FCPS HS Boundary

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:All of the HS have AP or IB. I would guess that all of the schools have similar AP offerings, like US History, Bio, Chem, Calc AB, Calc BC, and the English ones. But some schools might have 1 or 2 sections while others have 4 or 5 sessions. And some schools might offer more of the elective APs, ok so they are all elective but not the core subjects, while others do not because they don’t have enough kids.

I am not a fan of the Academies. The classes are hard to attend if you are not a student at the base school. Why not have a vo-tech school where kids who want to learn a trade can attend. They take all their core classes and the classes for certification in the trade they are interested in.

Another way to put that is, some schools are good schools where smart kids can take a wide range of APs that challenge them. Other schools are bad schools that are forced to focus on remediation and leave smart kids with out options

What is the evidence that the smart kids at any FCPS high school - and there are smart kids at every school - don't have access to challenging AP or IB courses? It's actually the proposal (by posters here, not FCPS) to convert some of the schools with more poverty to primarily vocational/technical schools that would leave kids with academic aspirations with fewer options.

Compare the IB math offerings at MVHS to Marshall or South Lakes. Compare the AP offerings at Hayfield to Chantilly

There are still many IB math offerings at Mount Vernon and AP math offerings at Hayfield. The suggestion that "bad schools leave smart kids without options" is unfounded.

Do they have options? Is Analysis and Approaches HL 2 regularly offered at MVHS? Does Hayfield regularly offer multiple options for math after Calc BC? The better schools teach those classes every year. The bad schools list them, but then don't teach them

And Lewis doesn't have a baseball team. If there are not enough kids to warrant a resource, then it's unfortunate but thats reality. Is your suggestion that the boundaries need to be adjusted so that there are enough other kids to fill these classes so that the 4-8 kids interested/qualified get the same opportunity? Thats pretty ridiculous if so.

It's easier just to pay for a part time resource or give the qualified students the option and transportation to a neighboring school.

Lewis has a baseball team this year. It's just not good. On the other hand, its boys soccer team (12-0-1) is the best in the county this year.

Sports should not be a consideration at all.

Vastly different extra curricular opportunities, including sports, are one aspect of disfavored schools

then don’t have them. Have rec clubs that are separate from the schools do them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of the HS have AP or IB. I would guess that all of the schools have similar AP offerings, like US History, Bio, Chem, Calc AB, Calc BC, and the English ones. But some schools might have 1 or 2 sections while others have 4 or 5 sessions. And some schools might offer more of the elective APs, ok so they are all elective but not the core subjects, while others do not because they don’t have enough kids.

I am not a fan of the Academies. The classes are hard to attend if you are not a student at the base school. Why not have a vo-tech school where kids who want to learn a trade can attend. They take all their core classes and the classes for certification in the trade they are interested in.

Another way to put that is, some schools are good schools where smart kids can take a wide range of APs that challenge them. Other schools are bad schools that are forced to focus on remediation and leave smart kids with out options

What is the evidence that the smart kids at any FCPS high school - and there are smart kids at every school - don't have access to challenging AP or IB courses? It's actually the proposal (by posters here, not FCPS) to convert some of the schools with more poverty to primarily vocational/technical schools that would leave kids with academic aspirations with fewer options.

Compare the IB math offerings at MVHS to Marshall or South Lakes. Compare the AP offerings at Hayfield to Chantilly

There are still many IB math offerings at Mount Vernon and AP math offerings at Hayfield. The suggestion that "bad schools leave smart kids without options" is unfounded.

Do they have options? Is Analysis and Approaches HL 2 regularly offered at MVHS? Does Hayfield regularly offer multiple options for math after Calc BC? The better schools teach those classes every year. The bad schools list them, but then don't teach them

And Lewis doesn't have a baseball team. If there are not enough kids to warrant a resource, then it's unfortunate but thats reality. Is your suggestion that the boundaries need to be adjusted so that there are enough other kids to fill these classes so that the 4-8 kids interested/qualified get the same opportunity? Thats pretty ridiculous if so.

It's easier just to pay for a part time resource or give the qualified students the option and transportation to a neighboring school.

