FCPS HS Boundary

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Someone needs to bring this to the attention of Youngkin, Sears, and Miyares. This is a PR goldmine for Republicans wanting to highlight how out-of-touch and despotic the local Democrats have become in NoVa.

I plan to reach out to Youngkin on this soon. It really is such a boon for their party.

I suspect Youngkin will be hesitant to shout "stop the integration of Fairfax County Public Schools" from the rooftops.

Sure, he’ll let it go through and then push for vouchers, which I’ve never supported until this latest SB disaster. I also think this leaves the state ripe for a Prop 13 style limitation on property tax increases, which again, I would never have supported previously, but makes sense where you have such an utterly incompetent board screwing things up so royally.

The republicans can largely sit back and watch this intraparty conflict play out.

So, no redistricting and no tax increases to pay for capacity improvements. F them kids, am I right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Someone needs to bring this to the attention of Youngkin, Sears, and Miyares. This is a PR goldmine for Republicans wanting to highlight how out-of-touch and despotic the local Democrats have become in NoVa.

I plan to reach out to Youngkin on this soon. It really is such a boon for their party.

I suspect Youngkin will be hesitant to shout "stop the integration of Fairfax County Public Schools" from the rooftops.

Sure, he’ll let it go through and then push for vouchers, which I’ve never supported until this latest SB disaster. I also think this leaves the state ripe for a Prop 13 style limitation on property tax increases, which again, I would never have supported previously, but makes sense where you have such an utterly incompetent board screwing things up so royally.

The republicans can largely sit back and watch this intraparty conflict play out.

So, no redistricting and no tax increases to pay for capacity improvements. F them kids, am I right?

People are losing confidence in the ability of public school systems like FCPS to run themselves with anything approaching competence. They seem to be an excuse for hefty tax increases but then the money is spent in ways that provide the least return to those paying the most taxes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People are losing confidence in the ability of public school systems like FCPS to run themselves with anything approaching competence. They seem to be an excuse for hefty tax increases but then the money is spent in ways that provide the least return to those paying the most taxes.

The SB's agenda is to use "capacity" and "transportation" as a false pretense to close socioeconomic gaps. I would argue they have been somewhat competent because they're already close to changing the policy by opaque means that will allow the superintendent to make <15% population boundary changes with no public hearing.

[Anonymous]

When SB members and members at large are elected the public should also vote on the schools their children will attend in their region.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People are losing confidence in the ability of public school systems like FCPS to run themselves with anything approaching competence. They seem to be an excuse for hefty tax increases but then the money is spent in ways that provide the least return to those paying the most taxes.

The SB's agenda is to use "capacity" and "transportation" as a false pretense to close socioeconomic gaps. I would argue they have been somewhat competent because they're already close to changing the policy by opaque means that will allow the superintendent to make <15% population boundary changes with no public hearing.

The 15% was already there in the last policy. The biggest change is the ability to use academic programs and access as a reason for redistricting. Also that 7 days are now required, not 10 for a hearing.

this is the old policy:

The School Board shall “obtain public comment through a public hearing not less than ten days after reasonable notice to the public in a newspaper of general circulation in the school division prior to providing (i) for the consolidation of schools...(iii)...for redistricting of school boundaries or adopting any pupil assignment plan affecting the assignment of fifteen percent or more of the pupils in average daily membership in the affected school.” [Code of Virginia: Section 22.1-79 (8)]
For administrative boundary adjustments or expedited boundary study adjustments affecting the assignment of less than fifteen percent of the pupils in average daily membership in the affected school, no public hearing shall be required.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Someone needs to bring this to the attention of Youngkin, Sears, and Miyares. This is a PR goldmine for Republicans wanting to highlight how out-of-touch and despotic the local Democrats have become in NoVa.

I think their changes will be well received by the county and most of their constituents. I think many underestimate how popular these public school initiatives have become.

Seattle public schools recently eliminated their version of AAP in the name of equity.

I think you are wrong. But I guess we will see.

The changes to the TJ admissions process seem to be along similar lines and that was well-received. Sure a handful of people were upset, but I think it had overall popular support.

This affects people’s property values. Their ability to retire, meet savings goals, or simply sell. Even the most liberal voter won’t stand for losing a hundred thousand in their house overnight.

The problem is that these pyramids were even allowed to become so disparate. Doing so created some winners as buyers were willing to pay more for certain schools. Undoing that stem will create losers. People who stand to lose substantial amounts of money will fight tooth and nail. I get it. To others, it’s an abstract data point, but to them it may mean a real difference in life trajectory.

FCPS is not in the business of ensuring personal investment risk is minimized for some and maximized for others.

Yeah, that's why they expanded West Potomac HS to 3000 seats when Mount Vernon had capacity. Karen Corbett-Sanders and the other Democratic politicians in that part of the county like Scott Surovell were more than happy to stick the rest of us with the bill for that expansion, but now they want to screw other school pyramids.

I would assume that region 3 gets screwed by any boundary shift. Moving MVHS closer to capacity with schools from Fort Hunt makes West Po a very high poverty school. You could use Hayfield, but that means a really long bus ride to Whitman for middle school and Hayfield becomes a high farms rate school.

