Any updates on Mclean/Langley possible redistricting?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounded like quite a few parents called out FCPS last night at the CIP and Budget hearings on the inequality of shrinking McLean to under 2000 kids while building West Potomac out to 3000 kids when there is available space at Mount Vernon.

Will be interesting to see whether they find some money to build an addition at McLean or proceed with Corbett-Sanders’ Taj Mahal plans for West Potomac and end up in protracted litigation. Would be very interesting to learn in discovery why they won’t use the capacity at Mount Vernon.

Thanks for the update. Even if they agree to expand McLean, it will be many years before it happens. I will definitely join the push to get it into the queue even though my kids won't benefit.

That situation illustrates the laziness and soft racism that informs so many FCPS decisions.

Platenberg had an opportunity to add seats at Langley during its renovation, even though its enrollment was flat/declining, so he went ahead and did so under the radar, thinking he could move McLean kids to Langley and no one would object to getting reassigned to the wealthier school.

But he and Corbett Sanders assumed West Potomac families would put up a fuss about moving to under-enrolled Mount Vernon, so they are trying to build it out to 3000 kids to avoid complaints, even though there’s only been one high school in FCPS that was ever designed to be that large (Westfield) and FCPS later moved kids out of that school to reduce its enrollment and adjusted its specs to provide high schools should max out at 2500 kids.

What they failed to realize is that most McLean families would prefer to stay there, as good as Langley is, and others don’t want to see their school turned into the runt of FCPS just to cover the staff’s bad decisions. Most of the fault lies with FCPS staff and the 2015-19 School Board, so the new School Board has a chance to fix this - which also includes paying more attention to Mount Vernon.

[Anonymous]

There was some very good testimony last night.

I don't think Langley parents are interested in having IB added to draw students in, so I disagree with the McLean dad that suggested that.

If I suggested that the board change McLean to IB so that children would voluntarily leave for AP schools McLean parents would be right to direct a few choice words my way.

McLean does need an addition, projections for Langley have been off, and the school board does need to proceed carefully and in the issue of boundary change and not move families out of McLean based on faulty calculations. That parent also made a great point about grandfathering and keeping siblings together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There was some very good testimony last night.

I don't think Langley parents are interested in having IB added to draw students in, so I disagree with the McLean dad that suggested that.

If I suggested that the board change McLean to IB so that children would voluntarily leave for AP schools McLean parents would be right to direct a few choice words my way.

McLean does need an addition, projections for Langley have been off, and the school board does need to proceed carefully and in the issue of boundary change and not move families out of McLean based on faulty calculations. That parent also made a great point about grandfathering and keeping siblings together.

I watched this testimony and, to be clear, that parent mentioned adding IB to Langley, not swapping IB for AP.

While I don’t see FCPS letting one of its smallest high schools be the only one to have full AP and IB programs, the McLean parent’s proposal was basically the same as the proposal by Anastasia Karloutsos, the Republican candidate for the Dranesville seat, during the last election. She is a Langley parent.

[Anonymous]

Crazy that they ever planned to expand West Potomac to 3000 kids.

Last year (January 2019) there were several West Potomac parents who complained the roughly $15 million then budgeted for the West Potomac expansion wasn’t enough. Now the latest draft CIP budgets almost $36 million for West Potomac. And they are budgeting $142 million for the Falls Church renovation even though the Langley renovation came in for under $80 million.

There is so much unaccountability and favoritism within FCPS. Elaine Tholen will need to stand up for her Dranesville schools. Some of the other members will rip her (and her constituents) off every single chance they get.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was some very good testimony last night.

I don't think Langley parents are interested in having IB added to draw students in, so I disagree with the McLean dad that suggested that.

If I suggested that the board change McLean to IB so that children would voluntarily leave for AP schools McLean parents would be right to direct a few choice words my way.

McLean does need an addition, projections for Langley have been off, and the school board does need to proceed carefully and in the issue of boundary change and not move families out of McLean based on faulty calculations. That parent also made a great point about grandfathering and keeping siblings together.

I watched this testimony and, to be clear, that parent mentioned adding IB to Langley, not swapping IB for AP.

While I don’t see FCPS letting one of its smallest high schools be the only one to have full AP and IB programs, the McLean parent’s proposal was basically the same as the proposal by Anastasia Karloutsos, the Republican candidate for the Dranesville seat, during the last election. She is a Langley parent.

