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: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

Why wasn't this estimate updated to reflect the additional costs they now know they will incur to get this school ready for FCPS students? I guess the philosophy is that if you repeat a lie frequently enough people will start to believe it.

They will never realize "approximately $280 million" in total savings, and they refuse to identify the other projects that will delayed, even as they ask taxpayers to approve more school bonds.

I think the school is mostly turn-key ready.

Depends on what you mean by "mostly." They are saying it can only open with two grades and that it will take 3 to 5 years before it can handle 2000 kids and four grades. It has specialized spaces designed for much younger kids.

I don't think it's that hard to repurpose elementary classrooms to high school classrooms.

Maybe not. Tell the new facilities guy, who has decades of experience with government and private industry buildings, that he's wrong about the timing and costs of getting KAA to the point where it can accommodate four grades and 2000 kids. He said 3 to 5 years.

Also, the School Board doesn't want the current specialized spaces that could be used for early childhood education converted to typical HS classrooms without Reid making a recommendation first as to whether the spaces should be retained as is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Purchasing KAA was the right decision, probably the only decision for which I’d give the FCPS school board credit.

Sure, the renovation may cost $50 million or so, but it’s still far cheaper than building a new school and saves time. The timing can’t be better as we are in the middle of boundary change discussion.

I don’t understand why people focus solely on overcapacity or undercapacity as if that’s the only criterion.

If a school’s capacity is 3,000 and it’s undercapacity at 2,900, is that really ideal? I think any high school enrollment above 2,000 is not ideal. Providing relief to large high schools (2,500+ students) is still meaningful in my opinion, whether they’re overcapacity or not.

It's beyond absurd to ask taxpayers to repeatedly expand schools in western Fairfax to 2500 to 3000 seats and then declare we need another high school in the area because anything above 2,000 is a problem. Those expansions cost real money we'll never get back.

If some of those high schools that are already big are overcrowded, that's a different issue, but Herndon is sitting on hundreds of empty seats.

Chantilly is very crowded. Centreville expansion hasn’t started. KAA is a good purchase. Full stop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

The crowded schools and under capacity schools are the ones that should be targeted for boundary change. The problem is everyone is fighting to not be moved to the under-capacity schools. Suggest that people be moved to Herndon, Lewis, or Mt Vernon and watch people flip out.

People are fighting to not be moved while arguing other people should be moved because of open spaces and to relieve crowding, just not them. That is the cycle we are in.

KAA can reduce the overcrowding and should be used as the reason for shifting multiple groups of kids at the same time. It sucks for the kids who are moved but it is happening to everyone at the same time for the same reason. Kids should be moved to Herndon to use those spots. The spiffy new program should be put at Herndon to encourage kids to attend Herndon.

Centerville should not be expanded because there are spaces in the area that can be filled. Everyone is fine with that idea as long as their kid isn't moved.

I don't know what to make of most of your post, other than that you're fine with a lot of boundary changes that would inconvenience other people so long as the Carson folks get what they want, but the bolded part makes sense.

KAA is apparently going to be small, just 2000 kids. Why should any seats there, whether it's 90 seats or 150 seats, potentially be set aside for out of boundary kids to attend a "pathways" program at KAA if they could put it at Herndon, with its surplus capacity, instead?

They have a significant number of Willow Springs families who'd like to be at Centreville rather than Fairfax. They need to be taking that into account when deciding what to do with Centreville. Maybe it's a wash if part of Centreville moves to Westfield, but the pieces are connected and they don't seem to be thinking ahead.

My desire is not likely to happen. Fox Mill is highly unlikely to move to KAA and SLHS is not going to drop IB. We will probably need to pupil place for AP classes. I am fine with the boundaries in our area shifting to deal with the over-crowding and balancing schools better and think it is worth it to not expand Centerville. I don't think that the expansions in the area made a lot of sense. I do think that McLean needs a major renovation.

I live in Fox Mill too.