Lewis has a baseball team this year. It's just not good. On the other hand, its boys soccer team (12-0-1) is the best in the county this year.

Sports should not be a consideration at all.

Vastly different extra curricular opportunities, including sports, are one aspect of disfavored schools

then don’t have them. Have rec clubs that are separate from the schools do them.

DP. Your ideas are terrible and won't fly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of the HS have AP or IB. I would guess that all of the schools have similar AP offerings, like US History, Bio, Chem, Calc AB, Calc BC, and the English ones. But some schools might have 1 or 2 sections while others have 4 or 5 sessions. And some schools might offer more of the elective APs, ok so they are all elective but not the core subjects, while others do not because they don’t have enough kids.

I am not a fan of the Academies. The classes are hard to attend if you are not a student at the base school. Why not have a vo-tech school where kids who want to learn a trade can attend. They take all their core classes and the classes for certification in the trade they are interested in.

Another way to put that is, some schools are good schools where smart kids can take a wide range of APs that challenge them. Other schools are bad schools that are forced to focus on remediation and leave smart kids with out options

What is the evidence that the smart kids at any FCPS high school - and there are smart kids at every school - don't have access to challenging AP or IB courses? It's actually the proposal (by posters here, not FCPS) to convert some of the schools with more poverty to primarily vocational/technical schools that would leave kids with academic aspirations with fewer options.

Compare the IB math offerings at MVHS to Marshall or South Lakes. Compare the AP offerings at Hayfield to Chantilly

There are still many IB math offerings at Mount Vernon and AP math offerings at Hayfield. The suggestion that "bad schools leave smart kids without options" is unfounded.

Do they have options? Is Analysis and Approaches HL 2 regularly offered at MVHS? Does Hayfield regularly offer multiple options for math after Calc BC? The better schools teach those classes every year. The bad schools list them, but then don't teach them

And Lewis doesn't have a baseball team. If there are not enough kids to warrant a resource, then it's unfortunate but thats reality. Is your suggestion that the boundaries need to be adjusted so that there are enough other kids to fill these classes so that the 4-8 kids interested/qualified get the same opportunity? Thats pretty ridiculous if so.

It's easier just to pay for a part time resource or give the qualified students the option and transportation to a neighboring school.

Lewis has a baseball team this year. It's just not good. On the other hand, its boys soccer team (12-0-1) is the best in the county this year.

Sports should not be a consideration at all.

Vastly different extra curricular opportunities, including sports, are one aspect of disfavored schools

then don’t have them. Have rec clubs that are separate from the schools do them.

So your solution to certain schools having less is leaving it up to local rec organizations and further exacerbating the differences?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of the HS have AP or IB. I would guess that all of the schools have similar AP offerings, like US History, Bio, Chem, Calc AB, Calc BC, and the English ones. But some schools might have 1 or 2 sections while others have 4 or 5 sessions. And some schools might offer more of the elective APs, ok so they are all elective but not the core subjects, while others do not because they don’t have enough kids.

I am not a fan of the Academies. The classes are hard to attend if you are not a student at the base school. Why not have a vo-tech school where kids who want to learn a trade can attend. They take all their core classes and the classes for certification in the trade they are interested in.

Another way to put that is, some schools are good schools where smart kids can take a wide range of APs that challenge them. Other schools are bad schools that are forced to focus on remediation and leave smart kids with out options

What is the evidence that the smart kids at any FCPS high school - and there are smart kids at every school - don't have access to challenging AP or IB courses? It's actually the proposal (by posters here, not FCPS) to convert some of the schools with more poverty to primarily vocational/technical schools that would leave kids with academic aspirations with fewer options.

Compare the IB math offerings at MVHS to Marshall or South Lakes. Compare the AP offerings at Hayfield to Chantilly

There are still many IB math offerings at Mount Vernon and AP math offerings at Hayfield. The suggestion that "bad schools leave smart kids without options" is unfounded.

Do they have options? Is Analysis and Approaches HL 2 regularly offered at MVHS? Does Hayfield regularly offer multiple options for math after Calc BC? The better schools teach those classes every year. The bad schools list them, but then don't teach them

And Lewis doesn't have a baseball team. If there are not enough kids to warrant a resource, then it's unfortunate but thats reality. Is your suggestion that the boundaries need to be adjusted so that there are enough other kids to fill these classes so that the 4-8 kids interested/qualified get the same opportunity? Thats pretty ridiculous if so.

