FCPS comprehensive boundary review

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:McLean HS is still very overcrowded - you should see the hallways and common spaces. And the building is falling apart. I think the families have just given up that FCPS will do anything to help. The recent minor boundary changes didn’t help, especially considering how many more kids came to MHS because of the TJ admissions changes.

This. The modular increased overall classroom capacity but the rest of the school (halls, stairwells, etc.) is simply not designed to accommodate the number of students now at the school. Navigating through ports of the school is like bumper-to-bumper traffic in DC during rush hour. Stop and go. The school needs relief.

Well, the good news is that Langley could take the attendance island to provide substantial relief and not be overcrowded. In fact, moving the other attendance island to FCHS solves the overcrowding in its entirety.

No need for anything more drastic than that.

Elaine Tholen told the McLean PTSA two years ago they couldn’t move any more of Longfellow/McLean to Cooper/Langley without overcrowding Cooper (even after its renovation). I don’t see this happening without the SB also moving part of Cooper/Langley to Herndon/Herndon.

Moving the Timber Lane island to Falls Church pulls most of the FARMS kids at McLean out of the school. It’s an island due to FCC’s location, but otherwise it’s the model of what FCPS should want in terms of ensuring some economic diversity at higher-income schools.

Pulling more kids out of the McLean pyramid also could leave Longfellow hundreds of seats below capacity, which begs the question as to why we spent money to expand it.

If they are thinking longer term rather than just looking to move kids around like widgets in the short term, they should get out a new renovation queue with MHS high up the list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:McLean HS is still very overcrowded - you should see the hallways and common spaces. And the building is falling apart. I think the families have just given up that FCPS will do anything to help. The recent minor boundary changes didn’t help, especially considering how many more kids came to MHS because of the TJ admissions changes.

This. The modular increased overall classroom capacity but the rest of the school (halls, stairwells, etc.) is simply not designed to accommodate the number of students now at the school. Navigating through ports of the school is like bumper-to-bumper traffic in DC during rush hour. Stop and go. The school needs relief.

Well, the good news is that Langley could take the attendance island to provide substantial relief and not be overcrowded. In fact, moving the other attendance island to FCHS solves the overcrowding in its entirety.

No need for anything more drastic than that.

Elaine Tholen told the McLean PTSA two years ago they couldn’t move any more of Longfellow/McLean to Cooper/Langley without overcrowding Cooper (even after its renovation). I don’t see this happening without the SB also moving part of Cooper/Langley to Herndon/Herndon.

Moving the Timber Lane island to Falls Church pulls most of the FARMS kids at McLean out of the school. It’s an island due to FCC’s location, but otherwise it’s the model of what FCPS should want in terms of ensuring some economic diversity at higher-income schools.

Pulling more kids out of the McLean pyramid also could leave Longfellow hundreds of seats below capacity, which begs the question as to why we spent money to expand it.

If they are thinking longer term rather than just looking to move kids around like widgets in the short term, they should get out a new renovation queue with MHS high up the list.

+1

They’re going to muck things up pretty badly with this boundary review.

[Anonymous]

It’s possible that the projections for Cooper have changed since Tholen made the remarks a couple of years ago, and that it could accommodate the Spring Hill island with no obvious need to move part of Cooper/Langley to the Herndon schools. That’s not to say the SB might not do this for other reasons, just that it wouldn’t be driven by any significant overcrowding at Cooper/Langley.

I suspect that island would be happy to move. Tholen created a situation at Spring Hill where every apartment or condo feeds to McLean and every single-family house feeds to Langley. That wasn’t the case before 2021, and eliminating the split feeder could improve the social dynamics at SHES. Leaving the Timber Lane island at MHS would also ensure that LMS/MHS retain some diversity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:McLean HS is still very overcrowded - you should see the hallways and common spaces. And the building is falling apart. I think the families have just given up that FCPS will do anything to help. The recent minor boundary changes didn’t help, especially considering how many more kids came to MHS because of the TJ admissions changes.

This. The modular increased overall classroom capacity but the rest of the school (halls, stairwells, etc.) is simply not designed to accommodate the number of students now at the school. Navigating through ports of the school is like bumper-to-bumper traffic in DC during rush hour. Stop and go. The school needs relief.

