Jefferson-Houston School for Arts and Academics
In February, the School Board's Facilities Committee heard public input on the current Jefferson-Houston physical plant. The consensus was that a school should remain on the current site, but several issues and suggestions for improvement were discussed. The ACPS staff was asked to respond with a series of options, including renovation of the existing building, construction of a new school and demolition of the existing building, and the possible incorporation of central office functions on the current site.View the options at http://www.acps.k12.va.us/news2007/nr20070427a_jh.pdf (334K PDF).
The Growler isn't so sure there really was an overwhelming consensus to keep the school in place, but let's not quibble. We know ACPS and the School Board need a Jefferson-Houston where it's at.
So with these options on the table, what do readers think?
23 comments:
How about Option 6: start making ACPS equally integrated by not concentrating all the poor kids at JH and GW, which just happen to be (as if by magic) the two unaccredited schools in Alexandria.
Oh I forgot, that option is off the table because the "consensus" is really just whatever the local NAACP, ARHA and local black leaders think, not what the neighborhood thinks.
Whoa, pardner, you are barking up the wrong tree on this one.
First, the kids at Adkins go to Maury School in Rosemont. Homeowners there took the time and effort to rally behind the school and work to raise test scores. It apparently can be done. Why hasn't it happened to JHAA?
Second, the 1999 redistricting that concentrated disadvantaged kids at Jefferson-Houston is the handiwork of white leaders like current School Board member Claire Eberwein. Go and pee on their legs for awhile.
The children from both Adkins and Bland attend Maury.
"JH and GW, which just happen to be (as if by magic) the two unaccredited schools in Alexandria.
"
So if the Adkins kids go to Maury, why are JH and GW the two unaccredited schools in the system?
Second, if what you say is true about Eberwein, then why arent Joyce and Alfred and Melvin and all the others complaining about that, instead of spending all their time fighting for who knows what they fight for......
I am not saying that local black leadership set the consensus to keep poor kids at JH and GW. I am saying that they seem to have no interest in fighting against this.
I am also puzzled how in supposedly vibrant and diverse Alexandria, diversity seems to be on the terms set by certain special interests.
Reckon the option picked depends on the money available. I can't imagine a better investment than improving this school. If the school is unaccredited now, these kids should get all the help we can give them.
Growler, thank you for keeping us posted on the school situation.
And a pox on those elected people who wound up hurting the kids they were supposed to help.
"So if the Adkins kids go to Maury, why are JH and GW the two unaccredited schools in the system?"
It seems that you are making the assumption that poor kids cause a school to be unaccredited, or dont want to learn. I admit to the fact that many of the kids I see around PG dont appear like they give a darn about school, but thats a reach to say kids from "adkins and Bland" cause a school to become a problem. The public housing overconcentration is a separate issue from JH.
I am not saying that poor kids cause a school to be unaccredited.
I am saying that if the children from Bland and Adkins go to Maury, and Maury is accredited, then what exactly is JH leadership's excuse then?
JH leaders and ACPS seem to use the excuse that it has all the special need and poor kids to take care of, and is why JH is not accredited. What special need kids are they referring to, if the extermely poor students who live in the AHRA projects dont go there? What other special need children live in our neighborhood?
If that is not true, then why cant JH become accredited like everyone else in the ACPS system?
I am getting frustrated with this whole saga because it seems ACPS administrators think building redesigns can fix JH problems. Just like ACPS thinks more and more money is needed to help them with their problems.
Then of course, when the City turns around and says, because of our undiversified tax base and other social service needs, we dont have that money, people like Mimi Carter and Rebecca Perry and David Englin complain and say we need to "do it for the kids". I dont see any of these so-called leaders calling out the City and asking them why they cant develop a more diversified and wealthier tax base.
"The public housing overconcentration is a separate issue from JH."
Finally someone speaks intelligently.
if you all are so pissed off about JH, then just send your kids to a private school, or dont have children.
I dont see the chance of many children moving in to PG in this latest condo invasion. So who the heck cares? They have been trying to fix JH for a while now and it leads nowhere.
Its funny you mentioned money. According to the Examiner, we are going to need to come up with over 15 million in bailout money from the tax credit application debacle.
Housing projects score poorly in bid for state funds
Maria Hegstad, The Examiner
Alexandria - Affordable housing projects planned for Alexandria locations at Glebe Park, Arbelo Apartments and Potomac Yard suffered setbacks upon learning they likely won’t receive state funding.
Developers had sought funding from the low income housing tax credit program, administered by a Richmond office.
The program provides tax credits that developers or communities can sell to fund their public housing projects. The projects’ scores are preliminary, and could change in the next two weeks. But it does not seem likely that they will receive funding this year.
The Glebe Park and Potomac Yard projects scored the lowest of applications from Northern Virginia. The Arbelo Apartments were disqualified.
Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority submitted a $3.7 million application to renovate 12 units and build 28 new ones on Old Dominion Boulevard.
The apartments were built in 1945, and more than half are uninhabitable because of mold.
Glebe Park’s application had complications with its zoning, said Jim Chandler, director of the tax credit program at Virginia Housing Development Authority. The VHDA awards the tax credits.
ARHA had hoped to begin construction by the end of 2007. Now, its staff is trying to figure out what to do, chairman Melvin Miller said.
Developers working on the two other projects are doing the same. RPJ Housing, a nonprofit developer, bought the Arbelo Apartments, at 831 and 833 Bashford Lane last June. RPJ’s plan was to renovate its 34 apartments for affordable housing, using $3.5 million from the state program.
The project was disqualified because the loan RPJ proposed to match the state funding was “not financially viable,” Chandler said.
RPJ Executive Director Herb Cooper-Levy said he is continuing to talk with state officials.