It's easier just to pay for a part time resource or give the qualified students the option and transportation to a neighboring school.

Lewis has a baseball team this year. It's just not good. On the other hand, its boys soccer team (12-0-1) is the best in the county this year.

Sports should not be a consideration at all.

Vastly different extra curricular opportunities, including sports, are one aspect of disfavored schools

then don’t have them. Have rec clubs that are separate from the schools do them.

So your solution to certain schools having less is leaving it up to local rec organizations and further exacerbating the differences?

Sports should not be part of schools. Schools are for academics. Have an exercise and health class but we don’t need afterschool sports that are part of the schools. They should be separate. Sports have skewed schools at every level in this country and are superfluous to education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of the HS have AP or IB. I would guess that all of the schools have similar AP offerings, like US History, Bio, Chem, Calc AB, Calc BC, and the English ones. But some schools might have 1 or 2 sections while others have 4 or 5 sessions. And some schools might offer more of the elective APs, ok so they are all elective but not the core subjects, while others do not because they don’t have enough kids.

I am not a fan of the Academies. The classes are hard to attend if you are not a student at the base school. Why not have a vo-tech school where kids who want to learn a trade can attend. They take all their core classes and the classes for certification in the trade they are interested in.

Another way to put that is, some schools are good schools where smart kids can take a wide range of APs that challenge them. Other schools are bad schools that are forced to focus on remediation and leave smart kids with out options

What is the evidence that the smart kids at any FCPS high school - and there are smart kids at every school - don't have access to challenging AP or IB courses? It's actually the proposal (by posters here, not FCPS) to convert some of the schools with more poverty to primarily vocational/technical schools that would leave kids with academic aspirations with fewer options.

Compare the IB math offerings at MVHS to Marshall or South Lakes. Compare the AP offerings at Hayfield to Chantilly

There are still many IB math offerings at Mount Vernon and AP math offerings at Hayfield. The suggestion that "bad schools leave smart kids without options" is unfounded.

Do they have options? Is Analysis and Approaches HL 2 regularly offered at MVHS? Does Hayfield regularly offer multiple options for math after Calc BC? The better schools teach those classes every year. The bad schools list them, but then don't teach them

And Lewis doesn't have a baseball team. If there are not enough kids to warrant a resource, then it's unfortunate but thats reality. Is your suggestion that the boundaries need to be adjusted so that there are enough other kids to fill these classes so that the 4-8 kids interested/qualified get the same opportunity? Thats pretty ridiculous if so.

It's easier just to pay for a part time resource or give the qualified students the option and transportation to a neighboring school.

Lewis has a baseball team this year. It's just not good. On the other hand, its boys soccer team (12-0-1) is the best in the county this year.

Sports should not be a consideration at all.

Vastly different extra curricular opportunities, including sports, are one aspect of disfavored schools

then don’t have them. Have rec clubs that are separate from the schools do them.

So your solution to certain schools having less is leaving it up to local rec organizations and further exacerbating the differences?

Sports should not be part of schools. Schools are for academics. Have an exercise and health class but we don’t need afterschool sports that are part of the schools. They should be separate. Sports have skewed schools at every level in this country and are superfluous to education.

FCPS isn't going to discontinue sports or other extra-curricular activities (band, theatre, chorus), any more than Catholic schools are going to dispense with religious instruction, but you can send your kid to BASIS McLean or some other private that focuses exclusively on getting kids to get 5s on at least five AP tests. Otherwise you're not adding much to this thread by repeating your dislike of sports in public schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FCPS isn't going to discontinue sports or other extra-curricular activities (band, theatre, chorus), any more than Catholic schools are going to dispense with religious instruction, but you can send your kid to BASIS McLean or some other private that focuses exclusively on getting kids to get 5s on at least five AP tests. Otherwise you're not adding much to this thread by repeating your dislike of sports in public schools.

