FCPS' plans to address concerns at under-enrolled and over-enrolled schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The school board just sent out an email about a meeting on April 24 to discuss future boundary changes for Bren Mar Park so looks like things might be changing soon there

https://www.fcps.edu/about-fcps/maps/boundary-adjustments-information/bren-mar-park-boundary-study

There doesn’t seem to be a map posted - I wonder if you register for the meeting if you’ll get a copy of the proposal in advance or not?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The school board just sent out an email about a meeting on April 24 to discuss future boundary changes for Bren Mar Park so looks like things might be changing soon there

https://www.fcps.edu/about-fcps/maps/boundary-adjustments-information/bren-mar-park-boundary-study

There doesn’t seem to be a map posted - I wonder if you register for the meeting if you’ll get a copy of the proposal in advance or not?

Unlikely they will share the maps until the meeting or very shortly before. They like to sit on information and then try to structure how feedback is provided to their advantage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The school board just sent out an email about a meeting on April 24 to discuss future boundary changes for Bren Mar Park so looks like things might be changing soon there

https://www.fcps.edu/about-fcps/maps/boundary-adjustments-information/bren-mar-park-boundary-study

There doesn’t seem to be a map posted - I wonder if you register for the meeting if you’ll get a copy of the proposal in advance or not?

Unlikely they will share the maps until the meeting or very shortly before. They like to sit on information and then try to structure how feedback is provided to their advantage.

Well I registered for the meeting. We’ll see what happens! I seem to recall 11th hour maps moving them to Lewis but now can’t find them and then the BRAC cancelled the move at the last minute.

[Anonymous]

Springfield Estates AAP feeds into the Edison pyramid, with students there going to Mark Twain Middle School.

Many AAP students who should go to Lewis apply to the Edison STEM program to stay with their friends from Twain.

Edison is also an IB school, like Lewis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The boundary review made it very clear that parents don't want their kids to be moved from one school to another. This is even more true when the move requires moving from a higher ranked school with better test scores to a school that it far lower in the rankings, with bad test scores, and fewer offerings of higher level courses. Toss in moving kids from an AP HS to an IB HS and you have all sorts or rioting.

The school board is trying to limit students moving out of the lower ranked schools by removing the pupil placement option for a foreign language, which will turn off the moves from one AP school to another for a language, think Herndon to Langley for Russian. It does nothing to stop the move from an IB school to an AP school, which provides plenty of room for kids to leave Lewis. Removing the language option does reduce the students ability to ask for a specific school because they want to take a language offered at West Springfield that is not offered at Lewis or the other near by AP school that is not over enrolled.

Well I'm not sure what would work the best, but understanding the issue regarding programming is important.

Maybe if there were equity in programming, such issues with imbalanced school enrollment would exist.

FCPS should do the best it can not only to balance enrollment, but if they can, to even out school rankings.

Even out schools rankings just means that all of them will be terrible. That will be the death knell for public school enrollment in Fairfax county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The boundary review made it very clear that parents don't want their kids to be moved from one school to another. This is even more true when the move requires moving from a higher ranked school with better test scores to a school that it far lower in the rankings, with bad test scores, and fewer offerings of higher level courses. Toss in moving kids from an AP HS to an IB HS and you have all sorts or rioting.

The school board is trying to limit students moving out of the lower ranked schools by removing the pupil placement option for a foreign language, which will turn off the moves from one AP school to another for a language, think Herndon to Langley for Russian. It does nothing to stop the move from an IB school to an AP school, which provides plenty of room for kids to leave Lewis. Removing the language option does reduce the students ability to ask for a specific school because they want to take a language offered at West Springfield that is not offered at Lewis or the other near by AP school that is not over enrolled.

Well I'm not sure what would work the best, but understanding the issue regarding programming is important.

Maybe if there were equity in programming, such issues with imbalanced school enrollment would exist.

FCPS should do the best it can not only to balance enrollment, but if they can, to even out school rankings.

Even out schools rankings just means that all of them will be terrible. That will be the death knell for public school enrollment in Fairfax county.

Schools have no control over what rank their school is given. GreatSchools is a privately run organization that is funded by "charities" such as the Walton Foundation, which is a huge proponent of charter schools and for taking money out of public schools.

No school district should be making decisions based on GreatSchool rankings or other similar, privately run ranking systems.

If there's an imbalance in school enrollment, the county should address it, regardless of what GreatSchool rankings are listed.

It's been well documented that school ranking companies like GreatSchools penalize black- and Latino-heavy schools, regardless of how those schools are performing.

If you're against providing equity in programming across schools, as in you want some schools to provide programs but others not to, I have no statement to make regarding that because it's a pretty disgusting statement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The boundary review made it very clear that parents don't want their kids to be moved from one school to another. This is even more true when the move requires moving from a higher ranked school with better test scores to a school that it far lower in the rankings, with bad test scores, and fewer offerings of higher level courses. Toss in moving kids from an AP HS to an IB HS and you have all sorts or rioting.

