FCPS is turning the new high school purchased to fix crowding into an Aviation magnet school instead of a high school??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I emailed the school board and administration. They told me that this will absolutely not be a magnet school. The intent is to alleviate overcrowding at western high schools.

I don’t believe you.

Why would I lie? Why don't you try sending emails yourself and ask the question so you can see that I'm not lying.

I’m not sure why you would lie, but what you are saying is wholly inconsistent with the school board’s materials for tomorrow’s work session. I’m also skeptical of someone who says that they emailed the school board and administration rather than specific board members or specific staff. I would not have accused you of lying if you told me that member X or Y told you that they don’t plan to make it a magnet, but the school board has not come out with a position on this and in fact appears to be considering the exact opposite of what you claim.

In a nutshell, your claim doesn’t pass muster.

You, too, can email the administration and school board and see how they respond. The responses I received said those materials are one of many considerations but they were definitely not advocating for a magnet school.

If the aviation academy is "one of many" options under consideration, then why is that the only plan for the school board public and closed door work sessions tomorrow?

Those were awfully detailed and specific plans, down to chosen corporate sponsors, and the only magnet scheduled to be discussed.

I think your school board rep thinks her constituents are idiots if she tried to sell you that line.

Send it to Westfield.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Michigan already has a charter school like this aviation magnet proposal. Courtesy of the DeVos family.

So seems like someone thought some kind of Republican-pleasing/business-friendly/Dulles-leveraging STEM magnet would be a fit. Perhaps.

https://www.westmichiganaviation.org/about/dick-devos-founders-letter

What an idiotic thing to say.

+1
This has nothing to do with Republicans and everything to do with an idiotic SB made up entirely of Democrats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They are going to spend $ to bus kids from all over the county to learn how to become baggage handlers in a building that should be the promised Western HS?

Literally no one wants this. Where did this idea even come from? Thin air?

It came from SB member Kyle McDaniel and friends. I knew there would be huge pushback if they went forward with this and I was right. NO ONE wants this and it isn't what that school should be used for.

[Anonymous]

Why is this Superintendent and School Board so colossally stupid? Their boundary study was already a case study in mismanagement and poor oversight. This looked like the one thing they might get right and now they are trying to screw this up, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are going to spend $ to bus kids from all over the county to learn how to become baggage handlers in a building that should be the promised Western HS?

Literally no one wants this. Where did this idea even come from? Thin air?

It came from SB member Kyle McDaniel and friends. I knew there would be huge pushback if they went forward with this and I was right. NO ONE wants this and it isn't what that school should be used for.

I think the goal of the aviation magnet program is to create budding engineers in preparation for lucrative careers at Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and the like. A wildly successful program will help the Superintendent’s public persona and professional cv. For the board members, the aviation magnet (~400 students within a larger school) may be slick a way to prevent moving the boundaries of particular school pyramids that don’t want boundaries changed at all, in order to protect home values, community cohesiveness, feeder patterns, etc. The attendance zone would be smaller for a high school with a popular aviation program plopped in.

[Anonymous]

DS already graduated and is in the field of aviation. I have not looked into this but if it’s similar to Arlington’s program, they might teach them to fly. They could also teach them to work on planes but that’s doubtful. Still, I do not think this is a good use of funds unless they are only building classrooms and contracting out to the many places in the area for the hands on areas of aviation. Let’s hope that’s the case. There are already places in the area for that.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like a great idea for students who are interested in the aviation field. Provides academics plus an opportunity for well paying vocational track. It will help reduce overcrowding because the schools won’t be limited to aviation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I emailed the school board and administration. They told me that this will absolutely not be a magnet school. The intent is to alleviate overcrowding at western high schools.

I don’t believe you.

Why would I lie? Why don't you try sending emails yourself and ask the question so you can see that I'm not lying.