Future Langley parent here. I would love it if Langley has both IB and AP. Could you be able to get an IB degree while also taking AP classes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was some very good testimony last night.

I don't think Langley parents are interested in having IB added to draw students in, so I disagree with the McLean dad that suggested that.

If I suggested that the board change McLean to IB so that children would voluntarily leave for AP schools McLean parents would be right to direct a few choice words my way.

McLean does need an addition, projections for Langley have been off, and the school board does need to proceed carefully and in the issue of boundary change and not move families out of McLean based on faulty calculations. That parent also made a great point about grandfathering and keeping siblings together.

I watched this testimony and, to be clear, that parent mentioned adding IB to Langley, not swapping IB for AP.

While I don’t see FCPS letting one of its smallest high schools be the only one to have full AP and IB programs, the McLean parent’s proposal was basically the same as the proposal by Anastasia Karloutsos, the Republican candidate for the Dranesville seat, during the last election. She is a Langley parent.

Future Langley parent here. I would love it if Langley has both IB and AP. Could you be able to get an IB degree while also taking AP classes?

It would be challenging to do the full IB diploma program and still take AP classes, although some may attempt that. It would be easier to just sign up for an AP exam without taking the AP class and see how you do based on what you learned from IB and maybe an AP study guide.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was some very good testimony last night.

I don't think Langley parents are interested in having IB added to draw students in, so I disagree with the McLean dad that suggested that.

If I suggested that the board change McLean to IB so that children would voluntarily leave for AP schools McLean parents would be right to direct a few choice words my way.

McLean does need an addition, projections for Langley have been off, and the school board does need to proceed carefully and in the issue of boundary change and not move families out of McLean based on faulty calculations. That parent also made a great point about grandfathering and keeping siblings together.

I watched this testimony and, to be clear, that parent mentioned adding IB to Langley, not swapping IB for AP.

While I don’t see FCPS letting one of its smallest high schools be the only one to have full AP and IB programs, the McLean parent’s proposal was basically the same as the proposal by Anastasia Karloutsos, the Republican candidate for the Dranesville seat, during the last election. She is a Langley parent.

Well maybe that was a contributing factor to her loss.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounded like quite a few parents called out FCPS last night at the CIP and Budget hearings on the inequality of shrinking McLean to under 2000 kids while building West Potomac out to 3000 kids when there is available space at Mount Vernon.

Will be interesting to see whether they find some money to build an addition at McLean or proceed with Corbett-Sanders’ Taj Mahal plans for West Potomac and end up in protracted litigation. Would be very interesting to learn in discovery why they won’t use the capacity at Mount Vernon.

Thanks for the update. Even if they agree to expand McLean, it will be many years before it happens. I will definitely join the push to get it into the queue even though my kids won't benefit.

That situation illustrates the laziness and soft racism that informs so many FCPS decisions.

Platenberg had an opportunity to add seats at Langley during its renovation, even though its enrollment was flat/declining, so he went ahead and did so under the radar, thinking he could move McLean kids to Langley and no one would object to getting reassigned to the wealthier school.

But he and Corbett Sanders assumed West Potomac families would put up a fuss about moving to under-enrolled Mount Vernon, so they are trying to build it out to 3000 kids to avoid complaints, even though there’s only been one high school in FCPS that was ever designed to be that large (Westfield) and FCPS later moved kids out of that school to reduce its enrollment and adjusted its specs to provide high schools should max out at 2500 kids.

What they failed to realize is that most McLean families would prefer to stay there, as good as Langley is, and others don’t want to see their school turned into the runt of FCPS just to cover the staff’s bad decisions. Most of the fault lies with FCPS staff and the 2015-19 School Board, so the new School Board has a chance to fix this - which also includes paying more attention to Mount Vernon.

Let's see what they do

[Anonymous]

The support among McLean families for any boundary change has largely cratered, after FCPS failed to provide any data in the community meetings last December and was completely silent on how it planned to deal with grandfathering and middle school assignments.

At this point, they should probably just relocate the modular over the summer and take another year to figure things out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The support among McLean families for any boundary change has largely cratered, after FCPS failed to provide any data in the community meetings last December and was completely silent on how it planned to deal with grandfathering and middle school assignments.

At this point, they should probably just relocate the modular over the summer and take another year to figure things out.