The school board is trying to limit students moving out of the lower ranked schools by removing the pupil placement option for a foreign language, which will turn off the moves from one AP school to another for a language, think Herndon to Langley for Russian. It does nothing to stop the move from an IB school to an AP school, which provides plenty of room for kids to leave Lewis. Removing the language option does reduce the students ability to ask for a specific school because they want to take a language offered at West Springfield that is not offered at Lewis or the other near by AP school that is not over enrolled.

Well I'm not sure what would work the best, but understanding the issue regarding programming is important.

Maybe if there were equity in programming, such issues with imbalanced school enrollment would exist.

FCPS should do the best it can not only to balance enrollment, but if they can, to even out school rankings.

Even out schools rankings just means that all of them will be terrible. That will be the death knell for public school enrollment in Fairfax county.

Schools have no control over what rank their school is given. GreatSchools is a privately run organization that is funded by "charities" such as the Walton Foundation, which is a huge proponent of charter schools and for taking money out of public schools.

No school district should be making decisions based on GreatSchool rankings or other similar, privately run ranking systems.

If there's an imbalance in school enrollment, the county should address it, regardless of what GreatSchool rankings are listed.

It's been well documented that school ranking companies like GreatSchools penalize black- and Latino-heavy schools, regardless of how those schools are performing.

If you're against providing equity in programming across schools, as in you want some schools to provide programs but others not to, I have no statement to make regarding that because it's a pretty disgusting statement.

You cannot "balance" the enrollments without extreme busing. I am against busing and believe that kids should go to the closest school possible. Of course, that puts "some" neighborhoods where they do not want to be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The boundary review made it very clear that parents don't want their kids to be moved from one school to another. This is even more true when the move requires moving from a higher ranked school with better test scores to a school that it far lower in the rankings, with bad test scores, and fewer offerings of higher level courses. Toss in moving kids from an AP HS to an IB HS and you have all sorts or rioting.

The school board is trying to limit students moving out of the lower ranked schools by removing the pupil placement option for a foreign language, which will turn off the moves from one AP school to another for a language, think Herndon to Langley for Russian. It does nothing to stop the move from an IB school to an AP school, which provides plenty of room for kids to leave Lewis. Removing the language option does reduce the students ability to ask for a specific school because they want to take a language offered at West Springfield that is not offered at Lewis or the other near by AP school that is not over enrolled.

Well I'm not sure what would work the best, but understanding the issue regarding programming is important.

Maybe if there were equity in programming, such issues with imbalanced school enrollment would exist.

FCPS should do the best it can not only to balance enrollment, but if they can, to even out school rankings.

Even out schools rankings just means that all of them will be terrible. That will be the death knell for public school enrollment in Fairfax county.

Schools have no control over what rank their school is given. GreatSchools is a privately run organization that is funded by "charities" such as the Walton Foundation, which is a huge proponent of charter schools and for taking money out of public schools.

No school district should be making decisions based on GreatSchool rankings or other similar, privately run ranking systems.

If there's an imbalance in school enrollment, the county should address it, regardless of what GreatSchool rankings are listed.

It's been well documented that school ranking companies like GreatSchools penalize black- and Latino-heavy schools, regardless of how those schools are performing.

If you're against providing equity in programming across schools, as in you want some schools to provide programs but others not to, I have no statement to make regarding that because it's a pretty disgusting statement.

You cannot "balance" the enrollments without extreme busing. I am against busing and believe that kids should go to the closest school possible. Of course, that puts "some" neighborhoods where they do not want to be.

Parents have said over and over again stability is their top priority, but FCPS ignores that. They build additions where they aren't needed, and ignores schools that need more capacity. It's just a matter of time before some people will be very unhappy about the schools to which they are redistricted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The boundary review made it very clear that parents don't want their kids to be moved from one school to another. This is even more true when the move requires moving from a higher ranked school with better test scores to a school that it far lower in the rankings, with bad test scores, and fewer offerings of higher level courses. Toss in moving kids from an AP HS to an IB HS and you have all sorts or rioting.

The school board is trying to limit students moving out of the lower ranked schools by removing the pupil placement option for a foreign language, which will turn off the moves from one AP school to another for a language, think Herndon to Langley for Russian. It does nothing to stop the move from an IB school to an AP school, which provides plenty of room for kids to leave Lewis. Removing the language option does reduce the students ability to ask for a specific school because they want to take a language offered at West Springfield that is not offered at Lewis or the other near by AP school that is not over enrolled.

Well I'm not sure what would work the best, but understanding the issue regarding programming is important.