Otherwise, he’ll have to scale back on renovations — a cheaper roof or less extensive electrical upgrades — and reapply next year.
Potomac Yard developers applied for $10.3 million from the program. The project, 64 apartments built atop a new fire station, was deemed too expensive, Chandler said.
That project cannot wait until next year because of deadlines with the rest of Potomac Yard construction, said Alexandria Housing Division Chief Mildrilyn Davis.
“We all need to regroup,” she said.
You all do know that from what I understand JH is a center for Special Ed (if not THE center) for the City. I was told that Special ed kids are bused from around the city to JH. I believe in many cases, these kids are tested, therefore, their scores are included in the test scores for the school, thus lower scores. If you visit the school, or even their website, you'll see that there are dev. disabled and learning disabled classes.
My son goes to JH and I couldn't care less if the school's test scores are low (particularly if I think they are impacted by the special ed kids in the school). I care what kind of education he gets. There was a great article in the Post recently that cited some research about how kids aren't impacted by a school's scores, but by their own homelife.
I think the professional's at the school are excellent. It takes a community to pull a school together, as they did with Maury.
The Growler believes that John Adams School is also a center for special ed, specializing in children with autism.
Click on this link to see the agenda and questions from the last ACPS meeting on special education:
http://tinyurl.com/3yrzl6
"if you all are so pissed off about JH, then just send your kids to a private school, or dont have children."
Some people want children but are physically unable to have them. Others have them but are unable to financially provide especially a private school. So whose child bit your butt? Bitterness has no place here.
My son is at JHAA. The school is neither as terrible as some people in the neighborhood (who don't have kids there) think, nor as good as the school board likes to pretend it is.
So what's the difference between JHAA and Maury, given that they both serve a significant number of very poor kids? Two crucial things:
1) Maury now has an experienced principal, one of the best in the system. JHAA is now on its 5th principal in 6 years. Ms. Graves is in her first year of being a principal.
2) Maury serves a geographically compact district. So a group of middle class families felt a sense of ownership over it, and made a decision to send their kids to it and bet involved. JHAA's district is scattered, and many of the families live physically closer to Maury or Mt Vernon than to JHAA. So it's easier for them to opt-out than to fight the system.
"It takes a community to pull a school together, as they did with Maury.
"
wake me up when you have a community like that one. Parker Gray continues to be defined by the Spa Court and Bland. and the new condo invasion plan wont help.
"So whose child bit your butt? Bitterness has no place here. "
not bitter just laughing about the complaints. If JH is so bad sue ACPS and the City. If ARHA is so bad, sue them and the City.
All we get is whining with no action. Like Patricia and her cast iron trash cans. You think Euille wants to be sued by pissed off residents fed up with North PG thug life? You think Rebecca and her merry band want to be sued for stuffing all the special kids in one location?
No
But you just sit here and whine on this board (which accomplishes nothing), blame Lofties (which tears the community apart), and send emails to the Council and ARHA and the police (which promptly get deleted or replied to with form letters)
If the discrimination and maltreatment is as bad as you all seem to say on here, file some lawsuits, burn some tires, fire some gunshots in the air, go on strike, make some commotion on community TV.
DO SOMETHING.
"If the discrimination and maltreatment is as bad as you all seem to say on here, file some lawsuits."
On what grounds would we sue, legal eagle?
"wake me up when you have a community like that one. Parker Gray continues to be defined by the Spa Court and Bland."
Yet no one seemed to respond to the blogger that quoted that the barbershop aka: Spa Court will be closing soon. It seems that this is not news worthy because it will be one less thing the negative people have to complain about.
"On what grounds would we sue, legal eagle? "
On what grounds is the City spending your tax dollars to sue Mirant? On what grounds did Cameron Station cause a ruckus for Virginia Paving?
Apparently you didnt read the blogger's reference to the City of Oakland suing its own housing authority for conditions in its projects.
"Yet no one seemed to respond to the blogger that quoted that the barbershop aka: Spa Court will be closing soon. It seems that this is not news worthy because it will be one less thing the negative people have to complain about. "
No one responds because we are resigned to the fact we could get a carryout or liquor store there, and what would that do?
"Yet no one seemed to respond to the blogger that quoted that the barbershop aka: Spa Court will be closing soon. It seems that this is not news worthy because it will be one less thing the negative people have to complain about."
"No one responds because we are resigned to the fact we could get a carryout or liquor store there, and what would that do?"
The bitching on this blog does get wearisome. But so does the fact that often the dialogue has nothing to do with the topic at hand, in this case Jefferson Houston School.
If the city's various elementary schools all or most have excess classroom capacity why not just close Jefferson Houston School and disperse the children to the schools white parents are opting to send their children to now? Who, white or black, would not want to send their child to one of those accredited schools?
Growler, if you want any debate to be meaningful you need to keep the respondents on point or at least circling the point.
"If the city's various elementary schools all or most have excess classroom capacity why not just close Jefferson Houston School and disperse the children to the schools white parents are opting to send their children to now? Who, white or black, would not want to send their child to one of those accredited schools?"
Because of the inherent NIMBYISM that many Alexandrians and some School Board members have. They dont want those JH kids at or near their school (regardless of merit or color).
Its like asking the question "why not close Adkins and Bland and distribute the residents to the areas white people are in now? Who, white or black, would not want to get out of one of the worst parts of Alexandria to live somewhere better, like Cameron Station or Rosemont"
Ask these 2 questions to:
1. The City Council
2. The School Board
3. The ARHA Board
and things about this area will become a lot clearer to you.
"Because of the inherent NIMBYISM that many Alexandrians and some School Board members have. They dont want those JH kids at or near their school (regardless of merit or color)."
Yours are the politics of de facto segregation and that is the stuff of class action law suits.
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