TJ admissions now verifying free and reduced price meal status for successful 2026 applicants

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So much drama. Even so, the number of applications to TJ for the Class of 2026 from Carson alone was greater than the combined total from the county's six poorest middle schools (Glasgow, Herndon, Holmes, Key, Poe, and Whitman). And the number of applicants from both Carson and each of the six other schools declined from the number of applicants for the Class of 2025.

Maybe FCPS was able to generate more interest in TJ the first year after the admissions changes, but it wasn't sustained this year. It seems like the reaction to the greater subjectivity and random quality of TJ admissions was a bit of a "Yeah, no thanks."

Btw, Carson is predominantly AAP i.e, at least 2/3rd (about 500/grade) student population is AAP representing wide range of kids that belong to Oakton, Chantilly, Westfields, SouthLakes and Herndon (?) HS pyramids. It is totally unfair to pool all these kids under single middle school by using the attending middle school based quota. I am pretty sure FCPS is aware of it and they did it deliberately to hurt AAP students where asians are over represented. I have written many emails, voiced this exact concern during the town halls and gotten zero response. I wish the quotas were based on school pyramid instead.

Vote for Rep. I have never been so disappointed with Dem.

We already did in last gov election and it was the first time we voted republican. Many of neighbors, friends are equally angry, though not quite as vocal as I am. Some republicans did very active campaign in whats app parent groups (couple of which I am part of) and I believe they are largely successful. The worst part of quite a few of these parents (many are asians), including us, are generally very liberal in all the areas, but at the same time value kids education over pretty much anything else. Whether my kids will get accepted into TJ or not, but I would like for my kid and all the other kids attending the AAP centers to have a fair chance like rest of the kids. Please don't say that I have an option to move my kid to base school - If thats your answer, please just kill AAP centers all together as I am not just talking about my kid.

Hope you don’t have a daughter. There are some things more important than AAP that the Republicans will destroy.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Getting back to the original post…

I hope the people who lied are kicked out!

I can’t believe the thread has turned into what the schools have done wrong, when it’s actually about parents who lied about being poor.

we need some leadership here. all I see is a bunch of squabbling idiots.

Leadership here on DCUM? I think you're missing the point...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Getting back to the original post…

I hope the people who lied are kicked out!

I can’t believe the thread has turned into what the schools have done wrong, when it’s actually about parents who lied about being poor.

Agree.

For a long time, I've said that it's unethical to misrepresent your family situation. Hope they are consequences for families who think they can game the system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So much drama. Even so, the number of applications to TJ for the Class of 2026 from Carson alone was greater than the combined total from the county's six poorest middle schools (Glasgow, Herndon, Holmes, Key, Poe, and Whitman). And the number of applicants from both Carson and each of the six other schools declined from the number of applicants for the Class of 2025.

Maybe FCPS was able to generate more interest in TJ the first year after the admissions changes, but it wasn't sustained this year. It seems like the reaction to the greater subjectivity and random quality of TJ admissions was a bit of a "Yeah, no thanks."

Btw, Carson is predominantly AAP i.e, at least 2/3rd (about 500/grade) student population is AAP representing wide range of kids that belong to Oakton, Chantilly, Westfields, SouthLakes and Herndon (?) HS pyramids. It is totally unfair to pool all these kids under single middle school by using the attending middle school based quota. I am pretty sure FCPS is aware of it and they did it deliberately to hurt AAP students where asians are over represented. I have written many emails, voiced this exact concern during the town halls and gotten zero response. I wish the quotas were based on school pyramid instead.

Vote for Rep. I have never been so disappointed with Dem.

We already did in last gov election and it was the first time we voted republican. Many of neighbors, friends are equally angry, though not quite as vocal as I am. Some republicans did very active campaign in whats app parent groups (couple of which I am part of) and I believe they are largely successful. The worst part of quite a few of these parents (many are asians), including us, are generally very liberal in all the areas, but at the same time value kids education over pretty much anything else. Whether my kids will get accepted into TJ or not, but I would like for my kid and all the other kids attending the AAP centers to have a fair chance like rest of the kids. Please don't say that I have an option to move my kid to base school - If thats your answer, please just kill AAP centers all together as I am not just talking about my kid.

Hope you don’t have a daughter. There are some things more important than AAP that the Republicans will destroy.

