McLean to Explore Separating from FC & FCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wealthy areas in Boston did it too- Brookline and Newton. The end result was fabulous school systems and outstanding infrastructure for their residents.

Totally in the eye of the beholder. My sister moved from Fairfax teaching in Arlington at the time to Brookline where she now lives and works. She is appalled by the lackluster instruction that occurs in the schools. The teachers use poor methods and ride in the coattails of their wealthy parents. Not impressive at all.

[Anonymous]

Business owners? Jk. As a northern Virginia suburb, there are indeed a lot of UVA families around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I might move to McLean if they do. I hate the inefficiencies of the large school districts around here.

+1

But what happens to the areas currently zoned for McLean High but physically their address is Falls Church i. 22043 or Vienna in 22182? I'm in one of these. I wanted to buy in McLean High zoned McLean, but it was too expensive. So I went further west outside the beltway where the address is Vienna but its zoned for McLean High. I still paid $$$ to buy that house. I'd be annoyed if we get rezoned to Langley or Madison.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Adorable. More segregation. But this time, let’s make it official.

For a long time, I felt like there was valor in having a big county-wide system that spread the money around. But it's become fairly obvious that FCPS is just too big to administer fairly or efficiently The amount of time that it takes to get common-sense things done, if ever, in FCPS now is just flat-out absurd.

Sign me up.

The disaster that has been FCPS during covid opened my eyes wide to this too. Sign me up as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Adorable. More segregation. But this time, let’s make it official.

For a long time, I felt like there was valor in having a big county-wide system that spread the money around. But it's become fairly obvious that FCPS is just too big to administer fairly or efficiently The amount of time that it takes to get common-sense things done, if ever, in FCPS now is just flat-out absurd.

Sign me up.

The disaster that has been FCPS during covid opened my eyes wide to this too. Sign me up as well.

Have you seen how APS has done lately?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is the best news ever. We moved to mclean for their schools last year. I feel like Langley gets crapped on constantly. Cooper MS can’t get its renovation started. McLean High is neglected. I’m not sure what the tax distribution is in FCPS but McLean deserves better.

Agreed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does this work? The schools all technically belong to FCPS. Would the city of McLean have to purchase the schools from FCPS? What would happen to the students who go to McLean HS who live in Falls Church ir Vienna?

The schools could be ceded to the City of McLean. They are tax exempt properties so they don’t generate tax revenue for the county, and the county would be relieved of its future obligations with respect to their maintenance and upkeep.

As to the latter question, the boundaries of the City of McLean wouldn’t necessarily align with the current two zip codes in unincorporated Fairfax County with McLean mailing addresses. In theory, they could encompass other areas currently zoned for McLean HS and Langley HS and/or exclude parts of McLean/22102 zoned to Marshall HS.

Thanks for the explanation. Just adding, are you saying they are considered McLean addresses just for school district boundary purposes? I live in 22182 Vienna, my mailing address is Vienna, and my kids are in boundary for McLean High.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I think the town of Vienna should do this too. We already pay so much in town taxes.

This is how local government is structured in every other state in which I’ve ever lived. It’s at the city or town level, not the county level. You pay your property taxes to the town and that money stays in your town to support the local services - police and fire, schools, etc. It does not support the big, bloated, inefficient bureaucracy that is Fairfax County.

Bloated and inefficient? Do you have a complaint about police or fire?

It's just schools. And the schools are good, so you want to make good better by ... something. Staying open when there's snow on the ground in Chantilly?

It’s not just schools. The attention the county devoted to the redevelopment of the central area is sporadic at best. And why should someone in Annandale or Mount Vernon necessarily be making zoning decisions for McLean or Great Falls? They want more density and low-income housing in the northern part of the county but they invest the bare minimum in our schools.

This is so true. Why should McLean school decisions be made by others who seem to be overly focused on equity.

Even before the pandemic, everything was about equity. Now even more so evidenced by all the changes for AAP and TJ.

+100
We’re in Great Falls, but I hope this goes forward. FCPS needs to be shaken up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How does this work? The schools all technically belong to FCPS. Would the city of McLean have to purchase the schools from FCPS? What would happen to the students who go to McLean HS who live in Falls Church ir Vienna?

