Mythical Western HS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's a big difference between the Loudoun County (at large) population and FFX County (at large). Loudoun doesn't mind redistricting in ways that make sense because all of the schools are high performing and there aren't pockets of poverty that will impact school ratings. FFX not only has pockets of poverty it has schools with drastically different ratings that people base real estate decisions around and are willing to fight tooth and nail to keep their investment.

Fight tooth and nail to keep their children in the school they chose and gave up other things to purchase for their children.

That's not sound reasoning. It's not our job now as taxpayers to indefinitely fund facilities at your specific school so that nothing ever changes for your situation. There are 24 other high schools that have needs too.

Changing boundaries to "even" SES numbers only helps the optics of the school scores. It does not improve the education of the kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's a big difference between the Loudoun County (at large) population and FFX County (at large). Loudoun doesn't mind redistricting in ways that make sense because all of the schools are high performing and there aren't pockets of poverty that will impact school ratings. FFX not only has pockets of poverty it has schools with drastically different ratings that people base real estate decisions around and are willing to fight tooth and nail to keep their investment.

Fight tooth and nail to keep their children in the school they chose and gave up other things to purchase for their children.

That's not sound reasoning. It's not our job now as taxpayers to indefinitely fund facilities at your specific school so that nothing ever changes for your situation. There are 24 other high schools that have needs too.

Changing boundaries to "even" SES numbers only helps the optics of the school scores. It does not improve the education of the kids.

What if greater demographic balance allows a school to offer a course that otherwise wouldn’t be available due to insufficient demand? It seems like that could improve the educational opportunities for some students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Everything else aside, the septic issue would make this all but impossible. Fairfax County isn't going to build a 2000-student complex with septic. Someone smarter than me can do the math, but the drain field would have to be huge. (The Hickory Run proposal -- which became Colvin Run -- was only 650 students.)

I'm sure they can figure out how to run water and sewer a couple thousand feet from Rt 7.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's a big difference between the Loudoun County (at large) population and FFX County (at large). Loudoun doesn't mind redistricting in ways that make sense because all of the schools are high performing and there aren't pockets of poverty that will impact school ratings. FFX not only has pockets of poverty it has schools with drastically different ratings that people base real estate decisions around and are willing to fight tooth and nail to keep their investment.

Fight tooth and nail to keep their children in the school they chose and gave up other things to purchase for their children.

That's not sound reasoning. It's not our job now as taxpayers to indefinitely fund facilities at your specific school so that nothing ever changes for your situation. There are 24 other high schools that have needs too.

Changing boundaries to "even" SES numbers only helps the optics of the school scores. It does not improve the education of the kids.

What if greater demographic balance allows a school to offer a course that otherwise wouldn’t be available due to insufficient demand? It seems like that could improve the educational opportunities for some students.

A greater demographic balance would improve schools overall. The lower schools would definitely improve and the high performing schools would probably remain about the same. Someone on the board just needs to do what’s best for all kids and not just a select few.

[Anonymous]

I genuinely believe what the left wants to accomplish isn't as bad as you think. An overarching goal we can all agree on would be to have an even distribution of resources across all schools (that would alleviate concerns about all the majority poor and brown schools hogging up resources). This would be accomplished by having an equal distribution of population size (roughly 2400 kids per HS) and an equal distribution of FARMs (around 30% FARMs at each school).

Fairfax HS right now fits this model almost perfectly at 2360 kids and 32% FARMs. If every single school in FCPS was like Fairfax, I think most parents would be satisfied and we'd get rid of arguments about equity stealing away funds to only the poor schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

If it were up to me, I'd get rid of the expense of school athletics entirely, since playing games is not all that educational.

Strongly disagree.
Sports teaches a lot about working together and how to lose--as well as how to win. It helps develop resilience, too. Plus, it is physical activity.

Kids can learn teamwork and good sportsmanship from non-athletic competition as well. Athletics are a nice-to-have but most kids don't actually participate. We're not going to keep our global science and tech dominance by having kids playing sports.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

If it were up to me, I'd get rid of the expense of school athletics entirely, since playing games is not all that educational.

