Future Western High School

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reason Langley was ever part of the new western school discussion was due to overcrowding at McLean. The thought process was that the McLean overflow would move to Langley. This in turn would overwhelm Langley and necessitate moving some Langley kids to Herndon.

Population increases due to developments in Tysons and around metro is expected to further burden schools in that area including McLean. The thought of a new Western HS scares the panties off some GF families zoned for Langley because it could create extra capacity at Herndon, especially if the school is built on the proposed Hutchison site. Meaning that the fate of those GF kids closer to Herndon and others on the western edge of the Langley pyramid could land up in Herndon. (The horror!)

If McLean HS doesn’t become overcrowded (again??), then GF families on the edge are “safe” from having to switch schools. They will want to prevent high density housing in the McLean and Langley pyramids that would push them out of Langley and into Herndon.

Even without the mythical Western HS, the western edge of the Langley pyramid COULD be impacted.

Yes, if all those criteria line up and the stars align just so, the very western edge of the Langley pyramid COULD be impacted. But no one is "scared" of this remote possibility. It certainly does seem some of you want to believe we're all just quaking in our seats! If it happens, decades from now, then so be it. Right now, it's not even on the radar. Because - once again - that mythical high school has yet to be built.

Pump the breaks, Elaine. That was an explanation of how Langley / GF gets dragged into the mythical high school discussion.

Not Elaine, but I think you need to give this a rest. If you think Tyson's needs a new high school, then present data and start lobbying. I thought they already redistricted some of McLean to Langley--and I have not heard anything about Langley now being over capacity.

Which of these schools are over capacity?

Marshall
Falls Church
Langley

Seems to me that's where the overflow should go.

Whatever, Elaine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The reason Langley was ever part of the new western school discussion was due to overcrowding at McLean. The thought process was that the McLean overflow would move to Langley. This in turn would overwhelm Langley and necessitate moving some Langley kids to Herndon.

Population increases due to developments in Tysons and around metro is expected to further burden schools in that area including McLean. The thought of a new Western HS scares the panties off some GF families zoned for Langley because it could create extra capacity at Herndon, especially if the school is built on the proposed Hutchison site. Meaning that the fate of those GF kids closer to Herndon and others on the western edge of the Langley pyramid could land up in Herndon. (The horror!)

If McLean HS doesn’t become overcrowded (again??), then GF families on the edge are “safe” from having to switch schools. They will want to prevent high density housing in the McLean and Langley pyramids that would push them out of Langley and into Herndon.

Even without the mythical Western HS, the western edge of the Langley pyramid COULD be impacted.

FCPS knows it’s not ideal to be busing kids 10-14 miles to Langley from western Great Falls.

They haven’t had an alternative because Herndon has been full and Langley has been losing kids for the better part of a decade (lots of families sending their kids to privates and neighborhoods full of older people). But between the growth closer to Langley in Tysons and the additional space that might open up at Herndon if a new school were built to address GE overcrowding at Chantilly and Centreville, they’ve been telling people for years that they will take another look at the Langley boundaries when a new high school gets built.

For example, a developer building a new subdivision in Herndon south of Route 7 tried to get FCPS to make an administrative boundary change a few years ago to reassign the area from Herndon to Langley, FCPS declined and said in correspondence with the developer that it would be premature to revisit the boundaries in that area until a new school was built, at which time all the boundaries in western Fairfax would be reconsidered. Janie Strauss conveyed a similar message to Langley families, as she publicly acknowledged at a School Board work session in early 2019.

When word of this got out to more people in Great Falls, they went bat-shit crazy. They organized a meeting at Forestville ES in June 2019!and screamed at Strauss for over two hours. The next month they disrupted a School Board work session complaining about boundary changes that were not even yet on the table.

