It's Skyview High.
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Anonymous
Just wait and see. The empty seats were right there when Chantilly was overcrowded, and look at what they did instead. And Chantilly wasn’t even the goose laying the golden eggs. |
Anonymous
Well maybe you'll get lucky and someone will build an expansion right next to your golden goose, then abandon it and sell it to FCPS for half price so you get your wish. I wouldn't hold my breath. |
Anonymous
That’s not what happened here, and we are seeing that KAA wasn’t anywhere near the bargain they claimed at first. |
Anonymous
| I'm seeing lots of jealousy on this thread. |
Anonymous
Do you really think so? There's a difference between jealousy and frustration with FCPS's mismanagement of its capital resources. The latter bothers me. But I'm not jealous of people sending their kids to a school that will only open with two grades (or more like 1 1/3 if the reports of a very small sophomore class are true), limited activities, and no VHSL sports. They must be trying to make the best of a difficult situation. |
Anonymous
Skyview IS A BARGAIN, look farther up in this thread for actual cost to build a fully functional HS in Northern VA for actual "real" numbers! |
Anonymous
But they were steadily adding capacity to other schools and just reaffirmed their intention to expand Centreville to 3000. If they are adding capacity and both witnessing and projecting enrollment declines, it’s a stretch to say opening a school is financially prudent, even if buying one is less expensive than building one. They’ll spend the up-front costs to open and modify KAA and then have higher recurring operating expenses because they’ll have the additional overhead associated with another HS. And, then, on the flip side, spending all this money on Skyview delays other school renovation projects. |
Anonymous
Capacity is not being added to any western school except centreville which is already over capacity. I do agree that with Skyview the centreville renovation probably needs to be reduced since it appears that an expansion is not needed. |
Anonymous
The problem is not the purchase of the school. It is very much needed. The problem--and the reason it may only be 1 1/3 is the way Reid designed the roll out. Had boundaries been set, it would be full. People are uncertain as to whether they will be in boundary. |
Anonymous
During the period a new western HS was put on hold indefinitely capacity was added to South Lakes, Oakton, Herndon, and Madison (last could absorb part of Oakton), with plans still in place to expand Centreville to 3000. Note that the last CIP reaffirming the plan to expand Centreville to 3000 came out after KAA had already been purchased and the plan to operate as a 2000-student or more school had been announced. |
Anonymous
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It’s a done deal but there needs to be accountability next year for a big expenditure undertaken with no clear business case made to the public and a wretched roll-out.
They claimed Westfield was overcrowded when it was below capacity and that Centreville was overcrowded when they already had a plan to expand it. That left everything really hanging on relief for Chantilly but the roll-out doesn’t ensure meaningful relief for Chantilly for many years to come and they are actually moving Fairfax kids into Chantilly. By the time any Chantilly changes really kick in the enrollment may be declining for other reasons and then people who got moved from Chantilly will ask why this was even necessary. No one at Chantilly lives far from the school. Some of those opting in now from Chantilly - and it’s unclear how many there are - probably are doing so because they assume they’ll be moved and want their kid at the same school for 4 years with transportation. |
Anonymous
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Your above paragraph shows you have no understanding of just how overcrowded Chantilly really is. Bring up google maps and start counting trailers, just packed in to whatever little green space can fit one. Then look at the giant modular block built in the southeast corner - all counting toward the school's capacity.
Everyone wishes it wasn't overcrowded, but no one wants to be the ones pushed out so most keep their mouths shut about it. It's a huge problem. |
Anonymous
This. |
Anonymous
Only you are seeing that. The board and the rest of us all understood there were more costs than the $150 million sale price. They talked about the renovation costs during the board meetings and gave estimates. You are trying to frame it as a bad investment, but it was a bargain. You refuse to acknowledge it because you wanted the money spent somewhere else first. Too bad for you, but good for FCPS. I'm sure someone just like you has complained about every single renovation or expansion that has ever happened, including past ones to whichever school your kids attend. Fortunately those people lost too. |
Anonymous
That would argue for a prompt boundary study to provide immediate and meaningful relief for Chantilly. That’s not what you’re getting here, not even close. And, of course, there are always people willing to redistrict other people’s kids. That doesn’t mean it’s always the right thing to do, without fully considering the alternatives. |