Why do you say it’s highly unlikely that Fox Mill kids would go to KAA? I think they have a fighting chance.

But I don’t really mind South Lakes as I’ve heard good things about their IB program.

My big issue is that most Carson kids go to Westfield (and probably KAA in the future), so my child at Carson would lose most of their friends when they enter 9th grade.

The split feeder pattern is something FCPS promised to minimize, but I’m not sure if they will address Carson’s three-way split (or four-way split, counting AAP out-of-boundary kids).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You're just jealous. That's it. You're jealous. It's not about selfishness or entitlement, it's about jealousy. Admit it.

Your post was rebutted, and that's the best you can do?

Yes, everyone else is green with envy that our kids won't get to attend a school with only two grades that probably won't have varsity sports at first, or the same breadth of courses as other schools for several years.

For the thousandth time, all people are saying is that there should be more transparency around this new school. Listen to Meren, R. Anderson, Moon, or Dunne at the work session, and you'll hear the same thing.

You, sweetie pie, are replying to multiple people. Yes, transparency is great, I think we all agree on that, but why does it make us selfish and entitled to be excited about a high school that is 5 minutes away as opposed to one that is 30 minutes away?

No one is trying to keep you from being excited. We'd just like to know the real costs and impact on other schools and communities.

Which you or a PP equate to jealousy, which is bullshit.

DP. Oh yeah we know what you want to know, regardless of the pretend concerns you’re expressing. You couldn’t care less about anything other than how your kids and your property value will be affected, and would rather see other communities go without things they need if it means you get to keep things the way you want for yourself. We see you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Purchasing KAA was the right decision, probably the only decision for which I’d give the FCPS school board credit.

Sure, the renovation may cost $50 million or so, but it’s still far cheaper than building a new school and saves time. The timing can’t be better as we are in the middle of boundary change discussion.

I don’t understand why people focus solely on overcapacity or undercapacity as if that’s the only criterion.

If a school’s capacity is 3,000 and it’s undercapacity at 2,900, is that really ideal? I think any high school enrollment above 2,000 is not ideal. Providing relief to large high schools (2,500+ students) is still meaningful in my opinion, whether they’re overcapacity or not.

It's beyond absurd to ask taxpayers to repeatedly expand schools in western Fairfax to 2500 to 3000 seats and then declare we need another high school in the area because anything above 2,000 is a problem. Those expansions cost real money we'll never get back.

If some of those high schools that are already big are overcrowded, that's a different issue, but Herndon is sitting on hundreds of empty seats.

Chantilly is very crowded. Centreville expansion hasn’t started. KAA is a good purchase. Full stop.

It's still nuts to spend millions upon millions expanding some schools to 2500 to 3000 students and then say they should only have 2000 to 2500 kids. Full stop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You're just jealous. That's it. You're jealous. It's not about selfishness or entitlement, it's about jealousy. Admit it.

Your post was rebutted, and that's the best you can do?

Yes, everyone else is green with envy that our kids won't get to attend a school with only two grades that probably won't have varsity sports at first, or the same breadth of courses as other schools for several years.

For the thousandth time, all people are saying is that there should be more transparency around this new school. Listen to Meren, R. Anderson, Moon, or Dunne at the work session, and you'll hear the same thing.

You, sweetie pie, are replying to multiple people. Yes, transparency is great, I think we all agree on that, but why does it make us selfish and entitled to be excited about a high school that is 5 minutes away as opposed to one that is 30 minutes away?

No one is trying to keep you from being excited. We'd just like to know the real costs and impact on other schools and communities.

Which you or a PP equate to jealousy, which is bullshit.

DP. Oh yeah we know what you want to know, regardless of the pretend concerns you’re expressing. You couldn’t care less about anything other than how your kids and your property value will be affected, and would rather see other communities go without things they need if it means you get to keep things the way you want for yourself. We see you!

