FCPS is turning the new high school purchased to fix crowding into an Aviation magnet school instead of a high school??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

) The first two or three years will be rough. There will be a contingent of people happy that they have their "own school," and others unhappy that their kids aren't having a typical high school experience for the first few years. Right now, the building only has room for about 1200-1300 kids, which is why they want to start with two grades and around 1000 kids. They will spend another $50-75 million on top of the $150 purchase price to get the school in an eventual position to accommodate 2000 kids. It's going to be one of the smaller HS in the county. Maybe for the first two years they only have JV teams and don't compete at the varsity level. They also probably won't be able to offer the same breadth of courses in the first two years that a school with three or four grades can offer, which will be an issue for some advanced kids.

Why do you keep exaggerating the price? No one said anything close to $75 million.

FCPS did start other schools with three grades. This is true. However, in many areas they begin with just two years.

People will be glad to have a permanent solution for a high school in the community.

FCPS won't provide a clear estimate on how much more they expect to have to spend. From what Erik Gordon said, it sounded like it could be $30-50 million on the main building, up to $12 million on the two small building, and an unspecified amount on fields, stadiums, etc. It seems feasible with the typical overruns that it could be close to $75 million, but no one really knows at this point.

It will be what it will be. The main relevance is that they made specific claims about how much they'd save by acquiring the KAA facility, and a lot of the purported savings are going to prove illusory as they incur additional costs over the coming years. Also, the more they end up spending on KAA, the less is available for schools elsewhere in the county, about which you clearly couldn't give a shit.

You're inflating the numbers, a lot. Erik Gordon said $30-50 million all in for the two small buildings AND the main building. He also specifically stated that he was being extra conservative with those numbers when he initially gave the $4.2 million each for the two small buildings but then rounded it up to $12 million for both. He said it was in case the board chose an academy / magnet and expensive equipment was needed for labs. When he gave the $30-$50 million number that was "all-in", and the $50 million was the very conservative all-in number for an expensive academy option.

It’s been a long time since FCPS did anything quicker and at lower cost than projected so we’ll have to wait and see.

It is clear the final cost is going to be significantly greater than the initial $150 million. They pitched KAA to the public as if it would be a turnkey acquisition. Now they are tossing out ballpark estimates of tens of millions in additional expenses and saying it will be 3-5 years before the buildings can serve 2000 kids.

The final cost is likely to be far less then the $450 million that was projected to buy the land and build a new high school from the ground up and it won't take an additional 10 years to be able to use the HS. We moved into our home in the South Lakes boundary 17 years ago and people were talking about the need for a new HS. Seventeen years ago there was a need and nothing happened until this year.

Yes, it was a surprise and yes, it is expensive, but it is:
1) needed
2) less expensive than building a new school
3) had to be done quickly.

It's not true that "nothing happened" during those 17 years. They couldn't find a site that people could agree upon for a new school, so they expanded other schools instead to address the need for additional capacity. The $450 million was just a phantom number for a school they had no intention of building (they just bumped it forward in the CIP every year or two). The most recent CIP didn't contemplate construction starting before 2034 and that date would have been pushed out again.

We ought to be able to have an honest conversation about whether there was a real "need" as opposed to something that is just "nice." We didn't get that from this School Board, and they could spend their money on a lot of other "nice" things, too.

[Anonymous]

Yet Chantilly, Westfield, and apparently now Oakton are still in or on the brink of capacity issues. Sure, it looks like we've got a little covid dip in the numbers coming up in elementary schools, but banking on a once-a-century pandemic to keep the numbers down long term doesn't seem like sound planning advice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

) The first two or three years will be rough. There will be a contingent of people happy that they have their "own school," and others unhappy that their kids aren't having a typical high school experience for the first few years. Right now, the building only has room for about 1200-1300 kids, which is why they want to start with two grades and around 1000 kids. They will spend another $50-75 million on top of the $150 purchase price to get the school in an eventual position to accommodate 2000 kids. It's going to be one of the smaller HS in the county. Maybe for the first two years they only have JV teams and don't compete at the varsity level. They also probably won't be able to offer the same breadth of courses in the first two years that a school with three or four grades can offer, which will be an issue for some advanced kids.

Why do you keep exaggerating the price? No one said anything close to $75 million.

FCPS did start other schools with three grades. This is true. However, in many areas they begin with just two years.

People will be glad to have a permanent solution for a high school in the community.

