School Board Forum on "Boundary and Capacity"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The forum isn’t streamed so you will have to go to gatehouse if you want to watch it.

Many SB work sessions are live-streamed or recorded (and then made available on You Tube). It would seem like they were trying to hide the ball if they had a work session on “boundaries and capacity” and didn’t record it.

Work sessions are streamed. Forums are not. No one is hiding the ball. This is how they always do it.

The so-called forum on “boundaries and capacity” is under the broader heading “Budget WS” scheduled for 2/13.

If they don’t stream and/or archive that discussion, they are hiding the ball to avoid scrutiny.

Nope, go back and check board docs. They don’t stream forums or put them on YouTube. They are supposed to do an audio recording and post that on board docs after the forum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The forum isn’t streamed so you will have to go to gatehouse if you want to watch it.

Many SB work sessions are live-streamed or recorded (and then made available on You Tube). It would seem like they were trying to hide the ball if they had a work session on “boundaries and capacity” and didn’t record it.

Work sessions are streamed. Forums are not. No one is hiding the ball. This is how they always do it.

The so-called forum on “boundaries and capacity” is under the broader heading “Budget WS” scheduled for 2/13.

If they don’t stream and/or archive that discussion, they are hiding the ball to avoid scrutiny.

Nope, go back and check board docs. They don’t stream forums or put them on YouTube. They are supposed to do an audio recording and post that on board docs after the forum.

At this point, it on the calendar under the broader heading "Budget WS." WS clearly refers to work session.

However, might as well see how it's teed up on the actual meeting agenda and what, if any, documents are attached to the agenda.

Regardless of the nomenclature and practice, it is bad politics for the School Board to post anything on the work calendar relating to "boundaries" and not make the discussion widely available.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Need is still there. Zip code 20171 is a mess. Schools are flooding with students in that zip code and so many new housing developments popping up there with townhomes and apartments. It’s a real disappointment. It’s a vastly ignored community.

Oakton and Herndon were both recently renovated and expanded. South Lakes also got an expansion even though it wasn’t in the renovation queue.

It’s easier to renovate and expand existing schools (or tear down/rebuild) than going through the very long process, sometimes controversial, of opening a new high school.

Also, the FCPS demographers are probably predicting a long term school age population plateau or decline.

Locally, for comparison, only MCPS is building new high schools and reopening closed ones to keep the population of schools below 3,000, except for the largest schools like Montgomery Blair. On the other hand, FCPS has not reopened one closed high school or built a new one in almost 20 years. They prefer to build additions like at West Potomac. It’s just a different philosophy, not a better or worse one.

I'm so surprised by this because I live in 20171 and there are several neighborhoods built in the 90s that have original owners that are getting ready to sell and move out - I foresee a HUGE influx of families into this area as they move out. We were the first family with young children to move into our neighborhood in about 5 years, and after we bought, three houses went on the market, and I've heard there are at least 5 going on the market this spring. I bet this neighborhood turns over into families with babies and toddlers in the next 10 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Need is still there. Zip code 20171 is a mess. Schools are flooding with students in that zip code and so many new housing developments popping up there with townhomes and apartments. It’s a real disappointment. It’s a vastly ignored community.

Oakton and Herndon were both recently renovated and expanded. South Lakes also got an expansion even though it wasn’t in the renovation queue.

It’s easier to renovate and expand existing schools (or tear down/rebuild) than going through the very long process, sometimes controversial, of opening a new high school.

Also, the FCPS demographers are probably predicting a long term school age population plateau or decline.

Locally, for comparison, only MCPS is building new high schools and reopening closed ones to keep the population of schools below 3,000, except for the largest schools like Montgomery Blair. On the other hand, FCPS has not reopened one closed high school or built a new one in almost 20 years. They prefer to build additions like at West Potomac. It’s just a different philosophy, not a better or worse one.

I'm so surprised by this because I live in 20171 and there are several neighborhoods built in the 90s that have original owners that are getting ready to sell and move out - I foresee a HUGE influx of families into this area as they move out. We were the first family with young children to move into our neighborhood in about 5 years, and after we bought, three houses went on the market, and I've heard there are at least 5 going on the market this spring. I bet this neighborhood turns over into families with babies and toddlers in the next 10 years.