The no move noise is Colvin Run-Shouse Village. Spring Hill contingent is fairly quiet. FCPS created a monster with random additions where the school is not in a renovation process. It also adds $ and seats after the public approves a bond.

There a mix on bonds from renovating legacy [old school buildings] like Falls Church to sheer audacious pork like West Potomac addition. If Mclean gets an addition in 10 years or a mod over the summer a reasonable size for either is not going to solve the scope of the problem.

Move SH to Langley makes Shouse a more isolated island. Perhaps it could stuff the Madison addition. There is no figuring it out. Shouse doesn't want to go to Langley and regards nothing but Mclean as suitable. This is the area that got special treatment from FCPS decades ago and refused Marshall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The support among McLean families for any boundary change has largely cratered, after FCPS failed to provide any data in the community meetings last December and was completely silent on how it planned to deal with grandfathering and middle school assignments.

At this point, they should probably just relocate the modular over the summer and take another year to figure things out.

The no move noise is Colvin Run-Shouse Village. Spring Hill contingent is fairly quiet. FCPS created a monster with random additions where the school is not in a renovation process. It also adds $ and seats after the public approves a bond.

There a mix on bonds from renovating legacy [old school buildings] like Falls Church to sheer audacious pork like West Potomac addition. If Mclean gets an addition in 10 years or a mod over the summer a reasonable size for either is not going to solve the scope of the problem.

Move SH to Langley makes Shouse a more isolated island. Perhaps it could stuff the Madison addition. There is no figuring it out. Shouse doesn't want to go to Langley and regards nothing but Mclean as suitable. This is the area that got special treatment from FCPS decades ago and refused Marshall.

When FCPS suggests it wants to reassign kids from one high school to another, but is silent about grandfathering and aligning the middle school assignments as well, of course it is going to generate maximum opposition.

Shouse/Colvin Run has nothing against Langley; that area happily went to Langley from the mid-60s to the mid-80s. What they don’t want is for their older kids to have to switch to Langley after they’ve already started at McLean, or for their younger kids to have to switch to Langley if they can’t also switch to Cooper. Parents in other pyramids would react similarly, but they haven’t been put in that position because FCPS has been more considerate in the past.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The support among McLean families for any boundary change has largely cratered, after FCPS failed to provide any data in the community meetings last December and was completely silent on how it planned to deal with grandfathering and middle school assignments.

At this point, they should probably just relocate the modular over the summer and take another year to figure things out.

The no move noise is Colvin Run-Shouse Village. Spring Hill contingent is fairly quiet. FCPS created a monster with random additions where the school is not in a renovation process. It also adds $ and seats after the public approves a bond.

There a mix on bonds from renovating legacy [old school buildings] like Falls Church to sheer audacious pork like West Potomac addition. If Mclean gets an addition in 10 years or a mod over the summer a reasonable size for either is not going to solve the scope of the problem.

Move SH to Langley makes Shouse a more isolated island. Perhaps it could stuff the Madison addition. There is no figuring it out. Shouse doesn't want to go to Langley and regards nothing but Mclean as suitable. This is the area that got special treatment from FCPS decades ago and refused Marshall.

When FCPS suggests it wants to reassign kids from one high school to another, but is silent about grandfathering and aligning the middle school assignments as well, of course it is going to generate maximum opposition.

Shouse/Colvin Run has nothing against Langley; that area happily went to Langley from the mid-60s to the mid-80s. What they don’t want is for their older kids to have to switch to Langley after they’ve already started at McLean, or for their younger kids to have to switch to Langley if they can’t also switch to Cooper. Parents in other pyramids would react similarly, but they haven’t been put in that position because FCPS has been more considerate in the past.

Sorry but read the comments. It's beyond middle school. Distance, attachment, possible split families and community. They fully intend to stay at Mclean. Comments and meetings after the scoping have indicated as such. They'd move out Chesterbrook and Franklin Sherman.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The support among McLean families for any boundary change has largely cratered, after FCPS failed to provide any data in the community meetings last December and was completely silent on how it planned to deal with grandfathering and middle school assignments.

At this point, they should probably just relocate the modular over the summer and take another year to figure things out.

The no move noise is Colvin Run-Shouse Village. Spring Hill contingent is fairly quiet. FCPS created a monster with random additions where the school is not in a renovation process. It also adds $ and seats after the public approves a bond.

