It's Skyview High.
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Anonymous
Wrong, and at best you’re saying some people knew FCPS was lying from the get-go about the purported savings associated with the KAA purchase and just went along with a nod and a wink because they liked what they were getting out of it. Not a good look. |
Anonymous
I watched the meetings. I saw the facilities guy give the estimates. The real question is why are you so laser focused on this school and not Dunn Loring? The obvious answer of course has to do with your zip code. Why aren't you and your neighbors hammering so hard on that complete waste of money? Oh yeah, that school won't be filled with kids you were hoping to be the "empty seat" fillers you desperately wanted before the next review. |
Anonymous
Dunn Loring is a waste, too. Even less of a need but also not as big an expenditure. The other main difference is that no one besides Karl Frisch really defends it. They haven’t stripped it out of the CIP because one-party rule means turning a blind eye to waste when it involves a colleague’s pet project. |
Anonymous
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Someone asked why there were so many topics about the HS. I commented that it as because people took any topic on Skyview and reverted to the circular argument about if it was needed, its a waste of money, the boundary process is stupid, and who should attend. It never stays on the topic (Have they hired teachers, have they hired admin that type of thing.
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Anonymous
Let’s make this easier for you. They had put out numbers about the purported savings as soon as they approved the purchase of KAA. The number was always made-up because the estimate of how much a new western HS would cost had never been audited. It was always intended to be a huge number to underscore the impracticality of building a new HS and justify all the additions that other schools like Oakton and Herndon were getting in the interim. Only after they’d put out their statement about how much money the KAA purchase would “save” did Erik Gordon start talking about how much additional money they’d need to invest in order for the KAA to handle 2000 kids. He initially said $30-50 million. As it turns out, the CIP that was just approved estimates additional expenditures closer to $50 million than $30 million, and there’s no guarantee that number won’t go up. Past history with FCPS projects suggests it will. Even so, FCPS is still touting “savings” on its web page that do not take into account these additional expenditures. You can argue it will still be cheaper than a new school built from scratch, and that may be right, but that by itself certainly doesn’t establish a need for the school, nor does it mean they have been honest about the purported “savings.” Maybe they’ll true it up at some point, but it’s another example of their general sloppiness and lack of transparency when dealing with the public. |
Anonymous
The need is defined by the membership relief to the overcrowded schools. Not the dollars. The school is needed--very much. Somehow, that gets ignored in your post. It is egregious that this opportunity has been twisted because of Reid's boundary mess. Boundaries should have--and could have--been set last Fall. But, instead Chantilly is likely to be more crowded this year than last. Her plan is extremely misguided, but the school is very much needed. |
Anonymous
Want and need are two different things. It’s very hard to say there was a need when, prior to KAA announcing it was closing down, there was zero urgency to building a new HS. They were doing nothing to locate a suitable a site and constantly pushing out the date to begin construction so that it was always a decade away. When there is a real need, they know how to act more quickly, as the acquisition and construction of Bailey’s Upper demonstrated. |
Anonymous
Yes. There is a need. Have you watched our FCPS leadership? Did you see what they did with Coates as an earlier PP mentioned? Just because our clueless leadership had no plan, does not mean there was not a great need. I think the expansion of Centreville to 3000 was their answer--even though it would be years away. Chantilly is surrounded by full schools. And, as another PP mentioned, go look at the aerial view of the school. Every inch is used. It is a great school, but it needs relief. And, the boundary is not expansive--that is why people want to stay there--but think others should leave. |
Anonymous
They are still planning to expand Centreville to 3000. You can’t really argue they need a new 2000-seat school and to add over 1000 more seats to Centreville when Herndon already has 600 empty seats. That’s 3600 extra seats right there. Whatever you think about the overcrowding at Chantilly, it’s not overcrowded by more than its total enrollment. |
Anonymous
Then go after expanding Centreville. That is years away. But, we all know your goal. And, it would not solve the problem. |
Anonymous
My goal is for FCPS to use its scarce capital resources efficiently and where there is the greatest, documented need. Unfortunately, they don’t even try to operate on that basis. In general, they just spend money based on a plan developed over 15 years ago, punctuated by random departures such as the impulse purchase of KAA, for which they never presented a compelling business case. |
Anonymous
15 years ago the idiots gifted the land to the Saudis. If they hadn't been so stupid, we wouldn't be having any of these discussions. |
Anonymous
+10000 I wish those people would find other hobbies so we could stay on topic. |
Anonymous
I agree with that; however, they did and then expanded a number of other schools because they didn’t see a better alternative. Atoning for that error is coming at a heavy cost that will delay other school renovations. |
Anonymous
Yes. They created the problem in the first place, made it worse with a series of emergency expansions, finally started to unwind their mess by buying KAA, then came up with the worst possible process to begin opening the place, all at our expense. |