Luther Jackson MS Enrollment Plunges as Expected

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP -- this is actually a success! LJMS was in fact way over crowded. Now they are not! They are right at capacity. This is actually a good use of the facility. Likewise, TMS was previously under-enrolled and not it is closer to capacity.

If you look at the numbers, LJMS shed about 200 kids in the current 7th grade enrollment. TMS picked them up. LJMS lost about 75 kids who apparently could have stayed there for 8th grade, but decided to move over to TMS.... b/c they gained about 75 kids from last June to this SEpt. in the group that is now 8th grade.

So, a net gain at TMS of 275. Next year, they should even out to add another 75-ish, and that will be the end of it. 300-350 was what the planners expected would be moving out of LJMS and into TMS.

I see that the membership numbers are not separating out the AAP kids. In the past they used to do that. Not sure how the AAP numbers have changed. I don't think it has been much of a change -- maybe 20 or so more at TMS. But the bulk are still at LJMS.

Separating out the issue of SES, the attendance and capacity balancing was a success.

This. It is so much better even though OP still, months and months later, can’t help but be depressed about her property value.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And: equity? I don’t understand why this is a goal. We moved here mostly for the school pyramid and chose our neighborhood accordingly. We avoided the LJMS district.

I don’t want my kids in a Title One school, either.

As long as you get yours, right? Even better if you get a windfall to someone else's detriment.

It’s not a windfall, it’s a a deliberate choice to live in a place I want my kids to go to school. Why should I pay upwards of half-mil for a shitshack based on the schools and then have to go out of my pyramid when TMS is 1/3 the distance from my house as LJ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And: equity? I don’t understand why this is a goal. We moved here mostly for the school pyramid and chose our neighborhood accordingly. We avoided the LJMS district.

I don’t want my kids in a Title One school, either.

As long as you get yours, right? Even better if you get a windfall to someone else's detriment.

Nope. Not my attitude at all. I just wonder why all of a sudden schools are supposed to be equal? FCPS will waste precious time and resources if the end game is demographic equivalency? So, should Langley HS just close? Maybe students from Lee HS should have the option to be bussed to McLean HS to even things out? This is not real life. Or, let’s move students from West Springfield HS to Lee or Annandale. This has been attempted before and didn’t go well.

If we’re going to equalize things, let’s eliminate AAP. I’d argue that students in AAP have school choice (i.e., LJMS or Thoreau) whereas gen ed students do not!

But why does FCPS make choices that move schools further from equity? This is not the first time they have done this. No one expects the schools to be perfectly equal, but the schools in Fairfax are becoming more and more have and have nots. It was not always this way as there were many more schools in the middle.

And actually, wealthy students have only been moved out of Lee and Annandale - that did not go well for Lee or Annandale. It won't go well for Jackson and eventually, as the next several years go by, will not go well for Falls Church.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And: equity? I don’t understand why this is a goal. We moved here mostly for the school pyramid and chose our neighborhood accordingly. We avoided the LJMS district.

I don’t want my kids in a Title One school, either.

As long as you get yours, right? Even better if you get a windfall to someone else's detriment.

It’s not a windfall, it’s a a deliberate choice to live in a place I want my kids to go to school. Why should I pay upwards of half-mil for a shitshack based on the schools and then have to go out of my pyramid when TMS is 1/3 the distance from my house as LJ?

In that case, it’s unlikely you are among those directly affected by this decision, and are just spouting off based on mistaken assumptions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And: equity? I don’t understand why this is a goal. We moved here mostly for the school pyramid and chose our neighborhood accordingly. We avoided the LJMS district.

I don’t want my kids in a Title One school, either.

As long as you get yours, right? Even better if you get a windfall to someone else's detriment.

Nope. Not my attitude at all. I just wonder why all of a sudden schools are supposed to be equal? FCPS will waste precious time and resources if the end game is demographic equivalency? So, should Langley HS just close? Maybe students from Lee HS should have the option to be bussed to McLean HS to even things out? This is not real life. Or, let’s move students from West Springfield HS to Lee or Annandale. This has been attempted before and didn’t go well.