FCPS won't provide a clear estimate on how much more they expect to have to spend. From what Erik Gordon said, it sounded like it could be $30-50 million on the main building, up to $12 million on the two small building, and an unspecified amount on fields, stadiums, etc. It seems feasible with the typical overruns that it could be close to $75 million, but no one really knows at this point.

It will be what it will be. The main relevance is that they made specific claims about how much they'd save by acquiring the KAA facility, and a lot of the purported savings are going to prove illusory as they incur additional costs over the coming years. Also, the more they end up spending on KAA, the less is available for schools elsewhere in the county, about which you clearly couldn't give a shit.

You're inflating the numbers, a lot. Erik Gordon said $30-50 million all in for the two small buildings AND the main building. He also specifically stated that he was being extra conservative with those numbers when he initially gave the $4.2 million each for the two small buildings but then rounded it up to $12 million for both. He said it was in case the board chose an academy / magnet and expensive equipment was needed for labs. When he gave the $30-$50 million number that was "all-in", and the $50 million was the very conservative all-in number for an expensive academy option.

It’s been a long time since FCPS did anything quicker and at lower cost than projected so we’ll have to wait and see.

It is clear the final cost is going to be significantly greater than the initial $150 million. They pitched KAA to the public as if it would be a turnkey acquisition. Now they are tossing out ballpark estimates of tens of millions in additional expenses and saying it will be 3-5 years before the buildings can serve 2000 kids.

This is called letting the perfect be the enemy of the good. It’s a very smart move for FCPS. But, if you’re looking for things to complain about, you’re bound to find something.

I’m not saying it’s the wrong decision - neither are most others questioning the actual costs. But it takes a lot of gall for you to pretend that anyone questioning a $180 million purchase that will have knock on effects for years on the CIP is looking for something to complain about.

I mean, how about you have a little grace and at least acknowledge that the money has to come from somewhere and that this is depriving other projects of that money.

And before you pretend that I’m saying they shouldn’t have bought the school, I will reiterate, for the thousandth time, that questioning the costs doesn’t mean people are necessarily against the purchase, we’re just for good governance.

Good governance did not happen here. Just ask Mateo Dunne.

+1000. There were School Board members who voted to acquire this property without ever having set foot in the building or having any idea as to how much more FCPS would have to spend on it. They tell others there's no money for their schools but turn around and act like kids in a candy store.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yet Chantilly, Westfield, and apparently now Oakton are still in or on the brink of capacity issues. Sure, it looks like we've got a little covid dip in the numbers coming up in elementary schools, but banking on a once-a-century pandemic to keep the numbers down long term doesn't seem like sound planning advice.

Yet Herndon has hundreds of vacant seats and enrollments are coming down (over 4000 down this year) and expected to continue to decline for reasons beyond Covid.

And what happens to the planned Centreville expansion now? Is it cancelled? Why isn't that part of the discussion?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yet Chantilly, Westfield, and apparently now Oakton are still in or on the brink of capacity issues. Sure, it looks like we've got a little covid dip in the numbers coming up in elementary schools, but banking on a once-a-century pandemic to keep the numbers down long term doesn't seem like sound planning advice.

Oakton is slightly above capacity this year but shares a border with Madison, which was expanded and now has several hundred empty seats.

[Anonymous]

It's not true that "nothing happened" during those 17 years. They couldn't find a site that people could agree upon for a new school, so they expanded other schools instead to address the need for additional capacity. The $450 million was just a phantom number for a school they had no intention of building (they just bumped it forward in the CIP every year or two). The most recent CIP didn't contemplate construction starting before 2034 and that date would have been pushed out again.

Which school was "expanded" to solve the problem? If it had solved the problem, there would not be a problem.

And, do you know what WAS done? They gave/sold the KAA property--intended for the Western High School--likely because of political pressure from the Obama administration.
When the KAA school was to be built in Burke, the community spoke up. It was likely embarrassing to the feds.
The current KAA property was given to the Saudis without ANY local community knowledge or input. Likely to avoid any objection.

Oakton is now over 2700--and there is much new construction planned.
Westfield is now headed to 2800--and there is new construction in the area.
Chantilly is over 2900-with some new construction in the boundary.

Please lay out a plan that does not include KAA and tell us where the kids should go.
Also, remember, a school at FULL capacity --or very close to it--is not desirable. It gives them little or no flexibility.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

It's not true that "nothing happened" during those 17 years. They couldn't find a site that people could agree upon for a new school, so they expanded other schools instead to address the need for additional capacity. The $450 million was just a phantom number for a school they had no intention of building (they just bumped it forward in the CIP every year or two). The most recent CIP didn't contemplate construction starting before 2034 and that date would have been pushed out again.