So much projection on your part.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

The crowded schools and under capacity schools are the ones that should be targeted for boundary change. The problem is everyone is fighting to not be moved to the under-capacity schools. Suggest that people be moved to Herndon, Lewis, or Mt Vernon and watch people flip out.

People are fighting to not be moved while arguing other people should be moved because of open spaces and to relieve crowding, just not them. That is the cycle we are in.

KAA can reduce the overcrowding and should be used as the reason for shifting multiple groups of kids at the same time. It sucks for the kids who are moved but it is happening to everyone at the same time for the same reason. Kids should be moved to Herndon to use those spots. The spiffy new program should be put at Herndon to encourage kids to attend Herndon.

Centerville should not be expanded because there are spaces in the area that can be filled. Everyone is fine with that idea as long as their kid isn't moved.

I don't know what to make of most of your post, other than that you're fine with a lot of boundary changes that would inconvenience other people so long as the Carson folks get what they want, but the bolded part makes sense.

KAA is apparently going to be small, just 2000 kids. Why should any seats there, whether it's 90 seats or 150 seats, potentially be set aside for out of boundary kids to attend a "pathways" program at KAA if they could put it at Herndon, with its surplus capacity, instead?

They have a significant number of Willow Springs families who'd like to be at Centreville rather than Fairfax. They need to be taking that into account when deciding what to do with Centreville. Maybe it's a wash if part of Centreville moves to Westfield, but the pieces are connected and they don't seem to be thinking ahead.

My desire is not likely to happen. Fox Mill is highly unlikely to move to KAA and SLHS is not going to drop IB. We will probably need to pupil place for AP classes. I am fine with the boundaries in our area shifting to deal with the over-crowding and balancing schools better and think it is worth it to not expand Centerville. I don't think that the expansions in the area made a lot of sense. I do think that McLean needs a major renovation.

I live in Fox Mill too.

Why do you say it’s highly unlikely that Fox Mill kids would go to KAA? I think they have a fighting chance.

But I don’t really mind South Lakes as I’ve heard good things about their IB program.

My big issue is that most Carson kids go to Westfield (and probably KAA in the future), so my child at Carson would lose most of their friends when they enter 9th grade.

The split feeder pattern is something FCPS promised to minimize, but I’m not sure if they will address Carson’s three-way split (or four-way split, counting AAP out-of-boundary kids).

It would have been very helpful if they'd shared exactly what the current splits are at the various ES and MS split feeders in percentage terms.

They said they were going to try and reduce split feeders, but then they said (1) they only looked at split feeders where a split was below 25%; and (2) they wouldn't look at schools that were physically located in the under 25% area. So it left a lot of folks confused, although to be fair some people looked at the Thru proposals and said they'd prefer the current splits to the alternatives proposed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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?

The crowded schools and under capacity schools are the ones that should be targeted for boundary change. The problem is everyone is fighting to not be moved to the under-capacity schools. Suggest that people be moved to Herndon, Lewis, or Mt Vernon and watch people flip out.

People are fighting to not be moved while arguing other people should be moved because of open spaces and to relieve crowding, just not them. That is the cycle we are in.

KAA can reduce the overcrowding and should be used as the reason for shifting multiple groups of kids at the same time. It sucks for the kids who are moved but it is happening to everyone at the same time for the same reason. Kids should be moved to Herndon to use those spots. The spiffy new program should be put at Herndon to encourage kids to attend Herndon.

Centerville should not be expanded because there are spaces in the area that can be filled. Everyone is fine with that idea as long as their kid isn't moved.

I don't know what to make of most of your post, other than that you're fine with a lot of boundary changes that would inconvenience other people so long as the Carson folks get what they want, but the bolded part makes sense.

KAA is apparently going to be small, just 2000 kids. Why should any seats there, whether it's 90 seats or 150 seats, potentially be set aside for out of boundary kids to attend a "pathways" program at KAA if they could put it at Herndon, with its surplus capacity, instead?

