SB Member Anderson on County-wide Boundary Study

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The regular redistrictings as of the past used to work when all the schools had generally similar programs. Now some schools have AP, but others IB; some schools have Academies, but others don’t; some have great extra-curricular programs in some areas, but not others, etc. These differences invite parents to focus intensely on schools when deciding where to buy or rent, and make people more resistant to change.

They will hit a brick wall if they try to do a county-wide redistricting that, for example, includes booting people out of AP schools into IB schools (or in some cases vice versa).

Then they would acting like there are multiple school systems when FCPS is a single system. Are you advocating for a tiered system? If so, then there should be school choice.

I’m arguing that trying to redistrict at the county-wide level without greater consistency among academic and extra-curricular programs is probably an insurmountable challenge. Loudoun redistricts frequently, and with relatively little backlash, because the schools are generally similar to each other, as was the case in Fairfax through the 1980s. I don’t think FCPS can pull it off now without big changes in school programs.

[Anonymous]

This has as much to do with housing and other policies by elected officials at all levels of government as well as the school board. Still the goal should be to distribute the number of students as evenly as possible across FCPS while keeping them as close as possible to home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This has as much to do with housing and other policies by elected officials at all levels of government as well as the school board. Still the goal should be to distribute the number of students as evenly as possible across FCPS while keeping them as close as possible to home.

That can’t possibly be their goal given how much larger they’ve built out some schools compared to others. And it’s very clear it’s not a goal of parents simply for their kids to attend the nearest schools, given how the orograms vary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The regular redistrictings as of the past used to work when all the schools had generally similar programs. Now some schools have AP, but others IB; some schools have Academies, but others don’t; some have great extra-curricular programs in some areas, but not others, etc. These differences invite parents to focus intensely on schools when deciding where to buy or rent, and make people more resistant to change.

They will hit a brick wall if they try to do a county-wide redistricting that, for example, includes booting people out of AP schools into IB schools (or in some cases vice versa).

Then they would acting like there are multiple school systems when FCPS is a single system. Are you advocating for a tiered system? If so, then there should be school choice.

I’m arguing that trying to redistrict at the county-wide level without greater consistency among academic and extra-curricular programs is probably an insurmountable challenge. Loudoun redistricts frequently, and with relatively little backlash, because the schools are generally similar to each other, as was the case in Fairfax through the 1980s. I don’t think FCPS can pull it off now without big changes in school programs.

One option would be to create more magnet-type schools. Like an east, central, and west TJHSST in different parts of the county so parents across the county, no matter what pyramid they are zoned for, have an opportunity to send academically gifted kids to a school with curriculum / classs that are geared for those gifted student populations.

I think that might address some of the present challenges to redistricting where parents across various school districts oppose changes that could potentially bring less academically focused families and children into their schools, believing that it will impact the academic performance of their schools (which they paid more to be zoned for).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This has as much to do with housing and other policies by elected officials at all levels of government as well as the school board. Still the goal should be to distribute the number of students as evenly as possible across FCPS while keeping them as close as possible to home.

That can’t possibly be their goal given how much larger they’ve built out some schools compared to others. And it’s very clear it’s not a goal of parents simply for their kids to attend the nearest schools, given how the orograms vary.

As a taxpayer I hope they are not wasting money where saving can be made (eg, energy for transportation costs, tech that does a less better job than analog activities) while spending money that demonstrably improves educational outcomes post graduation (and getting into college can be one indicator but should be one of many).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m curious what they do with Glasgow. They have a big facility so it’s more an issue with just too many kids in one building than traditional overcrowding.

But if they just move kids to Holmes or Poe without changing high schools they turn those schools into 3-way split feeders. Holmes would feed to Annandale, Justice, and Edison. Poe would feed to Annandale, Justice, and Falls Church. Not sure why they can’t just send the AAP kids back to their base schools.

Of course if they are looking at county-wide changes they won’t be limited to the Justice pyramid.

They're looking at sending some of the AAP kids to Canterbury/Frost, which seems like a long bus ride.

So they aren't considering just having AAP at Holmes or Poe?

If not, 4could they send the AAP kids from Bren Mar Park to Twain rather than Glasgow, since BMP feeds to Edison? And maybe send the AAP kids from Mason Crest who feed to Falls Church to Jackson rather than Glasgow? Not sure how many kids that would affect.

If they do something like send the Columbia AAP kids to Frost rather than Glasgow, it's a much longer bus ride.

They can’t because Bren Mar ends at 5th grade and Twain doesn’t start til 7th grade.

Ah, thanks for the explanation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The regular redistrictings as of the past used to work when all the schools had generally similar programs. Now some schools have AP, but others IB; some schools have Academies, but others don’t; some have great extra-curricular programs in some areas, but not others, etc. These differences invite parents to focus intensely on schools when deciding where to buy or rent, and make people more resistant to change.

They will hit a brick wall if they try to do a county-wide redistricting that, for example, includes booting people out of AP schools into IB schools (or in some cases vice versa).

Then they would acting like there are multiple school systems when FCPS is a single system. Are you advocating for a tiered system? If so, then there should be school choice.

Open school choice within FCPS is 100% the answer if boundaries are too difficult to deal with. Open boundaries would also address the gatekeeping that is rampant in FCPS while ensuring nobody is required to attend failing schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This has as much to do with housing and other policies by elected officials at all levels of government as well as the school board. Still the goal should be to distribute the number of students as evenly as possible across FCPS while keeping them as close as possible to home.