Well, the good news is that Langley could take the attendance island to provide substantial relief and not be overcrowded. In fact, moving the other attendance island to FCHS solves the overcrowding in its entirety.

No need for anything more drastic than that.

Elaine Tholen told the McLean PTSA two years ago they couldn’t move any more of Longfellow/McLean to Cooper/Langley without overcrowding Cooper (even after its renovation). I don’t see this happening without the SB also moving part of Cooper/Langley to Herndon/Herndon.

Moving the Timber Lane island to Falls Church pulls most of the FARMS kids at McLean out of the school. It’s an island due to FCC’s location, but otherwise it’s the model of what FCPS should want in terms of ensuring some economic diversity at higher-income schools.

Pulling more kids out of the McLean pyramid also could leave Longfellow hundreds of seats below capacity, which begs the question as to why we spent money to expand it.

If they are thinking longer term rather than just looking to move kids around like widgets in the short term, they should get out a new renovation queue with MHS high up the list.

Within 10 years, FCPS will have to move the Timber Lane island to Falls Church HS anyway, so, to me, it makes sense to make that change now to give McLean HS some relief while the school awaits renovation. McLean HS will slowly replace those FARMS students over the next 5-10 years with an economically diverse pool of students (even if not quite FARMS) from tHE relatively less expensive (but not cheap) apartments and condos in the western half of Tyson’s.

[Anonymous]

So the situation is that the FCPS school board is paying contractors to license modeling software, which the contractors will then use to develop boundary adjustments?

Do we know what factors they are supposed to be emphasizing to put into the model?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So the situation is that the FCPS school board is paying contractors to license modeling software, which the contractors will then use to develop boundary adjustments?

Do we know what factors they are supposed to be emphasizing to put into the model?

You can look at the presentation the consultants made to the School Board last week. They are basically just saying they'll look to the factors in the SB's revised boundary policy.

Moon pressed a bit as to how they might prioritize the various factors, and didn't really get a straight answer. The consultants will meet with staff regularly so expect staff (channeling the views of SB members) to give them a steer behind the scenes.

Some of the uncertainties relate to whether the consultants should just assume academic programs (AAP centers, IB, Academies) will remain as is, or whether there might be changes in those programs. Changes in those programs could have a big impact on enrollments and boundaries, especially at the ES/MS level.

[Anonymous]

I suspect the diversity that the Timber Lane island brings to McLean is overstated. Many homes in that area have been torn down and replaced with large ones. There are still apartments, I think, but new ones will be built around the WFC metro that should add some SES diversity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:McLean HS is still very overcrowded - you should see the hallways and common spaces. And the building is falling apart. I think the families have just given up that FCPS will do anything to help. The recent minor boundary changes didn’t help, especially considering how many more kids came to MHS because of the TJ admissions changes.

This. The modular increased overall classroom capacity but the rest of the school (halls, stairwells, etc.) is simply not designed to accommodate the number of students now at the school. Navigating through ports of the school is like bumper-to-bumper traffic in DC during rush hour. Stop and go. The school needs relief.

Well, the good news is that Langley could take the attendance island to provide substantial relief and not be overcrowded. In fact, moving the other attendance island to FCHS solves the overcrowding in its entirety.

No need for anything more drastic than that.

Elaine Tholen told the McLean PTSA two years ago they couldn’t move any more of Longfellow/McLean to Cooper/Langley without overcrowding Cooper (even after its renovation). I don’t see this happening without the SB also moving part of Cooper/Langley to Herndon/Herndon.

Moving the Timber Lane island to Falls Church pulls most of the FARMS kids at McLean out of the school. It’s an island due to FCC’s location, but otherwise it’s the model of what FCPS should want in terms of ensuring some economic diversity at higher-income schools.

Pulling more kids out of the McLean pyramid also could leave Longfellow hundreds of seats below capacity, which begs the question as to why we spent money to expand it.

If they are thinking longer term rather than just looking to move kids around like widgets in the short term, they should get out a new renovation queue with MHS high up the list.