This is one poster spamming this discussion with “20171”, right? I wonder if the motive to redistricting is wanting a property value increase.

[Anonymous]

My understanding is that the 20171 area, or parts of it, has been redistricted many times, and that years ago some were told that, if they put up with one more boundary change, eventually the Floris/Oak Hill area would get its own high school.

That didn’t happen; instead, FCPS kept expanding other high schools. The CIPs kept referring to a future “western high school,” but nothing ever really got done to advance the idea.

I’m sorry if those folks got misled by FCPS, but they are far from the only people whom school officials have misled over the years about construction plans.

[Anonymous]

I’ve seen same thing. And new housing is still happening as well. It’s going to continue to explode and need will increase.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Need is still there. Zip code 20171 is a mess. Schools are flooding with students in that zip code and so many new housing developments popping up there with townhomes and apartments. It’s a real disappointment. It’s a vastly ignored community.

Oakton and Herndon were both recently renovated and expanded. South Lakes also got an expansion even though it wasn’t in the renovation queue.

It’s easier to renovate and expand existing schools (or tear down/rebuild) than going through the very long process, sometimes controversial, of opening a new high school.

Also, the FCPS demographers are probably predicting a long term school age population plateau or decline.

Locally, for comparison, only MCPS is building new high schools and reopening closed ones to keep the population of schools below 3,000, except for the largest schools like Montgomery Blair. On the other hand, FCPS has not reopened one closed high school or built a new one in almost 20 years. They prefer to build additions like at West Potomac. It’s just a different philosophy, not a better or worse one.

I'm so surprised by this because I live in 20171 and there are several neighborhoods built in the 90s that have original owners that are getting ready to sell and move out - I foresee a HUGE influx of families into this area as they move out. We were the first family with young children to move into our neighborhood in about 5 years, and after we bought, three houses went on the market, and I've heard there are at least 5 going on the market this spring. I bet this neighborhood turns over into families with babies and toddlers in the next 10 years.

[Anonymous]

If you purchase a home on the very edge of a school boundary you have to know that there is a possibility that you will be redistricted.

[Anonymous]

Why did South Lakes get renovated if it wasn't in the que? Some special pet project of Meren's because she has kids going there or something else?

[Anonymous]

Meant to write queue

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why did South Lakes get renovated if it wasn't in the que? Some special pet project of Meren's because she has kids going there or something else?

My guess, it has alarge number of FARMs families, a large number of ELL students, and the Fox Mill ES and some parts of other ES were moved there when they didn’t want to move. Changing the boundaries so that the school had a better balance of kids, even marginally, and then allowing the school to be overcrowded would have been an even bigger slap in the face to those families.

I live in the Fox Mill boundary and there are parents who are miffed with the boundary change. I know some families thinking about moving now that their kids are entering MS because they had wanted the Fox Mill, Carson, Oakton route. Moving after 8th grade would not be all that disruptive to their kids HS career because there are so few kids from Carson that move from Carson to SLHS. The kids are pretty much starting over in HS as it is.

Most the families I know are fine with being at South Lakes, the Honors and IB program are well received. There are some solid clubs and sports teams. I think there would have been a lot of complaints and more kids trying to place out for AP if the school was overcrowded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why did South Lakes get renovated if it wasn't in the que? Some special pet project of Meren's because she has kids going there or something else?

South Lakes got a permanent expansion (not a renovation) outside the 2008 queue when Pat Hynes, not Melanie Meren, was on the school
board. There’s never been any transparency as to why they favored some schools but not others with additions outside the queue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why did South Lakes get renovated if it wasn't in the que? Some special pet project of Meren's because she has kids going there or something else?

My guess, it has alarge number of FARMs families, a large number of ELL students, and the Fox Mill ES and some parts of other ES were moved there when they didn’t want to move. Changing the boundaries so that the school had a better balance of kids, even marginally, and then allowing the school to be overcrowded would have been an even bigger slap in the face to those families.