I really don't think that most people, even on this thread, fully get how massive the change could be. It's not going to be just about which elementary school they try to switch to which high school. They could totally redo everything, including who goes to what elementary schools, which schools feed which pyramid, even completely redo the regions (as if the regions really matter anyway.) The only thing they won't change with this is the achievement of any individual students, except downwards of course.

Yeah, that's why they expanded West Potomac HS to 3000 seats when Mount Vernon had capacity. Karen Corbett-Sanders and the other Democratic politicians in that part of the county like Scott Surovell were more than happy to stick the rest of us with the bill for that expansion, but now they want to screw other school pyramids.

Agree and it is a sad thing to say. The testing situation needs to change as does viewing success only as attending a 4 year college with high SAT scores. I came from a working class background and don’t see why that doesn’t get more respect.

I’m bad at reading these policies, can someone clarify if the board can only change 15% of the population at a time without major hearings? Their criteria are that they don’t break up communities, but they seem eager to do that.

I think it’s really important to emphasize that even though public hearings are better than no public hearings, this board is absolutely tone deaf when it comes to public opinion. Don’t forget, we were just told yesterday by a board member that Fairfax County kids are snowflakes and need to toughen up by getting redistricted.

It’s safe to assume that they will “operationalize” whatever they want to, regardless of the overwhelming outrage they are about to encounter. If it’s announced, it’s a done deal. Reach out before they announce the lines.

Are they really? Or could it be just that they are advancing initiatives that you don’t support?

There will be no large scale public outrage like you wish there would be. There will be pissed off WSHS parents, but that’s it.

If it makes you feel any better, the information about the boundary policy review and next steps have been updated on the website. Looks like there will be plenty of opportunities for you to continue your public whining in the near future.


https://www.fcps.edu/departments-and-offices/office-chief-facilities-services-and-capital-programs/facilities-planning?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR154IQeAb8Ag7dqpkLvInxu8NDKbLEFc3jboWxcOzkT8VcsLoy1XBwEplE_aem_AXaArYhK6SIcK61MJLHyBZWpHUIVFu_ZSOqyDsL7tpxOnTkPcFQJRO1E59GV9tUuHFXZM4XRSf4vQ2lrOLCC0j1c

Thanks for the link.

As for your claim re: minimal outrage, time will show you’ve got your head firmly stuck in the sand on this. The chair at the governance meeting yesterday already noted the increased community engagement at the start of the meeting. It is a long way to summit, and you’ve got a lot of people who stand to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars each, and have their kids messed with by the SB that believes that Fairfax County kids are snowflakes and need to be redistricted to get tough.

Their words from yesterday’s meeting.

[Anonymous]

“There are no current plans to implement boundary changes. “

I find this quote so insulting. Do they think we’re that stupid?

[Anonymous]

They also say, “This work can reduce “split feeders” that divert students from remaining with a cohort of peers as they move on to high school.”

Note that they don’t promise that they will address split feeders or state that keeping communities together is a priority.

I used to work in FCPS, and I’m so glad I don’t need to field parent commentary on this mess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“There are no current plans to implement boundary changes. “

I find this quote so insulting. Do they think we’re that stupid?

Also that they are pretending like giving students more sleep time is a reason for the change. I think that 99.9% of parents in the affected schools would rather have their kids in a consistent school than be fed some line about giving the kids more sleep time.

Sure we changed you from a good school to a horrendous school and took hundreds of thousands of dollars from your parents but here’s an extra three minutes of sleep, so let’s just call it even. So maddening.

[Anonymous]

What is the goal involving WSHS? Just to reduce capacity overall or a move to one school? Trimming around the borders or moving an entire elementary school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Someone needs to bring this to the attention of Youngkin, Sears, and Miyares. This is a PR goldmine for Republicans wanting to highlight how out-of-touch and despotic the local Democrats have become in NoVa.

I plan to reach out to Youngkin on this soon. It really is such a boon for their party.

I suspect Youngkin will be hesitant to shout "stop the integration of Fairfax County Public Schools" from the rooftops.

Sure, he’ll let it go through and then push for vouchers, which I’ve never supported until this latest SB disaster. I also think this leaves the state ripe for a Prop 13 style limitation on property tax increases, which again, I would never have supported previously, but makes sense where you have such an utterly incompetent board screwing things up so royally.

The republicans can largely sit back and watch this intraparty conflict play out.

Yep, the republicans are political losers in Fairfax county no matter what. Just grab some popcorn and wait to see who gets called a racist.

Republicans will never win here, but if they can tighten margins in Fairfax, they win state wide. If my kids' schools end up worse, I'll happily vote R

Same. And that’s the broader point. A 5-point swing in Fairfax brings Virginia from reliable blue to a swing state. Ironically it could be the National republicans who stand to benefit from this.

Signed, a formerly reliable Fairfax county democrat

It’s really weird that you would make local school board action affect your state and national votes.

Well, I’ve always been willing to pay my fair share to support others. This is different- this is the school board picking specific and significant losers across the country under the guise of busing and sleep time, both absurd reasons (because their lawyer has told them not to discuss equity).

