FCPS comprehensive boundary review

[Anonymous]

Did FCPS even slightly consider that "selecting" pyramid members for a committee would mean that the members' neighborhoods would have an advantage over others?
Do they not have a lick of common sense?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did FCPS even slightly consider that "selecting" pyramid members for a committee would mean that the members' neighborhoods would have an advantage over others?
Do they not have a lick of common sense?

How else should they select people for a committee spanning this large of an area?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Gross" are those who want to increase their property values at the cost of kids stuck in unfavorable facilities and low-quality programs. Talk about cognitive dissonance. That group is likely to otherwise support free markets and small government intervention, yet in this case are desperately seeking for the school system to continue enacting policies that inflate and protect their real estate investments. It's all written in the MGT consultant survey comments. It's hard to empathize with those who only have dollar signs in their eyes.

Similarly, differences in programs have little to do with boundaries. FCPS does not have to change boundaries to offer AP at all its schools and replace IB programs that have been unsuccessful at all but a few schools where they are offered. And the specialized Academy programs typically have been added to schools with more, not less, poverty.

The HS academies are a 50/50 split. Chantilly, Fairfax, and Marshall are solidly desirable UMC pyramids. Falls Church, Edison, and West Potomac less so, but in any case there isn't a clear preference for attractive academy programs at undesirable high schools.

At the ES level, desirable elementary language immersion magnets lean towards desirable pyramids: Great Falls ES (Langley) with Japanese, Kent Gardens ES (McLean) with French, Orange Hunt (West Springfield) with German, and Powell (Centerville) with Korean. Rose Hill ES, Herndon ES, Groveton ES, and most of the others with Spanish immersion aren't in desirable pyramids and hence aren't functioning as an attractive draw for families like the other languages do.

The Bucknell ES Montessori plan and the Lewis Leadership academy appeared to be the first deliberate special programs with the specific intention to attract families. However the Montessori is on hold and the Lewis academy has not received the "real" academy treatment where it is advertised and funded. It's fair to say that FCPS has not significantly sought to place high-quality programs in high-poverty pyramids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did FCPS even slightly consider that "selecting" pyramid members for a committee would mean that the members' neighborhoods would have an advantage over others?
Do they not have a lick of common sense?

How else should they select people for a committee spanning this large of an area?

DP. For starters, they shouldn’t populate such a critical committee that will be making recommendations with hand-picked special interest group members. Not that they’ve even disclosed which special interest groups they’ve included.

Democracy dies in the darkness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Gross" are those who want to increase their property values at the cost of kids stuck in unfavorable facilities and low-quality programs. Talk about cognitive dissonance. That group is likely to otherwise support free markets and small government intervention, yet in this case are desperately seeking for the school system to continue enacting policies that inflate and protect their real estate investments. It's all written in the MGT consultant survey comments. It's hard to empathize with those who only have dollar signs in their eyes.

Similarly, differences in programs have little to do with boundaries. FCPS does not have to change boundaries to offer AP at all its schools and replace IB programs that have been unsuccessful at all but a few schools where they are offered. And the specialized Academy programs typically have been added to schools with more, not less, poverty.

The HS academies are a 50/50 split. Chantilly, Fairfax, and Marshall are solidly desirable UMC pyramids. Falls Church, Edison, and West Potomac less so, but in any case there isn't a clear preference for attractive academy programs at undesirable high schools.

At the ES level, desirable elementary language immersion magnets lean towards desirable pyramids: Great Falls ES (Langley) with Japanese, Kent Gardens ES (McLean) with French, Orange Hunt (West Springfield) with German, and Powell (Centerville) with Korean. Rose Hill ES, Herndon ES, Groveton ES, and most of the others with Spanish immersion aren't in desirable pyramids and hence aren't functioning as an attractive draw for families like the other languages do.

The Bucknell ES Montessori plan and the Lewis Leadership academy appeared to be the first deliberate special programs with the specific intention to attract families. However the Montessori is on hold and the Lewis academy has not received the "real" academy treatment where it is advertised and funded. It's fair to say that FCPS has not significantly sought to place high-quality programs in high-poverty pyramids.

The Lewis leadership academy is failing in its purpose of drawing in students because it is a really, really stupid idea.

[Anonymous]

If they move a whole elementary school, how is that breaking up the community?

I feel that the formerly-zoned Lewis families are throwing every excuse out there.

You can't claim South County is ok, but not Lewis on the basis of community. Especially if they move the whole neighborhood or school.

[Anonymous]

Are there any gatehouse employees here that can fill us in on the delay in naming the boundary review advisory committee members?

For such an important committee the continued delay is infuriating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If they move a whole elementary school, how is that breaking up the community?

I feel that the formerly-zoned Lewis families are throwing every excuse out there.

You can't claim South County is ok, but not Lewis on the basis of community. Especially if they move the whole neighborhood or school.

"Formerly zoned" implies that they were recently zoned for Lewis.

With the exception of Daventry, which was rezoned from LEE high school, not Lewis HS, around a decade ago, not a single WSHS student was even born back when any of the WSHS neighborhoods attended Lewis.

None of the WSHS families you are wanting to move to Lewis are "Formerly Zoned" Lewis families.

[Anonymous]

What I would really like to see happen is for AFTER they have a proposed boundary change map for Reid and the school board to hold community meetings with those actually involved in changes.

