Hearing Testimony on FCPS Proposed CIP

[Anonymous]

I like the idea of renaming Lee as an IB magnet. Would be less controversial. But please can we name it something that goes with IB or just the area and not start pitting neighbors against neighbors?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Chiming in as a FCPS graduate from the mid 1980s.

Lee HS has paled in comparison to its nearby high and secondary schools (testing, college acceptance, general rigor) since my parents moved to Springfield in 1979 and made their house buying decision based on academic reputation of LBSS/WSHS/Robinson/Fairfax and Lee. They decided quite easily against Lee. It’s been inferior for a long time and aging housing stock and socioeconomic factors have done this school no favors.

I believe you are being a bit harsh. In the 80s Lee was a perfectly acceptable alternative to LB/WS/Robinson/Fairfax. It had many excellent teachers and plenty of students who went on to attend some of the nation's best four-year universities. It was also quite competitive in sports. It was a bit poorer than all of the schools you named and this accounts for the somewhat lower average performance. The difference in average performance then was a fraction of what it is today.

Since the mid-90s neither the Board of Supervisors or School Board have done Lee any favors. They have made it poorer and poorer, including moving relatively wealthy students from Lee to West Springfield while at the same time letting it absorb huge numbers of ESOL students. They also saddled it with the IB poison pill and have allowed pupil placements to go unchecked. The deck has been stacked against Lee. And despite this, every year a number of students still go on to excellent universities.

I think what people on here frequently underestimate is the damage County actions and neglect have had on Lee. This did not just all happen. Poor decision making by County officials has led to a number of these problems and they refuse to admit or correct their mistakes.

[Anonymous]

Can I ask if people complained during all of these redistrictings and the IB? Not being in the Lee pyramid, I've seen these as problems, but it's really up to the residents there to complain. I would have looked like an outsider.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can I ask if people complained during all of these redistrictings and the IB? Not being in the Lee pyramid, I've seen these as problems, but it's really up to the residents there to complain. I would have looked like an outsider.

You are.

[Anonymous]

Agreed. That's why I haven't shown up on hearings for these schools. I was curious though if the neighbors did. We can talk about the problems at Lee outside of the Lee boundary, however it's really the Lee residents that need to speak up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agreed. That's why I haven't shown up on hearings for these schools. I was curious though if the neighbors did. We can talk about the problems at Lee outside of the Lee boundary, however it's really the Lee residents that need to speak up.

Lee residents have spoken up and met with School Board members, but it hasn't been very fruitful. The only real change was the addition of some AP classes (and that was not that substantial).

Some residents within the boundaries like the current situation because it allows them to pupil place out. They have no motivation to change the status quo.

It does not help that some Lee residents are represented by the Mt. Vernon District School Board member while most are represented by the Lee District School Board member.

It does not help that many Lee parents don't speak English. They wouldn't know where to start with lobbying the School Board. They probably don't even know their students have been segregated from the wealthier Fairfax population (at least they wouldn't know how Lee became as poor as it is - even most of our native English speaking residents seem to think it was always this way).

It does not help that the 2005 move of some Hunt Valley students from Lee to West Springfield was a last minute decision that did not consider demographic consequences.

It does not help that the 2015 move of Daventry was essentially done under cover of darkness. No one at Lee or West Springfield knew anything about the move until it was a done deal (the only people who knew were the residents of Daventry).

As for IB, I think it was something the residents at the time were willing to take a chance on, but after many years of dismal numbers and many outbound transfers for AP you would think the School Board or administrators would have pushed for a move back to AP - especially with too many IB schools in the eastern part of the county.

At some point all the parents who care give up advocating for change because they realize they are fighting the ocean.

Perhaps closing Lee would be good - just be prepared to absorb the students at West Springfield, South County, Hayfield, Edison, and Annandale.

[Anonymous]

^^^ weren't most of those hunt valley homes town houses and not single family homes? Those were not the "wealthy neighborhoods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^^ weren't most of those hunt valley homes town houses and not single family homes? Those were not the "wealthy neighborhoods.

Nope. Single family.

[Anonymous]

"Lee residents have spoken up and met with School Board members, but it hasn't been very fruitful. The only real change was the addition of some AP classes (and that was not that substantial). "


Lee resident here. I'm curious to know what changes Lee residents have asked for from their school board members? Since moving here in 2010, I'm not aware of any meetings with school board members or McKay to discuss Lee HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Lee residents have spoken up and met with School Board members, but it hasn't been very fruitful. The only real change was the addition of some AP classes (and that was not that substantial). "


Lee resident here. I'm curious to know what changes Lee residents have asked for from their school board members? Since moving here in 2010, I'm not aware of any meetings with school board members or McKay to discuss Lee HS.

A group of parents met a few times with Ms. Derenak-Kaufax, county staff, and school staff to discuss the loss of Lee students through the pupil placement process. They requested modifications to the Lee curriculum (IB/AP, foreign language) that might help stem the flow out of Lee. Both AP and language choice were/are the primary drivers of pupil placement out of Lee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^^ weren't most of those hunt valley homes town houses and not single family homes? Those were not the "wealthy neighborhoods.

Nope. Single family.

Almost all of the HV homes along the FC Pkwy and at the edge of the zoning area are townhomes. Very few of them are single family. There are town home communities on the outer rim and the single family homes are inside.

Are you sure it was not mostly townhomes with a smaller number of sfh?

[Anonymous]

The boundary for Rolling Valley was extended to pick up single-family neighborhoods south of the Fairfax County Parkway during school board hearings when South County HS boundaries were being formed. See the FCPS boundary map.

[Anonymous]

There was a lot of political wheeling and dealing going on prior to construction of South County. Lots of neighborhoods were competing to get included in the new school boundary. The public meetings were very contentious. The Hunt Valley area was slated to move to Lake Braddock but at the last minute politicians kept them at West Springfield; however, County staff was directed to look into redrawing school boundaries in that area. Fairfax Connection newspaper archives are a good resource.

[Anonymous]

The HV section that went to Lee was about 80/20 SFH to TH. And the overall F/R lunch rate at HV was only about 9 percent, much lower than the rate at Lee. The Lee SB member at the time tried to keep the HV students at Lee, at least until a study was done, but was outvoted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The boundary for Rolling Valley was extended to pick up single-family neighborhoods south of the Fairfax County Parkway during school board hearings when South County HS boundaries were being formed. See the FCPS boundary map.

Yes but she is talking about Hunt Valley.

Almost all of the Hunt Valley homes along that part of the parkway are town houses. There are very few single family homes until you get to Gambrill.