As much as I generally support the Democratic platform, when elected officials take so much from you and your community, it makes you reconsider the stance. At least it made me reconsider. I won’t vote for TFG, but everyone else is on the table. A self-inflicted wound.

So because your school boundaries MIGHT change (remember no changes have been suggested yet - this entire thread is speculation), you would vote R at the state, nationa level and against gun reform, recognizing election results, environmental efforts, women’s rights… wow.

Yep. And that is my right. I am immensely disappointed with the SB and Fairfax democrats who seem to support this approach (or at least are not trying to prevent it). If this ends up on the cutting room floor then I would reconsider, but they’ve lost me if they go through with this.

It’s not a MIGHT when school board members are giving timing for operationalizing the policy.

You vote democrat and for little to no border enforcement, but now when it might come back to bite YOU it is suddenly a problem. Some FCPS schools have been facing this for years. This is the hypocrisy that just screams limousine liberal. And it is democrat voting and the adopted policies/laws at all levels of government that are to blame. The liberal, 12-0 Democrat School Board is just implementing a policy at a level that may hit very close to home for you. You should have considered this years ago.

[Anonymous]

Sharing an interesting FCPS report from 2019. They identified 16 factors that school districts across the country have used to make boundary decisions. This data was shared with the School Board, who requested a follow-up study to include the examination of educational research around the 16 factors impacting boundary decisions.

The Conclusion

“Based on the available research, boundary decisions should seek first to address balancing student diversity, consider the impact of school transfers and split feeders on students’ social and emotional well-
being, minimize travel time, and alleviate overcrowding should it exist, as these factors most directly impact teaching and learning. While resource stewardship is important, the remaining factors should not outweigh
the Division’s commitment to making boundary decisions that best facilitate student success and a caring culture.”

The Link:

https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/files/B9N2E866049D/$file/Research%20on%20Boundary%20Decsion%20Marking.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

SO, they can do what they want I guess as long as it is fair. Which shoots all magnet and immersion languages out of the water because not everyone gets access to Japanese or German (as examples) at their schools? What about IB and what does access to programs REALLY mean, gatehouse people on this board?

There is no reason for FCPS to be offering Japanese and German at all. The only foreign language that remotely makes sense for kids to learn is Spanish, and you could maybe add French. Almost no students are going to get any use out of taking high school Japanese or Mandarin. And don't get me started on the immersion programs.

So yeah, just have every high school and middle school offer Spanish and French. Problem solved. You can cut back on expenses that way too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sharing an interesting FCPS report from 2019. They identified 16 factors that school districts across the country have used to make boundary decisions. This data was shared with the School Board, who requested a follow-up study to include the examination of educational research around the 16 factors impacting boundary decisions.

The Conclusion

“Based on the available research, boundary decisions should seek first to address balancing student diversity, consider the impact of school transfers and split feeders on students’ social and emotional well-
being, minimize travel time, and alleviate overcrowding should it exist, as these factors most directly impact teaching and learning. While resource stewardship is important, the remaining factors should not outweigh
the Division’s commitment to making boundary decisions that best facilitate student success and a caring culture.”

The Link:

https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/files/B9N2E866049D/$file/Research%20on%20Boundary%20Decsion%20Marking.pdf

Yes, that's what they tried last time around. After a whole lot of pushback (and probably advice of their lawyers about making changes based on race/ethnicity or socioeconomic status which is a proxy for the former) they thought better of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Someone needs to bring this to the attention of Youngkin, Sears, and Miyares. This is a PR goldmine for Republicans wanting to highlight how out-of-touch and despotic the local Democrats have become in NoVa.

I think their changes will be well received by the county and most of their constituents. I think many underestimate how popular these public school initiatives have become.

Seattle public schools recently eliminated their version of AAP in the name of equity.

I think you are wrong. But I guess we will see.

The changes to the TJ admissions process seem to be along similar lines and that was well-received. Sure a handful of people were upset, but I think it had overall popular support.

This affects people’s property values. Their ability to retire, meet savings goals, or simply sell. Even the most liberal voter won’t stand for losing a hundred thousand in their house overnight.

The problem is that these pyramids were even allowed to become so disparate. Doing so created some winners as buyers were willing to pay more for certain schools. Undoing that stem will create losers. People who stand to lose substantial amounts of money will fight tooth and nail. I get it. To others, it’s an abstract data point, but to them it may mean a real difference in life trajectory.

FU. You didn’t care when this happened elsewhere in FCPS. You stood up and cheered what made your school so much richer compared to other schools. You fawned over the division — at least we aren’t on that side. That side is none of our business. Too bad, so sad for them.

People bought into FCPS — the pyramids have always been meaningless. They are not the same as say FCPS vs LCPS boundary changes. THAT would be a different and understandable concern.

Now you are seeing why Lincoln or whoever said, “United we stand, divided we fall.”

I have no empathy for people crying that boundary changes within FCPS will hurt property values. Again, the average Fairfax voter doesn’t care about school boundaries.

Temper temper little baby.