King Abdullah Academy Closing: FCPS Buy for HS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s obvious the old boundary process will be completely scrapped and a new one started for this new high school. My guess they will target plus/minus 2,500 students for the new school.

FCPS could look to MCPS for how they are doing the boundaries for all the new high schools opening up there.

The boundary process can stay in tact for the eastern part of the county that wouldn't be impacted. This impacts Chantilly, Westfield, Oakton, South Lakes, and maybe also Herndon and Centerville pyramids.

While folks in the eastern part of the county won't be redistricted to the new high school, they are claiming they will save hundreds of millions by purchasing this property.

I'd like to see how they might put some of those savings to use renovating and/or expanding schools in eastern Fairfax first before they move kids in that part of the county.

Right now it's looking like western Fairfax gets expanded schools + a brand-new school while eastern Fairfax just gets the promise of boundary changes. FTS.

Sounds like you want to move!

Didn't West Potomac get an expensive upgrade recently?

But it doesn’t look all that special compared with the Langley, Falls Church, and Oakton renovations. The new Western High School will be a notch higher with the pool and decorative outdoor fountains.

Ah, but if they send those Coates and McNair kids there you’ll get a daily reminder it’s just a public school in a shinier-than-average building. Can access be restricted to Floris, Fox Mill, and Crossfield students?

What are you trying to say? Coates and Mcnair are much closer to King Abdullah

Just someone trying to stir up trouble.

No, just someone trying to understand your reasoning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any idea on when this would be ready for FCPS use? Maybe 2026-2027 school year?

Five years. They are going to have to renovate inside and out.

Supposedly the building is beautiful inside and in very good condition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any idea on when this would be ready for FCPS use? Maybe 2026-2027 school year?

Five years. They are going to have to renovate inside and out.

WSHS was a gut renovation and an expansion, including brand new sports fields and parking lots, of a building that was falling apart and not to code, with over 2200 students actively attending classes during the renovation.

It was completed in 3 1/2 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any idea on when this would be ready for FCPS use? Maybe 2026-2027 school year?

Five years. They are going to have to renovate inside and out.

Supposedly the building is beautiful inside and in very good condition.

It is. Was just there from PWC for a basketball game. The school and the decor is amazing. I think all leaders should take a tour and get some really great ideas on how to inexpensively improve public schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any idea on when this would be ready for FCPS use? Maybe 2026-2027 school year?

Five years. They are going to have to renovate inside and out.

WSHS was a gut renovation and an expansion, including brand new sports fields and parking lots, of a building that was falling apart and not to code, with over 2200 students actively attending classes during the renovation.

It was completed in 3 1/2 years.

From first drawing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any idea on when this would be ready for FCPS use? Maybe 2026-2027 school year?

Five years. They are going to have to renovate inside and out.

WSHS was a gut renovation and an expansion, including brand new sports fields and parking lots, of a building that was falling apart and not to code, with over 2200 students actively attending classes during the renovation.

It was completed in 3 1/2 years.

From first drawing?

I think the Falls Church HS renovation will have been about 8 years from the first RFP to the ribbon cutting.

[Anonymous]

Y'all are underestimating the amount of bureaucracy that goes into this stuff. Not to mention the Great Falls parents protesting it and trying to put a stop to the sale because they're jealous that they're rich kids don't get to go to a beautiful new school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Y'all are underestimating the amount of bureaucracy that goes into this stuff. Not to mention the Great Falls parents protesting it and trying to put a stop to the sale because they're jealous that they're rich kids don't get to go to a beautiful new school.

Wait, you think that great falls parents are protesting the school because their kids don’t get to go to that school?

You’ve missed the entire plot.

🤣🤣🤣

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Y'all are underestimating the amount of bureaucracy that goes into this stuff. Not to mention the Great Falls parents protesting it and trying to put a stop to the sale because they're jealous that they're rich kids don't get to go to a beautiful new school.

