FCPS Boundary Review Updates

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the unhinged and unnecessary school boundary changes go through -- I too will be spending lots of time, money and effort to work against the Democratic Party that pushed for these boundary changes and will doggedly support any opponent of the current school board members in future elections.

Won’t matter. People have bigger fish to fry than the public school to which your kid is assigned.

Trump’s shenanigans led to a 12-0 Democratic SB in 2019 and he wasn’t nearly as unhinged as he is now. People will take it out on any GOP-endorsed candidate running for any office, state or local, before 2028.

DP.

Your fallacy is assuming that intensity of feelings on the issue don’t matter. Sure, Dems might win statewide this go round, but enough people care about their own kids’ educations that this issue won’t just get drowned out, especially over the long term.

But I guess time will tell. Just like Kyle McDaniels at a strip club, this school board might f around one too many times.

Too good!
DP

[Anonymous]

The boundary realignment needs to be paused immediately.

We're only 2 months into this “burn the government down” administration. The massive federal unemployment, the indefinite hiring freezes, the RIFs and lay offs, the relocation of any remaining feds to other parts of the country, all impact Northern Virginia and particularly Fairfax County.

And that’s not even taking into account the “ripple effect” on private industry in FCPS.

Halt the review now!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The boundary realignment needs to be paused immediately.

We're only 2 months into this “burn the government down” administration. The massive federal unemployment, the indefinite hiring freezes, the RIFs and lay offs, the relocation of any remaining feds to other parts of the country, all impact Northern Virginia and particularly Fairfax County.

And that’s not even taking into account the “ripple effect” on private industry in FCPS.

Halt the review now!

+1. It’s going to get really bad for our area. Instead of picking fights with parents and families, this school board could actually support them by providing a modicum of stability. It’s GD infuriating.

[Anonymous]

I know 2 families planning on leaving the area entirely due to the federal job cuts. They’re taking the DRP and moving. 30s with early Elementary and preschool-aged kids who would have been in school in the next few years.

They need to put this whole exercise on pause until the dust settles. No 6th to middle either - FCPS won’t have the budget to start a robust UPK program at this rate.

[Anonymous]

Let’s put Kyle McDaniel in control of the Thru account.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know 2 families planning on leaving the area entirely due to the federal job cuts. They’re taking the DRP and moving. 30s with early Elementary and preschool-aged kids who would have been in school in the next few years.

They need to put this whole exercise on pause until the dust settles. No 6th to middle either - FCPS won’t have the budget to start a robust UPK program at this rate.

On the flip side there are thousands of retirees on fixed incomes who will be forced out of the area or will voluntarily leave earlier to reduce their tax burden so some neighborhoods could turn over with younger families. It’s a very volatile situation and changing boundaries in the midst of the chaos makes no sense at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know 2 families planning on leaving the area entirely due to the federal job cuts. They’re taking the DRP and moving. 30s with early Elementary and preschool-aged kids who would have been in school in the next few years.

They need to put this whole exercise on pause until the dust settles. No 6th to middle either - FCPS won’t have the budget to start a robust UPK program at this rate.

On the flip side there are thousands of retirees on fixed incomes who will be forced out of the area or will voluntarily leave earlier to reduce their tax burden so some neighborhoods could turn over with younger families. It’s a very volatile situation and changing boundaries in the midst of the chaos makes no sense at all.

No one who owns a home here is forced out by higher taxes. Their homes have all appreciated much faster than the tax increases. They have the option to take a reverse mortgage and use the home equity to pay their taxes. They just don't want to. Or they already pulled it out with cash out refi's and spent money they don't have on cars, vacations, etc.
To be clear - I'm not advocating for a higher tax rate since the taxes already go up with the higher assessments. The county should be able to budget within the tax rate they already get. But no one who owns a home here is forced out by the property taxes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know 2 families planning on leaving the area entirely due to the federal job cuts. They’re taking the DRP and moving. 30s with early Elementary and preschool-aged kids who would have been in school in the next few years.

They need to put this whole exercise on pause until the dust settles. No 6th to middle either - FCPS won’t have the budget to start a robust UPK program at this rate.

On the flip side there are thousands of retirees on fixed incomes who will be forced out of the area or will voluntarily leave earlier to reduce their tax burden so some neighborhoods could turn over with younger families. It’s a very volatile situation and changing boundaries in the midst of the chaos makes no sense at all.