Unfortunately, this is how democracy works. Don't ignore the short term pains, while looking for long term gains as short-term issues generally drive elections. Also, general rule of thumb is don't drive out your loyal base by chasing imaginary benefits. Yes, sometimes you need to do the right thing, but it needs to be communicated well and ensure that it is not unfairly affecting anyone.

You need to realize that no one is actually against promoting economically disenfranchised. If FCPS simply allocated say 20% quota to poor kids, there won't be any opposition. But their goal was to actually hurt asians or more specifically prep centers, but not sure if they realized that they are hurting innocent kids as well (all those who attend AAP centers) and unnecessarily created a divide that didn't exist before. In turn, they messed up the process so much so that merit didn't really matter much anymore as admissions seemed pretty random. This really pissed off so many parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So much drama. Even so, the number of applications to TJ for the Class of 2026 from Carson alone was greater than the combined total from the county's six poorest middle schools (Glasgow, Herndon, Holmes, Key, Poe, and Whitman). And the number of applicants from both Carson and each of the six other schools declined from the number of applicants for the Class of 2025.

Maybe FCPS was able to generate more interest in TJ the first year after the admissions changes, but it wasn't sustained this year. It seems like the reaction to the greater subjectivity and random quality of TJ admissions was a bit of a "Yeah, no thanks."

Btw, Carson is predominantly AAP i.e, at least 2/3rd (about 500/grade) student population is AAP representing wide range of kids that belong to Oakton, Chantilly, Westfields, SouthLakes and Herndon (?) HS pyramids. It is totally unfair to pool all these kids under single middle school by using the attending middle school based quota. I am pretty sure FCPS is aware of it and they did it deliberately to hurt AAP students where asians are over represented. I have written many emails, voiced this exact concern during the town halls and gotten zero response. I wish the quotas were based on school pyramid instead.

Vote for Rep. I have never been so disappointed with Dem.

We already did in last gov election and it was the first time we voted republican. Many of neighbors, friends are equally angry, though not quite as vocal as I am. Some republicans did very active campaign in whats app parent groups (couple of which I am part of) and I believe they are largely successful. The worst part of quite a few of these parents (many are asians), including us, are generally very liberal in all the areas, but at the same time value kids education over pretty much anything else. Whether my kids will get accepted into TJ or not, but I would like for my kid and all the other kids attending the AAP centers to have a fair chance like rest of the kids. Please don't say that I have an option to move my kid to base school - If thats your answer, please just kill AAP centers all together as I am not just talking about my kid.

Hope you don’t have a daughter. There are some things more important than AAP that the Republicans will destroy.

It's sheep who just vote a party line for every office that sustain the polarization that exists today.

I care about a woman's right to choose, gun control, and fair elections. So I vote for Democrats at the national and state-wide level.

But I've also seen the Democrats in charge of FCPS run a once-great public school system into the ground, and a Board of Supervisors that is pro-development but makes no effort to ensure we have the social services infrastructure (including schools) to support growth. So I WILL BE voting for Republicans at the local level next year.

Could the Democrats at the national level destroy the economy with their spending policies? Maybe. Could Republicans at the local level waste their time on charter school initiatives that I think are a waste of time? It might happen. But we need balance, so we don't end up with another 12-0 Democratic School Board that is a total echo chamber and makes bad decisions such as rushing through an overhaul of TJ admissions with no real idea of what they were doing or why.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So much drama. Even so, the number of applications to TJ for the Class of 2026 from Carson alone was greater than the combined total from the county's six poorest middle schools (Glasgow, Herndon, Holmes, Key, Poe, and Whitman). And the number of applicants from both Carson and each of the six other schools declined from the number of applicants for the Class of 2025.

Maybe FCPS was able to generate more interest in TJ the first year after the admissions changes, but it wasn't sustained this year. It seems like the reaction to the greater subjectivity and random quality of TJ admissions was a bit of a "Yeah, no thanks."

Btw, Carson is predominantly AAP i.e, at least 2/3rd (about 500/grade) student population is AAP representing wide range of kids that belong to Oakton, Chantilly, Westfields, SouthLakes and Herndon (?) HS pyramids. It is totally unfair to pool all these kids under single middle school by using the attending middle school based quota. I am pretty sure FCPS is aware of it and they did it deliberately to hurt AAP students where asians are over represented. I have written many emails, voiced this exact concern during the town halls and gotten zero response. I wish the quotas were based on school pyramid instead.

