School Boundaries and "One Fairfax"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Many people in this area are so bubbleized and practically immune from economic problems and the like that they can’t see three feet in front of them.

And many people in this area pay 10s of Thousands in taxes, have both parents working 10-12 hours a day to be able to afford a home in a school district where they wanted theirs kids to go, only to be told it’s not enough.

So what is?

Not enough for what, exactly?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Boundary changes are hard because people have made long term financial decisions (like purchasing a home) based on school boundaries. It's not so simple to just change these. I'm in a neighborhood that I'm pretty sure would stay as it's currently structured, simply because of proximity to the schools we're assigned to, but I really feel for people who might face changes. There are very few situations where you'd be getting a better deal with boundary changes. You're talking about moving people who have chosen to pay more for a house to be in a better school zone to a worse school zone and changing their housing value drastically. Not a good solution.

I think they should work harder to improve the schools as they exist. We are at an elementary school that is only 46% white and 40% FARMs with a high ESL rate. My kids are white upper middle class and we love this school. The principal and teachers are excellent. There are challenges, of course, but the wider community supports the school as well (churches help with food over weekends and summer, coat drives, etc.). There are ways to meet a school's needs where it is instead of trying to change the student population. I also think there's an element of racism in the thought that adding "white rich kids" will improve a school.

It is foolish to feel entitled to no boundary changes when buying a property. NOWHERE is it written that there can never be a boundary change just because you happened to buy a house in a particular boundary. Only someone incredibly narcissistic would think that they are entitled to the same boundary for eternity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Many people in this area are so bubbleized and practically immune from economic problems and the like that they can’t see three feet in front of them.

And many people in this area pay 10s of Thousands in taxes, have both parents working 10-12 hours a day to be able to afford a home in a school district where they wanted theirs kids to go, only to be told it’s not enough.

So what is?

Not enough for what, exactly?

too bad, so sad. waaaaaaaaah

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is the type of issue where “progressive” young parents in their 30’s first encounter liberal polices first hand.

You may have voted Dem without thinking twice your entire life, but if you like me have worked hard and sacrificed to afford a house in a school district you chose, you have to realize that there is a good chance your kids may be re-zoned into a different school in the name of “social justice” in the next 5-10 years.

You bought in Oakton / Langley Pyramid? - Herndon
You wanted your kids to go to Woodson / Lake Braddock? - they are now heading to Annandale
You though they were going to McLean? - it’s now Stuart / Justice
West Springfield is now Lee

This isn’t hyperbole, at the last working meeting they specifically reviewed changes to policy documents that would allow for widespread boundary changes in the name of “racial composition of students”, changing it from "socioeconomic characteristics of schools."

If you are ok with your children being part of this experiment then I applaud you on standing by your morals, sacrificing your child’s education and home value to serve idea I guess is a laudable act.

Please keep all of this in mind when you vote for School Board and County positions this fall. This election is going to be the biggest change in power in FFX county since the 1970’s with so many incumbents not seeking re-election.

Let's look at these one by one.

FCPS has expanded or is expanding Oakton, Herndon and Langley, and Langley is under-enrolled, so it's unlikely Oakton or Langley kids will get moved to Herndon.

There are areas at Lake Braddock and Woodson that used to go to Annandale, so no one should be surprised if the decide at some point to send ome neighborhoods back to Annandale.

The only school to which kids at overcrowded McLean will be moving is Langley and they aren't going to leapfrog the Falls Church district to send kids to Justice.

They've moved kids from Lee to West Springfield in recent years, so they could move kids from West Springfield to Lee at some point, too. But West Springfield also was just expanded, so that's less likely than it would have been if they'd just renovated WSHS.

[Anonymous]

TJ is long overdue for the use of creative mechanisms other than quotas for bringing in a more diverse population. It has to happen. No reasonable person could support the status quo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Boundary changes are hard because people have made long term financial decisions (like purchasing a home) based on school boundaries. It's not so simple to just change these. I'm in a neighborhood that I'm pretty sure would stay as it's currently structured, simply because of proximity to the schools we're assigned to, but I really feel for people who might face changes. There are very few situations where you'd be getting a better deal with boundary changes. You're talking about moving people who have chosen to pay more for a house to be in a better school zone to a worse school zone and changing their housing value drastically. Not a good solution.

I think they should work harder to improve the schools as they exist. We are at an elementary school that is only 46% white and 40% FARMs with a high ESL rate. My kids are white upper middle class and we love this school. The principal and teachers are excellent. There are challenges, of course, but the wider community supports the school as well (churches help with food over weekends and summer, coat drives, etc.). There are ways to meet a school's needs where it is instead of trying to change the student population. I also think there's an element of racism in the thought that adding "white rich kids" will improve a school.

"only 46% white" <-- this is the kind of language that needs to change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:TJ is long overdue for the use of creative mechanisms other than quotas for bringing in a more diverse population. It has to happen. No reasonable person could support the status quo.

FCPS re-ups the designation of TJ as a Governor's School every year with the least amount of discussion possible. The last thing they want to do is get into a big debate over TJ admissions like happened recently in NYC over admissions to Stuyvesant.