I live in the Fox Mill boundary and there are parents who are miffed with the boundary change. I know some families thinking about moving now that their kids are entering MS because they had wanted the Fox Mill, Carson, Oakton route. Moving after 8th grade would not be all that disruptive to their kids HS career because there are so few kids from Carson that move from Carson to SLHS. The kids are pretty much starting over in HS as it is.

Most the families I know are fine with being at South Lakes, the Honors and IB program are well received. There are some solid clubs and sports teams. I think there would have been a lot of complaints and more kids trying to place out for AP if the school was overcrowded.

Wasn’t the boundary change to South Lakes roughly 15 years ago? How are the current elem and middle school parents even aware of that today?

I get that split feeders aren’t the best, but at least most families are fine with South Lakes. It’s a solid school today, and hopefully won’t get overcrowded in the future. Reston is one of the last bastions of housing affordability in Northern Virginia. Many lakefront townhomes and single family homes are still well under a million.

[Anonymous]

PP probably meant some people just don't like the feeder patterns (in particular, the small # of Carson kids going to South Lakes) that were a result of the boundary change in 2008. Before then Fox Mill went to Oakton along with more Carson kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP probably meant some people just don't like the feeder patterns (in particular, the small # of Carson kids going to South Lakes) that were a result of the boundary change in 2008. Before then Fox Mill went to Oakton along with more Carson kids.

New to the thread, but that is how I feel. (Also in 20171 and bought in Fox Mill when FM/Carson/Oakton was the path forward PRE-having kids.) I hear South Lakes is a great school; I just wish they weren’t the only kids headed to SL from Carson.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why did South Lakes get renovated if it wasn't in the que? Some special pet project of Meren's because she has kids going there or something else?

My guess, it has alarge number of FARMs families, a large number of ELL students, and the Fox Mill ES and some parts of other ES were moved there when they didn’t want to move. Changing the boundaries so that the school had a better balance of kids, even marginally, and then allowing the school to be overcrowded would have been an even bigger slap in the face to those families.

I live in the Fox Mill boundary and there are parents who are miffed with the boundary change. I know some families thinking about moving now that their kids are entering MS because they had wanted the Fox Mill, Carson, Oakton route. Moving after 8th grade would not be all that disruptive to their kids HS career because there are so few kids from Carson that move from Carson to SLHS. The kids are pretty much starting over in HS as it is.

Most the families I know are fine with being at South Lakes, the Honors and IB program are well received. There are some solid clubs and sports teams. I think there would have been a lot of complaints and more kids trying to place out for AP if the school was overcrowded.

Wasn’t the boundary change to South Lakes roughly 15 years ago? How are the current elem and middle school parents even aware of that today?

I get that split feeders aren’t the best, but at least most families are fine with South Lakes. It’s a solid school today, and hopefully won’t get overcrowded in the future. Reston is one of the last bastions of housing affordability in Northern Virginia. Many lakefront townhomes and single family homes are still well under a million.

Parents bought houses in the area anticipating having kids. The JI program is popular and the area has been more reasonably priced for the area. We bought right when the boundary change happened and started our family a few years later. We were aware of the change when we were buying but were more focused on the ES at that time. Not to mention, there are a good number of parents who grew up here and attended Fox Mill and Oakton HS. We know parents who went through JI as kids in the neighborhood.

In the end, there are plenty of parents who knew about the change. I have been hearing more people wish for AP and want to find away to send their kids to Oakton. The parents of kids at Oak Hill for LIV would prefer Oakton because their kids have been going to ES with kids attending Oakton. So few kids from Carson go to South Lakes and that is really bothering more people I know in the neighborhood but no one wants to move to Langston Hughes for MS. Pretty much the only kids from Carson who will end up at South Lakes are the Fox Mill kids. And Carson does not do a good job prepping parents for IB at South Lakes. The MS info video flat out said that no one needs to take a language in MS, which is not true for anyone interested in the IB program at SL. It was like Carson ignores the Fox Mill kids counseling needs.