That can’t possibly be their goal given how much larger they’ve built out some schools compared to others. And it’s very clear it’s not a goal of parents simply for their kids to attend the nearest schools, given how the orograms vary.

As a taxpayer I hope they are not wasting money where saving can be made (eg, energy for transportation costs, tech that does a less better job than analog activities) while spending money that demonstrably improves educational outcomes post graduation (and getting into college can be one indicator but should be one of many).

If they want to show they care about spending money wisely, they can start by canceling Dunn Loring ES, which is a big waste of money. Since they haven’t, and won’t, these are the last people on earth I’d entrust to make sensible boundary changes in the name of efficiency.

[Anonymous]

I'll start with a helpful standardization - put AP back in all FCPS schools. This is a no brainer.

A second, but harder standardization would be the language programs. Not sure there is agreement on which three or so languages should be standard for in school classes. Beyond those languages the county should offer online opportunities for other, less popular languages.

What is described above is how the county operated high schools through the 90's.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'll start with a helpful standardization - put AP back in all FCPS schools. This is a no brainer.

A second, but harder standardization would be the language programs. Not sure there is agreement on which three or so languages should be standard for in school classes. Beyond those languages the county should offer online opportunities for other, less popular languages.

What is described above is how the county operated high schools through the 90's.

French, Spanish, German, and Latin used to be the standard HS offerings. Add Chinese to reflect the greater interest in recent decades. Make Arabic, Russian, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, and ASL purely online courses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d prefer they just come up with a new renovation queue than hype a county-wide redistricting that I doubt they are capable of pulling off.

I mean, just look at the other night. Staff was supposed to make a presentation on the scope of a single, narrow boundary change (Glasgow MS), and it was a fiasco. But these are the people we’re supposed to trust to change boundaries across the entire county?

+100
Exactly.

[Anonymous]

If we’re looking at saving money, one obvious way would be to end free busing to AAP centers. Better yet, end center schools altogether. Offer flexible groupings (remedial, on-level, and advanced) for ALL students in all four core classes. All schools should be neighborhood schools, period.

The only exception might be (as another poster suggested) having more TJ-like magnet schools, in every area of the county. And not just for STEM, but others for gifted humanities students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If we’re looking at saving money, one obvious way would be to end free busing to AAP centers. Better yet, end center schools altogether. Offer flexible groupings (remedial, on-level, and advanced) for ALL students in all four core classes. All schools should be neighborhood schools, period.

The only exception might be (as another poster suggested) having more TJ-like magnet schools, in every area of the county. And not just for STEM, but others for gifted humanities students.

Agree with maybe the exception of magnets which will only deepen the divides in the county.

Hard to say what to do with TJ which is a governors school that FCPS operates. There are 7 others. Seems like that should be emphasized more and opened to more out of county students.

I’d like FCPS to open a trade type school that rivaled TJ in competitive nature. It would offer core classes like anywhere else but allow kids to develop skills for those not interested in college or for those who are but learn better hands on. This would replace the loss of shop classes, maybe emphasize robotics too. I think investment in such a school would go a long way in reengaging many students and reduce absenteeism. Of course that’s a pipe dream.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If we’re looking at saving money, one obvious way would be to end free busing to AAP centers. Better yet, end center schools altogether. Offer flexible groupings (remedial, on-level, and advanced) for ALL students in all four core classes. All schools should be neighborhood schools, period.

The only exception might be (as another poster suggested) having more TJ-like magnet schools, in every area of the county. And not just for STEM, but others for gifted humanities students.

Agree with maybe the exception of magnets which will only deepen the divides in the county.

Hard to say what to do with TJ which is a governors school that FCPS operates. There are 7 others. Seems like that should be emphasized more and opened to more out of county students.

I’d like FCPS to open a trade type school that rivaled TJ in competitive nature. It would offer core classes like anywhere else but allow kids to develop skills for those not interested in college or for those who are but learn better hands on. This would replace the loss of shop classes, maybe emphasize robotics too. I think investment in such a school would go a long way in reengaging many students and reduce absenteeism. Of course that’s a pipe dream.

The main focus of many of the Academy programs is on such vocational programs. Some of the Academies got expanded when people zoned for those schools got worried that their schools would be seen as mostly trade schools, but their main reason to exist is to offer courses geared to kids who may not be planning to attend college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If we’re looking at saving money, one obvious way would be to end free busing to AAP centers. Better yet, end center schools altogether. Offer flexible groupings (remedial, on-level, and advanced) for ALL students in all four core classes. All schools should be neighborhood schools, period.

The only exception might be (as another poster suggested) having more TJ-like magnet schools, in every area of the county. And not just for STEM, but others for gifted humanities students.

Agree with maybe the exception of magnets which will only deepen the divides in the county.

Hard to say what to do with TJ which is a governors school that FCPS operates. There are 7 others. Seems like that should be emphasized more and opened to more out of county students.

I’d like FCPS to open a trade type school that rivaled TJ in competitive nature. It would offer core classes like anywhere else but allow kids to develop skills for those not interested in college or for those who are but learn better hands on. This would replace the loss of shop classes, maybe emphasize robotics too. I think investment in such a school would go a long way in reengaging many students and reduce absenteeism. Of course that’s a pipe dream.

Do you know anything about FCPS? There are already great academies that offer shop and much more. It’s not a pipe dream; it exists.