Not the same poster, but "if you want your kids to get an actual education you need to send them to private because public school kids need to learn to play games" isn't really a great position.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS isn't going to discontinue sports or other extra-curricular activities (band, theatre, chorus), any more than Catholic schools are going to dispense with religious instruction, but you can send your kid to BASIS McLean or some other private that focuses exclusively on getting kids to get 5s on at least five AP tests. Otherwise you're not adding much to this thread by repeating your dislike of sports in public schools.

Not the same poster, but "if you want your kids to get an actual education you need to send them to private because public school kids need to learn to play games" isn't really a great position.

I know kids who are only making an effort in school because they have to have a C to stay on the football team. For some kids it is the external motivation that keeps them coming to school and doing their school work. Other countries might not have sports at school the way we do in the US but I think it is a good opportunity for kids. It provides a physical outlet and a social opportunity for kids whose parents might not be able to afford the gear and the fees to play a sport. The same goes for drama and the arts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS isn't going to discontinue sports or other extra-curricular activities (band, theatre, chorus), any more than Catholic schools are going to dispense with religious instruction, but you can send your kid to BASIS McLean or some other private that focuses exclusively on getting kids to get 5s on at least five AP tests. Otherwise you're not adding much to this thread by repeating your dislike of sports in public schools.

Not the same poster, but "if you want your kids to get an actual education you need to send them to private because public school kids need to learn to play games" isn't really a great position.

It's more than fine to send the gunners who want an intense, test prep-oriented atmosphere with no sports or other extra-curriculars for their kids off packing to factories like BASIS McLean.

[Anonymous]

See the attached for how school size impacts classes.

http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2015/jun/11/springfield-daventry-reassigned-lee-west-springfie/

From the article:

The primary difference is total student population at West Springfield. Mukai said eight and nine years ago it was at capacity, around 2,400 students. With declining graduating class sizes of late, enrollment for the 2015-2016 school year is projected to be around 2,100.

“It’s a challenge,” said Mukai. “It means you have fewer kids selecting classes and that’s how you staff a building.”

Currently, the principal said with the projected drop of around 125 students schoolwide for the 2015-2016 school year, nine teachers will be impacted -- receiving new assignments elsewhere in the county -- based on the formula of need determined by Fairfax County.

And though the addition of students from Daventry won’t make up for the loss, “Every student we add changes the ratio slightly,” said Mukai.

The West Springfield principal was happy to get additional students from Lee because it meant WS got to keep more teachers and classes. Of course, the flip side to that is that Lee was already smaller and already losing students - causing it to lose teachers and classes. This is but one way FCPS screwed Lee/Lewis. IB (and refusing to budge on this for years), liberal pupil placement, sending the Hunt Valley kids (the portion that went to Lee) to WS when there was no need to do so back in 2005 right at the same time Lee was being renovated and slightly expanded. They expanded Lee and then immediately moved kids out and it has never approached the renovated design capacity. They moved only wealthier neighborhoods to West Springfield.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:It has been something like 30 years since FCPS did a boundary study and reorg, it is needed. I understand that people don’t want to change schools, especially if they are going from a strong school to a school to a weaker school. That doesn’t mean that a boundary study isn’t needed.

There are over-enrolled schools and under-enrolled schools. Boundaries should be adjusted to use the space that we have.

That does not mean that boundaries should be drawn to balance FARMs rates. It does mean that there will be some adjustments because there are high FARMs schools that are under-enrolled near low FARMs schools that are close to capacity or at capacity. Langley is not going to have kids bussed from Lewis. Lewis is not going to have kids bussed from Langley.

I wold prefer that they handle the entire county at once then do the stupid school by school with ripple effects so that it is done with at one time. Then set periodic reviews every 10 years, or something like that.

I think this is also the time to drop IB and make every school AP. Maybe take the empty space in one of the under-enrolled schools and make an IB magnate school for the kids who really want it. You have to be willing to work towards the diploma to attend that magnate school. It would probably increase the number of kids working towards the diploma because they would all be together instead of small numbers at each of the IB schools.

Do you know why schools are under-enrolled? Because net student transfers out are in the hundreds. If you care about using available seats, rather than disrupt the whole system, just turn off the damn spigot.