Within 10 years, FCPS will have to move the Timber Lane island to Falls Church HS anyway, so, to me, it makes sense to make that change now to give McLean HS some relief while the school awaits renovation. McLean HS will slowly replace those FARMS students over the next 5-10 years with an economically diverse pool of students (even if not quite FARMS) from tHE relatively less expensive (but not cheap) apartments and condos in the western half of Tyson’s.

It wouldn't really be the western half. Northern and eastern parts of Tysons go to McLean; southern and western parts go to Marshall.

There will also be significant MFH development around the WFC Metro zoned to McLean, but that's years away from fruition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I suspect the diversity that the Timber Lane island brings to McLean is overstated. Many homes in that area have been torn down and replaced with large ones. There are still apartments, I think, but new ones will be built around the WFC metro that should add some SES diversity.

Timber Lane is like many other areas in the county, where there are increasingly expensive single-family homes (and tear downs) but most of the K-12 kids come from aging garden apartment complexes (in Timber Lane's case, along Route 29). Those apartments aren't getting replaced.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:McLean HS is still very overcrowded - you should see the hallways and common spaces. And the building is falling apart. I think the families have just given up that FCPS will do anything to help. The recent minor boundary changes didn’t help, especially considering how many more kids came to MHS because of the TJ admissions changes.

This. The modular increased overall classroom capacity but the rest of the school (halls, stairwells, etc.) is simply not designed to accommodate the number of students now at the school. Navigating through ports of the school is like bumper-to-bumper traffic in DC during rush hour. Stop and go. The school needs relief.

Well, the good news is that Langley could take the attendance island to provide substantial relief and not be overcrowded. In fact, moving the other attendance island to FCHS solves the overcrowding in its entirety.

No need for anything more drastic than that.

Elaine Tholen told the McLean PTSA two years ago they couldn’t move any more of Longfellow/McLean to Cooper/Langley without overcrowding Cooper (even after its renovation). I don’t see this happening without the SB also moving part of Cooper/Langley to Herndon/Herndon.

Moving the Timber Lane island to Falls Church pulls most of the FARMS kids at McLean out of the school. It’s an island due to FCC’s location, but otherwise it’s the model of what FCPS should want in terms of ensuring some economic diversity at higher-income schools.

Pulling more kids out of the McLean pyramid also could leave Longfellow hundreds of seats below capacity, which begs the question as to why we spent money to expand it.

If they are thinking longer term rather than just looking to move kids around like widgets in the short term, they should get out a new renovation queue with MHS high up the list.

Longfellow was expanded 15? Years ago - its expansion has already been worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I suspect the diversity that the Timber Lane island brings to McLean is overstated. Many homes in that area have been torn down and replaced with large ones. There are still apartments, I think, but new ones will be built around the WFC metro that should add some SES diversity.

There are garden apartments and high rises they could pick up from the portions of Lemon Rd or Westgate that are sent to Marshall. They’re McLean split feeders too and share contiguous borders with the rest of the attendance zone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s possible that the projections for Cooper have changed since Tholen made the remarks a couple of years ago, and that it could accommodate the Spring Hill island with no obvious need to move part of Cooper/Langley to the Herndon schools. That’s not to say the SB might not do this for other reasons, just that it wouldn’t be driven by any significant overcrowding at Cooper/Langley.

I suspect that island would be happy to move. Tholen created a situation at Spring Hill where every apartment or condo feeds to McLean and every single-family house feeds to Langley. That wasn’t the case before 2021, and eliminating the split feeder could improve the social dynamics at SHES. Leaving the Timber Lane island at MHS would also ensure that LMS/MHS retain some diversity.

Just confirming that Cooper could absorb the kids from Spring Hill and not be overcapacity.

[Anonymous]

https://www.fairfaxtimes.com/articles/fairfax_county/outcry-erupts-over-fcps-boundary-review-firm/article_54b93708-81b8-11ef-a0eb-b3f5a1f6d5d7.html

[Anonymous]

Anyone else think that a month or so into the review, someone sues over the lack of public bidding in set the process back to zero?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone else think that a month or so into the review, someone sues over the lack of public bidding in set the process back to zero?

The mere filing of a lawsuit won’t slow anything down.

Maybe you could elaborate on how you believe FCPS violated the applicable procurement laws by using TIPS.