Vote for Rep. I have never been so disappointed with Dem.

We already did in last gov election and it was the first time we voted republican. Many of neighbors, friends are equally angry, though not quite as vocal as I am. Some republicans did very active campaign in whats app parent groups (couple of which I am part of) and I believe they are largely successful. The worst part of quite a few of these parents (many are asians), including us, are generally very liberal in all the areas, but at the same time value kids education over pretty much anything else. Whether my kids will get accepted into TJ or not, but I would like for my kid and all the other kids attending the AAP centers to have a fair chance like rest of the kids. Please don't say that I have an option to move my kid to base school - If thats your answer, please just kill AAP centers all together as I am not just talking about my kid.

Hope you don’t have a daughter. There are some things more important than AAP that the Republicans will destroy.

It's sheep who just vote a party line for every office that sustain the polarization that exists today.

I care about a woman's right to choose, gun control, and fair elections. So I vote for Democrats at the national and state-wide level.

But I've also seen the Democrats in charge of FCPS run a once-great public school system into the ground, and a Board of Supervisors that is pro-development but makes no effort to ensure we have the social services infrastructure (including schools) to support growth. So I WILL BE voting for Republicans at the local level next year.

Could the Democrats at the national level destroy the economy with their spending policies? Maybe. Could Republicans at the local level waste their time on charter school initiatives that I think are a waste of time? It might happen. But we need balance, so we don't end up with another 12-0 Democratic School Board that is a total echo chamber and makes bad decisions such as rushing through an overhaul of TJ admissions with no real idea of what they were doing or why.

I truly get where you are coming from but understand these local elections are the pipeline for larger office. I also vote across party lines sometimes, but make sure you know which Republican you vote for. I agree the Dems have gone too far and this was horribly implemented.

I would just caution against a knee jerk vote for Republicans. You might be surprised with what you create.

[Anonymous]

The new admission process converted a merit-based school into a social project with barely any merit. The damage to TJ’s reputation is done. It will keep up in the rankings for the next couple of years, based on its past glory, after that it won’t. Hope that those, who orchestrated this, will ultimately pay for destroying the very valuable resource of this community. I am not Asian but white.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The new admission process converted a merit-based school into a social project with barely any merit. The damage to TJ’s reputation is done. It will keep up in the rankings for the next couple of years, based on its past glory, after that it won’t. Hope that those, who orchestrated this, will ultimately pay for destroying the very valuable resource of this community. I am not Asian but white. [/quote
Rest easy: there is always Basis

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So much drama. Even so, the number of applications to TJ for the Class of 2026 from Carson alone was greater than the combined total from the county's six poorest middle schools (Glasgow, Herndon, Holmes, Key, Poe, and Whitman). And the number of applicants from both Carson and each of the six other schools declined from the number of applicants for the Class of 2025.

Maybe FCPS was able to generate more interest in TJ the first year after the admissions changes, but it wasn't sustained this year. It seems like the reaction to the greater subjectivity and random quality of TJ admissions was a bit of a "Yeah, no thanks."

Btw, Carson is predominantly AAP i.e, at least 2/3rd (about 500/grade) student population is AAP representing wide range of kids that belong to Oakton, Chantilly, Westfields, SouthLakes and Herndon (?) HS pyramids. It is totally unfair to pool all these kids under single middle school by using the attending middle school based quota. I am pretty sure FCPS is aware of it and they did it deliberately to hurt AAP students where asians are over represented. I have written many emails, voiced this exact concern during the town halls and gotten zero response. I wish the quotas were based on school pyramid instead.

Vote for Rep. I have never been so disappointed with Dem.

We already did in last gov election and it was the first time we voted republican. Many of neighbors, friends are equally angry, though not quite as vocal as I am. Some republicans did very active campaign in whats app parent groups (couple of which I am part of) and I believe they are largely successful. The worst part of quite a few of these parents (many are asians), including us, are generally very liberal in all the areas, but at the same time value kids education over pretty much anything else. Whether my kids will get accepted into TJ or not, but I would like for my kid and all the other kids attending the AAP centers to have a fair chance like rest of the kids. Please don't say that I have an option to move my kid to base school - If thats your answer, please just kill AAP centers all together as I am not just talking about my kid.