They obviously feel they have the upper hand now that Strauss is gone and has been replaced by Elaine Tholen, who lacks integrity and shamelessly caters to Great Falls. But Tholen is deeply unpopular and will be gone by 2023, and the fact remains that FCPS’s long-term goals include both building another high-school in western Fairfax and revisiting the boundaries of multiple schools that serve students in western Fairfax, including Langley. The recent challenges at Langley - which has had more bus route delays than any other high school and where there is increasing friction between parents picking up their kids and nearby community residents - suggest those goals continue to make a lot of sense.

[Anonymous]

I recall a lot of enthusiasm for a new HS when people thought it might have boundaries similar to Carson MS. If it can’t or won’t be built there, who’ll actually push for the new school aside from people who want to see Langley’s boundaries change (which might be a result of building a new school, but not sufficient reason to build one in the first place)?

If they took the money in the plans for a new school and spent it on adding capacity at Centreville and McLean, would that solve most of their problems or are they anticipating enough growth between Reston and Herndon in the coming years that they really need another school?

It’s a shame that the School Board is so focused on their pet projects that they never seem to have time to really address this in a public, transparent manner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I recall a lot of enthusiasm for a new HS when people thought it might have boundaries similar to Carson MS. If it can’t or won’t be built there, who’ll actually push for the new school aside from people who want to see Langley’s boundaries change (which might be a result of building a new school, but not sufficient reason to build one in the first place)?

If they took the money in the plans for a new school and spent it on adding capacity at Centreville and McLean, would that solve most of their problems or are they anticipating enough growth between Reston and Herndon in the coming years that they really need another school?

It’s a shame that the School Board is so focused on their pet projects that they never seem to have time to really address this in a public, transparent manner.

It isn’t about people wanting Langley’s boundaries to change for the sake of changing. People don’t want overcrowded schools. To reduce the overcrowding boundaries need to be redrawn with or without new schools. Redrawing those boundaries is always gets parents attention. People are balking at having to move from a more socio-economically homogeneous and overall wealthier pyramid to much more economically diverse. Both have racial diversity. Both are good schools. One has lower test scores not because there aren’t good teachers or programs, but because a larger number of students have challenges related to their SES.

Agree with you about the school board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reason Langley was ever part of the new western school discussion was due to overcrowding at McLean. The thought process was that the McLean overflow would move to Langley. This in turn would overwhelm Langley and necessitate moving some Langley kids to Herndon.

Population increases due to developments in Tysons and around metro is expected to further burden schools in that area including McLean. The thought of a new Western HS scares the panties off some GF families zoned for Langley because it could create extra capacity at Herndon, especially if the school is built on the proposed Hutchison site. Meaning that the fate of those GF kids closer to Herndon and others on the western edge of the Langley pyramid could land up in Herndon. (The horror!)

If McLean HS doesn’t become overcrowded (again??), then GF families on the edge are “safe” from having to switch schools. They will want to prevent high density housing in the McLean and Langley pyramids that would push them out of Langley and into Herndon.

Even without the mythical Western HS, the western edge of the Langley pyramid COULD be impacted.

FCPS knows it’s not ideal to be busing kids 10-14 miles to Langley from western Great Falls.

They haven’t had an alternative because Herndon has been full and Langley has been losing kids for the better part of a decade (lots of families sending their kids to privates and neighborhoods full of older people). But between the growth closer to Langley in Tysons and the additional space that might open up at Herndon if a new school were built to address GE overcrowding at Chantilly and Centreville, they’ve been telling people for years that they will take another look at the Langley boundaries when a new high school gets built.

For example, a developer building a new subdivision in Herndon south of Route 7 tried to get FCPS to make an administrative boundary change a few years ago to reassign the area from Herndon to Langley, FCPS declined and said in correspondence with the developer that it would be premature to revisit the boundaries in that area until a new school was built, at which time all the boundaries in western Fairfax would be reconsidered. Janie Strauss conveyed a similar message to Langley families, as she publicly acknowledged at a School Board work session in early 2019.

When word of this got out to more people in Great Falls, they went bat-shit crazy. They organized a meeting at Forestville ES in June 2019!and screamed at Strauss for over two hours. The next month they disrupted a School Board work session complaining about boundary changes that were not even yet on the table.