Adjusting boundaries in the name of "equity" is for the little people. TJ is about excellence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:TJ is long overdue for the use of creative mechanisms other than quotas for bringing in a more diverse population. It has to happen. No reasonable person could support the status quo.

FCPS re-ups the designation of TJ as a Governor's School every year with the least amount of discussion possible. The last thing they want to do is get into a big debate over TJ admissions like happened recently in NYC over admissions to Stuyvesant.

Adjusting boundaries in the name of "equity" is for the little people. TJ is about excellence.

Hopefully adjusting boundaries will ultimately, indirectly lead to a more diverse and excellent TJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:TJ is long overdue for the use of creative mechanisms other than quotas for bringing in a more diverse population. It has to happen. No reasonable person could support the status quo.

Hahahaha only the smart get in idiot

Enjoy mandatory busing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:TJ is long overdue for the use of creative mechanisms other than quotas for bringing in a more diverse population. It has to happen. No reasonable person could support the status quo.

FCPS re-ups the designation of TJ as a Governor's School every year with the least amount of discussion possible. The last thing they want to do is get into a big debate over TJ admissions like happened recently in NYC over admissions to Stuyvesant.

Adjusting boundaries in the name of "equity" is for the little people. TJ is about excellence.

Hopefully adjusting boundaries will ultimately, indirectly lead to a more diverse and excellent TJ.

Really the only thing they need to do is stop sending such a high percentage of the AAP kids in western Fairfax to a single AAP center - Carson. Let the AAP kids stay at their base schools and over time you'd see some additional diversity at TJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:TJ is long overdue for the use of creative mechanisms other than quotas for bringing in a more diverse population. It has to happen. No reasonable person could support the status quo.

The Anti-TJ poster is back. By the time any changes happen, you kid will be out of school. May be this is about grandkids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is the type of issue where “progressive” young parents in their 30’s first encounter liberal polices first hand.

You may have voted Dem without thinking twice your entire life, but if you like me have worked hard and sacrificed to afford a house in a school district you chose, you have to realize that there is a good chance your kids may be re-zoned into a different school in the name of “social justice” in the next 5-10 years.

You bought in Oakton / Langley Pyramid? - Herndon
You wanted your kids to go to Woodson / Lake Braddock? - they are now heading to Annandale
You though they were going to McLean? - it’s now Stuart / Justice
West Springfield is now Lee

This isn’t hyperbole, at the last working meeting they specifically reviewed changes to policy documents that would allow for widespread boundary changes in the name of “racial composition of students”, changing it from "socioeconomic characteristics of schools."

If you are ok with your children being part of this experiment then I applaud you on standing by your morals, sacrificing your child’s education and home value to serve idea I guess is a laudable act.

Please keep all of this in mind when you vote for School Board and County positions this fall. This election is going to be the biggest change in power in FFX county since the 1970’s with so many incumbents not seeking re-election.

Let's look at these one by one.

FCPS has expanded or is expanding Oakton, Herndon and Langley, and Langley is under-enrolled, so it's unlikely Oakton or Langley kids will get moved to Herndon.

There are areas at Lake Braddock and Woodson that used to go to Annandale, so no one should be surprised if the decide at some point to send ome neighborhoods back to Annandale.

The only school to which kids at overcrowded McLean will be moving is Langley and they aren't going to leapfrog the Falls Church district to send kids to Justice.

They've moved kids from Lee to West Springfield in recent years, so they could move kids from West Springfield to Lee at some point, too. But West Springfield also was just expanded, so that's less likely than it would have been if they'd just renovated WSHS.

Even with the expansion West Springfield is supposed to be 245 students over capacity (110% of capacity) in a few years. Still not enough to trigger a boundary change despite Lee operating at 85% of capacity (with a projection of reaching 88%, which is doubtful because people keep bailing).

No one should worry, however, as this Board, despite lots of talk, will in the end do absolutely nothing to change the status quo on boundaries. No one is moving from Langley to Herndon (unless the Western HS gets built, and that is looking less likely), no one is moving from Woodson or Lake Braddock to Annandale, and no one is moving from West Springfield to Lee. Just won't happen.

Now - getting rid of IB is something that could be done without much hype except for a very small vocal group of devotees which unfortunately includes a few Board members. And making the language curriculums standard could go along way to stopping pupil placements. Pick 3 or 4 core languages and make the rest available online - do this across the board for all FCPS middle and high schools.

[Anonymous]

They should change the Lee/West Springfield boundaries for sure. Top reason for changes is to address overcrowding. Sounds like that’s been an ongoing problem at WSHS.

[Anonymous]

There’s also an element of racism about being concerned about mandatory busing and FARMS rates, no? There’s also an element of structural racism in being privileged to chase better property values, no?

No, and no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:TJ is long overdue for the use of creative mechanisms other than quotas for bringing in a more diverse population. It has to happen. No reasonable person could support the status quo.

A reasonable person can support the status quo on the basis of pesky old "merit" thing. I know, I know, "merit" is obsolete and doubtless racist.

And I say this with two kids who most likely lack the "merit" to pass the TJ entrance exam.