Hope you don’t have a daughter. There are some things more important than AAP that the Republicans will destroy.

It's sheep who just vote a party line for every office that sustain the polarization that exists today.

I care about a woman's right to choose, gun control, and fair elections. So I vote for Democrats at the national and state-wide level.

But I've also seen the Democrats in charge of FCPS run a once-great public school system into the ground, and a Board of Supervisors that is pro-development but makes no effort to ensure we have the social services infrastructure (including schools) to support growth. So I WILL BE voting for Republicans at the local level next year.

Could the Democrats at the national level destroy the economy with their spending policies? Maybe. Could Republicans at the local level waste their time on charter school initiatives that I think are a waste of time? It might happen. But we need balance, so we don't end up with another 12-0 Democratic School Board that is a total echo chamber and makes bad decisions such as rushing through an overhaul of TJ admissions with no real idea of what they were doing or why.

I truly get where you are coming from but understand these local elections are the pipeline for larger office. I also vote across party lines sometimes, but make sure you know which Republican you vote for. I agree the Dems have gone too far and this was horribly implemented.

I would just caution against a knee jerk vote for Republicans. You might be surprised with what you create.

I am of Asian origin and voted Republican for first time in last elections. I will do the same in local, but I doubt it matters as much in fairfax county, so state was my best bet. This was my way to let the democrats know that they are going too far with schools and wanted them to get a message. Will I be happy if republicans mess with women rights or banning books etc, of course not. This is what elections are for and how else are politicians going to the message if they ignore the voters and go with personal agendas? Pretty sure I will be voting democrat in federal elections. I am hoping board realizes how much mess they created with TJ, completely shutting down public opinion with very little to gain from it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So much drama. Even so, the number of applications to TJ for the Class of 2026 from Carson alone was greater than the combined total from the county's six poorest middle schools (Glasgow, Herndon, Holmes, Key, Poe, and Whitman). And the number of applicants from both Carson and each of the six other schools declined from the number of applicants for the Class of 2025.

Maybe FCPS was able to generate more interest in TJ the first year after the admissions changes, but it wasn't sustained this year. It seems like the reaction to the greater subjectivity and random quality of TJ admissions was a bit of a "Yeah, no thanks."

Btw, Carson is predominantly AAP i.e, at least 2/3rd (about 500/grade) student population is AAP representing wide range of kids that belong to Oakton, Chantilly, Westfields, SouthLakes and Herndon (?) HS pyramids. It is totally unfair to pool all these kids under single middle school by using the attending middle school based quota. I am pretty sure FCPS is aware of it and they did it deliberately to hurt AAP students where asians are over represented. I have written many emails, voiced this exact concern during the town halls and gotten zero response. I wish the quotas were based on school pyramid instead.

Vote for Rep. I have never been so disappointed with Dem.

We already did in last gov election and it was the first time we voted republican. Many of neighbors, friends are equally angry, though not quite as vocal as I am. Some republicans did very active campaign in whats app parent groups (couple of which I am part of) and I believe they are largely successful. The worst part of quite a few of these parents (many are asians), including us, are generally very liberal in all the areas, but at the same time value kids education over pretty much anything else. Whether my kids will get accepted into TJ or not, but I would like for my kid and all the other kids attending the AAP centers to have a fair chance like rest of the kids. Please don't say that I have an option to move my kid to base school - If thats your answer, please just kill AAP centers all together as I am not just talking about my kid.

Hope you don’t have a daughter. There are some things more important than AAP that the Republicans will destroy.

It's sheep who just vote a party line for every office that sustain the polarization that exists today.

I care about a woman's right to choose, gun control, and fair elections. So I vote for Democrats at the national and state-wide level.

But I've also seen the Democrats in charge of FCPS run a once-great public school system into the ground, and a Board of Supervisors that is pro-development but makes no effort to ensure we have the social services infrastructure (including schools) to support growth. So I WILL BE voting for Republicans at the local level next year.

Could the Democrats at the national level destroy the economy with their spending policies? Maybe. Could Republicans at the local level waste their time on charter school initiatives that I think are a waste of time? It might happen. But we need balance, so we don't end up with another 12-0 Democratic School Board that is a total echo chamber and makes bad decisions such as rushing through an overhaul of TJ admissions with no real idea of what they were doing or why.