There a mix on bonds from renovating legacy [old school buildings] like Falls Church to sheer audacious pork like West Potomac addition. If Mclean gets an addition in 10 years or a mod over the summer a reasonable size for either is not going to solve the scope of the problem.

Move SH to Langley makes Shouse a more isolated island. Perhaps it could stuff the Madison addition. There is no figuring it out. Shouse doesn't want to go to Langley and regards nothing but Mclean as suitable. This is the area that got special treatment from FCPS decades ago and refused Marshall.

When FCPS suggests it wants to reassign kids from one high school to another, but is silent about grandfathering and aligning the middle school assignments as well, of course it is going to generate maximum opposition.

Shouse/Colvin Run has nothing against Langley; that area happily went to Langley from the mid-60s to the mid-80s. What they don’t want is for their older kids to have to switch to Langley after they’ve already started at McLean, or for their younger kids to have to switch to Langley if they can’t also switch to Cooper. Parents in other pyramids would react similarly, but they haven’t been put in that position because FCPS has been more considerate in the past.

Sorry but read the comments. It's beyond middle school. Distance, attachment, possible split families and community. They fully intend to stay at Mclean. Comments and meetings after the scoping have indicated as such. They'd move out Chesterbrook and Franklin Sherman.

Are you saying they plan on moving Franklin Sherman to Langley?

How about Spring Hill?

I always thought Franklin Sherman made the most sense. It is already a split feeder and physically very close to Langley. Bus transport would be easy.

[Anonymous]

There is no such plan, nor would the new School Board approve it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The support among McLean families for any boundary change has largely cratered, after FCPS failed to provide any data in the community meetings last December and was completely silent on how it planned to deal with grandfathering and middle school assignments.

At this point, they should probably just relocate the modular over the summer and take another year to figure things out.

The no move noise is Colvin Run-Shouse Village. Spring Hill contingent is fairly quiet. FCPS created a monster with random additions where the school is not in a renovation process. It also adds $ and seats after the public approves a bond.

There a mix on bonds from renovating legacy [old school buildings] like Falls Church to sheer audacious pork like West Potomac addition. If Mclean gets an addition in 10 years or a mod over the summer a reasonable size for either is not going to solve the scope of the problem.

Move SH to Langley makes Shouse a more isolated island. Perhaps it could stuff the Madison addition. There is no figuring it out. Shouse doesn't want to go to Langley and regards nothing but Mclean as suitable. This is the area that got special treatment from FCPS decades ago and refused Marshall.

When FCPS suggests it wants to reassign kids from one high school to another, but is silent about grandfathering and aligning the middle school assignments as well, of course it is going to generate maximum opposition.

Shouse/Colvin Run has nothing against Langley; that area happily went to Langley from the mid-60s to the mid-80s. What they don’t want is for their older kids to have to switch to Langley after they’ve already started at McLean, or for their younger kids to have to switch to Langley if they can’t also switch to Cooper. Parents in other pyramids would react similarly, but they haven’t been put in that position because FCPS has been more considerate in the past.

Sorry but read the comments. It's beyond middle school. Distance, attachment, possible split families and community. They fully intend to stay at Mclean. Comments and meetings after the scoping have indicated as such. They'd move out Chesterbrook and Franklin Sherman.

Are you saying they plan on moving Franklin Sherman to Langley?

How about Spring Hill?

I always thought Franklin Sherman made the most sense. It is already a split feeder and physically very close to Langley. Bus transport would be easy.

No I was NOT saying FCPS plans to move Franklin Sherman to Langley. The basic fact is many from Shouse do not want to go to Langley and would rather move anyone but their Shouse Village area. Obviously some areas should go to Langley and Mclean should get an addition bringing it up to the size of an average FCPS high school.

So what size is an average FCPS high school? Program capacity averages at 2333. Westfield was built huge and West Potomac will be at 3000. FCPS does not care if any prior board decided Westfield was too large since West Potomac is Corbett Sanders base school and in the politically powerful quadrant of Lee and Mount Vernon Districts. 2 school board members including the chair and 3 board of supervisors since McKay is now chair.

Mclean is less than 2000 capacity. West Potomac has an academy and why not move the Chantilly academy to Westfield? Ironically FCPS will have the largest facilties in the most inconvenient locations- one in SW another SE bordering other jurisdictions. Foolish .