Strongly disagree.
Sports teaches a lot about working together and how to lose--as well as how to win. It helps develop resilience, too. Plus, it is physical activity.

Kids can learn teamwork and good sportsmanship from non-athletic competition as well. Athletics are a nice-to-have but most kids don't actually participate. We're not going to keep our global science and tech dominance by having kids playing sports.

Sure, they can learn it in other ways. But, sports has helped many, many. And, Chess Club does not provide physical activity. It also provides social opportunities for the spectators. You know: fun. I think our kids would benefit from more fun, too--that is outside the screen.

[Anonymous]

A greater demographic balance would improve schools overall. The lower schools would definitely improve and the high performing schools would probably remain about the same. Someone on the board just needs to do what’s best for all kids and not just a select few.

So, you would shift kids in order to balance SES? How would you do that without dividing communities and sending buses here there and yonder?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

A greater demographic balance would improve schools overall. The lower schools would definitely improve and the high performing schools would probably remain about the same. Someone on the board just needs to do what’s best for all kids and not just a select few.

So, you would shift kids in order to balance SES? How would you do that without dividing communities and sending buses here there and yonder?

Given how cautious the 12-0 Democratic School Board has been with respect to boundaries it will never happen. Maybe PP just wanted to extol Fairfax HS as a platonic ideal (although Fairfax only ends up with an “average” 30% FARMS rate because it has an affluent attendance island further west in Willow Springs ES, and a fair number of people there are somewhat miffed they are assigned to Fairfax rather than to schools like Centreville HS closer to their neighborhood).

The SB didn’t have a problem carving up McLean and sending kids to Langley because Langley is wealthier and renovated and they figured most people moved would praise them (although there were some discontents). But they sure have never proposed to move anyone at West Springfield to Lewis, anyone at Woodson to Annandale, anyone at West Potomac to Mount Vernon, or anyone at Chantilly to Herndon, etc. What other than a court order would make them behave differently in the future?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

A greater demographic balance would improve schools overall. The lower schools would definitely improve and the high performing schools would probably remain about the same. Someone on the board just needs to do what’s best for all kids and not just a select few.

So, you would shift kids in order to balance SES? How would you do that without dividing communities and sending buses here there and yonder?

Given how cautious the 12-0 Democratic School Board has been with respect to boundaries it will never happen. Maybe PP just wanted to extol Fairfax HS as a platonic ideal (although Fairfax only ends up with an “average” 30% FARMS rate because it has an affluent attendance island further west in Willow Springs ES, and a fair number of people there are somewhat miffed they are assigned to Fairfax rather than to schools like Centreville HS closer to their neighborhood).

The SB didn’t have a problem carving up McLean and sending kids to Langley because Langley is wealthier and renovated and they figured most people moved would praise them (although there were some discontents). But they sure have never proposed to move anyone at West Springfield to Lewis, anyone at Woodson to Annandale, anyone at West Potomac to Mount Vernon, or anyone at Chantilly to Herndon, etc. What other than a court order would make them behave differently in the future?

FWIW, Herndon and Chantilly boundaries are not adjacent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I genuinely believe what the left wants to accomplish isn't as bad as you think. An overarching goal we can all agree on would be to have an even distribution of resources across all schools (that would alleviate concerns about all the majority poor and brown schools hogging up resources). This would be accomplished by having an equal distribution of population size (roughly 2400 kids per HS) and an equal distribution of FARMs (around 30% FARMs at each school).

Fairfax HS right now fits this model almost perfectly at 2360 kids and 32% FARMs. If every single school in FCPS was like Fairfax, I think most parents would be satisfied and we'd get rid of arguments about equity stealing away funds to only the poor schools.

So then you are advocating busing kids clear across the county to fulfill your goal of "equity"? Tell us more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I genuinely believe what the left wants to accomplish isn't as bad as you think. An overarching goal we can all agree on would be to have an even distribution of resources across all schools (that would alleviate concerns about all the majority poor and brown schools hogging up resources). This would be accomplished by having an equal distribution of population size (roughly 2400 kids per HS) and an equal distribution of FARMs (around 30% FARMs at each school).