The schools could be ceded to the City of McLean. They are tax exempt properties so they don’t generate tax revenue for the county, and the county would be relieved of its future obligations with respect to their maintenance and upkeep.

As to the latter question, the boundaries of the City of McLean wouldn’t necessarily align with the current two zip codes in unincorporated Fairfax County with McLean mailing addresses. In theory, they could encompass other areas currently zoned for McLean HS and Langley HS and/or exclude parts of McLean/22102 zoned to Marshall HS.

Thanks for the explanation. Just adding, are you saying they are considered McLean addresses just for school district boundary purposes? I live in 22182 Vienna, my mailing address is Vienna, and my kids are in boundary for McLean High.

It’s all speculative, but if a City of McLean were actually created, and the city limits were drawn to encompass most or all of the areas currently assigned to Langley HS or McLean HS, you might end up within its boundaries with a new mailing address in McLean rather than Vienna and a different zip code.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm laughing so hard at everyone saying they pay more taxes in McLean so they deserve more. Pretty sure you knew what you were getting into when you bought a huge house in an expensive part of the county!! LOL.

A huge house? Entry level 4 bedroom houses start from $800k and a 850k-900k house buys you only a 1400-2000 sq ft house in McLean. That same amount would buy you at least a 3000sq ft house in many other areas in FCPS boundary. We chose to live in a SMALLER house to be able to send our kids zoned for Longfellow and McLean High. I live in one of those entry level houses and pay about $10k in property taxes. Schools are funded by state/County dollars, not federal dollars. The residents living in Annandale, Springfield, Falls Church (not city of FC but 22042 or 22043 Falls Church for example) benefit from McLean residents paying those larger checks. You won't be laughing when McLean takes their $ elsewhere to start their own public school system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is not only in response to the overcrowded mess that is MHS. It is in response to the BoS' plans to modify the zoning ordinances.

What are the plans and the concerns? What are the issues? Someone please clue me in! XYZ for dummies style, just the main stuff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm laughing so hard at everyone saying they pay more taxes in McLean so they deserve more. Pretty sure you knew what you were getting into when you bought a huge house in an expensive part of the county!! LOL.

A huge house? Entry level 4 bedroom houses start from $800k and a 850k-900k house buys you only a 1400-2000 sq ft house in McLean. That same amount would buy you at least a 3000sq ft house in many other areas in FCPS boundary. We chose to live in a SMALLER house to be able to send our kids zoned for Longfellow and McLean High. I live in one of those entry level houses and pay about $10k in property taxes. Schools are funded by state/County dollars, not federal dollars. The residents living in Annandale, Springfield, Falls Church (not city of FC but 22042 or 22043 Falls Church for example) benefit from McLean residents paying those larger checks. You won't be laughing when McLean takes their $ elsewhere to start their own public school system.

Your poor kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Irony is McLean voted in the same people who have been screwing them over for years. When they found out “equity” in FC/FCPS means sit down, shut up, and keep writing those checks, they decided it wasn’t so great.

+1
And Great Falls did their best to vote in candidates who weren’t focused on the equity nonsense. Oh well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is not only in response to the overcrowded mess that is MHS. It is in response to the BoS' plans to modify the zoning ordinances.

What are the plans and the concerns? What are the issues? Someone please clue me in! XYZ for dummies style, just the main stuff.

Here are some concerns with ZMod expressed by a Reston blogger:

http://reston2020.blogspot.com/?m=1

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:If this gets traction,, it will get interesting very fast. So many questions - would Great Falls be included? - what other neighborhoods would be included? I imagine a lot would want to be.

Clearly, its not happening for at least 4 years. But it would take 4 years to really plan that out anyway.

FC is really too large. It would be good to start carving it up to make it more manageable.

I know, right? Arlington is so much better!!! Well managed county, excellent school district with no major impending disaster...

What does the comment have to do with the previous one?

If size is the problem, if Fairfax is too big, then smaller counties must be great. Right?

size isn't the problem, the poors are. McClean city would have a much better rich to poor ratio (maybe they could find a way to draw lines to have no poors).

Troll fail.

+1
It’s fun to watch the trolls flail around at the mere mention of McLean.