They obviously feel they have the upper hand now that Strauss is gone and has been replaced by Elaine Tholen, who lacks integrity and shamelessly caters to Great Falls. But Tholen is deeply unpopular and will be gone by 2023, and the fact remains that FCPS’s long-term goals include both building another high-school in western Fairfax and revisiting the boundaries of multiple schools that serve students in western Fairfax, including Langley. The recent challenges at Langley - which has had more bus route delays than any other high school and where there is increasing friction between parents picking up their kids and nearby community residents - suggest those goals continue to make a lot of sense.

Spot on.

[Anonymous]

The new high school is on the fall 2021 bond.

If FCPS officials seek voter approval for a bond offering purporting to fund costs for a new school they don't intend to build, it is fraud, and it would be up to others besides their buddy Steve Descano to decide whether to prosecute. So they either need to pull it off the bond or keep moving ahead.

[Anonymous]

I'd like to see a Republican prosecutor indict Karl Frisch for his fraudulent scheme to save the Blake Lane dog park at the expense of Shrevewood families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The new high school is on the fall 2021 bond.

If FCPS officials seek voter approval for a bond offering purporting to fund costs for a new school they don't intend to build, it is fraud, and it would be up to others besides their buddy Steve Descano to decide whether to prosecute. So they either need to pull it off the bond or keep moving ahead.

Yes, yes, we know. People are using the mythical label only because it has taken decades to get this far. There is not a whiff anyone trying to commit fraud via bait and switch on building funds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reason Langley was ever part of the new western school discussion was due to overcrowding at McLean. The thought process was that the McLean overflow would move to Langley. This in turn would overwhelm Langley and necessitate moving some Langley kids to Herndon.

Population increases due to developments in Tysons and around metro is expected to further burden schools in that area including McLean. The thought of a new Western HS scares the panties off some GF families zoned for Langley because it could create extra capacity at Herndon, especially if the school is built on the proposed Hutchison site. Meaning that the fate of those GF kids closer to Herndon and others on the western edge of the Langley pyramid could land up in Herndon. (The horror!)

If McLean HS doesn’t become overcrowded (again??), then GF families on the edge are “safe” from having to switch schools. They will want to prevent high density housing in the McLean and Langley pyramids that would push them out of Langley and into Herndon.

Even without the mythical Western HS, the western edge of the Langley pyramid COULD be impacted.

Yes, if all those criteria line up and the stars align just so, the very western edge of the Langley pyramid COULD be impacted. But no one is "scared" of this remote possibility. It certainly does seem some of you want to believe we're all just quaking in our seats! If it happens, decades from now, then so be it. Right now, it's not even on the radar. Because - once again - that mythical high school has yet to be built.

Pump the breaks, Elaine. That was an explanation of how Langley / GF gets dragged into the mythical high school discussion.

Not Elaine, but I know who you are. You're the obsessed McLean parent who is determined to make sure Langley pays for whatever wacko transgression you seem to think they've committed. Seek help. This high school - if it is even built - will have nothing to do with Langley boundaries. Sorry to disappoint.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reason Langley was ever part of the new western school discussion was due to overcrowding at McLean. The thought process was that the McLean overflow would move to Langley. This in turn would overwhelm Langley and necessitate moving some Langley kids to Herndon.

Population increases due to developments in Tysons and around metro is expected to further burden schools in that area including McLean. The thought of a new Western HS scares the panties off some GF families zoned for Langley because it could create extra capacity at Herndon, especially if the school is built on the proposed Hutchison site. Meaning that the fate of those GF kids closer to Herndon and others on the western edge of the Langley pyramid could land up in Herndon. (The horror!)

If McLean HS doesn’t become overcrowded (again??), then GF families on the edge are “safe” from having to switch schools. They will want to prevent high density housing in the McLean and Langley pyramids that would push them out of Langley and into Herndon.

Even without the mythical Western HS, the western edge of the Langley pyramid COULD be impacted.