Maybe if there were equity in programming, such issues with imbalanced school enrollment would exist.

FCPS should do the best it can not only to balance enrollment, but if they can, to even out school rankings.

Even out schools rankings just means that all of them will be terrible. That will be the death knell for public school enrollment in Fairfax county.

Schools have no control over what rank their school is given. GreatSchools is a privately run organization that is funded by "charities" such as the Walton Foundation, which is a huge proponent of charter schools and for taking money out of public schools.

No school district should be making decisions based on GreatSchool rankings or other similar, privately run ranking systems.

If there's an imbalance in school enrollment, the county should address it, regardless of what GreatSchool rankings are listed.

It's been well documented that school ranking companies like GreatSchools penalize black- and Latino-heavy schools, regardless of how those schools are performing.

If you're against providing equity in programming across schools, as in you want some schools to provide programs but others not to, I have no statement to make regarding that because it's a pretty disgusting statement.

You cannot "balance" the enrollments without extreme busing. I am against busing and believe that kids should go to the closest school possible. Of course, that puts "some" neighborhoods where they do not want to be.

Of course you can balance population enrollments without extreme busing. It's called moving kids out of an overpopulated school into the nearest unpopulated school. No extreme busing needed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The boundary review made it very clear that parents don't want their kids to be moved from one school to another. This is even more true when the move requires moving from a higher ranked school with better test scores to a school that it far lower in the rankings, with bad test scores, and fewer offerings of higher level courses. Toss in moving kids from an AP HS to an IB HS and you have all sorts or rioting.

The school board is trying to limit students moving out of the lower ranked schools by removing the pupil placement option for a foreign language, which will turn off the moves from one AP school to another for a language, think Herndon to Langley for Russian. It does nothing to stop the move from an IB school to an AP school, which provides plenty of room for kids to leave Lewis. Removing the language option does reduce the students ability to ask for a specific school because they want to take a language offered at West Springfield that is not offered at Lewis or the other near by AP school that is not over enrolled.

Well I'm not sure what would work the best, but understanding the issue regarding programming is important.

Maybe if there were equity in programming, such issues with imbalanced school enrollment would exist.

FCPS should do the best it can not only to balance enrollment, but if they can, to even out school rankings.

Even out schools rankings just means that all of them will be terrible. That will be the death knell for public school enrollment in Fairfax county.

Schools have no control over what rank their school is given. GreatSchools is a privately run organization that is funded by "charities" such as the Walton Foundation, which is a huge proponent of charter schools and for taking money out of public schools.

No school district should be making decisions based on GreatSchool rankings or other similar, privately run ranking systems.

If there's an imbalance in school enrollment, the county should address it, regardless of what GreatSchool rankings are listed.

It's been well documented that school ranking companies like GreatSchools penalize black- and Latino-heavy schools, regardless of how those schools are performing.

If you're against providing equity in programming across schools, as in you want some schools to provide programs but others not to, I have no statement to make regarding that because it's a pretty disgusting statement.

You cannot "balance" the enrollments without extreme busing. I am against busing and believe that kids should go to the closest school possible. Of course, that puts "some" neighborhoods where they do not want to be.

Of course you can balance population enrollments without extreme busing. It's called moving kids out of an overpopulated school into the nearest unpopulated school. No extreme busing needed.

And we can run the school system into the ground with perpetual uncertainty in pyramids. Let’s ask the school board members how much they enjoyed the last couple of years. They were so distracted with boundary change bs that they didn’t get anything else done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Great Falls Elementary School enrollment is down as well patents are opting for private schools

Is it that or is it that millennial parents with elementary age kids don’t want to live in Great Falls? It’s a little more isolated than many areas of the county and that doesn’t appeal to everyone.

Agree, most people with young children don't find aging mcmansions out in the middle of nowhere appealing.

I'm a millennial who just moved in the GFE boundary into a McMansion because I love the peace, quiet, tranquility, and wealth around me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The boundary review made it very clear that parents don't want their kids to be moved from one school to another. This is even more true when the move requires moving from a higher ranked school with better test scores to a school that it far lower in the rankings, with bad test scores, and fewer offerings of higher level courses. Toss in moving kids from an AP HS to an IB HS and you have all sorts or rioting.

The school board is trying to limit students moving out of the lower ranked schools by removing the pupil placement option for a foreign language, which will turn off the moves from one AP school to another for a language, think Herndon to Langley for Russian. It does nothing to stop the move from an IB school to an AP school, which provides plenty of room for kids to leave Lewis. Removing the language option does reduce the students ability to ask for a specific school because they want to take a language offered at West Springfield that is not offered at Lewis or the other near by AP school that is not over enrolled.

Well I'm not sure what would work the best, but understanding the issue regarding programming is important.

Maybe if there were equity in programming, such issues with imbalanced school enrollment would exist.