If we’re going to equalize things, let’s eliminate AAP. I’d argue that students in AAP have school choice (i.e., LJMS or Thoreau) whereas gen ed students do not!

But why does FCPS make choices that move schools further from equity? This is not the first time they have done this. No one expects the schools to be perfectly equal, but the schools in Fairfax are becoming more and more have and have nots. It was not always this way as there were many more schools in the middle.

And actually, wealthy students have only been moved out of Lee and Annandale - that did not go well for Lee or Annandale. It won't go well for Jackson and eventually, as the next several years go by, will not go well for Falls Church.

This X1000. FCPS doesn’t control everything that happens in the county, but it’s the height of hypocrisy to claim they care about equity and then make choices that are guaranteed to increase the disparities in ESOL/FARMS rates, student achievement, parental participation, extra-curricular opportunities, etc. among schools.

[Anonymous]

Sometimes it's not about social engineering b/c the logistics (housing, dividing roadways, existing school zones, proximity, and future HS pyramid assignments) dictate a reasonable rezoning plan.

You are right that LJMS will be proportionally more ESOL and FARMS. These kids were there from the beginning, and LJ just lost some of its middle income kids who weren't ESOL/FARMS. So, it's not as though FCPS added ESOL/FARMS kids to LJ.

That said, sometimes there are logical reasons to pull one set of kids to another school that has nothing to do with trying to drive one school down or bring one school up. It is a secondary consequence -- that LJ is going to be more ESOL/FARMS.... but that is also a product of the types of housing that is built closest to the school facility.

I understand that in almost every decision, there are some people who feel like they got a better deal and some people who feel like they got a worse deal. I feel for you if you are a middle income household that is still zoned for LJMS.... but, it's not like LJ was that great before (in the gen ed side). You are mostly getting what you bought into. The people who got a windfall are those who used to be zoned for LJ and now are zoned for TMS.

Objectively speaking -- if you believe every kid is capable of success given the right conditions -- it has to be a net gain for the ESOL/FARMS kids at LJ to have more space and have more attention from the administration.

[Anonymous]

I find it rather interesting that some 75-80 kids went to LJ as 7th graders, and rather than stay there for one more year, they were willing to jump ship and start at a new school for ONE YEAR (presumably these were gen ed kids).

Surely that is some indication of dissatisfaction. If I were part of the administration at LJMS, I'd be asking myself, the students and the parents what the biggest motivators are to leave. It's somewhat unusual to have kids say "no thanks" to a grandfather clause when they only have one year left in that school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes it's not about social engineering b/c the logistics (housing, dividing roadways, existing school zones, proximity, and future HS pyramid assignments) dictate a reasonable rezoning plan.

You are right that LJMS will be proportionally more ESOL and FARMS. These kids were there from the beginning, and LJ just lost some of its middle income kids who weren't ESOL/FARMS. So, it's not as though FCPS added ESOL/FARMS kids to LJ.

That said, sometimes there are logical reasons to pull one set of kids to another school that has nothing to do with trying to drive one school down or bring one school up. It is a secondary consequence -- that LJ is going to be more ESOL/FARMS.... but that is also a product of the types of housing that is built closest to the school facility.

I understand that in almost every decision, there are some people who feel like they got a better deal and some people who feel like they got a worse deal. I feel for you if you are a middle income household that is still zoned for LJMS.... but, it's not like LJ was that great before (in the gen ed side). You are mostly getting what you bought into. The people who got a windfall are those who used to be zoned for LJ and now are zoned for TMS.

Objectively speaking -- if you believe every kid is capable of success given the right conditions -- it has to be a net gain for the ESOL/FARMS kids at LJ to have more space and have more attention from the administration.

Thank-you, this is the sanest and most logical post on this thread.

[Anonymous]

We had a choice of LJ vs Thoreau for AAP- I am so glad we chose Thoreau. My child is still in contact with kids who chose LJ and they are so far having the same materials/assignments. We still get emails from LJ since we initially seriously considered this option. There have been a lot of emails regarding meeting the Falls Church family. That was an issue- we are not in the FC zone. So- glad to hear everyone is happy with their decision. I know we are (including the fantastic support we had when our child crumbled the first weeks adapting- sooo supportive and now DC has found a place- counselor has been so active and helpful!- loves the school etc).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I find it rather interesting that some 75-80 kids went to LJ as 7th graders, and rather than stay there for one more year, they were willing to jump ship and start at a new school for ONE YEAR (presumably these were gen ed kids).

