King Abdullah Academy Closing: FCPS Buy for HS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No one cares about magnet high schools. People really care about getting a promised HS.
Every vote counts in local elections because the turnout is so low.

You’re really trying hard, but it’s just not convincing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So the nasty anti-new school trolls are nervous Herndon parents who don't want to be zoned out of Langley?

Nope, but telling you are going back to your tired playbook from the last year and a half. Really makes us understand that you have no argument against Frisch and Dunne making the new school a magnet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No one cares about magnet high schools. People really care about getting a promised HS.
Every vote counts in local elections because the turnout is so low.

People care about magnets more than you seem to think. The only people who care about the promised hs live within 2 miles of the promised hs. The vast majority of voters do not care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one cares about magnet high schools. People really care about getting a promised HS.
Every vote counts in local elections because the turnout is so low.

People care about magnets more than you seem to think. The only people who care about the promised hs live within 2 miles of the promised hs. The vast majority of voters do not care.

+1. Hard to see how the distinction neighborhood school vs magnet would sway more than a handful of votes and would possibly (likely) increase their vote total.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So the nasty anti-new school trolls are nervous Herndon parents who don't want to be zoned out of Langley?

I can't tell if those who oppose a new neighborhood HS at the KAA site are:

1. People who really want a "TJ West" or "Kyle McDaniel Aviation Academy HS";

2. Langley posters who don't want to be the only ones left standing to fill empty seats at Herndon;

3. People who don't want to pay taxes to support public schools; or

4. Trolls who just like to make those who stand to benefit from a new school insecure.

If I can't tell, I'm betting you can't either, so shame on you for saying it's #2 when it could be ### 1, 3, 4 or something else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one cares about magnet high schools. People really care about getting a promised HS.
Every vote counts in local elections because the turnout is so low.

People care about magnets more than you seem to think. The only people who care about the promised hs live within 2 miles of the promised hs. The vast majority of voters do not care.

Magnets are not popular in FCPS. Look at the Bailey's and Hunter Woods magnets, the Edison Global STEM magnet, and it remains to be seen what the Lewis Leadership program will draw. Those are relatively unknown and small programs. Overall the evidence shows it is not magnets themselves that are popular, otherwise we would have seen more demand for that type of programming throughout FCPS.

What is popular is a highly selective program like TJ that creates a sense of prestige, and I'm doubtful that KAA would be allowed to become TJ 2.0.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Westfield has never been renovated. It was built on the cheap around 1999. They stuck a modular addition on when it opened already over capacity but didn't expand the common areas so the halls, gym, library, cafeteria etc are all undersized for the building capacity. The building design doesn't even have a lobby or any gathering places for students. Its literally just classrooms and halls.

For instance, South County is the exact same floor plan, with a lot fewer students AND South County has an extra "bubble" building for extra space for sports and activities. I don't know how they got that.

Not modular - Westfield was expanded - R-wing and cafeteria. Agreed that they didn't expand halls, etc. Overall result was the 600 seat R-wing addition didn't actually add 600 students to the capacity.

Note - This is a general issue with FCPS "expansions" they add space for butts but don't really add equal capacity throughout the building.

And who really wants 3000 student high schools...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Westfield has never been renovated. It was built on the cheap around 1999. They stuck a modular addition on when it opened already over capacity but didn't expand the common areas so the halls, gym, library, cafeteria etc are all undersized for the building capacity. The building design doesn't even have a lobby or any gathering places for students. Its literally just classrooms and halls.

For instance, South County is the exact same floor plan, with a lot fewer students AND South County has an extra "bubble" building for extra space for sports and activities. I don't know how they got that.

Not modular - Westfield was expanded - R-wing and cafeteria. Agreed that they didn't expand halls, etc. Overall result was the 600 seat R-wing addition didn't actually add 600 students to the capacity.

Note - This is a general issue with FCPS "expansions" they add space for butts but don't really add equal capacity throughout the building.

And who really wants 3000 student high schools...

The fact that Westfield has no large gathering space or lobby area is so depressing. Everything feels so enclosed. Visiting other schools is eye opening

[Anonymous]

A TJ2 would just water down the prestige of TJ1. You take the western geniuses out of TJ1 and fill seats with less qualified students. No offense, but Fairfax county just doesn’t have that many qualified kids. And if kids are moving here specifically for that, they can move closer to TJ1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A TJ2 would just water down the prestige of TJ1. You take the western geniuses out of TJ1 and fill seats with less qualified students. No offense, but Fairfax county just doesn’t have that many qualified kids. And if kids are moving here specifically for that, they can move closer to TJ1.

They should move TJ then to the middle of the County.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A TJ2 would just water down the prestige of TJ1. You take the western geniuses out of TJ1 and fill seats with less qualified students. No offense, but Fairfax county just doesn’t have that many qualified kids. And if kids are moving here specifically for that, they can move closer to TJ1.

They should move TJ then to the middle of the County.

If they could restart the entire county, yes. Then they could put schools in strategic locations and not have any split feeders. But they can’t. And TJ is full of super fancy labs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A TJ2 would just water down the prestige of TJ1. You take the western geniuses out of TJ1 and fill seats with less qualified students. No offense, but Fairfax county just doesn’t have that many qualified kids. And if kids are moving here specifically for that, they can move closer to TJ1.

They should move TJ then to the middle of the County.

If they could restart the entire county, yes. Then they could put schools in strategic locations and not have any split feeders. But they can’t. And TJ is full of super fancy labs.

Know what other location has super fancy labs? KAA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A TJ2 would just water down the prestige of TJ1. You take the western geniuses out of TJ1 and fill seats with less qualified students. No offense, but Fairfax county just doesn’t have that many qualified kids. And if kids are moving here specifically for that, they can move closer to TJ1.

It’s pretty disingenuous to say that the county doesn’t have enough qualified kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A TJ2 would just water down the prestige of TJ1. You take the western geniuses out of TJ1 and fill seats with less qualified students. No offense, but Fairfax county just doesn’t have that many qualified kids. And if kids are moving here specifically for that, they can move closer to TJ1.

They should move TJ then to the middle of the County.

They just renovated it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A TJ2 would just water down the prestige of TJ1. You take the western geniuses out of TJ1 and fill seats with less qualified students. No offense, but Fairfax county just doesn’t have that many qualified kids. And if kids are moving here specifically for that, they can move closer to TJ1.

It’s pretty disingenuous to say that the county doesn’t have enough qualified kids.

There are strong STEM opportunities all over the county.

I don't think they acquired this site just so they could humor more parents who need to believe their kids are special magnet snowflakes.