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Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS)
FCPS Boundary Review Updates
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Anonymous
Full assumption here based on how they've rolled this out. I would think they'll present their capacities recommendations next Monday and gather feedback from BRAC. You'll see they've posted BRAC feedback from the 4/11 meeting on attendance islands and most likely making changes on that. They are hopefully doing the same for split-feeders. Once capacity is released next week, they'll hopefully incorporate ALL of the BRAC feedback into more cohesive maps. Alexandria City Public Schools just did they exercise and when they released proposals, they had multiple comprehensive scenarios. Not sure if BRAC will review those first or if they will go right to the public since they want to get the community engagement started before summer break which is right around the corner. We will hopefully know a lot more by next week! |
Anonymous
I'm assuming you're a BRAC member making an informed prediction so, if so, thanks. I do think they ultimately need to present multiple options for community feedback. I appreciate the BRAC members doing their best, but it doesn't sound like they get a ton of time to study the Power Point slides and it's also probably hit-or-miss as to whether the BRAC members recognize the pros-and-cons of some of these scenarios. |
Anonymous
Thru scenarioss or current boundaries that bus walkers should be fixed. Westgate according to Thru: enter Westgate Elementary School on google maps and directions to Violet Ridge Place. I see the walk and sidewalks - 4.2 minutes - google street view. Union Park at Mclean- new Toll Brothers replaced apartments- Providence District. https://www.tysonsreporter.com/2019/06/27/new-condos-expected-to-replace-tysons-east-residential-property/ Why isn't Thru first placing the walkers? That Westgate mess, the Timberlane bridge, plus no refinement on Spring Hill and Westbriar islands, is unacceptable. SY 2029-30 Marshall and Mclean are overcapacity even with modulars. Totally wrong to use capacity range of 60% to 105%. . Elementary is basic K-6, 7 years. HS 4 years. MS 2 so it frankly should be flex especially since FCPS/school board never got off on what to do about AAP at every middle school [Dunne budget question]. For SY 2029-30 total capacities for Falls Church, Langley, Madison, Marshall, Mclean are: capacity with modulars 11680 capacity without modulars 11270 membership 11161 average total with modulars 96% - Marshall and Mclean at 103% average without modulars 99% - Marshall 109% and Mclean 118% What's the available space for staging trailers during construction at HS's with modulars and trailers? |
Anonymous
Your “totality wrong” statement comes out of nowhere, and I’m not sure I understand it. |
Anonymous
I really hope there are multiple scenarios as well. I also worry that each pyramid has varying analytic skill sets at their 2-hour review meetings. If you look at the 4/11 BRAC feedback, some pyramids have a lot of feed but others are fairly lackluster. Thru isn't going to know any better if they aren't receiving that feedback: https://www.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/4-11-25Superintendent%E2%80%99sBoundaryReviewAdvisoryCommitteeFeedback.pdf |
Anonymous
DP. I don't know if the 60-105% range is totally wrong, but it's certainly new. As far as I'm aware, FCPS has never said before that below 60% is the relevant threshold for determining whether a school is so under-enrolled that a boundary change is needed. The annual Capital Improvement Programs put all the schools below 85% capacity in a "Surplus Capacity" bucket. When they allow schools to be almost 40% under capacity without an adjustment, but imply they need to redistrict if a school is even slightly over 5% capacity, it invites questions as to whether someone is reverse engineering the standard to favor some adjustments (for example, moving West Springfield kids to South County and/or Lewis), while avoiding others that would affect wealthier parents (for example, moving Langley kids to Herndon). Maybe they have or can come up with a good explanation, but they are inviting a political firestorm. |
Anonymous
FCPS doesn't really look at those five high schools together. They are in multiple regions (Regions 1, 2, and 5). If they really just wanted to align membership at those five schools with capacity without modulars, they'd be moving Marshall kids in Vienna to Madison (got expansion it didn't need) and McLean kids to Falls Church (to take advantage of the FCHS expansion), and leaving Langley alone. They've given no indication they are thinking that way. |
Anonymous
Those capacity % were used by Thru. Perhaps not totally wong if FCPS/SB gave Thru instructions to use those % leaaving some sites over and some sites under. So why those %? The HS example I posted put Falls Chruch HS at 85% and Mclean and Marshall and Mclean overcapaaity with modulars- 103%. That is UNDER the Thru magic 105%. Mclean without the modular is 18%. https://www.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/4-25-2025SuperintendentBoundaryReviewAdvisoryCommitteePresentation.pdf Guiding Principles for Split Feeder Elimination (2 of 2) 5. Minimize Disruption Based on community feedback, we aim to make the fewest number of changes that affect the smallest number of students—while still meeting the goals of the adjustment. 6. Respect Capacity Thresholds Boundary changes are designed to keep schools within a capacity range of 60% to 105%. ○ Note: Some schools may still exceed 105% after split feeder fixes. These schools were already over capacity, and the proposed changes improve but do not fully resolve their overcrowding. They will be prioritized in future boundary scenarios focused specifically on capacity |
Anonymous
I used those 5 schools based on residential locations. Regions are artificial constructs for FCPS jut like it once has 3 areas and then 8 clusters. The fact is in a normal boundary process those high school pyramids would be accurate. Marshall is a Region 5 island. Decades ago FCPS had contiguous groupings on the CIP. Bypass any administrative grouping. So that got scrapped because it showed the obvious like West Potomac and Mount Vernon. I simply am applying learned knowledge from FCPS and boundary processes. |
Anonymous
Chantilly is still overcapacity, even with the projections. |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
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Put this out of order on prior comment:
None of the schools surrounding Chantilly have space. Chantilly works. The Carson site would have been ideal, but it was proposed when "2000" was said to be the maximum size for a high school. SB won't do it as it would take kids from South Lakes, Chantilly, Westfield and Oakton. |
Anonymous
I understand but you're tossing out your "learned knowledge," as if it's a framework that others would recognize and apply. It really isn't - it's just your own grouping. You could group two schools, or five, or a dozen. |
Anonymous
Stick a dozen or all high schools on a spreadsheet and call Marshall and Mclean ground zero. Overcapacity with modulars. What would you do? 1st look at contiguous schools or plop over to Region 5 for Marshall? Those sites are the immediate changes pre dominos. Add in Herndon, South Lakes, and Oakton. Why the last two? Hunter Mill corridor. Gibson moved some Madison to South Lakes in 2008. |
Anonymous
They are all Tyson’s adjacent and need to be seen together for planning for the growth that is expected in Tysons. It might be easier if they were in the same region. I don’t think leaving Langely alone is the answer, Langley can certainly take some of Tysons from Marshall and McLean very easily. |