I truly get where you are coming from but understand these local elections are the pipeline for larger office. I also vote across party lines sometimes, but make sure you know which Republican you vote for. I agree the Dems have gone too far and this was horribly implemented.

I would just caution against a knee jerk vote for Republicans. You might be surprised with what you create.

I am of Asian origin and voted Republican for first time in last elections. I will do the same in local, but I doubt it matters as much in fairfax county, so state was my best bet. This was my way to let the democrats know that they are going too far with schools and wanted them to get a message. Will I be happy if republicans mess with women rights or banning books etc, of course not. This is what elections are for and how else are politicians going to the message if they ignore the voters and go with personal agendas? Pretty sure I will be voting democrat in federal elections. I am hoping board realizes how much mess they created with TJ, completely shutting down public opinion with very little to gain from it.

I just can't get down with their stand on women's health, guns and their authoritarian leanings. They hate democracy and lie about everything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The new admission process converted a merit-based school into a social project with barely any merit. The damage to TJ’s reputation is done. It will keep up in the rankings for the next couple of years, based on its past glory, after that it won’t. Hope that those, who orchestrated this, will ultimately pay for destroying the very valuable resource of this community. I am not Asian but white.

When did buying the test answers become merit?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So much drama. Even so, the number of applications to TJ for the Class of 2026 from Carson alone was greater than the combined total from the county's six poorest middle schools (Glasgow, Herndon, Holmes, Key, Poe, and Whitman). And the number of applicants from both Carson and each of the six other schools declined from the number of applicants for the Class of 2025.

Maybe FCPS was able to generate more interest in TJ the first year after the admissions changes, but it wasn't sustained this year. It seems like the reaction to the greater subjectivity and random quality of TJ admissions was a bit of a "Yeah, no thanks."

Btw, Carson is predominantly AAP i.e, at least 2/3rd (about 500/grade) student population is AAP representing wide range of kids that belong to Oakton, Chantilly, Westfields, SouthLakes and Herndon (?) HS pyramids. It is totally unfair to pool all these kids under single middle school by using the attending middle school based quota. I am pretty sure FCPS is aware of it and they did it deliberately to hurt AAP students where asians are over represented. I have written many emails, voiced this exact concern during the town halls and gotten zero response. I wish the quotas were based on school pyramid instead.

Vote for Rep. I have never been so disappointed with Dem.

We already did in last gov election and it was the first time we voted republican. Many of neighbors, friends are equally angry, though not quite as vocal as I am. Some republicans did very active campaign in whats app parent groups (couple of which I am part of) and I believe they are largely successful. The worst part of quite a few of these parents (many are asians), including us, are generally very liberal in all the areas, but at the same time value kids education over pretty much anything else. Whether my kids will get accepted into TJ or not, but I would like for my kid and all the other kids attending the AAP centers to have a fair chance like rest of the kids. Please don't say that I have an option to move my kid to base school - If thats your answer, please just kill AAP centers all together as I am not just talking about my kid.

Hope you don’t have a daughter. There are some things more important than AAP that the Republicans will destroy.

In addition to the education issue, another reason I diss Dem is the part of condoning criminals.

So your down with trying to steal an election?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The new admission process converted a merit-based school into a social project with barely any merit. The damage to TJ’s reputation is done. It will keep up in the rankings for the next couple of years, based on its past glory, after that it won’t. Hope that those, who orchestrated this, will ultimately pay for destroying the very valuable resource of this community. I am not Asian but white.

When did buying the test answers become merit?

Where did you get that? Do you any actionable proof? Do you think TJ sold the questions to highest bidder? If you can actually prove it, I will be with you in fighting with both school that leaked the questions and prep center that got them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The new admission process converted a merit-based school into a social project with barely any merit. The damage to TJ’s reputation is done. It will keep up in the rankings for the next couple of years, based on its past glory, after that it won’t. Hope that those, who orchestrated this, will ultimately pay for destroying the very valuable resource of this community. I am not Asian but white.

When did buying the test answers become merit?

