School Boundaries and "One Fairfax"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He’s on his way out anyway. Why do we have to tolerate him anymore?

He is?? Where is he going? How do you know he's on his way out?

[Anonymous]

More trolling probably.

[Anonymous]

There are several similar posts on this topic that I've commented on, but now I'll add something to this one...

Boundary changes are hard because people have made long term financial decisions (like purchasing a home) based on school boundaries. It's not so simple to just change these. I'm in a neighborhood that I'm pretty sure would stay as it's currently structured, simply because of proximity to the schools we're assigned to, but I really feel for people who might face changes. There are very few situations where you'd be getting a better deal with boundary changes. You're talking about moving people who have chosen to pay more for a house to be in a better school zone to a worse school zone and changing their housing value drastically. Not a good solution.

I think they should work harder to improve the schools as they exist. We are at an elementary school that is only 46% white and 40% FARMs with a high ESL rate. My kids are white upper middle class and we love this school. The principal and teachers are excellent. There are challenges, of course, but the wider community supports the school as well (churches help with food over weekends and summer, coat drives, etc.). There are ways to meet a school's needs where it is instead of trying to change the student population. I also think there's an element of racism in the thought that adding "white rich kids" will improve a school.

+100 -- work harder to improve the schools as they exist!!

Also, while my kids are on their way out of FCPS I discussed this topic with my DD (MHS by the way) and she is against the social engineering behind redistricting - she is a compassionate middle class child who knows the truth....in her words "poor kids get made fun of for not wearing name brand clothes and knock off Uggs...to me this would increase bullying".

I'll tell you what...if my kids were on the border of going to either Langley or MHS I would fight tooth and nail to keep them at MHS. Langley is "richer" than MHS and my kids would stick out as they wouldn't be wearing Vinyard Vines and sporting Coach purses.

[Anonymous]

My daughter went to LHS. She had one or two VV tees, no coach purse, no sports car, and was socially as well as academically successful.

[Anonymous]

This is another reason why they will probably just move the Colvin Run and Spring Hill areas to Langley and call it a day. They are both split feeders that already feed primarily into Cooper/Langley. It won’t change Langley’s demographics much, and it will push up the FARMS rate at McLean slightly, but the kids know each other and Spring Hill does include some apartments.

They can still relocate a modular to McLean and build an addition in a few years. The McLean area is where more families with kids want to live now, as it’s more affordable and centrally located, and they should keep as many of those kids within the pyramid as possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is another reason why they will probably just move the Colvin Run and Spring Hill areas to Langley and call it a day. They are both split feeders that already feed primarily into Cooper/Langley. It won’t change Langley’s demographics much, and it will push up the FARMS rate at McLean slightly, but the kids know each other and Spring Hill does include some apartments.

They can still relocate a modular to McLean and build an addition in a few years. The McLean area is where more families with kids want to live now, as it’s more affordable and centrally located, and they should keep as many of those kids within the pyramid as possible.

I thought that I read that closing Spring Hill would add poorer areas to Langley?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is another reason why they will probably just move the Colvin Run and Spring Hill areas to Langley and call it a day. They are both split feeders that already feed primarily into Cooper/Langley. It won’t change Langley’s demographics much, and it will push up the FARMS rate at McLean slightly, but the kids know each other and Spring Hill does include some apartments.

They can still relocate a modular to McLean and build an addition in a few years. The McLean area is where more families with kids want to live now, as it’s more affordable and centrally located, and they should keep as many of those kids within the pyramid as possible.

I thought that I read that closing Spring Hill would add poorer areas to Langley?

Closing? Did you mean moving?

If you move a group that is higher FARMS than Langley as a whole, but lower than McLean as a whole, it increases the FARMS rates at both schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is another reason why they will probably just move the Colvin Run and Spring Hill areas to Langley and call it a day. They are both split feeders that already feed primarily into Cooper/Langley. It won’t change Langley’s demographics much, and it will push up the FARMS rate at McLean slightly, but the kids know each other and Spring Hill does include some apartments.

They can still relocate a modular to McLean and build an addition in a few years. The McLean area is where more families with kids want to live now, as it’s more affordable and centrally located, and they should keep as many of those kids within the pyramid as possible.