Which school was "expanded" to solve the problem? If it had solved the problem, there would not be a problem.

And, do you know what WAS done? They gave/sold the KAA property--intended for the Western High School--likely because of political pressure from the Obama administration.
When the KAA school was to be built in Burke, the community spoke up. It was likely embarrassing to the feds.
The current KAA property was given to the Saudis without ANY local community knowledge or input. Likely to avoid any objection.

Oakton is now over 2700--and there is much new construction planned.
Westfield is now headed to 2800--and there is new construction in the area.
Chantilly is over 2900-with some new construction in the boundary.

Please lay out a plan that does not include KAA and tell us where the kids should go.
Also, remember, a school at FULL capacity --or very close to it--is not desirable. It gives them little or no flexibility.

You won’t get a plan here. People are too busy complaining about non-existent cost over runs for a football field concession stand, or something. Because THATS the real important point here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

It's not true that "nothing happened" during those 17 years. They couldn't find a site that people could agree upon for a new school, so they expanded other schools instead to address the need for additional capacity. The $450 million was just a phantom number for a school they had no intention of building (they just bumped it forward in the CIP every year or two). The most recent CIP didn't contemplate construction starting before 2034 and that date would have been pushed out again.

Which school was "expanded" to solve the problem? If it had solved the problem, there would not be a problem.

And, do you know what WAS done? They gave/sold the KAA property--intended for the Western High School--likely because of political pressure from the Obama administration.
When the KAA school was to be built in Burke, the community spoke up. It was likely embarrassing to the feds.
The current KAA property was given to the Saudis without ANY local community knowledge or input. Likely to avoid any objection.

Oakton is now over 2700--and there is much new construction planned.
Westfield is now headed to 2800--and there is new construction in the area.
Chantilly is over 2900-with some new construction in the boundary.

Please lay out a plan that does not include KAA and tell us where the kids should go.
Also, remember, a school at FULL capacity --or very close to it--is not desirable. It gives them little or no flexibility.

You won’t get a plan here. People are too busy complaining about non-existent cost over runs for a football field concession stand, or something. Because THATS the real important point here.

True. Or, the problem with all these freshmen who play on varsity. Westfield had ONE on varsity football team and Chantilly had NONE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

It's not true that "nothing happened" during those 17 years. They couldn't find a site that people could agree upon for a new school, so they expanded other schools instead to address the need for additional capacity. The $450 million was just a phantom number for a school they had no intention of building (they just bumped it forward in the CIP every year or two). The most recent CIP didn't contemplate construction starting before 2034 and that date would have been pushed out again.

Which school was "expanded" to solve the problem? If it had solved the problem, there would not be a problem.

And, do you know what WAS done? They gave/sold the KAA property--intended for the Western High School--likely because of political pressure from the Obama administration.
When the KAA school was to be built in Burke, the community spoke up. It was likely embarrassing to the feds.
The current KAA property was given to the Saudis without ANY local community knowledge or input. Likely to avoid any objection.

Oakton is now over 2700--and there is much new construction planned.
Westfield is now headed to 2800--and there is new construction in the area.
Chantilly is over 2900-with some new construction in the boundary.

Please lay out a plan that does not include KAA and tell us where the kids should go.
Also, remember, a school at FULL capacity --or very close to it--is not desirable. It gives them little or no flexibility.

You won’t get a plan here. People are too busy complaining about non-existent cost over runs for a football field concession stand, or something. Because THATS the real important point here.

Minimize all you want, but the school cost $150 million dollars, and the rough estimate from FCPS to get the school where it needs to be is an additional $30-$50 million dollars. That’s a hell of a lot of other renovations that get put on hold because you think that the county owes you this because it’s been mentioned theoretically in the CIP over the years.

Just be honest that you don’t give a shit about how the county spends other people’s money, as long as it benefits your family. I’m not against the school, but you two have a real sense of selfish entitlement that is really something else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

It's not true that "nothing happened" during those 17 years. They couldn't find a site that people could agree upon for a new school, so they expanded other schools instead to address the need for additional capacity. The $450 million was just a phantom number for a school they had no intention of building (they just bumped it forward in the CIP every year or two). The most recent CIP didn't contemplate construction starting before 2034 and that date would have been pushed out again.

