FCPS School Board candidates in Dranesville

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Omeish asserted last night that the overcrowding at McLean might not have gotten so bad if only the parents had been more engaged.

I’m not sure she has any idea of the parents who were raising issues years ago and getting reassurances from Janie Strauss that FCPS would pay attention. Maybe Omeish was in middle school at the time, though.

I find it ironic that she says her family moved from another area in Fairfax for better schools. Yet, she supports OneFairfax which certainly indicates busing--i.e. no one else can choose their kids' school.

[Anonymous]

Her father graduated from Stuart in the mid-80s, so maybe they were living in that area.

[Anonymous]

Her words iirc were that McLean parents "should have said something"

This was the only time the audience booed. We were in complete disbelief.

Way to blame the victim! I would not vote for her no matter which district I lived in after that. She is clearly clueless.

[Anonymous]

The moderator from Great Falls was a real jerk. Very inappropriate cheap shots at Tholen and Keys Gamarra at the end. Guess he knows they will win.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The moderator from Great Falls was a real jerk. Very inappropriate cheap shots at Tholen and Keys Gamarra at the end. Guess he knows they will win.

What cheap shots at Tholen and Keys Gamarra? Asking about a major county redo on boundaries based on their interpretation of One Fairfax? How much money is spent out of our tax dollars on Mclean overcapacity? Consultant? Sneak hire after wasting public money on West Potomac? Moderator pointed out the dump Cooper is on the bond referendum for a renovation ...that referendum is like the old pre crash mortgage books of business.

The moderator was kind to the incumbent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The moderator from Great Falls was a real jerk. Very inappropriate cheap shots at Tholen and Keys Gamarra at the end. Guess he knows they will win.

What cheap shots at Tholen and Keys Gamarra? Asking about a major county redo on boundaries based on their interpretation of One Fairfax? How much money is spent out of our tax dollars on Mclean overcapacity? Consultant? Sneak hire after wasting public money on West Potomac? Moderator pointed out the dump Cooper is on the bond referendum for a renovation ...that referendum is like the old pre crash mortgage books of business.

The moderator was kind to the incumbent.

He was a twit. After giving every candidate time to answer every question, he went back to boundaries, rattled off two leading questions (one for only Tholen and one for only Keys Gamarra), and told them he wouldn’t set aside additional time for them to answer. No similar questions were asked of other candidates and it wasn’t something he did to fill the time - they literally had dozens of other questions they declined to ask all the candidates.

Not a good look for GFCA at all - they pretended to be non-partisan and then showed their true colors. But Tholen and Keys Gamarra will win anyway. Being the target of a hatchet job from some hack from Great Falls is a badge of honor.

[Anonymous]

He was a twit. After giving every candidate time to answer every question, he went back to boundaries, rattled off two leading questions (one for only Tholen and one for only Keys Gamarra), and told them he wouldn’t set aside additional time for them to answer. No similar questions were asked of other candidates and it wasn’t something he did to fill the time - they literally had dozens of other questions they declined to ask all the candidates.

Wasn't there--but, don't you think, in light of the fact that Tholen had support for OneFairfax on her website until the uproar in Great Falls, that it merited a question for her? She kind of changed her tune.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

He was a twit. After giving every candidate time to answer every question, he went back to boundaries, rattled off two leading questions (one for only Tholen and one for only Keys Gamarra), and told them he wouldn’t set aside additional time for them to answer. No similar questions were asked of other candidates and it wasn’t something he did to fill the time - they literally had dozens of other questions they declined to ask all the candidates.

Wasn't there--but, don't you think, in light of the fact that Tholen had support for OneFairfax on her website until the uproar in Great Falls, that it merited a question for her? She kind of changed her tune.

If the format had been to ask questions of individual candidates and set aside time for them to respond, sure. She is more than capable of responding. But that was not the format and they were singled out at the end and not given additional time to answer the questions.

And they are not the only candidates whose positions have evolved. Mobasheri said at one point that Langley should have the right to approve or disapprove any boundary changes affecting the school. Now his position is that the Langley community should have an “equal seat at the table of discussions.” Hardly an insignificant difference in his message.

And just so we’re clear, what Tholen and Keys Gamarra had both alluded to in the past was the possibility that Langley’s boundaries might change if and when a new high school is built. Of course, they now avoid talking about that now, whenever possible, because it’s not going to happen any time soon and some Great Falls residents have a total meltdown whenever the topic gets mentioned.

[Anonymous]

Mobasheri’s earlier position was more honest. That’s how many Langley people think - they deserve to call all the shots. Obviously he revised his materials after he realized it wouldn’t sit well with Herndon and McLean families.

[Anonymous]

Tholen's earlier website indicated that she supported boundary changes in accord with OneFairfax. Nothing on there now like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The moderator from Great Falls was a real jerk. Very inappropriate cheap shots at Tholen and Keys Gamarra at the end. Guess he knows they will win.

What cheap shots at Tholen and Keys Gamarra? Asking about a major county redo on boundaries based on their interpretation of One Fairfax? How much money is spent out of our tax dollars on Mclean overcapacity? Consultant? Sneak hire after wasting public money on West Potomac? Moderator pointed out the dump Cooper is on the bond referendum for a renovation ...that referendum is like the old pre crash mortgage books of business.

The moderator was kind to the incumbent.

He was a twit. After giving every candidate time to answer every question, he went back to boundaries, rattled off two leading questions (one for only Tholen and one for only Keys Gamarra), and told them he wouldn’t set aside additional time for them to answer. No similar questions were asked of other candidates and it wasn’t something he did to fill the time - they literally had dozens of other questions they declined to ask all the candidates.

Not a good look for GFCA at all - they pretended to be non-partisan and then showed their true colors. But Tholen and Keys Gamarra will win anyway. Being the target of a hatchet job from some hack from Great Falls is a badge of honor.