Yes, if all those criteria line up and the stars align just so, the very western edge of the Langley pyramid COULD be impacted. But no one is "scared" of this remote possibility. It certainly does seem some of you want to believe we're all just quaking in our seats! If it happens, decades from now, then so be it. Right now, it's not even on the radar. Because - once again - that mythical high school has yet to be built.

Pump the breaks, Elaine. That was an explanation of how Langley / GF gets dragged into the mythical high school discussion.

Not Elaine, but I think you need to give this a rest. If you think Tyson's needs a new high school, then present data and start lobbying. I thought they already redistricted some of McLean to Langley--and I have not heard anything about Langley now being over capacity.

Which of these schools are over capacity?

Marshall
Falls Church
Langley

Seems to me that's where the overflow should go.

+1
And isn't this "western high school" supposed to relieve overcrowding at Chantilly, Centreville, etc.? Why does the obsessed PP keep dragging Langley back into the discussion?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reason Langley was ever part of the new western school discussion was due to overcrowding at McLean. The thought process was that the McLean overflow would move to Langley. This in turn would overwhelm Langley and necessitate moving some Langley kids to Herndon.

Population increases due to developments in Tysons and around metro is expected to further burden schools in that area including McLean. The thought of a new Western HS scares the panties off some GF families zoned for Langley because it could create extra capacity at Herndon, especially if the school is built on the proposed Hutchison site. Meaning that the fate of those GF kids closer to Herndon and others on the western edge of the Langley pyramid could land up in Herndon. (The horror!)

If McLean HS doesn’t become overcrowded (again??), then GF families on the edge are “safe” from having to switch schools. They will want to prevent high density housing in the McLean and Langley pyramids that would push them out of Langley and into Herndon.

Even without the mythical Western HS, the western edge of the Langley pyramid COULD be impacted.

FCPS knows it’s not ideal to be busing kids 10-14 miles to Langley from western Great Falls.

They haven’t had an alternative because Herndon has been full and Langley has been losing kids for the better part of a decade (lots of families sending their kids to privates and neighborhoods full of older people). But between the growth closer to Langley in Tysons and the additional space that might open up at Herndon if a new school were built to address GE overcrowding at Chantilly and Centreville, they’ve been telling people for years that they will take another look at the Langley boundaries when a new high school gets built.

For example, a developer building a new subdivision in Herndon south of Route 7 tried to get FCPS to make an administrative boundary change a few years ago to reassign the area from Herndon to Langley, FCPS declined and said in correspondence with the developer that it would be premature to revisit the boundaries in that area until a new school was built, at which time all the boundaries in western Fairfax would be reconsidered. Janie Strauss conveyed a similar message to Langley families, as she publicly acknowledged at a School Board work session in early 2019.

When word of this got out to more people in Great Falls, they went bat-shit crazy. They organized a meeting at Forestville ES in June 2019!and screamed at Strauss for over two hours. The next month they disrupted a School Board work session complaining about boundary changes that were not even yet on the table.

They obviously feel they have the upper hand now that Strauss is gone and has been replaced by Elaine Tholen, who lacks integrity and shamelessly caters to Great Falls. But Tholen is deeply unpopular and will be gone by 2023, and the fact remains that FCPS’s long-term goals include both building another high-school in western Fairfax and revisiting the boundaries of multiple schools that serve students in western Fairfax, including Langley. The recent challenges at Langley - which has had more bus route delays than any other high school and where there is increasing friction between parents picking up their kids and nearby community residents - suggest those goals continue to make a lot of sense.

Hi, obsessed McLean mom!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I recall a lot of enthusiasm for a new HS when people thought it might have boundaries similar to Carson MS. If it can’t or won’t be built there, who’ll actually push for the new school aside from people who want to see Langley’s boundaries change (which might be a result of building a new school, but not sufficient reason to build one in the first place)?

If they took the money in the plans for a new school and spent it on adding capacity at Centreville and McLean, would that solve most of their problems or are they anticipating enough growth between Reston and Herndon in the coming years that they really need another school?

It’s a shame that the School Board is so focused on their pet projects that they never seem to have time to really address this in a public, transparent manner.