Which school was "expanded" to solve the problem? If it had solved the problem, there would not be a problem.

And, do you know what WAS done? They gave/sold the KAA property--intended for the Western High School--likely because of political pressure from the Obama administration.
When the KAA school was to be built in Burke, the community spoke up. It was likely embarrassing to the feds.
The current KAA property was given to the Saudis without ANY local community knowledge or input. Likely to avoid any objection.

Oakton is now over 2700--and there is much new construction planned.
Westfield is now headed to 2800--and there is new construction in the area.
Chantilly is over 2900-with some new construction in the boundary.

Please lay out a plan that does not include KAA and tell us where the kids should go.
Also, remember, a school at FULL capacity --or very close to it--is not desirable. It gives them little or no flexibility.

You won’t get a plan here. People are too busy complaining about non-existent cost over runs for a football field concession stand, or something. Because THATS the real important point here.

Minimize all you want, but the school cost $150 million dollars, and the rough estimate from FCPS to get the school where it needs to be is an additional $30-$50 million dollars. That’s a hell of a lot of other renovations that get put on hold because you think that the county owes you this because it’s been mentioned theoretically in the CIP over the years.

Just be honest that you don’t give a shit about how the county spends other people’s money, as long as it benefits your family. I’m not against the school, but you two have a real sense of selfish entitlement that is really something else.

Grumble grumble grumble. My kid won’t benefit. Grumble grumble grumble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

It's not true that "nothing happened" during those 17 years. They couldn't find a site that people could agree upon for a new school, so they expanded other schools instead to address the need for additional capacity. The $450 million was just a phantom number for a school they had no intention of building (they just bumped it forward in the CIP every year or two). The most recent CIP didn't contemplate construction starting before 2034 and that date would have been pushed out again.

Which school was "expanded" to solve the problem? If it had solved the problem, there would not be a problem.

And, do you know what WAS done? They gave/sold the KAA property--intended for the Western High School--likely because of political pressure from the Obama administration.
When the KAA school was to be built in Burke, the community spoke up. It was likely embarrassing to the feds.
The current KAA property was given to the Saudis without ANY local community knowledge or input. Likely to avoid any objection.

Oakton is now over 2700--and there is much new construction planned.
Westfield is now headed to 2800--and there is new construction in the area.
Chantilly is over 2900-with some new construction in the boundary.

Please lay out a plan that does not include KAA and tell us where the kids should go.
Also, remember, a school at FULL capacity --or very close to it--is not desirable. It gives them little or no flexibility.

You're making the argument that FCPS had to correct a past mistake (giving up the KAA site), not that there's a compelling need for a new school in that area now.

Westfield was always intended to be large. We then spent money expanding South Lakes, Oakton, Herndon, and Madison (which is in central Fairfax but serves kids living further west). We spent money planning to expand Centreville to 3000, although they've run into permitting issues and no one knows if they'll go back to the drawing board on that. Herndon has hundreds of vacant seats now. Did we just decide after the fact all these schools are too large?

Existing overcrowding could be addressed by changing boundaries to move kids into Herndon and/or expanding Chantilly. Overcrowding over the years at other schools has been addressed through boundary changes (the notion that there haven't been boundary changes for 40 years is a lie).

The new school may be nice but FCPS never bothered to make the case that the need for it outweighs the needs at other schools, whether for renovations or additional capacity. It was an impulse buy, and their planning continues to suck, as illustrated by the fact that they were arguing about what kind of school it should be AFTER it was purchased and only have ballpark estimates as to how much it will cost to ready the building for FCPS students. Some of the School Board members are apparently now only learning that KAA has a lot of space specifically designed for ES kids.

[Anonymous]

Just be honest that you don’t give a shit about how the county spends other people’s money, as long as it benefits your family. I’m not against the school, but you two have a real sense of selfish entitlement that is really something else.

Because we want stability for our kids?
Because we do not want them on buses for well over an hour a day to go to schools that are far from our community? Because our kids are going to three/four way split feeders?

Who is selfish here? What do you want your school to have that it does not currently have?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

It's not true that "nothing happened" during those 17 years. They couldn't find a site that people could agree upon for a new school, so they expanded other schools instead to address the need for additional capacity. The $450 million was just a phantom number for a school they had no intention of building (they just bumped it forward in the CIP every year or two). The most recent CIP didn't contemplate construction starting before 2034 and that date would have been pushed out again.

Which school was "expanded" to solve the problem? If it had solved the problem, there would not be a problem.