Fairfax HS right now fits this model almost perfectly at 2360 kids and 32% FARMs. If every single school in FCPS was like Fairfax, I think most parents would be satisfied and we'd get rid of arguments about equity stealing away funds to only the poor schools.

So then you are advocating busing kids clear across the county to fulfill your goal of "equity"? Tell us more.

Not across the county, but completely redoing boundaries so they’re all shifted to spread populations of students as much as possible. It’s absurd that there’s a school like Annandale adjacent to Woodson and so on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I genuinely believe what the left wants to accomplish isn't as bad as you think. An overarching goal we can all agree on would be to have an even distribution of resources across all schools (that would alleviate concerns about all the majority poor and brown schools hogging up resources). This would be accomplished by having an equal distribution of population size (roughly 2400 kids per HS) and an equal distribution of FARMs (around 30% FARMs at each school).

Fairfax HS right now fits this model almost perfectly at 2360 kids and 32% FARMs. If every single school in FCPS was like Fairfax, I think most parents would be satisfied and we'd get rid of arguments about equity stealing away funds to only the poor schools.

So then you are advocating busing kids clear across the county to fulfill your goal of "equity"? Tell us more.

Not across the county, but completely redoing boundaries so they’re all shifted to spread populations of students as much as possible. It’s absurd that there’s a school like Annandale adjacent to Woodson and so on.

I'm not familiar with Annandale/Woodson neighborhoods, but I do know that a lot of factors go into boundary maps--to include the feeder schools and avoiding split feeders as much as possible.

But, one thing for sure, eliminating IB at some of the schools would help--and I think Annandale is an IB school? How many Pupil place out?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I genuinely believe what the left wants to accomplish isn't as bad as you think. An overarching goal we can all agree on would be to have an even distribution of resources across all schools (that would alleviate concerns about all the majority poor and brown schools hogging up resources). This would be accomplished by having an equal distribution of population size (roughly 2400 kids per HS) and an equal distribution of FARMs (around 30% FARMs at each school).

Fairfax HS right now fits this model almost perfectly at 2360 kids and 32% FARMs. If every single school in FCPS was like Fairfax, I think most parents would be satisfied and we'd get rid of arguments about equity stealing away funds to only the poor schools.

So then you are advocating busing kids clear across the county to fulfill your goal of "equity"? Tell us more.

Not across the county, but completely redoing boundaries so they’re all shifted to spread populations of students as much as possible. It’s absurd that there’s a school like Annandale adjacent to Woodson and so on.

The issue with Annandale is that it used to have 1/2 the poor apartments off 236 it has now. The other 1/2 used to go to old Jefferson. When Jefferson got turned into a magnet they loaded most of the apartments off 236 into Annandale (some go to Falls Church) and then over time moved single-family neighborhoods at Annandale to Falls Church, Woodson, Lake Braddock, and Edison.

They could get rid of IB and move some of the areas now at Woodson back to Annandale if they wanted to bring down the poverty rate there although at some point the school would need an addition if they added a lot of kids there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

A greater demographic balance would improve schools overall. The lower schools would definitely improve and the high performing schools would probably remain about the same. Someone on the board just needs to do what’s best for all kids and not just a select few.

So, you would shift kids in order to balance SES? How would you do that without dividing communities and sending buses here there and yonder?

Given how cautious the 12-0 Democratic School Board has been with respect to boundaries it will never happen. Maybe PP just wanted to extol Fairfax HS as a platonic ideal (although Fairfax only ends up with an “average” 30% FARMS rate because it has an affluent attendance island further west in Willow Springs ES, and a fair number of people there are somewhat miffed they are assigned to Fairfax rather than to schools like Centreville HS closer to their neighborhood).

The SB didn’t have a problem carving up McLean and sending kids to Langley because Langley is wealthier and renovated and they figured most people moved would praise them (although there were some discontents). But they sure have never proposed to move anyone at West Springfield to Lewis, anyone at Woodson to Annandale, anyone at West Potomac to Mount Vernon, or anyone at Chantilly to Herndon, etc. What other than a court order would make them behave differently in the future?

FWIW, Herndon and Chantilly boundaries are not adjacent.

Sorry - anyone at Langley to Herndon. Those boundaries are adjacent.