Western High School Boundary Map options (A/B/C/D)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The opt out option makes sense to me. People who are worried about programs being available at the school the day that it opens will have the choice to stay at their current school. This allows people worried about sports or the arts and option. If they chose their current school, they stay there for four years.

If kids opt in to the school, they will be allowed to play a sport at their base school if it is not available at the new school. Once the sport becomes available at the new school, they will have to play at the new school. I don't see many people taking advantage of this. Maybe SLHS families who want AP, so they want to attend the new school but play sports at SLHS because the sport is not available at the new school. By Junior year, the sport might be available at the new school, and they might have to switch schools. Just an example that makes sense to me.

If kids opt in to the school and don't care as much about sports and the like then no worries.

Three years from now, there is no opt in option. Sixth graders will have to attend the new school. They can try and pupil place if they want to attend a different school, but parents provide transportation.

The only thing that makes no sense to me is the lack of boundaries by January. This push to wait until June is ridiculous.

I thought that in 3 years there is still an opt in option, but no opt out. So if you’re in 6th grade now, and your home is in one of the 5 pyramids but doesn’t end up in boundary, you could choose to opt in (presumably with no transportation). But if you’re a 6th grader whose home is in boundary you can’t opt out.

This is based on that slide with the schools and arrows. Did they say something different last night?

Edited the “not” to “but” above

[Anonymous]

None of this makes any sense.

For instance, they are moving hundreds of CVHS kids to Westfield to fill seats vacated by kids moved to KAA. When will those boundary changes be in effect?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The opt out option makes sense to me. People who are worried about programs being available at the school the day that it opens will have the choice to stay at their current school. This allows people worried about sports or the arts and option. If they chose their current school, they stay there for four years.

If kids opt in to the school, they will be allowed to play a sport at their base school if it is not available at the new school. Once the sport becomes available at the new school, they will have to play at the new school. I don't see many people taking advantage of this. Maybe SLHS families who want AP, so they want to attend the new school but play sports at SLHS because the sport is not available at the new school. By Junior year, the sport might be available at the new school, and they might have to switch schools. Just an example that makes sense to me.

If kids opt in to the school and don't care as much about sports and the like then no worries.

Three years from now, there is no opt in option. Sixth graders will have to attend the new school. They can try and pupil place if they want to attend a different school, but parents provide transportation.

The only thing that makes no sense to me is the lack of boundaries by January. This push to wait until June is ridiculous.

I thought that in 3 years there is still an opt in option, not no opt out. So if you’re in 6th grade now, and your home is in one of the 5 pyramids but doesn’t end up in boundary, you could choose to opt in (presumably with no transportation). But if you’re a 6th grader whose home is in boundary you can’t opt out.

This is based on that slide with the schools and arrows. Did they say something different last night?

I think at that point you aren't "opt in", but rather it is the same transfer option that exists at every high school. If there is something you want (AP, language, etc) then you can try to transfer / pupil place in, and assuming there is space at the school that would be approved but you would have to provide your own transportation. This is how it already works at every school right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

So complicated and so much coddling. Everything Reid does is half-assed so why should this be any exception.

This. Instead of solving problems, they are creating them.

I think they will vote to adopt county-wide changes in January but postpone the effective date for any changes for the five pyramids potentially affected by Western. Then they'll deal with Westfield, South Lakes, Chantilly, Oakton, and Centreville boundaries in mid-2026. Meanwhile they'll move forward with their convoluted opt-in scheme to Western. No one knows how many kids Western will have for its first few years, which undercuts the argument that the overcrowding is acute and requires immediate action.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

So complicated and so much coddling. Everything Reid does is half-assed so why should this be any exception.

This. Instead of solving problems, they are creating them.

I think they will vote to adopt county-wide changes in January but postpone the effective date for any changes for the five pyramids potentially affected by Western. Then they'll deal with Westfield, South Lakes, Chantilly, Oakton, and Centreville boundaries in mid-2026. Meanwhile they'll move forward with their convoluted opt-in scheme to Western. No one knows how many kids Western will have for its first few years, which undercuts the argument that the overcrowding is acute and requires immediate action.

Just like pushing out the Coates changes a year magically made their overcrowding less of a problem?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The opt out option makes sense to me. People who are worried about programs being available at the school the day that it opens will have the choice to stay at their current school. This allows people worried about sports or the arts and option. If they chose their current school, they stay there for four years.

If kids opt in to the school, they will be allowed to play a sport at their base school if it is not available at the new school. Once the sport becomes available at the new school, they will have to play at the new school. I don't see many people taking advantage of this. Maybe SLHS families who want AP, so they want to attend the new school but play sports at SLHS because the sport is not available at the new school. By Junior year, the sport might be available at the new school, and they might have to switch schools. Just an example that makes sense to me.

If kids opt in to the school and don't care as much about sports and the like then no worries.

Three years from now, there is no opt in option. Sixth graders will have to attend the new school. They can try and pupil place if they want to attend a different school, but parents provide transportation.

The only thing that makes no sense to me is the lack of boundaries by January. This push to wait until June is ridiculous.

So complicated and so much coddling. Everything Reid does is half-assed so why should this be any exception.

It is not complicated, it is pretty easy to follow.

It is not coddling; it is acknowledging that a new school will not have the sports and arts programs that are an important part of the HS experience in the US. This allows kids to have the opportunity to participate in sports and arts like all the other kids in FCPS HSs.

It's far more straight-forward to just defer the opening of Western until it can handle three grades and then have sports and arts like all the other FCPS high schools.

