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

[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?

[Anonymous]

They seem to think that the "career path" will be an attraction. I think a better attraction would be some certainty for the community that will be in boundary.

The career path can come later. This whole thing is backwards.

[Anonymous]

I am trying to think of it's possible to f up a school opening in more ways. My personal favorite is asking kids to opt-in before boundaries are set such that they may have to hitchhike to ninth grade while all their friends head off in another direction for their base school.

I also admire the 7-part detailed school naming process when there are no teachers, curriculum, or for that matter, students, assigned.

There is something to be said for suggesting it be a cutting-edge AI and Engineering sub-school and never mentioning it again. Intrigue!

Don't discount extreme crowding relief at local HS with a sharp 6-year plan to migrate students. Children in ELEMENTARY school can still decide what high school they will attend for 4 years, 3 years from now. Delightful!

Did I mention, we are all in on the NAMING?

And of course, who won't fondly remember all of the community meetings of Oakton parents ready to sell their souls for an Oakton-logo hoodie and rambling on endlessly about their years of "Oakton Sports Readiness". It reminds me when my oldest was about 10, I printed off a list of the top 10 careers and everyone one of my kids knows what is what in that regard (and no, Oakton sports star is not on the list), always good to see a community of mostly middle agers getting to relive their high school glory though their kids high school sports. Heaven forbid an objective rational decision be made about proximity and boundaries. That would be no fun because in honesty, zero parent input is required for that decision.

Then we have the slate of back stabbing double dealing school board members, promising their cohorts all sort of stuff, spilling insider knowledge, working the room they are!

But lets just be glad its not a MAGNET school because Western region parents really enjoy sending their kid on an hour bus ride for a school day that is 1 hour longer than everyone else's making it a 12 hour day for those kids. Thank HEAVENS we aren't so foolish as to give the highly motivated kids a place to excel at a curriculum that meets their abilities. We dodged a bullet there!

I honestly cannot wait for what tomorrow brings because I am not sure this can get more janky, but I am not a disbeliever either. Bring it on, Reid!

[Anonymous]

SB is crashing out while discussing KAA tonight. What a joke

[Anonymous]

This took so long, but the board finally voted that the Western HS will be a comprehensive traditional school with a special program. The opt-in for (at least) the first year.

No more magnet nonsense.

[Anonymous]

Looks like the traditional school motion passed as expected, but they removed the details about the 2027 and 2028 school years. I tried to watch that part of the meeting to see the discussion, but maybe that part of the meeting was private? It's not on YouTube.
From Board Docs:

Amended Main Motion: I move that the School Board approve Western High School to be a comprehensive high school with traditional boundaries, that includes a special programming pathway option, and the following enrollment plan will be implemented:
2026-2027 Grades 9 and 10 opt-in.

Motion by Seema Dixit, second by Karl V Frisch.
Final Resolution: Motion Carries
Yes: Karl V Frisch, Marcia St John-Cunning, Sandy B Anderson - Chair, Seema Dixit, Rachna Sizemore Heizer, Mateo Dunne, Ilryong Moon
No: Melanie K Meren, Ryan McElveen, Ricardy J Anderson
Abstain: Robyn Lady - Vice Chair