Mclean boundary changes - can someone please update?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am confused because it seems many are suggesting this is a negative for McLean. How is this a negative for those in McLean district long term if it will relieve some overcrowding and McLean will likely get in the line for expansion?

This is not a negative for McLean. It is good.

I wish it were, but I've seen this movie before and it's not. No school comes out ahead when the School Board both under-invests in its facilities and moves a significant proportion of its higher-achieving kids to other schools.

The only school this is good for is Langley.

McLean still has all those families from Haycock, Kent Gardens and Franklin Sherman. McLean High will be just fine.

I do wonder how the demographics will change, especially with the changes with TJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am confused because it seems many are suggesting this is a negative for McLean. How is this a negative for those in McLean district long term if it will relieve some overcrowding and McLean will likely get in the line for expansion?

This is not a negative for McLean. It is good.

I wish it were, but I've seen this movie before and it's not. No school comes out ahead when the School Board both under-invests in its facilities and moves a significant proportion of its higher-achieving kids to other schools.

The only school this is good for is Langley.

McLean still has all those families from Haycock, Kent Gardens and Franklin Sherman. McLean High will be just fine.

I do wonder how the demographics will change, especially with the changes with TJ.

Haycock's enrollment may decline as Haycock and Longfellow stop placing so many kids at TJ, Kent Gardens has many French immersion students who do not attend McLean, and Franklin Sherman is a split feeder with Langley that has under 300 kids now.

[Anonymous]

Just curious - is there any other elementary schools in FCPS like Spring Hill where they send every single kid who lives in an apartment or condo to one high school and every single kid who lives in a single-family house to a wealthier high school?

I thought they were supposed to care about equity and diversity. This is anything but - it's Elaine Tholen "cleaning up" boundaries so her own school gets richer and another school gets poorer. Kathy Smith would be proud.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just curious - is there any other elementary schools in FCPS like Spring Hill where they send every single kid who lives in an apartment or condo to one high school and every single kid who lives in a single-family house to a wealthier high school?

I thought they were supposed to care about equity and diversity. This is anything but - it's Elaine Tholen "cleaning up" boundaries so her own school gets richer and another school gets poorer. Kathy Smith would be proud.

I disagree that equity should overrule practicality. Especially since it is equity for the sake of the appearance of equity and not any actual benefit to anyone. Both schools are excellent and will continue to be excellent. People with children specifically move to those apartments so their kids can attend Longfellow and McLean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just curious - is there any other elementary schools in FCPS like Spring Hill where they send every single kid who lives in an apartment or condo to one high school and every single kid who lives in a single-family house to a wealthier high school?

I thought they were supposed to care about equity and diversity. This is anything but - it's Elaine Tholen "cleaning up" boundaries so her own school gets richer and another school gets poorer. Kathy Smith would be proud.

I disagree that equity should overrule practicality. Especially since it is equity for the sake of the appearance of equity and not any actual benefit to anyone. Both schools are excellent and will continue to be excellent. People with children specifically move to those apartments so their kids can attend Longfellow and McLean.

McLean was already declining due to the neglect of the facilities and reassigning single-family neighborhoods will just accelerate its decline.

If equity is just a buzzword for FCPS they should stop pretending otherwise.

[Anonymous]

Does the boundary change that will relieve some of MHS overcrowding, in combination with the modulars, mean that MHS is really unlikely to get a major renovation? Or is that still on the table in the CIP?

MHS is a terrific school and will continue to have lots of involved parents, but this is kind of a kick in the teeth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does the boundary change that will relieve some of MHS overcrowding, in combination with the modulars, mean that MHS is really unlikely to get a major renovation? Or is that still on the table in the CIP?

MHS is a terrific school and will continue to have lots of involved parents, but this is kind of a kick in the teeth.

There are many schools in FCPS that are on the list for renovations before McLean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does the boundary change that will relieve some of MHS overcrowding, in combination with the modulars, mean that MHS is really unlikely to get a major renovation? Or is that still on the table in the CIP?

MHS is a terrific school and will continue to have lots of involved parents, but this is kind of a kick in the teeth.

Yes, it is really unlikely that MHS will get a major renovation.

And it was never "on the table in the CIP" except in the most generic sense. In other words, they have no specific plans to spend any money on an addition at McLean, much less a major renovation, at any point over the upcoming 10 years discussed in the CIP. It is only referenced in the most generic way possible in the CIP ("Capacity enhancement through either a modular or building addition" as a "potential solution") and of course they've now added a cheap $2M modular.

MHS has been a great school in the past, but it simply won't hold its own in the coming years. The stress test is to ask yourself where you would buy if you were looking to buy a home today in NoVa. For many of us, the McLean district would now be at best our fifth or sixth choice. The treatment of the school at the hands of FCPS has been abysmal, and some of us hope to slip out before it's too obvious how FCPS screwed the school over.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does the boundary change that will relieve some of MHS overcrowding, in combination with the modulars, mean that MHS is really unlikely to get a major renovation? Or is that still on the table in the CIP?

MHS is a terrific school and will continue to have lots of involved parents, but this is kind of a kick in the teeth.

There are many schools in FCPS that are on the list for renovations before McLean.