Otherwise this is all just speculation and they aren't really getting targeted feedback. But I am cynically positive that once they put out their draft, that's it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If they move a whole elementary school, how is that breaking up the community?

I feel that the formerly-zoned Lewis families are throwing every excuse out there.

You can't claim South County is ok, but not Lewis on the basis of community. Especially if they move the whole neighborhood or school.

You seriously think each little elementary school is a sealed community with no interaction with anyone outside of it? My kids are friends with kids from all over our pyramid, not just kids from our elementary school. My kids are now in HS and I do have a 2028 kid who'd be moved his junior year, which I desperately do not want. My older kid is in her junior year and it's a crucial year in the college application timeline. They've literally had a a decade of engagement with other kids from across schools in our pyramid, through church, sports, and other activities. You would indeed be breaking up a community by moving just one elementary school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What I would really like to see happen is for AFTER they have a proposed boundary change map for Reid and the school board to hold community meetings with those actually involved in changes.

Otherwise this is all just speculation and they aren't really getting targeted feedback. But I am cynically positive that once they put out their draft, that's it.

It depends on how much your neighbors are impacted and care. Our neighborhood association plans bombarding our rep and county rep with letters, phone calls, and visits to their office if we get rezoned. Other nearby associations will probably follow suit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did FCPS even slightly consider that "selecting" pyramid members for a committee would mean that the members' neighborhoods would have an advantage over others?
Do they not have a lick of common sense?

How else should they select people for a committee spanning this large of an area?

DP. For starters, they shouldn’t populate such a critical committee that will be making recommendations with hand-picked special interest group members. Not that they’ve even disclosed which special interest groups they’ve included.

Democracy dies in the darkness.

Democracy is dead, but you still didn't answer the question. They limited and selected people who applied from all the various locations. How else do you manage something this big.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did FCPS even slightly consider that "selecting" pyramid members for a committee would mean that the members' neighborhoods would have an advantage over others?
Do they not have a lick of common sense?

How else should they select people for a committee spanning this large of an area?

DP. For starters, they shouldn’t populate such a critical committee that will be making recommendations with hand-picked special interest group members. Not that they’ve even disclosed which special interest groups they’ve included.

Democracy dies in the darkness.

Democracy is dead, but you still didn't answer the question. They limited and selected people who applied from all the various locations. How else do you manage something this big.

I am very skeptical about the claims that it was random. My understanding is that the legal department “randomly” selected participants.

Hmmm, I wonder why they had lawyers do it?

I’d it because the lawyers are the only gatehouse employees who know how to use Excel? Of course not.

Is it because they will try to hide behind attorney client privilege when the public demands documents related to the selection?

A better question than yours is why have the committee in the first place if they are just hand selecting special interest committee members?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did FCPS even slightly consider that "selecting" pyramid members for a committee would mean that the members' neighborhoods would have an advantage over others?
Do they not have a lick of common sense?

How else should they select people for a committee spanning this large of an area?

DP. For starters, they shouldn’t populate such a critical committee that will be making recommendations with hand-picked special interest group members. Not that they’ve even disclosed which special interest groups they’ve included.

Democracy dies in the darkness.

Democracy is dead, but you still didn't answer the question. They limited and selected people who applied from all the various locations. How else do you manage something this big.

I am very skeptical about the claims that it was random. My understanding is that the legal department “randomly” selected participants.

Hmmm, I wonder why they had lawyers do it?

I’d it because the lawyers are the only gatehouse employees who know how to use Excel? Of course not.

Is it because they will try to hide behind attorney client privilege when the public demands documents related to the selection?

A better question than yours is why have the committee in the first place if they are just hand selecting special interest committee members?

If you have proof that they hand selected all the applicants I would like to see it. There is lots of conspiracy on this board and it's difficult to know what is opinion vs actual fact. So unless there is proof vs conjecture I'm putting your response in the opinion bucket.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did FCPS even slightly consider that "selecting" pyramid members for a committee would mean that the members' neighborhoods would have an advantage over others?
Do they not have a lick of common sense?

How else should they select people for a committee spanning this large of an area?

DP. For starters, they shouldn’t populate such a critical committee that will be making recommendations with hand-picked special interest group members. Not that they’ve even disclosed which special interest groups they’ve included.

Democracy dies in the darkness.

Democracy is dead, but you still didn't answer the question. They limited and selected people who applied from all the various locations. How else do you manage something this big.

I am very skeptical about the claims that it was random. My understanding is that the legal department “randomly” selected participants.

Hmmm, I wonder why they had lawyers do it?

I’d it because the lawyers are the only gatehouse employees who know how to use Excel? Of course not.

Is it because they will try to hide behind attorney client privilege when the public demands documents related to the selection?

A better question than yours is why have the committee in the first place if they are just hand selecting special interest committee members?

If you have proof that they hand selected all the applicants I would like to see it. There is lots of conspiracy on this board and it's difficult to know what is opinion vs actual fact. So unless there is proof vs conjecture I'm putting your response in the opinion bucket.

I think it’s crystal clear that they hand selected certain special interest groups. Whether they randomized those selections is not even a question - by definition they chose what special interests get representation.

You calling it opinion doesn’t change that fact.