Ding ding ding - winner!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reason Langley was ever part of the new western school discussion was due to overcrowding at McLean. The thought process was that the McLean overflow would move to Langley. This in turn would overwhelm Langley and necessitate moving some Langley kids to Herndon.

Population increases due to developments in Tysons and around metro is expected to further burden schools in that area including McLean. The thought of a new Western HS scares the panties off some GF families zoned for Langley because it could create extra capacity at Herndon, especially if the school is built on the proposed Hutchison site. Meaning that the fate of those GF kids closer to Herndon and others on the western edge of the Langley pyramid could land up in Herndon. (The horror!)

If McLean HS doesn’t become overcrowded (again??), then GF families on the edge are “safe” from having to switch schools. They will want to prevent high density housing in the McLean and Langley pyramids that would push them out of Langley and into Herndon.

Even without the mythical Western HS, the western edge of the Langley pyramid COULD be impacted.

Yes, if all those criteria line up and the stars align just so, the very western edge of the Langley pyramid COULD be impacted. But no one is "scared" of this remote possibility. It certainly does seem some of you want to believe we're all just quaking in our seats! If it happens, decades from now, then so be it. Right now, it's not even on the radar. Because - once again - that mythical high school has yet to be built.

Pump the breaks, Elaine. That was an explanation of how Langley / GF gets dragged into the mythical high school discussion.

Not Elaine, but I know who you are. You're the obsessed McLean parent who is determined to make sure Langley pays for whatever wacko transgression you seem to think they've committed. Seek help. This high school - if it is even built - will have nothing to do with Langley boundaries. Sorry to disappoint.

Not the poster to whom you responded, but you must be the insecure Langley parent who claims everyone with whom you disagree on any thread that touches on Langley is the same "obsessed" person.

It must bother you deeply that you don't control the entire internet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reason Langley was ever part of the new western school discussion was due to overcrowding at McLean. The thought process was that the McLean overflow would move to Langley. This in turn would overwhelm Langley and necessitate moving some Langley kids to Herndon.

Population increases due to developments in Tysons and around metro is expected to further burden schools in that area including McLean. The thought of a new Western HS scares the panties off some GF families zoned for Langley because it could create extra capacity at Herndon, especially if the school is built on the proposed Hutchison site. Meaning that the fate of those GF kids closer to Herndon and others on the western edge of the Langley pyramid could land up in Herndon. (The horror!)

If McLean HS doesn’t become overcrowded (again??), then GF families on the edge are “safe” from having to switch schools. They will want to prevent high density housing in the McLean and Langley pyramids that would push them out of Langley and into Herndon.

Even without the mythical Western HS, the western edge of the Langley pyramid COULD be impacted.

Yes, if all those criteria line up and the stars align just so, the very western edge of the Langley pyramid COULD be impacted. But no one is "scared" of this remote possibility. It certainly does seem some of you want to believe we're all just quaking in our seats! If it happens, decades from now, then so be it. Right now, it's not even on the radar. Because - once again - that mythical high school has yet to be built.

Pump the breaks, Elaine. That was an explanation of how Langley / GF gets dragged into the mythical high school discussion.

Not Elaine, but I know who you are. You're the obsessed McLean parent who is determined to make sure Langley pays for whatever wacko transgression you seem to think they've committed. Seek help. This high school - if it is even built - will have nothing to do with Langley boundaries. Sorry to disappoint.

Not the poster to whom you responded, but you must be the insecure Langley parent who claims everyone with whom you disagree on any thread that touches on Langley is the same "obsessed" person.

It must bother you deeply that you don't control the entire internet.

No, it's actually pretty entertaining watching the same posters gnash their teeth about something they have zero control over. I imagine that "bothers YOU deeply."

[Anonymous]

Not nearly as much as the giant hissy fit that the Langley parents threw in 2019 after Janie Strauss stated publicly that "I've warned Langley, sorry, a big chunk is going to get reboundaried [when the new HS is built]."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM4AfGQqTWE