I’m not sure why you would lie, but what you are saying is wholly inconsistent with the school board’s materials for tomorrow’s work session. I’m also skeptical of someone who says that they emailed the school board and administration rather than specific board members or specific staff. I would not have accused you of lying if you told me that member X or Y told you that they don’t plan to make it a magnet, but the school board has not come out with a position on this and in fact appears to be considering the exact opposite of what you claim.

In a nutshell, your claim doesn’t pass muster.

You, too, can email the administration and school board and see how they respond. The responses I received said those materials are one of many considerations but they were definitely not advocating for a magnet school.

If the aviation academy is "one of many" options under consideration, then why is that the only plan for the school board public and closed door work sessions tomorrow?

Those were awfully detailed and specific plans, down to chosen corporate sponsors, and the only magnet scheduled to be discussed.

I think your school board rep thinks her constituents are idiots if she tried to sell you that line.

Agree that the detail and number of documents on the agenda duggest that this is their plan. No one asked for this but this is how they plan to use the unexpected school they obtained. Despite decades of CIPs referencing the “Western High School” to address capacity needs. Utter vanity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like a great idea for students who are interested in the aviation field. Provides academics plus an opportunity for well paying vocational track. It will help reduce overcrowding because the schools won’t be limited to aviation.

They first need to decide what the base school boundaries will be. Sounds to me l8ke they 0lan for it to be tiny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like a great idea for students who are interested in the aviation field. Provides academics plus an opportunity for well paying vocational track. It will help reduce overcrowding because the schools won’t be limited to aviation.

Are there really so many kids that are interested in aviation? What if they are all in Springfield? Imagine the bussing hell.

[Anonymous]

What if the next school board member is an entomologist? Will we get a magnet school for studying bugs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like a great idea for students who are interested in the aviation field. Provides academics plus an opportunity for well paying vocational track. It will help reduce overcrowding because the schools won’t be limited to aviation.

They first need to decide what the base school boundaries will be. Sounds to me l8ke they 0lan for it to be tiny.

I fall into the group that thinks that they are going to limit it to McNair, Coates, and Oak Hill and that they are doing this to prevent too many kids being moved from South Lakes to the new school. This keeps the Floris kids at South Lakes at South Lakes and the Fox Mill kids at South Lakes. Crossfield parents seem to be fine with their kids attending Oakton and are less willing to move to the new school.

Herndon HS and South lakes HS have enough FARMs kids that I am sure the argument will be that a vocational program would be used by kids from those schools, which are close by, and hence it is worthwhile. It might even siphon off some of the FARMs kids. I am not sold that FARMs kids parents are involved enough to be aware of academies and the like that this is going to be useful for anyone. And if that is the population they are trying to hit, there is enough space at Herndon HS, which is not that far from Dulles to put the program there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like a great idea for students who are interested in the aviation field. Provides academics plus an opportunity for well paying vocational track. It will help reduce overcrowding because the schools won’t be limited to aviation.

They first need to decide what the base school boundaries will be. Sounds to me l8ke they 0lan for it to be tiny.

It will already be a smaller school. No need to take away precious spots in a crowded area for someone’s idea of an “innovative” academy or magnet that they can tout for their own personal careers.

[Anonymous]

I think we should separate the desire to have this be a community school and the actual merits of an aviation academy. I agree that Kyle is super shady, and I think it’s outrageous that they spent zero time discussing the school purchase when they voted on it, but objectively there is merit in offering academies that might be outside of the traditional school model. There are some good paying jobs to be had in aviation, and this could also feed nicely into a military career.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think we should separate the desire to have this be a community school and the actual merits of an aviation academy. I agree that Kyle is super shady, and I think it’s outrageous that they spent zero time discussing the school purchase when they voted on it, but objectively there is merit in offering academies that might be outside of the traditional school model. There are some good paying jobs to be had in aviation, and this could also feed nicely into a military career.

You should have a look at the mess Prince William is with all of their different specialty schools.