I think both used to go to Langley and are islands for Mclean. Ebb and flow. Here's an interesting article with informative comments on the Annandale Blog about FCPS facilities and additions. One comment notes the holistic boundary approach and it's potential application after building at West Potomac while Mount Vernon has capacity. https://annandaleva.blogspot.com/2019/09/school-bond-referendum-would-fund.html


"Why not Centreville, Chantilly, or McLean instead? In the long run, the lack of transparency and back-room deals that were cut to favor these schools over others will reduce confidence in the integrity of FCPS's management of scarce resources." The author understood Justice somewhat but has the typical reaction to that West Potomac political addition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is another reason why they will probably just move the Colvin Run and Spring Hill areas to Langley and call it a day. They are both split feeders that already feed primarily into Cooper/Langley. It won’t change Langley’s demographics much, and it will push up the FARMS rate at McLean slightly, but the kids know each other and Spring Hill does include some apartments.

They can still relocate a modular to McLean and build an addition in a few years. The McLean area is where more families with kids want to live now, as it’s more affordable and centrally located, and they should keep as many of those kids within the pyramid as possible.

I thought that I read that closing Spring Hill would add poorer areas to Langley?

Closing? Did you mean moving?

If you move a group that is higher FARMS than Langley as a whole, but lower than McLean as a whole, it increases the FARMS rates at both schools.

I meant closing the feed, not the school. My mistake.

[Anonymous]

Fairfax County...one of the wealthiest counties in VA...but not all areas. FCPS Schools....great schools...but not all....

So...what is the "Root Cause"??

Is the root cause based on poverty level? based on non-English speaking children? based on non-English, non-reading parents?

This much is true...many of the non-English speaking parents (mostly illegal) have very little education from their own countries of origin, some don't even know how to read in their own language.

Fairfax County became a sanctuary city last year...but they didn't bother to have any strategic plan in place to handle the influx of non-English speaking immigrants (mostly illegal).

I'm not against FFX County being a sanctuary city per se but below is what I think should have been done and can still be done...but will take time...years....nothing easy happens overnight....One Fairfax should be reworked to include this:

1. Mandatory English classes either online or in-person (speaking/reading/writing) for at least one parent/legal guardian for all ESOL families (w/ exemption by exam) -- each FCPS child has a laptop now -- parent could use child's laptop or county could provide additional free "rented" laptop to families on free or reduced lunch. There are so many free online classes to learn to speak/read/write English.

2. IMHO redistricting will not improve the economic/demographic diversity of the lowest performing schools enough nor help improve performance that much....focus should be on improving the schools....improve support - provide subsidized/free tutoring, after school reading programs, expanded ESOL programs, etc.

Help educate the parents and children in these under performing areas of the county. I am fundamentally against illegal immigration, but for those already in the county give them a path to citizenship, a path to a better life for them and their children. But that won't happen if parents don't learn to speak and write the English language - something that is key in helping/supporting their ESOL children. Stop enabling the fact that they don't have to learn....for example, if I moved to say France or Spain I would not be able to get a driver's license if I didn't know how to speak/read French or Spanish. I think it is totally wrong to offer a driver's test in a completely different language.

But I digress....the point is...help educate/improve the parents who will then help educate/improve the children at home.

[Anonymous]

Isn’t the Tysons growth going to make it worse? Are they expecting increasing enrollment at McLean and Marshall?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isn’t the Tysons growth going to make it worse? Are they expecting increasing enrollment at McLean and Marshall?

Yes and yes.

They should send as much of Tysons as possible to Langley.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He’s on his way out anyway. Why do we have to tolerate him anymore?

He is?? Where is he going? How do you know he's on his way out?

Maybe he's going back to Lynchburg, the Falwell country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He’s on his way out anyway. Why do we have to tolerate him anymore?

He is?? Where is he going? How do you know he's on his way out?

Maybe he's going back to Lynchburg, the Falwell country.

Who are you kidding? The City of Lynchburg is downright progressive compared to Great Falls.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He’s on his way out anyway. Why do we have to tolerate him anymore?

He is?? Where is he going? How do you know he's on his way out?

Maybe he's going back to Lynchburg, the Falwell country.

Who are you kidding? The City of Lynchburg is downright progressive compared to Great Falls.

Lynchburg is definitely changing as is Great Falls. I would call both of them purple-y. EC Glass (Lynchburg's high school) has more diversity compared to Langley.