They have a significant number of Willow Springs families who'd like to be at Centreville rather than Fairfax. They need to be taking that into account when deciding what to do with Centreville. Maybe it's a wash if part of Centreville moves to Westfield, but the pieces are connected and they don't seem to be thinking ahead.

My desire is not likely to happen. Fox Mill is highly unlikely to move to KAA and SLHS is not going to drop IB. We will probably need to pupil place for AP classes. I am fine with the boundaries in our area shifting to deal with the over-crowding and balancing schools better and think it is worth it to not expand Centerville. I don't think that the expansions in the area made a lot of sense. I do think that McLean needs a major renovation.

I live in Fox Mill too.

Why do you say it’s highly unlikely that Fox Mill kids would go to KAA? I think they have a fighting chance.

But I don’t really mind South Lakes as I’ve heard good things about their IB program.

My big issue is that most Carson kids go to Westfield (and probably KAA in the future), so my child at Carson would lose most of their friends when they enter 9th grade.

The split feeder pattern is something FCPS promised to minimize, but I’m not sure if they will address Carson’s three-way split (or four-way split, counting AAP out-of-boundary kids).

People don't always object to split feeders or even bigger splits. Oakton parents at Jackson lobbied FCPS successfully to move to Thoreau and turn it into a three-way split feeder (Oakton, Madison, Marshall), when Jackson had just split to Falls Church and Oakton. Parents at the small portion (under 10%) of Vienna ES that feeds to Marshall rather than Madison lobbied to stay at Vienna rather than get moved to Freedom Hill, which feeds 100% to Marshall. It usually depends as much on the schools involved as the impact on friend groups.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You're just jealous. That's it. You're jealous. It's not about selfishness or entitlement, it's about jealousy. Admit it.

Your post was rebutted, and that's the best you can do?

Yes, everyone else is green with envy that our kids won't get to attend a school with only two grades that probably won't have varsity sports at first, or the same breadth of courses as other schools for several years.

For the thousandth time, all people are saying is that there should be more transparency around this new school. Listen to Meren, R. Anderson, Moon, or Dunne at the work session, and you'll hear the same thing.

You, sweetie pie, are replying to multiple people. Yes, transparency is great, I think we all agree on that, but why does it make us selfish and entitled to be excited about a high school that is 5 minutes away as opposed to one that is 30 minutes away?

No one is trying to keep you from being excited. We'd just like to know the real costs and impact on other schools and communities.

Which you or a PP equate to jealousy, which is bullshit.

DP. Oh yeah we know what you want to know, regardless of the pretend concerns you’re expressing. You couldn’t care less about anything other than how your kids and your property value will be affected, and would rather see other communities go without things they need if it means you get to keep things the way you want for yourself. We see you!

DP. What an unserious person you are. Anything to get your new school courtesy of the Fairfax taxpayers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You're just jealous. That's it. You're jealous. It's not about selfishness or entitlement, it's about jealousy. Admit it.

Your post was rebutted, and that's the best you can do?

Yes, everyone else is green with envy that our kids won't get to attend a school with only two grades that probably won't have varsity sports at first, or the same breadth of courses as other schools for several years.

For the thousandth time, all people are saying is that there should be more transparency around this new school. Listen to Meren, R. Anderson, Moon, or Dunne at the work session, and you'll hear the same thing.

You, sweetie pie, are replying to multiple people. Yes, transparency is great, I think we all agree on that, but why does it make us selfish and entitled to be excited about a high school that is 5 minutes away as opposed to one that is 30 minutes away?

No one is trying to keep you from being excited. We'd just like to know the real costs and impact on other schools and communities.

Which you or a PP equate to jealousy, which is bullshit.

DP. Oh yeah we know what you want to know, regardless of the pretend concerns you’re expressing. You couldn’t care less about anything other than how your kids and your property value will be affected, and would rather see other communities go without things they need if it means you get to keep things the way you want for yourself. We see you!