No one who owns a home here is forced out by higher taxes. Their homes have all appreciated much faster than the tax increases. They have the option to take a reverse mortgage and use the home equity to pay their taxes. They just don't want to. Or they already pulled it out with cash out refi's and spent money they don't have on cars, vacations, etc.
To be clear - I'm not advocating for a higher tax rate since the taxes already go up with the higher assessments. The county should be able to budget within the tax rate they already get. But no one who owns a home here is forced out by the property taxes.

The solution to higher taxes is to take out a reverse mortgage at 10% interest. 🧐

The reverse mortgage, while theoretically beneficial, fits in a category with annuities, where they generally have opaque terms and are sold on commission. I view them as a last resort.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know 2 families planning on leaving the area entirely due to the federal job cuts. They’re taking the DRP and moving. 30s with early Elementary and preschool-aged kids who would have been in school in the next few years.

They need to put this whole exercise on pause until the dust settles. No 6th to middle either - FCPS won’t have the budget to start a robust UPK program at this rate.

On the flip side there are thousands of retirees on fixed incomes who will be forced out of the area or will voluntarily leave earlier to reduce their tax burden so some neighborhoods could turn over with younger families. It’s a very volatile situation and changing boundaries in the midst of the chaos makes no sense at all.

I’ve seen a few homes go up for sale that were clearly owned by long time, older owners who were downsizing/leaving the area. But it’s still few. Usually they seem to sell to developers/flippers or an adult child inherits the house directly.

You might see some empty nest but still working age adults take the voluntary early retirement - but I feel like they’d be more likely to try to get another job in the area vs. move entirely? Whereas people with young kids, maybe 3rd grade and under, seem like they’re going to cut bait and move to their hometowns or less expensive areas and try to start over. Maybe that’s just my experience though. Everyone kept saying for years that the Boomers and Silent Gens would have to sell and move and flood the market and that has just never happened, even as the oldest boomers are almost 80 now.

[Anonymous]

Looks like McKay is finally realizing how the federal government changes might impact Fairfax. When will the school board realize the calamity and pause the boundary review rather than pushing through nuclear boundary changes in the middle of it all?

https://wtop.com/fairfax-county/2025/04/fairfax-co-warns-of-ripple-effect-from-fired-federal-workers/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know 2 families planning on leaving the area entirely due to the federal job cuts. They’re taking the DRP and moving. 30s with early Elementary and preschool-aged kids who would have been in school in the next few years.

They need to put this whole exercise on pause until the dust settles. No 6th to middle either - FCPS won’t have the budget to start a robust UPK program at this rate.

On the flip side there are thousands of retirees on fixed incomes who will be forced out of the area or will voluntarily leave earlier to reduce their tax burden so some neighborhoods could turn over with younger families. It’s a very volatile situation and changing boundaries in the midst of the chaos makes no sense at all.

I’ve seen a few homes go up for sale that were clearly owned by long time, older owners who were downsizing/leaving the area. But it’s still few. Usually they seem to sell to developers/flippers or an adult child inherits the house directly.

You might see some empty nest but still working age adults take the voluntary early retirement - but I feel like they’d be more likely to try to get another job in the area vs. move entirely? Whereas people with young kids, maybe 3rd grade and under, seem like they’re going to cut bait and move to their hometowns or less expensive areas and try to start over. Maybe that’s just my experience though. Everyone kept saying for years that the Boomers and Silent Gens would have to sell and move and flood the market and that has just never happened, even as the oldest boomers are almost 80 now.

The point is that we are in an extremely volatile environment where the usual assumptions may not hold. Trump was already hitting the region; now he may be plunging the entire country into a depression.

Not a smart time for FCPS to be adjusting school boundaries unless their view is that they just might as well add to the chaos.

[Anonymous]

No one who owns a home here is forced out by higher taxes. Their homes have all appreciated much faster than the tax increases. They have the option to take a reverse mortgage and use the home equity to pay their taxes. They just don't want to. Or they already pulled it out with cash out refi's and spent money they don't have on cars, vacations, etc.
To be clear - I'm not advocating for a higher tax rate since the taxes already go up with the higher assessments. The county should be able to budget within the tax rate they already get. But no one who owns a home here is forced out by the property taxes.

