The interpreter actually went back to Mongolia over the summer and brought back a bunch of books for the library's collection, as they encourage kids to become literate in their native language. It's a very diverse and supportive environment.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the percentage of disadvantaged students in south Arlington?
All of APS is something like 36%. What is the percentage south of 50?

South
Abingdon 47%
Barcroft 60%
Campbell 54%
Henry 32%
Hoffman Boston 49%
Carlin Springs 83%
Oakridge 25%
Randolph 74%

North
Ashlawn 19%
Barrett 62%
Discovery 4%
Long Branch 35%
Glebe 18%
Jamestown 4%
McKinley 9%
Nottingham 3%
Taylor 4%
Tuckahoe 2%

Choice
Claremont 62%
Drew 52%
ATS 26%
Key 41%
Science Focus 23%

Corrected

Campbell is a choice school.

Are you pulling some of these numbers out of your head? The percentage of students who receive free/reduced meals at Claremont is 37%, not 62.

https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/FREE-REDUCED-OCTOBER-31-2017.pdf

I am glad you corrected this. My kid goes to Claremont I kept thinking I have been to his class and met pretty much all the folks and everyone is UMC. I was shocked it was at 62%!

62% is the Barrett number, right above Claremont in the list. Typo.

I bought my house specifically because it’s currently zoned for Henry. I’m not that worried either way but I just hope the Board makes smart choices.

Like others, I am not an affordable housing proponent having lived in Arlington for 10 years. I agree that it is completely misrepresented as an idea and it’s causing too many problems for APS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the percentage of disadvantaged students in south Arlington?
All of APS is something like 36%. What is the percentage south of 50?

South
Abingdon 47%
Barcroft 60%
Campbell 54%
Henry 32%
Hoffman Boston 49%
Carlin Springs 83%
Oakridge 25%
Randolph 74%

North
Ashlawn 19%
Barrett 62%
Discovery 4%
Long Branch 35%
Glebe 18%
Jamestown 4%
McKinley 9%
Nottingham 3%
Taylor 4%
Tuckahoe 2%

Choice
Claremont 62%
Drew 52%
ATS 26%
Key 41%
Science Focus 23%

Corrected

Campbell is a choice school.

Are you pulling some of these numbers out of your head? The percentage of students who receive free/reduced meals at Claremont is 37%, not 62.

https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/FREE-REDUCED-OCTOBER-31-2017.pdf

I am glad you corrected this. My kid goes to Claremont I kept thinking I have been to his class and met pretty much all the folks and everyone is UMC. I was shocked it was at 62%!

I know I'll get flamed but there is a difference in the type of families that move to HB, Henry areas than Abbingdon. Lots of Asians, East Asians, Mongolians in Henry and HB area. I live in Henry district and see them at the park. Talking to the parents they say they moved specifically into these districts for the diversity and high ranked elementary schools. These families may stay or may move to different apartments for middle school, high school. They are not the families clustered around the west end of the pike.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is the percentage of disadvantaged students in south Arlington?
All of APS is something like 36%. What is the percentage south of 50?

South
Abingdon 47%
Barcroft 60%
Campbell 54%
Henry 32%
Hoffman Boston 49%
Carlin Springs 83%
Oakridge 25%
Randolph 74%

North
Ashlawn 19%
Barrett 62%
Discovery 4%
Long Branch 35%
Glebe 18%
Jamestown 4%
McKinley 9%
Nottingham 3%
Taylor 4%
Tuckahoe 2%

Choice
Claremont 62%
Drew 52%
ATS 26%
Key 41%
Science Focus 23%

Corrected

Campbell is a choice school.

Are you pulling some of these numbers out of your head? The percentage of students who receive free/reduced meals at Claremont is 37%, not 62.

https://www.apsva.us/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/FREE-REDUCED-OCTOBER-31-2017.pdf