The reason there is a spigot in the first place is because parents are bailing on failing schools. Why are the schools failing? It’s because FCPS has created a system of “good” (high SES) schools adjacent to “bad” (low SES) schools. The “bad” schools do not offer the same variety of classes, extracurriculars, or educational opportunities as the “good” schools right down the street. So, you think we should just make students stay in the “bad” schools because they happen to live just outside the “good” zone?

The county needs to do a county-wide reassessment of boundaries, which hasn’t been done in a very long time. It should include a comprehensive inventory of facilities, space, and programs offered at each school. Maybe it would conclude that some schools could be closed and consolidated to offer better economy of scale and similarity of course offerings. No county resident should have the idea that their school district is set in stone.

+1 If you can afford to live in a desirable pyramid, your kid doesn't deserve to attend a good high school.

What on earth does this mean?
DP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It has been something like 30 years since FCPS did a boundary study and reorg, it is needed. I understand that people don’t want to change schools, especially if they are going from a strong school to a school to a weaker school. That doesn’t mean that a boundary study isn’t needed.

There are over-enrolled schools and under-enrolled schools. Boundaries should be adjusted to use the space that we have.

That does not mean that boundaries should be drawn to balance FARMs rates. It does mean that there will be some adjustments because there are high FARMs schools that are under-enrolled near low FARMs schools that are close to capacity or at capacity. Langley is not going to have kids bussed from Lewis. Lewis is not going to have kids bussed from Langley.

I wold prefer that they handle the entire county at once then do the stupid school by school with ripple effects so that it is done with at one time. Then set periodic reviews every 10 years, or something like that.

I think this is also the time to drop IB and make every school AP. Maybe take the empty space in one of the under-enrolled schools and make an IB magnate school for the kids who really want it. You have to be willing to work towards the diploma to attend that magnate school. It would probably increase the number of kids working towards the diploma because they would all be together instead of small numbers at each of the IB schools.

Do you know why schools are under-enrolled? Because net student transfers out are in the hundreds. If you care about using available seats, rather than disrupt the whole system, just turn off the damn spigot.

The reason there is a spigot in the first place is because parents are bailing on failing schools. Why are the schools failing? It’s because FCPS has created a system of “good” (high SES) schools adjacent to “bad” (low SES) schools. The “bad” schools do not offer the same variety of classes, extracurriculars, or educational opportunities as the “good” schools right down the street. So, you think we should just make students stay in the “bad” schools because they happen to live just outside the “good” zone?

The county needs to do a county-wide reassessment of boundaries, which hasn’t been done in a very long time. It should include a comprehensive inventory of facilities, space, and programs offered at each school. Maybe it would conclude that some schools could be closed and consolidated to offer better economy of scale and similarity of course offerings. No county resident should have the idea that their school district is set in stone.

If I were a parent with young kids looking to buy an home in the DC area and read your last sentence, I would simply stop looking for a home in Fairfax County. Home buyers overwhelmingly buy their homes for the schools - it’s a fundamental truth.

Okay. So, go ahead and make that drive to work from Stafford or Loudoun or the exurbs. The reality is that Fairfax real estate is still in high demand because the jobs are here. Prices are higher here for a reason.

It’s cute that you think that ostracizing parents with young kids in our county would have little consequence for the county, just because demand for housing in the county is currently high.

You don’t even have to consider this as a hypothetical. Look on Redfin or Zillow at the housing values on the border between highly rated and lower rated schools. The difference between these neighbors is typically a couple hundred thousand dollars. There is a premium that buyers will pay for reliably good schools.

That is a private transaction between two parties making property deals. Not to be reductionist, and I know people like to believe they're entitled to what they *think* they're buying with a real estate purchase. But they're buying land in the end. Not entitlements to forevermore surgically segregated school buildings.

DP. You are quite possibly the only person who thinks like this. Houses are routinely advertised for sale with their school pyramids listed. Homebuyers absolutely take into account which schools their kids will go to if they buy a new home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:You are never going to have the same classes across all schools because you need to have enough students in each school to offer the class. I know we are looking at SLHS and wondering if the math options will be enough for a kid who is taking Algebra 1 in 7th grade. The IB program is less attractive to us because of how the math is structured and there are fewer STEM electives at SLHS than other schools in the area. SLHS has fewer kids entering with Algebra 1 in 7th grade, there is are fewer kids who are ready for more advanced math so there are fewer options.