And, do you know what WAS done? They gave/sold the KAA property--intended for the Western High School--likely because of political pressure from the Obama administration.
When the KAA school was to be built in Burke, the community spoke up. It was likely embarrassing to the feds.
The current KAA property was given to the Saudis without ANY local community knowledge or input. Likely to avoid any objection.

Oakton is now over 2700--and there is much new construction planned.
Westfield is now headed to 2800--and there is new construction in the area.
Chantilly is over 2900-with some new construction in the boundary.

Please lay out a plan that does not include KAA and tell us where the kids should go.
Also, remember, a school at FULL capacity --or very close to it--is not desirable. It gives them little or no flexibility.

You won’t get a plan here. People are too busy complaining about non-existent cost over runs for a football field concession stand, or something. Because THATS the real important point here.

True. Or, the problem with all these freshmen who play on varsity. Westfield had ONE on varsity football team and Chantilly had NONE.

It's not clear KAA will have any varsity sports its first year if it just opens with freshmen and sophomores. Not just football. Listen to Melanie Meren's comments at the work session about all the things left hanging.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Just be honest that you don’t give a shit about how the county spends other people’s money, as long as it benefits your family. I’m not against the school, but you two have a real sense of selfish entitlement that is really something else.

Because we want stability for our kids?
Because we do not want them on buses for well over an hour a day to go to schools that are far from our community? Because our kids are going to three/four way split feeders?

Who is selfish here? What do you want your school to have that it does not currently have?

You have stability. There hasn't been a boundary change affecting high schools in that area since 2008. The Thru proposals that you didn't like were opposed. And there are other split feeders besides Carson, including Franklin and Thoreau, and many elementary schools in other parts of the county.

Shorter bus rides will be a benefit for some. The School Board implicitly decided that giving you shorter bus rides outweighs the needs that other schools have for renovated facilities or additional classrooms. It's unfortunate, though, that these trade-offs weren't fully vetted because they were so busy patting each other on the back.

[Anonymous]

Hello FCPS Families,

As our school community continues to change and adapt to 21st century challenges and opportunities, so too do the schools where we gather, learn, and grow. Many of you have heard about the new FCPS high school we acquired this summer in western Fairfax County. As families located in that area, we want to provide additional details that may be relevant to you and your community.

First, I want to invite you to an open house at the new western high school. This will be an opportunity to learn more about our ongoing assessment of the site and see first-hand the potential this new school provides our division.

The open house will be on Saturday, October 25, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. The new western high school is located at 2949 Education Drive, Herndon, VA 20171. There will also be two community meetings about the new western high school’s name on Monday, October 27. The first meeting will be online during the day, and the second will be in the evening at Carson Middle School. More details on these meetings will be shared soon.

Second, the school – formerly the King Abdullah Academy – provides us with a unique opportunity to respond to the expanding needs of the students and families in the western part of the county. The nearly 33-acre site has 355,000 square feet of modern educational spaces, large multi-purpose halls, libraries and study rooms, fine arts facilities, and athletic space. With current estimates for FCPS to buy land and build a new school in that area exceeding $430 million, we estimate that the savings realized by purchasing this property are approximately $280 million. And it means we have a new facility we are able to use sooner.

This is also a significant opportunity for our students to experience 22nd century learning and prepare for a rapidly changing global society with careers yet to be imagined. We will work on new course offerings at the western high school, which gives us an opportunity to combine this with ongoing efforts to enhance and expand course offerings across the entire school division.

Third, our current plan is to open the new high school for the 2026-27 school year. As families located in the western part of the county, we understand that you are very interested in what this new school experience will be like and what the possibilities will be for students.

We are committed to engaging the western county communities in this effort, as governed by Policy and Regulation 8170. The School Board held a work session on October 7 to discuss programming and naming and the formal naming process, including community meetings, which will begin soon. The new high school will be on the agenda as New Business at the board meeting on Thursday, October 23. The board will vote on programming at the November 13 meeting. The new school name will be selected at the January 8, 2026 meeting.

As I’ve shared with parents from the western part of the county during my recent community conversation, many of the details are still being discussed and no final decisions have been made. Along with the open house later this month, I have asked our staff to be prepared to share additional updates with all of you as they become available.

Thank you for your time and engagement with this exciting new addition to FCPS that will benefit students now and many years into the future. Together, all things are possible!

Warmest regards,



Dr. Michelle C. Reid
Superintendent
Fairfax County Public Schools