If that were the actual concern, TJ math and science teachers could easily create test questions and make new ones each year, while making old ones public, so that any kid NOT at a prep center could prepare on their own. Right now TJ is getting kids from prep center, trained to write perfect essays about imaginary achievements and hardships in their lives, plus cheats, and disadvantaged kids with no particular aptitude. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So much drama. Even so, the number of applications to TJ for the Class of 2026 from Carson alone was greater than the combined total from the county's six poorest middle schools (Glasgow, Herndon, Holmes, Key, Poe, and Whitman). And the number of applicants from both Carson and each of the six other schools declined from the number of applicants for the Class of 2025.

Maybe FCPS was able to generate more interest in TJ the first year after the admissions changes, but it wasn't sustained this year. It seems like the reaction to the greater subjectivity and random quality of TJ admissions was a bit of a "Yeah, no thanks."

Btw, Carson is predominantly AAP i.e, at least 2/3rd (about 500/grade) student population is AAP representing wide range of kids that belong to Oakton, Chantilly, Westfields, SouthLakes and Herndon (?) HS pyramids. It is totally unfair to pool all these kids under single middle school by using the attending middle school based quota. I am pretty sure FCPS is aware of it and they did it deliberately to hurt AAP students where asians are over represented. I have written many emails, voiced this exact concern during the town halls and gotten zero response. I wish the quotas were based on school pyramid instead.

Vote for Rep. I have never been so disappointed with Dem.

We already did in last gov election and it was the first time we voted republican. Many of neighbors, friends are equally angry, though not quite as vocal as I am. Some republicans did very active campaign in whats app parent groups (couple of which I am part of) and I believe they are largely successful. The worst part of quite a few of these parents (many are asians), including us, are generally very liberal in all the areas, but at the same time value kids education over pretty much anything else. Whether my kids will get accepted into TJ or not, but I would like for my kid and all the other kids attending the AAP centers to have a fair chance like rest of the kids. Please don't say that I have an option to move my kid to base school - If thats your answer, please just kill AAP centers all together as I am not just talking about my kid.

Hope you don’t have a daughter. There are some things more important than AAP that the Republicans will destroy.

It's sheep who just vote a party line for every office that sustain the polarization that exists today.

I care about a woman's right to choose, gun control, and fair elections. So I vote for Democrats at the national and state-wide level.

But I've also seen the Democrats in charge of FCPS run a once-great public school system into the ground, and a Board of Supervisors that is pro-development but makes no effort to ensure we have the social services infrastructure (including schools) to support growth. So I WILL BE voting for Republicans at the local level next year.

Could the Democrats at the national level destroy the economy with their spending policies? Maybe. Could Republicans at the local level waste their time on charter school initiatives that I think are a waste of time? It might happen. But we need balance, so we don't end up with another 12-0 Democratic School Board that is a total echo chamber and makes bad decisions such as rushing through an overhaul of TJ admissions with no real idea of what they were doing or why.

I truly get where you are coming from but understand these local elections are the pipeline for larger office. I also vote across party lines sometimes, but make sure you know which Republican you vote for. I agree the Dems have gone too far and this was horribly implemented.

I would just caution against a knee jerk vote for Republicans. You might be surprised with what you create.

I am of Asian origin and voted Republican for first time in last elections. I will do the same in local, but I doubt it matters as much in fairfax county, so state was my best bet. This was my way to let the democrats know that they are going too far with schools and wanted them to get a message. Will I be happy if republicans mess with women rights or banning books etc, of course not. This is what elections are for and how else are politicians going to the message if they ignore the voters and go with personal agendas? Pretty sure I will be voting democrat in federal elections. I am hoping board realizes how much mess they created with TJ, completely shutting down public opinion with very little to gain from it.

You have to pick your spots. In Fairfax, Republicans can win School Board elections in the Dranesville, Springfield, and Sully Districts, can possibly win in Providence and/or Braddock (especially if McLaughlin didn't run again), and can pick up at least one at-large seat on the School Board (both Omeish and Sizemore-Heizer are vulnerable; Keys-Gamarra less so). Democrats own the Lee, Mason, and Mount Vernon Districts and probably have a lock on Hunter Mill (given the large Reston population) as well.

But it's not necessarily about gaining a majority. What's critical is putting a halt to the 12-0 echo chamber where, at most, there's only occasionally one Democrat who breaks ranks and tries to foster a wider debate on issues (not that McLaughlin added much when it came to the TJ debate, since her main contribution was to falsely imply that FCPS had the competence to create the equivalent of a college-level admissions office to administer the admissions process at TJ).