And yes, high FARMs schools are going to have fewer kids who are ready for AP or IB classes in high school and so there are fewer class offerings and there are fewer higher level options offered. We are not going to be able to fix that. Dropping IB as a whole will keep more kids at their base school, which should increase the number of students who are in the AP program, allowing for more sections and more class offerings. But even with that, Langley is going to have different courses offered than SLHS.

Honestly, I am fine with that. The classes offered should meet the needs of the students. Offering Dual Enrollment options for kids who are further ahead in the higher FARMs schools can help with the class differences. If kids are staying at their base schools, then there will be more kids in the AP program and things will improve. But if a boundary adjustment and dropping IB means that there are more kids in the high FARMs schools that are participating in the AP program, then that is a good thing.

All of the parents I know at SLHS with kids in IB are pretty happy with the school. All the parents I know at Herndon with kids in the AP track are pretty happy. The schools will do better if the FARMs numbers drop, we saw SLHS improve when the Fox Mill kids were moved to SLHS and that did not add that many kids. I want to say Fox Mill has about 90 kids in each grade level, so adding in about 360 kids but the scores at SLHS jumped a good amount. The number of classes offered increased a good amount. It doesn’t match Langley or Chantilly but it is improved.

But the boundaries need to be updated, it has been too long and they are wonky. We all know that. The people on this board tend to be High SES so people feel like they have to most to lose and that is what we are hearing.

The boundaries don’t need to be updated, except in rare circumstances. We all know that. (See I can just categorically proclaim a universal truth too.)

Most SJW agitators on this board are just hoping for a small bump in their housing values at the expense of their neighbors.

The ripple effects are real. Move one group and now a different school os over or under crowded so you make adjustments there, rinse and repeat.

And I am tired of people who repeat the “Your school was remodeled” line. No one knows where they will end up. I sure as heck didn’t move into the pyramid that I am in because I thought the school was going to be renovated nor did I vote for the school to be renovated. A renovation did nothing to add the classes and programs that would benefit my kid and I am far more concerned about that.

And the “You want to bump your property value.” My property value has been growing quite nicely in my mid range school pyramid. I don’t need a boundary shift to change that fact. Believe it or not, not everyone is about driving up their property values.

You are picking at the same things with people because the best that you have is that you like your school and you don’t want your kid to move. And that is fine and valid but not a good reason for the county to not look at boundary adjustment. Your posts are dismissive because people don’t agree with you on a policy issue. You don’t want this to happen so you assume that the people who support the idea are all the same people and are all self centered.

Parroting the same response anytime someone disagrees with you does not strengthen your argument.

I don’t think that the boundaries need to be rejiggered in some weird way to balance FARMs rates across the county, we cannot do that. We have areas of the county that are poor and we have areas of the county that are well off and we have a lot in between. But we can readjust seats to fill schools with open seats instead of building additions to schools which cost millions of dollars.

Find a way to use that space, like an IB magnate school or a real vo-tech school or even a few vo-tech schools so that kids who don’t want to go to college have a place to go and learn a trade. Or shift boundaries county wide and see where we can shift the student population to use that space and save money on expansions.

“Parroting the same response anytime someone disagrees with you does not strengthen your argument.” Hey pot, I’m kettle, nice to meet you.

And you are addressing many different posters in your rant, not just one. Perhaps you’ll find a more receptive audience at the next tea party convention?

+1. Although I don't think she's a Tea Party type. She's a loyal Democrat who got hers and is happy to be a cheerleader for the new School Board.

You all are hilarious.

I get that McLean needs renovations and have been supportive of renovations.

I am opposed to all expansions when there are open seats around the county that we have not tried to use. I can’t change that others feel differently and fund all construction on the ballot, not my fault.

I would have preferred the Fox Mill kids not be moved from Oak Hill to SLHS but it happened. The kids are doing just fine. Academically they have fewer options, which I am not thrilled with. Most of the kids in the neighborhood are very happy at South Lakes. My friends whose kids transferred from Herndon to South Lakes are happy. My child will be fine if he attends South Lakes. He will be fine at any school he moves to be cause we are involved parents.