The moderator emphasized the fact that Cooper renovation is one of the highest amounts on the bond referendum. That's true and objective. Apparently he was appointed by Strauss at some point to work on FCPS budgets. Where is FCPS now with high school capacity and utilization?

An earmark is something attached to a spending bill for a specific purpose that if analyzed on it's own merit would not benefit the entity as a whole. Adding on to Mclean and not using capacity at Langley would be an earmark. A big earmark in the bond referendum is the addition at West Potomac because the site location enables static boundaries if the capacity is built and there is open capacity at an adjacent school, Mount Vernon, plus a nearby school.

The nearby school is Lee HS. Various portions of neighborhoods have tried to be removed from Lee to West Springfield HS via administrative boundary changes. One success was Daventry and when Rolling Valley tried it, the FCSB had members who went bonkers and then Brabrand ceased administrative changes.

So you have the boundary process that could have occurred versus building new capacity to protect one school? Which is more egregious and really against any principle of equity for taxpayers in this county? Hypocrites. And this happened after One Fairfax as did the slop of Blake Lane Park.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tholen's earlier website indicated that she supported boundary changes in accord with OneFairfax. Nothing on there now like that.

That depends on how you interpret the phrase. Some would say getting kids out of trailers and a transparent process for boundary changes that allows for community input are in accord with One Fairfax and she supports both. But, regardless, the GFCA guy was still a putz last night.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The moderator from Great Falls was a real jerk. Very inappropriate cheap shots at Tholen and Keys Gamarra at the end. Guess he knows they will win.

What cheap shots at Tholen and Keys Gamarra? Asking about a major county redo on boundaries based on their interpretation of One Fairfax? How much money is spent out of our tax dollars on Mclean overcapacity? Consultant? Sneak hire after wasting public money on West Potomac? Moderator pointed out the dump Cooper is on the bond referendum for a renovation ...that referendum is like the old pre crash mortgage books of business.

The moderator was kind to the incumbent.

He was a twit. After giving every candidate time to answer every question, he went back to boundaries, rattled off two leading questions (one for only Tholen and one for only Keys Gamarra), and told them he wouldn’t set aside additional time for them to answer. No similar questions were asked of other candidates and it wasn’t something he did to fill the time - they literally had dozens of other questions they declined to ask all the candidates.

Not a good look for GFCA at all - they pretended to be non-partisan and then showed their true colors. But Tholen and Keys Gamarra will win anyway. Being the target of a hatchet job from some hack from Great Falls is a badge of honor.

The moderator emphasized the fact that Cooper renovation is one of the highest amounts on the bond referendum. That's true and objective. Apparently he was appointed by Strauss at some point to work on FCPS budgets. Where is FCPS now with high school capacity and utilization?

An earmark is something attached to a spending bill for a specific purpose that if analyzed on it's own merit would not benefit the entity as a whole. Adding on to Mclean and not using capacity at Langley would be an earmark. A big earmark in the bond referendum is the addition at West Potomac because the site location enables static boundaries if the capacity is built and there is open capacity at an adjacent school, Mount Vernon, plus a nearby school.

The nearby school is Lee HS. Various portions of neighborhoods have tried to be removed from Lee to West Springfield HS via administrative boundary changes. One success was Daventry and when Rolling Valley tried it, the FCSB had members who went bonkers and then Brabrand ceased administrative changes.

So you have the boundary process that could have occurred versus building new capacity to protect one school? Which is more egregious and really against any principle of equity for taxpayers in this county? Hypocrites. And this happened after One Fairfax as did the slop of Blake Lane Park.

Actually, it wasn’t the moderator who spoke about the Cooper expansion on the bond. That was the GFCA President. Different people.

[Anonymous]

It was weird when Anastasia Karloutsos made a big deal last night out of the fact that the McLean HS principal told her that she hadn’t been consulted about the CIP amendment.

Anyone who knows the situation knows that FCPS has been in frequent contact with Ellen Reilly about how McLean was going to handle the overcrowding and that Reilly has made it clear she does not want to take a position on whether there should be a boundary change. She is a smart woman and knows that principals at other schools who have supported boundary changes to move kids out of their schools have been slammed by the community. So she consistently takes the position that she will find the best way she can to serve the kids who show up at the school - and leaves it to Scott Brabrand and the School Board to make any boundary decisions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

He was a twit. After giving every candidate time to answer every question, he went back to boundaries, rattled off two leading questions (one for only Tholen and one for only Keys Gamarra), and told them he wouldn’t set aside additional time for them to answer. No similar questions were asked of other candidates and it wasn’t something he did to fill the time - they literally had dozens of other questions they declined to ask all the candidates.

Wasn't there--but, don't you think, in light of the fact that Tholen had support for OneFairfax on her website until the uproar in Great Falls, that it merited a question for her? She kind of changed her tune.

If the format had been to ask questions of individual candidates and set aside time for them to respond, sure. She is more than capable of responding. But that was not the format and they were singled out at the end and not given additional time to answer the questions.

And they are not the only candidates whose positions have evolved. Mobasheri said at one point that Langley should have the right to approve or disapprove any boundary changes affecting the school. Now his position is that the Langley community should have an “equal seat at the table of discussions.” Hardly an insignificant difference in his message.

And just so we’re clear, what Tholen and Keys Gamarra had both alluded to in the past was the possibility that Langley’s boundaries might change if and when a new high school is built. Of course, they now avoid talking about that now, whenever possible, because it’s not going to happen any time soon and some Great Falls residents have a total meltdown whenever the topic gets mentioned.

Even if that is true, why should it matter? Great Falls is not the only neighborhood in Dranesville and definitely not the only one in the county. Are these candidates cowards? What good are they then?