FCPS should do the best it can not only to balance enrollment, but if they can, to even out school rankings.

Even out schools rankings just means that all of them will be terrible. That will be the death knell for public school enrollment in Fairfax county.

Schools have no control over what rank their school is given. GreatSchools is a privately run organization that is funded by "charities" such as the Walton Foundation, which is a huge proponent of charter schools and for taking money out of public schools.

No school district should be making decisions based on GreatSchool rankings or other similar, privately run ranking systems.

If there's an imbalance in school enrollment, the county should address it, regardless of what GreatSchool rankings are listed.

It's been well documented that school ranking companies like GreatSchools penalize black- and Latino-heavy schools, regardless of how those schools are performing.

If you're against providing equity in programming across schools, as in you want some schools to provide programs but others not to, I have no statement to make regarding that because it's a pretty disgusting statement.

You cannot "balance" the enrollments without extreme busing. I am against busing and believe that kids should go to the closest school possible. Of course, that puts "some" neighborhoods where they do not want to be.

Of course you can balance population enrollments without extreme busing. It's called moving kids out of an overpopulated school into the nearest unpopulated school. No extreme busing needed.

And we can run the school system into the ground with perpetual uncertainty in pyramids. Let’s ask the school board members how much they enjoyed the last couple of years. They were so distracted with boundary change bs that they didn’t get anything else done.

DP. The problem is that every time they try to solve one "problem" they create another. Their facilities planning is absolutely atrocious.

[Anonymous]

Parents view schools as monetary transactions. Parents are willing to spend more money for real estate to live in districts with higher GreatSchool ratings.

They also don't want to believe that a child will still be successful even if a parent doesn't dump tons of money into a mortgage, and if the kid goes to one of those "lower-ranked" schools.

FCPS shouldn't be in the process of using GreatSchools as a means of making decisions regarding boundaries, but parents will fight to the death to keep their kids in certain schools. Because parents believe they paid for those schools. They believe they are entitled to them.

And that's why FCPS boundary changes won't happen. Because GreatSchools rules them all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parents view schools as monetary transactions. Parents are willing to spend more money for real estate to live in districts with higher GreatSchool ratings.

They also don't want to believe that a child will still be successful even if a parent doesn't dump tons of money into a mortgage, and if the kid goes to one of those "lower-ranked" schools.

FCPS shouldn't be in the process of using GreatSchools as a means of making decisions regarding boundaries, but parents will fight to the death to keep their kids in certain schools. Because parents believe they paid for those schools. They believe they are entitled to them.

And that's why FCPS boundary changes won't happen. Because GreatSchools rules them all.

I can only think of a few areas of the county where rich areas with 8-10 ratings directly border lower income areas with 1-4 school ratings. Like, very few. And if you then drill it down to “the 8-10 school is crowded and could stand to lose some students” and “the 1-4 school has low enrollment and could stand to pick up some students” it’s even fewer. And in a lot of these areas there is another move that could also make sense and wouldn’t result in as much of a drop in terms of SES of the schools.

The reality is that poverty is concentrated in a few areas. And if you start some kind of large scale bussing to more equally distribute the poverty, that has consequences too - longer bus rides, more busses on the roads, more absenteeism, kids/families not feeling connected to their school community because they’re being bussed to a school past 3 other closer schools because someone wanted to balance out the FARMS and ESOL rates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parents view schools as monetary transactions. Parents are willing to spend more money for real estate to live in districts with higher GreatSchool ratings.

They also don't want to believe that a child will still be successful even if a parent doesn't dump tons of money into a mortgage, and if the kid goes to one of those "lower-ranked" schools.

FCPS shouldn't be in the process of using GreatSchools as a means of making decisions regarding boundaries, but parents will fight to the death to keep their kids in certain schools. Because parents believe they paid for those schools. They believe they are entitled to them.

And that's why FCPS boundary changes won't happen. Because GreatSchools rules them all.

I can only think of a few areas of the county where rich areas with 8-10 ratings directly border lower income areas with 1-4 school ratings. Like, very few. And if you then drill it down to “the 8-10 school is crowded and could stand to lose some students” and “the 1-4 school has low enrollment and could stand to pick up some students” it’s even fewer. And in a lot of these areas there is another move that could also make sense and wouldn’t result in as much of a drop in terms of SES of the schools.

The reality is that poverty is concentrated in a few areas. And if you start some kind of large scale bussing to more equally distribute the poverty, that has consequences too - longer bus rides, more busses on the roads, more absenteeism, kids/families not feeling connected to their school community because they’re being bussed to a school past 3 other closer schools because someone wanted to balance out the FARMS and ESOL rates.

West Springfield/Lewis
Langley/Herndon
McLean/Falls Church
Woodson/Annandale