They are basically turning Western into the FCPS version of HB Woodlawn in Arlington for several years. It's yet another FCPS proposal that purports to address one problem (overcrowding) by creating another (uncertainty as to how many kids will opt to attend Western, what the impact will or won't be on other schools, what happens if kids opt in but then aren't redistricted into Western, and how FCPS staffs a school with so many variables).

[Anonymous]

It'll be really interesting to see what happens if they only get a portion of kids opting in Year 1 (i.e. 500 vs. 1,000). One of the board members raised that concern multiple times last night and Reid deflected left and right saying there's "more interest than there will be spots." Naturally with no actual data to back that up...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Am I getting this right?

Year 1 you can opt in or opt out but you have to do so without knowing if your in boundary or out?

So what happens if you end up in boundary but you already opted out and then the boundary becomes firm in year or 3? Do you have to switch high schools at that point or find your own transportation to the original school?

What happens if you opt in but you end up out of boundary? When the boundary becomes firm do you have to switch schools to your old school or you get to stay with no transportation?

If I'm right, this makes zero sense and could be alleviated by just releasing the boundary BEFORE kids have to opt in or opt out

This is what is stupid - they are asking people to opt in/out in January but they are saying they will only provide busses for people who are in boundary, which won't be determined until June. Nobody asked: if you opted in but it turns out you're not in boundary, can you change back to your base school? If not, then nobody from Fox Mill or Crossfield is going to opt in. Why would they, without guaranteed transportation??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Am I getting this right?

Year 1 you can opt in or opt out but you have to do so without knowing if your in boundary or out?

So what happens if you end up in boundary but you already opted out and then the boundary becomes firm in year or 3? Do you have to switch high schools at that point or find your own transportation to the original school?

What happens if you opt in but you end up out of boundary? When the boundary becomes firm do you have to switch schools to your old school or you get to stay with no transportation?

If I'm right, this makes zero sense and could be alleviated by just releasing the boundary BEFORE kids have to opt in or opt out

This is what is stupid - they are asking people to opt in/out in January but they are saying they will only provide busses for people who are in boundary, which won't be determined until June. Nobody asked: if you opted in but it turns out you're not in boundary, can you change back to your base school? If not, then nobody from Fox Mill or Crossfield is going to opt in. Why would they, without guaranteed transportation??

I'll find the nearest bus stop and drop my kid there. Crossfield would be in boundary if Fox Mill isn't and they are across the street from us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Am I getting this right?

Year 1 you can opt in or opt out but you have to do so without knowing if your in boundary or out?

So what happens if you end up in boundary but you already opted out and then the boundary becomes firm in year or 3? Do you have to switch high schools at that point or find your own transportation to the original school?

What happens if you opt in but you end up out of boundary? When the boundary becomes firm do you have to switch schools to your old school or you get to stay with no transportation?

If I'm right, this makes zero sense and could be alleviated by just releasing the boundary BEFORE kids have to opt in or opt out

This is what is stupid - they are asking people to opt in/out in January but they are saying they will only provide busses for people who are in boundary, which won't be determined until June. Nobody asked: if you opted in but it turns out you're not in boundary, can you change back to your base school? If not, then nobody from Fox Mill or Crossfield is going to opt in. Why would they, without guaranteed transportation??

I'll find the nearest bus stop and drop my kid there. Crossfield would be in boundary if Fox Mill isn't and they are across the street from us.

That was something that one of the board members suggested - designated stops like they have for TJ

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Am I getting this right?

Year 1 you can opt in or opt out but you have to do so without knowing if your in boundary or out?

So what happens if you end up in boundary but you already opted out and then the boundary becomes firm in year or 3? Do you have to switch high schools at that point or find your own transportation to the original school?

What happens if you opt in but you end up out of boundary? When the boundary becomes firm do you have to switch schools to your old school or you get to stay with no transportation?

If I'm right, this makes zero sense and could be alleviated by just releasing the boundary BEFORE kids have to opt in or opt out

This is what is stupid - they are asking people to opt in/out in January but they are saying they will only provide busses for people who are in boundary, which won't be determined until June. Nobody asked: if you opted in but it turns out you're not in boundary, can you change back to your base school? If not, then nobody from Fox Mill or Crossfield is going to opt in. Why would they, without guaranteed transportation??

I'll find the nearest bus stop and drop my kid there. Crossfield would be in boundary if Fox Mill isn't and they are across the street from us.

That was something that one of the board members suggested - designated stops like they have for TJ

Cool, we will probably also talk car pool options with friends who are going to opt in. (shrugs)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:None of this makes any sense.

For instance, they are moving hundreds of CVHS kids to Westfield to fill seats vacated by kids moved to KAA. When will those boundary changes be in effect?

This question really needs to be answered.

[Anonymous]

I really hope they don’t use the opt in/opt out data for next year to draw the boundaries. That would be really stupid. The cohort of families who has to decide for the next two years is likely to have completely different concerns than families who won’t have a high schooler until after that time when things are built out.

[Anonymous]

They have 10000 comments and who knows how many emails. They don't need any more community input. The only input from now til January should be "get the boundary done by January"

[Anonymous]

For families who want to stay where they are--sports will give an opt-out

For families who don't like where they are--and, I assume that could include out of boundary kids--they will opt in/

Result? Some schools in the western area that are considered "less than" will have opt-ins.

This is a terrible plan. It will reduce enrollment in schools that need it and do nothing to help the overcrowded schools.

They may not can begin with VHSL the first year, but they could provide freshman/jv in some way and do VHSL when they get juniors.

Are kids going to be able to do marching band? Orchestra? Drama?

I think this is Reid's way of getting a magnet school. And, it won't help overcrowding.

I don't think they could plan any worse if they tried.

Are there no other new high schools in Virginia ? How does Loudoun do this with sports?

Do these people even know anyone with kids in high school?