FCPS has not adjust boundaries in ages and it is long over due. It will be painful and disruptive and is going to upset a lot of people.

I don’t think they should gerrymander borders so that there is an even level of FARMs kids at all schools, that is not doable. But where there are borders that make sense to adjust, they should adjust.

If there are overcrowded schools after boundaries are redrawn, then expand those schools. I suspect that will not be an issue.

I know people who felt strongly about what high school they wanted their child to attend so they moved after MS. That was a choice they made. Most people stayed put and worked to improve SLHS.

But none of that matters to you because you are focused on one thing and one thing only. Anyone who has a different opinion is dismissed for whatever reason you think you can dismiss them. It doesn’t matter if people acknowledge that there are legit issues and concerns, they are wrong for thinking that it is still something that needs to happen.

I’m a DP. Remember how you literally just said: “Parroting the same response anytime someone disagrees with you does not strengthen your argument”?

Do you remember how you just said that like an hour ago? In this same thread? Not even trying to hide it. Like not even a little. Just going all in on it.

Hilarious.

+1
I'm a NP and I think I've read the PP's arguments many times over now. We get it, PPP. You do not have to continue writing your longwinded, repetitive posts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:See the attached for how school size impacts classes.

http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2015/jun/11/springfield-daventry-reassigned-lee-west-springfie/

From the article:

The primary difference is total student population at West Springfield. Mukai said eight and nine years ago it was at capacity, around 2,400 students. With declining graduating class sizes of late, enrollment for the 2015-2016 school year is projected to be around 2,100.

“It’s a challenge,” said Mukai. “It means you have fewer kids selecting classes and that’s how you staff a building.”

Currently, the principal said with the projected drop of around 125 students schoolwide for the 2015-2016 school year, nine teachers will be impacted -- receiving new assignments elsewhere in the county -- based on the formula of need determined by Fairfax County.

And though the addition of students from Daventry won’t make up for the loss, “Every student we add changes the ratio slightly,” said Mukai.

The West Springfield principal was happy to get additional students from Lee because it meant WS got to keep more teachers and classes. Of course, the flip side to that is that Lee was already smaller and already losing students - causing it to lose teachers and classes. This is but one way FCPS screwed Lee/Lewis. IB (and refusing to budge on this for years), liberal pupil placement, sending the Hunt Valley kids (the portion that went to Lee) to WS when there was no need to do so back in 2005 right at the same time Lee was being renovated and slightly expanded. They expanded Lee and then immediately moved kids out and it has never approached the renovated design capacity. They moved only wealthier neighborhoods to West Springfield.

Omg Saratoga mom.

Hunt Valley was rezoned nearly 2 decades ago, before the class of 2024 graduating seniors were even born.

They were rezoned because FCPS opened a brand new high school in Lorton, South County. Hunt Valley was not rezoned to screw over the Lee/Lewis kids.

Almost every single family with school aged children currently zoned for the Lewis pyramid purchased their house or moved into their rental after South County opened and Hunt Valley was rezoned.

Your continuously bringing up Hunt Valley getting rezoned 2 decades ago, years before the kids in that pyramid were even born, and blaming that decades old rezoning for Lewis' ranking, is just about one of the most ridiculous things continuously posted on the FCPS forum.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:All of the HS have AP or IB. I would guess that all of the schools have similar AP offerings, like US History, Bio, Chem, Calc AB, Calc BC, and the English ones. But some schools might have 1 or 2 sections while others have 4 or 5 sessions. And some schools might offer more of the elective APs, ok so they are all elective but not the core subjects, while others do not because they don’t have enough kids.

I am not a fan of the Academies. The classes are hard to attend if you are not a student at the base school. Why not have a vo-tech school where kids who want to learn a trade can attend. They take all their core classes and the classes for certification in the trade they are interested in.