DP. What an unserious person you are. Anything to get your new school courtesy of the Fairfax taxpayers.

I doubt my kids will get moved there even though it would be closer, because there won’t be enough space. I have mixed feelings anyway because my older one (if moved) would have to start there before it’s fully up and running. That might not be good academically and sport wise. It’s just really obvious what the real motive is behind these “taxpayer concerns” and it’s funny to see you try to deny it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You're just jealous. That's it. You're jealous. It's not about selfishness or entitlement, it's about jealousy. Admit it.

Your post was rebutted, and that's the best you can do?

Yes, everyone else is green with envy that our kids won't get to attend a school with only two grades that probably won't have varsity sports at first, or the same breadth of courses as other schools for several years.

For the thousandth time, all people are saying is that there should be more transparency around this new school. Listen to Meren, R. Anderson, Moon, or Dunne at the work session, and you'll hear the same thing.

You, sweetie pie, are replying to multiple people. Yes, transparency is great, I think we all agree on that, but why does it make us selfish and entitled to be excited about a high school that is 5 minutes away as opposed to one that is 30 minutes away?

No one is trying to keep you from being excited. We'd just like to know the real costs and impact on other schools and communities.

Which you or a PP equate to jealousy, which is bullshit.

DP. Oh yeah we know what you want to know, regardless of the pretend concerns you’re expressing. You couldn’t care less about anything other than how your kids and your property value will be affected, and would rather see other communities go without things they need if it means you get to keep things the way you want for yourself. We see you!

DP. What an unserious person you are. Anything to get your new school courtesy of the Fairfax taxpayers.

I doubt my kids will get moved there even though it would be closer, because there won’t be enough space. I have mixed feelings anyway because my older one (if moved) would have to start there before it’s fully up and running. That might not be good academically and sport wise. It’s just really obvious what the real motive is behind these “taxpayer concerns” and it’s funny to see you try to deny it.

Of course. The real motivation is what we all have been trying to tell you - good stewardship of taxpayer money. I’m not even sure what your “keep things the way you want for yourself” even means. It’s nonsense gibberish, but somehow you smugly pass it off as the clear as day motive for anyone who questions the $180m-$200m purchase. As I’ve said before, you aren’t a serious person, and it’s just funny watching you feebly try to dismiss the serious people who want to be sure that the $200 million cost to taxpayers and many other students in the county is justified.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You're just jealous. That's it. You're jealous. It's not about selfishness or entitlement, it's about jealousy. Admit it.

Your post was rebutted, and that's the best you can do?

Yes, everyone else is green with envy that our kids won't get to attend a school with only two grades that probably won't have varsity sports at first, or the same breadth of courses as other schools for several years.

For the thousandth time, all people are saying is that there should be more transparency around this new school. Listen to Meren, R. Anderson, Moon, or Dunne at the work session, and you'll hear the same thing.

You, sweetie pie, are replying to multiple people. Yes, transparency is great, I think we all agree on that, but why does it make us selfish and entitled to be excited about a high school that is 5 minutes away as opposed to one that is 30 minutes away?

No one is trying to keep you from being excited. We'd just like to know the real costs and impact on other schools and communities.

Which you or a PP equate to jealousy, which is bullshit.

DP. Oh yeah we know what you want to know, regardless of the pretend concerns you’re expressing. You couldn’t care less about anything other than how your kids and your property value will be affected, and would rather see other communities go without things they need if it means you get to keep things the way you want for yourself. We see you!

DP. What an unserious person you are. Anything to get your new school courtesy of the Fairfax taxpayers.

I doubt my kids will get moved there even though it would be closer, because there won’t be enough space. I have mixed feelings anyway because my older one (if moved) would have to start there before it’s fully up and running. That might not be good academically and sport wise. It’s just really obvious what the real motive is behind these “taxpayer concerns” and it’s funny to see you try to deny it.

DP. What is the “real motive”?