What a naive statement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know 2 families planning on leaving the area entirely due to the federal job cuts. They’re taking the DRP and moving. 30s with early Elementary and preschool-aged kids who would have been in school in the next few years.

They need to put this whole exercise on pause until the dust settles. No 6th to middle either - FCPS won’t have the budget to start a robust UPK program at this rate.

On the flip side there are thousands of retirees on fixed incomes who will be forced out of the area or will voluntarily leave earlier to reduce their tax burden so some neighborhoods could turn over with younger families. It’s a very volatile situation and changing boundaries in the midst of the chaos makes no sense at all.

No one who owns a home here is forced out by higher taxes. Their homes have all appreciated much faster than the tax increases. They have the option to take a reverse mortgage and use the home equity to pay their taxes. They just don't want to. Or they already pulled it out with cash out refi's and spent money they don't have on cars, vacations, etc.
To be clear - I'm not advocating for a higher tax rate since the taxes already go up with the higher assessments. The county should be able to budget within the tax rate they already get. But no one who owns a home here is forced out by the property taxes.

You are utterly ridiculous and out of touch with reality. Many people are forced out of the area in retirement, or quasi forced out of the area. Ie maybe they could make the tax payments, but its a substantial portion of their yearly budget and literally makes no sense when there are much cheaper options than forking your money over to the local gov in Ffx.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know 2 families planning on leaving the area entirely due to the federal job cuts. They’re taking the DRP and moving. 30s with early Elementary and preschool-aged kids who would have been in school in the next few years.

They need to put this whole exercise on pause until the dust settles. No 6th to middle either - FCPS won’t have the budget to start a robust UPK program at this rate.

On the flip side there are thousands of retirees on fixed incomes who will be forced out of the area or will voluntarily leave earlier to reduce their tax burden so some neighborhoods could turn over with younger families. It’s a very volatile situation and changing boundaries in the midst of the chaos makes no sense at all.

I’ve seen a few homes go up for sale that were clearly owned by long time, older owners who were downsizing/leaving the area. But it’s still few. Usually they seem to sell to developers/flippers or an adult child inherits the house directly.

You might see some empty nest but still working age adults take the voluntary early retirement - but I feel like they’d be more likely to try to get another job in the area vs. move entirely? Whereas people with young kids, maybe 3rd grade and under, seem like they’re going to cut bait and move to their hometowns or less expensive areas and try to start over. Maybe that’s just my experience though. Everyone kept saying for years that the Boomers and Silent Gens would have to sell and move and flood the market and that has just never happened, even as the oldest boomers are almost 80 now.

My neighborhood consists of a pretty consistent pattern of two types of families. Older people with grown families who retire, may stick around a bit (or not), and then sell their house moving to less expensive areas. And of course young families buy these houses for the schools. It's a pretty consistent pattern.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know 2 families planning on leaving the area entirely due to the federal job cuts. They’re taking the DRP and moving. 30s with early Elementary and preschool-aged kids who would have been in school in the next few years.

They need to put this whole exercise on pause until the dust settles. No 6th to middle either - FCPS won’t have the budget to start a robust UPK program at this rate.

On the flip side there are thousands of retirees on fixed incomes who will be forced out of the area or will voluntarily leave earlier to reduce their tax burden so some neighborhoods could turn over with younger families. It’s a very volatile situation and changing boundaries in the midst of the chaos makes no sense at all.

I’ve seen a few homes go up for sale that were clearly owned by long time, older owners who were downsizing/leaving the area. But it’s still few. Usually they seem to sell to developers/flippers or an adult child inherits the house directly.

You might see some empty nest but still working age adults take the voluntary early retirement - but I feel like they’d be more likely to try to get another job in the area vs. move entirely? Whereas people with young kids, maybe 3rd grade and under, seem like they’re going to cut bait and move to their hometowns or less expensive areas and try to start over. Maybe that’s just my experience though. Everyone kept saying for years that the Boomers and Silent Gens would have to sell and move and flood the market and that has just never happened, even as the oldest boomers are almost 80 now.

My neighborhood consists of a pretty consistent pattern of two types of families. Older people with grown families who retire, may stick around a bit (or not), and then sell their house moving to less expensive areas. And of course young families buy these houses for the schools. It's a pretty consistent pattern.

Just pointing out that that pattern exists because of general stability in school pyramids. The school board is planning to test whether families are willing to play craps with their kids’ education.