Surely that is some indication of dissatisfaction. If I were part of the administration at LJMS, I'd be asking myself, the students and the parents what the biggest motivators are to leave. It's somewhat unusual to have kids say "no thanks" to a grandfather clause when they only have one year left in that school.

Were these kids traveling farther and earlier in the morning and are saving commuting time by going to Thoreau ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sometimes it's not about social engineering b/c the logistics (housing, dividing roadways, existing school zones, proximity, and future HS pyramid assignments) dictate a reasonable rezoning plan.

You are right that LJMS will be proportionally more ESOL and FARMS. These kids were there from the beginning, and LJ just lost some of its middle income kids who weren't ESOL/FARMS. So, it's not as though FCPS added ESOL/FARMS kids to LJ.

That said, sometimes there are logical reasons to pull one set of kids to another school that has nothing to do with trying to drive one school down or bring one school up. It is a secondary consequence -- that LJ is going to be more ESOL/FARMS.... but that is also a product of the types of housing that is built closest to the school facility.

I understand that in almost every decision, there are some people who feel like they got a better deal and some people who feel like they got a worse deal. I feel for you if you are a middle income household that is still zoned for LJMS.... but, it's not like LJ was that great before (in the gen ed side). You are mostly getting what you bought into. The people who got a windfall are those who used to be zoned for LJ and now are zoned for TMS.

Objectively speaking -- if you believe every kid is capable of success given the right conditions -- it has to be a net gain for the ESOL/FARMS kids at LJ to have more space and have more attention from the administration.

I don't own in Jackson or Thoreau, but I can see that this is making another school in the county more undesirable. How many of these do we want? If Luther Jackson was just on the cusp of being good enough before, this will send it in the wrong direction. Not good FCPS.

[Anonymous]

Responding to 22:12 -- that's why they keep the AAP center at LJMS and why they won't put a center at TMS (they want more TMS AAP kids to come over to LJ to keep the scores up -- masking the lower gen ed test scores). It's similar to other schools where the gen ed population is largely ESOL/FARMS, but the center makes the whole school look at least middle of the pack. If a school is middling when it has a center, then the non-center part (the gen ed part) must be less than "middle". Twain is like this. Lorton Station. LJ. Then there are schools that have a large ESOL/FARMS population with the center and the gen ed is doing quite well i.e. Springfield Estates.

But, for the most part, how a school performs is going to be dictated by the type/quality of housing near the school. People who are struggling live in lower cost housing and the kids are bringing their struggles to school.

Because LJ has the AAP center, it will not become another Lee or Annandale that spirals down into ashes. It'll be more like Twain.

[Anonymous]

Can someone kindly post a link to this data that FCPS released? I can't seem to find it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can someone kindly post a link to this data that FCPS released? I can't seem to find it!

You have to go to the school profiles and look at the membership pages.

Jackson
http://schoolprofiles.fcps.edu/schlprfl/f?p=108:107:196638518554:105:NO:0_CURRENT_SCHOOL_ID,P0_EDSL:081,0

Thoreau
http://schoolprofiles.fcps.edu/schlprfl/f?p=108:107:196638518554:105:NO:0_CURRENT_SCHOOL_ID,P0_EDSL:061,0

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone kindly post a link to this data that FCPS released? I can't seem to find it!

You have to go to the school profiles and look at the membership pages.

Jackson
http://schoolprofiles.fcps.edu/schlprfl/f?p=108:107:196638518554:105:NO:0_CURRENT_SCHOOL_ID,P0_EDSL:081,0

Thoreau
http://schoolprofiles.fcps.edu/schlprfl/f?p=108:107:196638518554:105:NO:0_CURRENT_SCHOOL_ID,P0_EDSL:061,0

I think the links got messed up. Just go to the school profiles and look for the membership tabs.