Another way to put that is, some schools are good schools where smart kids can take a wide range of APs that challenge them. Other schools are bad schools that are forced to focus on remediation and leave smart kids with out options

What is the evidence that the smart kids at any FCPS high school - and there are smart kids at every school - don't have access to challenging AP or IB courses? It's actually the proposal (by posters here, not FCPS) to convert some of the schools with more poverty to primarily vocational/technical schools that would leave kids with academic aspirations with fewer options.

Compare the IB math offerings at MVHS to Marshall or South Lakes. Compare the AP offerings at Hayfield to Chantilly

There are still many IB math offerings at Mount Vernon and AP math offerings at Hayfield. The suggestion that "bad schools leave smart kids without options" is unfounded.

Do they have options? Is Analysis and Approaches HL 2 regularly offered at MVHS? Does Hayfield regularly offer multiple options for math after Calc BC? The better schools teach those classes every year. The bad schools list them, but then don't teach them

And Lewis doesn't have a baseball team. If there are not enough kids to warrant a resource, then it's unfortunate but thats reality. Is your suggestion that the boundaries need to be adjusted so that there are enough other kids to fill these classes so that the 4-8 kids interested/qualified get the same opportunity? Thats pretty ridiculous if so.

It's easier just to pay for a part time resource or give the qualified students the option and transportation to a neighboring school.

Lewis has a baseball team this year. It's just not good. On the other hand, its boys soccer team (12-0-1) is the best in the county this year.

Sports should not be a consideration at all.

Vastly different extra curricular opportunities, including sports, are one aspect of disfavored schools

then don’t have them. Have rec clubs that are separate from the schools do them.

So your solution to certain schools having less is leaving it up to local rec organizations and further exacerbating the differences?

Sports should not be part of schools. Schools are for academics. Have an exercise and health class but we don’t need afterschool sports that are part of the schools. They should be separate. Sports have skewed schools at every level in this country and are superfluous to education.

American schools have had athletics from the very beginning. They have also had extra curriculars from the beginning. We have always viewed schools as more than just academics. You stating that schools are for academics is just plain wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:See the attached for how school size impacts classes.

http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2015/jun/11/springfield-daventry-reassigned-lee-west-springfie/

From the article:

The primary difference is total student population at West Springfield. Mukai said eight and nine years ago it was at capacity, around 2,400 students. With declining graduating class sizes of late, enrollment for the 2015-2016 school year is projected to be around 2,100.

“It’s a challenge,” said Mukai. “It means you have fewer kids selecting classes and that’s how you staff a building.”

Currently, the principal said with the projected drop of around 125 students schoolwide for the 2015-2016 school year, nine teachers will be impacted -- receiving new assignments elsewhere in the county -- based on the formula of need determined by Fairfax County.

And though the addition of students from Daventry won’t make up for the loss, “Every student we add changes the ratio slightly,” said Mukai.

The West Springfield principal was happy to get additional students from Lee because it meant WS got to keep more teachers and classes. Of course, the flip side to that is that Lee was already smaller and already losing students - causing it to lose teachers and classes. This is but one way FCPS screwed Lee/Lewis. IB (and refusing to budge on this for years), liberal pupil placement, sending the Hunt Valley kids (the portion that went to Lee) to WS when there was no need to do so back in 2005 right at the same time Lee was being renovated and slightly expanded. They expanded Lee and then immediately moved kids out and it has never approached the renovated design capacity. They moved only wealthier neighborhoods to West Springfield.

Omg Saratoga mom.

Hunt Valley was rezoned nearly 2 decades ago, before the class of 2024 graduating seniors were even born.

They were rezoned because FCPS opened a brand new high school in Lorton, South County. Hunt Valley was not rezoned to screw over the Lee/Lewis kids.

Almost every single family with school aged children currently zoned for the Lewis pyramid purchased their house or moved into their rental after South County opened and Hunt Valley was rezoned.

Your continuously bringing up Hunt Valley getting rezoned 2 decades ago, years before the kids in that pyramid were even born, and blaming that decades old rezoning for Lewis' ranking, is just about one of the most ridiculous things continuously posted on the FCPS forum.

Why would opening South County necessitate moving kids from a smaller school to a larger school? If anything it seems like it would have reinforced the need to make sure Lewis retained enough kids. I thought Hayfield was the school affected the most when South County opened.