You seem to be making some big assumptions but go ahead and explain your “really obvious” thinking.

We’ll wait.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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

Why wasn't this estimate updated to reflect the additional costs they now know they will incur to get this school ready for FCPS students? I guess the philosophy is that if you repeat a lie frequently enough people will start to believe it.

They will never realize "approximately $280 million" in total savings, and they refuse to identify the other projects that will delayed, even as they ask taxpayers to approve more school bonds.

I think the school is mostly turn-key ready.

Depends on what you mean by "mostly." They are saying it can only open with two grades and that it will take 3 to 5 years before it can handle 2000 kids and four grades. It has specialized spaces designed for much younger kids.

Keep in mind that when they've opened new HSs in the past, they basically allowed juniors and seniors to stay at old school and not transfer. So it's not ridiculous to think that you might have a new HS open with just the bottom 2 grades it's first year

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

You're just jealous. That's it. You're jealous. It's not about selfishness or entitlement, it's about jealousy. Admit it.

Your post was rebutted, and that's the best you can do?

Yes, everyone else is green with envy that our kids won't get to attend a school with only two grades that probably won't have varsity sports at first, or the same breadth of courses as other schools for several years.

For the thousandth time, all people are saying is that there should be more transparency around this new school. Listen to Meren, R. Anderson, Moon, or Dunne at the work session, and you'll hear the same thing.

You, sweetie pie, are replying to multiple people. Yes, transparency is great, I think we all agree on that, but why does it make us selfish and entitled to be excited about a high school that is 5 minutes away as opposed to one that is 30 minutes away?

No one is trying to keep you from being excited. We'd just like to know the real costs and impact on other schools and communities.

Which you or a PP equate to jealousy, which is bullshit.

DP. Oh yeah we know what you want to know, regardless of the pretend concerns you’re expressing. You couldn’t care less about anything other than how your kids and your property value will be affected, and would rather see other communities go without things they need if it means you get to keep things the way you want for yourself. We see you!

DP. What an unserious person you are. Anything to get your new school courtesy of the Fairfax taxpayers.

I doubt my kids will get moved there even though it would be closer, because there won’t be enough space. I have mixed feelings anyway because my older one (if moved) would have to start there before it’s fully up and running. That might not be good academically and sport wise. It’s just really obvious what the real motive is behind these “taxpayer concerns” and it’s funny to see you try to deny it.

Of course. The real motivation is what we all have been trying to tell you - good stewardship of taxpayer money. I’m not even sure what your “keep things the way you want for yourself” even means. It’s nonsense gibberish, but somehow you smugly pass it off as the clear as day motive for anyone who questions the $180m-$200m purchase. As I’ve said before, you aren’t a serious person, and it’s just funny watching you feebly try to dismiss the serious people who want to be sure that the $200 million cost to taxpayers and many other students in the county is justified.

Suuure. I bet you live way on the other side of the county right? No chance at all for domino effects on your community. Right. You’re just a concerned taxpayer! Nothing to see here!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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

Why wasn't this estimate updated to reflect the additional costs they now know they will incur to get this school ready for FCPS students? I guess the philosophy is that if you repeat a lie frequently enough people will start to believe it.

They will never realize "approximately $280 million" in total savings, and they refuse to identify the other projects that will delayed, even as they ask taxpayers to approve more school bonds.

I think the school is mostly turn-key ready.

Depends on what you mean by "mostly." They are saying it can only open with two grades and that it will take 3 to 5 years before it can handle 2000 kids and four grades. It has specialized spaces designed for much younger kids.

Keep in mind that when they've opened new HSs in the past, they basically allowed juniors and seniors to stay at old school and not transfer. So it's not ridiculous to think that you might have a new HS open with just the bottom 2 grades it's first year

That doesn’t mean the school currently is “mostly turn-key ready” to be a 9-12 school for 2000 kids. It might suggest it doesn’t need to be to open.