Langley already is a beautiful new school with a landscape terraced area for relaxation outdoors, a stunning library with floor to ceiling windows, a black box theater, and a beautiful new lobby with terraced seating for informal learning and social interaction throughout the day.

It doesn’t have the decorative fountains, gardens, and competition swimming pool of the future new Western HS however. But that’s it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Y'all are underestimating the amount of bureaucracy that goes into this stuff. Not to mention the Great Falls parents protesting it and trying to put a stop to the sale because they're jealous that they're rich kids don't get to go to a beautiful new school.

Langley already is a beautiful new school with a landscape terraced area for relaxation outdoors, a stunning library with floor to ceiling windows, a black box theater, and a beautiful new lobby with terraced seating for informal learning and social interaction throughout the day.

It doesn’t have the decorative fountains, gardens, and competition swimming pool of the future new Western HS however. But that’s it.

Yep Langley parents (particularly those in North Reston/North Great Falls) are concerned about the domino effect a new Western High School will create. Any other reason given like lack of transparency or budget concerns is just a cover.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Y'all are underestimating the amount of bureaucracy that goes into this stuff. Not to mention the Great Falls parents protesting it and trying to put a stop to the sale because they're jealous that they're rich kids don't get to go to a beautiful new school.

You really are out of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

All of Floris, McNair, and Fox Mill go to Carson. Most of Coates and Crossfield go there, along with a small part of Oak Hill (rest of Oak Hill goes to Franklin).

The people who are being really aggressive on the topic seem to be Crossfield folks insisting that they'll have dibs on the new school.

I don't think anyone has "dibs."

The Crossfield folks currently go to Oakton --which is a very long way.
Chantilly (while projected to lose membership) is the school that needs relief.

I could see Fox Mill staying with South Lakes. South Lakes is not going to want to give them up.

Fox Mill attends Carson, which will be next to the new HS. It makes sense for Fox Mill to attend the new HS.

And yes, I am a Fox Mill parent who doesn't like IB and doesn't want to move to Hughes. Moving the Carson base school students into the new HS would make sense. It ends the split feeder problem at Carson and the distances work for the Carson base schools kids. SLHS doesn't lose that many students because Fox Mill is a small number of the kids. Not to mention, a good number of the Fox Mill family's pupil place to AP schools because they don't want IB. The number of pupil departures are hidden by the Herndon kids who move to SLHS for IB because they don't want to be at Herndon.

You don't know that the new high school won't be IB.

Let’s hope FCPS doesn’t make it an IB school. They don’t do IB well at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Y'all are underestimating the amount of bureaucracy that goes into this stuff. Not to mention the Great Falls parents protesting it and trying to put a stop to the sale because they're jealous that they're rich kids don't get to go to a beautiful new school.

You really are out of it.

Enlighten us. Why else would the Langley parents GAF?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Y'all are underestimating the amount of bureaucracy that goes into this stuff. Not to mention the Great Falls parents protesting it and trying to put a stop to the sale because they're jealous that they're rich kids don't get to go to a beautiful new school.

You really are out of it.

Enlighten us. Why else would the Langley parents GAF?

10:22 lays it out. But just to add to the explanation. GF is not a monolith and different people have different thoughts on the matter, but by and large, consistent with families across the county, most GF residents don’t want to change school pyramids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Y'all are underestimating the amount of bureaucracy that goes into this stuff. Not to mention the Great Falls parents protesting it and trying to put a stop to the sale because they're jealous that they're rich kids don't get to go to a beautiful new school.

You really are out of it.

Enlighten us. Why else would the Langley parents GAF?

They aren’t a monolith.

Some are fiscal conservatives and don’t think FCPS has made the case (yet) this purchase is financially prudent.

Some don’t want Langley sitting out there as the only or most likely source of kids to fill the hundreds of empty seats at Herndon.

Some are happy for you. Others don’t care.

Very few covet sending their kids to a school in Herndon, whether it has a fountain or not.

And they aren’t alone in having some of these questions.