A full-scale renovation any time soon was never really in the cards. They could budget for a permanent addition to MHS at some point over the next decade, but even that is questionable now that they've unloaded the cheap modular and made plans to move students to Langley. Their game plan was always to move kids to Langley on the correct assumption that some families would plead to be reassigned there, and then just let McLean stagnate for decades until it comes back up for a full renovation. By then the school will be a shell of what it's been in past decades.

[Anonymous]

All this will be moot when The City of McLean rises like a Phoenix and secedes from Fairfax County and brings its schools in-house to be run properly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All this will be moot when The City of McLean rises like a Phoenix and secedes from Fairfax County and brings its schools in-house to be run properly.

That won't happen, but FCPS won't get any better either, so there's that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does the boundary change that will relieve some of MHS overcrowding, in combination with the modulars, mean that MHS is really unlikely to get a major renovation? Or is that still on the table in the CIP?

MHS is a terrific school and will continue to have lots of involved parents, but this is kind of a kick in the teeth.

Yes, it is really unlikely that MHS will get a major renovation.

And it was never "on the table in the CIP" except in the most generic sense. In other words, they have no specific plans to spend any money on an addition at McLean, much less a major renovation, at any point over the upcoming 10 years discussed in the CIP. It is only referenced in the most generic way possible in the CIP ("Capacity enhancement through either a modular or building addition" as a "potential solution") and of course they've now added a cheap $2M modular.

MHS has been a great school in the past, but it simply won't hold its own in the coming years. The stress test is to ask yourself where you would buy if you were looking to buy a home today in NoVa. For many of us, the McLean district would now be at best our fifth or sixth choice. The treatment of the school at the hands of FCPS has been abysmal, and some of us hope to slip out before it's too obvious how FCPS screwed the school over.

After Langley, Madison, and what else?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does the boundary change that will relieve some of MHS overcrowding, in combination with the modulars, mean that MHS is really unlikely to get a major renovation? Or is that still on the table in the CIP?

MHS is a terrific school and will continue to have lots of involved parents, but this is kind of a kick in the teeth.

Yes, it is really unlikely that MHS will get a major renovation.

And it was never "on the table in the CIP" except in the most generic sense. In other words, they have no specific plans to spend any money on an addition at McLean, much less a major renovation, at any point over the upcoming 10 years discussed in the CIP. It is only referenced in the most generic way possible in the CIP ("Capacity enhancement through either a modular or building addition" as a "potential solution") and of course they've now added a cheap $2M modular.

MHS has been a great school in the past, but it simply won't hold its own in the coming years. The stress test is to ask yourself where you would buy if you were looking to buy a home today in NoVa. For many of us, the McLean district would now be at best our fifth or sixth choice. The treatment of the school at the hands of FCPS has been abysmal, and some of us hope to slip out before it's too obvious how FCPS screwed the school over.

After Langley, Madison, and what else?

Yorktown, Marshall, Oakton...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does the boundary change that will relieve some of MHS overcrowding, in combination with the modulars, mean that MHS is really unlikely to get a major renovation? Or is that still on the table in the CIP?

MHS is a terrific school and will continue to have lots of involved parents, but this is kind of a kick in the teeth.

Yes, it is really unlikely that MHS will get a major renovation.

And it was never "on the table in the CIP" except in the most generic sense. In other words, they have no specific plans to spend any money on an addition at McLean, much less a major renovation, at any point over the upcoming 10 years discussed in the CIP. It is only referenced in the most generic way possible in the CIP ("Capacity enhancement through either a modular or building addition" as a "potential solution") and of course they've now added a cheap $2M modular.

MHS has been a great school in the past, but it simply won't hold its own in the coming years. The stress test is to ask yourself where you would buy if you were looking to buy a home today in NoVa. For many of us, the McLean district would now be at best our fifth or sixth choice. The treatment of the school at the hands of FCPS has been abysmal, and some of us hope to slip out before it's too obvious how FCPS screwed the school over.

After Langley, Madison, and what else?

Yorktown, Marshall, Oakton...

George Mason...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does the boundary change that will relieve some of MHS overcrowding, in combination with the modulars, mean that MHS is really unlikely to get a major renovation? Or is that still on the table in the CIP?

MHS is a terrific school and will continue to have lots of involved parents, but this is kind of a kick in the teeth.

Yes, it is really unlikely that MHS will get a major renovation.

And it was never "on the table in the CIP" except in the most generic sense. In other words, they have no specific plans to spend any money on an addition at McLean, much less a major renovation, at any point over the upcoming 10 years discussed in the CIP. It is only referenced in the most generic way possible in the CIP ("Capacity enhancement through either a modular or building addition" as a "potential solution") and of course they've now added a cheap $2M modular.

MHS has been a great school in the past, but it simply won't hold its own in the coming years. The stress test is to ask yourself where you would buy if you were looking to buy a home today in NoVa. For many of us, the McLean district would now be at best our fifth or sixth choice. The treatment of the school at the hands of FCPS has been abysmal, and some of us hope to slip out before it's too obvious how FCPS screwed the school over.

After Langley, Madison, and what else?

Yorktown, Marshall, Oakton...

George Mason...

I think McLean will still be second. Pp is being overly dramatic about the downfall of mclean high.