FCPS is turning the new high school purchased to fix crowding into an Aviation magnet school instead of a high school??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you study hard, one day you can be a low paid Airplane Mechanic! Maybe you could even repair some billionaire's private plane!

You can make 75k doing that job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I emailed the school board and administration. They told me that this will absolutely not be a magnet school. The intent is to alleviate overcrowding at western high schools.

Then why are almost all the documents posted on Board Docs for the August 26 work session about FCPS plan to make the new high school an Aviation magnet? The plans are quite detailed, down to specific curriculum. There are multiple documents posted in board docs by FCPS outlining the detailed plans. The plans already discuss their chosen corporate sponsors (Amazon for example) not simply a general statement of how they are going to set up bidding for corporate sponsors.

It sounds like our school board reps need to familiarize themselves with Board Docs.

[Anonymous]

I don't understand how you get such level of "suggested" plans without the SB being involved at all. That's wild. WTF

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you study hard, one day you can be a low paid Airplane Mechanic! Maybe you could even repair some billionaire's private plane!

Hi, I’m fine with you advocating to make this a community school, but don’t $hit on hardworking people because you are mad. Lots of good people work in the airline industry. And vocational schools can be really good for some folks.

I agree.

Skilled aircraft mechanics are vital in our society.

There is dignity in trades jobs, and often more integrity and honor in the trades than high level jobs like lawyers and politicians.

They deserve your respect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's the overall capacity of the new school? And was there an indication of what percentage of the student population would be in the magnet program and what would be "general population"?

I'm not very familiar with the high schools out there. Which current high schools do you think the new school will pull from for boundary students (not the magnet program)?

Also, according to their numbers, West Springfield is the most overcrowded high school, and this is way too far away to impact that school.

Good. Those boundaries were jiggered to avoid other less performing schools. All the schools around there are underenrolled and lower performing. They've been catered to for far too long compared to other boundaries and should be among the top schools to redistrict.

WSHS has the most condensed boundaries of any FCPS schools and the least gerrymandered

That being said, this discussion is not about WSHS. This thread is about turning the new high school into an aviation magnet instead of a high school.

Either start a new thread about WSHS boundaries, or take your posts back to the vig boundary discussion.

J be
I live in KAA area. I immediately thought of West Springfield when I read the docs for the new school. It does refer to the "overcrowded" schools and does not mention the specific area. Of course, I couldn't imagine doing that haul out to KAA from West Springfield, but then I did not let my DD apply to TJ because of the distance--but I have many neighbors that go there.

Nevertheless, this presentation tomorrow at the work session is absurd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think an aviation program is a good idea (and I don’t think most of FCPS ideas are good ideas). We have a nationwide shortage of pilots and air traffic control and this is a good market. Why the hate about this? Seems better than some sports marketing or journalism magnet??

What about medicine? We also have a shortage of doctors and nurses. My question is why aviation? Whose idea was it and why was there no public discussion of priorities?

We have a shortage of teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think an aviation program is a good idea (and I don’t think most of FCPS ideas are good ideas). We have a nationwide shortage of pilots and air traffic control and this is a good market. Why the hate about this? Seems better than some sports marketing or journalism magnet??

What about medicine? We also have a shortage of doctors and nurses. My question is why aviation? Whose idea was it and why was there no public discussion of priorities?

Chantilly Academy has a dental program and many other options. I've often wondered why they don't move that academy to another school since Chantilly has been overcrowded for years. The Academy takes up quite a bit of space and is well regarded.

I do think moving around the academies to balance capacity might be a good thing, at least to look into. But they might not want to do it because of the costs associated with moving or putting in the specialized equipment and classrooms unfortunately.

I wouldn’t necessarily have a problem with a hundred or so kids at KAA for an academy type program but it still needs to be used as a neighborhood school. I don’t live anywhere in the area BTW. But to me it’s a no brainer. Otherwise who’s to say that in 10 years they won’t be right back at it looking for a new site for an expensive new HS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand how you get such level of "suggested" plans without the SB being involved at all. That's wild. WTF

This is how Reid is running FCPS. The school board has not been exercising its oversight responsibilities at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a stupid idea. The only magnet that I've heard consistently asked for besides a duplicate TJ is an Arts magnet ala Duke Ellington or the school in NYC that FAME was based on. Duplicate TJ is also a waste of resources.

We already have a strong performing arts academy program - it's at Fairfax Academy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a stupid idea. The only magnet that I've heard consistently asked for besides a duplicate TJ is an Arts magnet ala Duke Ellington or the school in NYC that FAME was based on. Duplicate TJ is also a waste of resources.

We already have a strong performing arts academy program - it's at Fairfax Academy.

Academies may be a good idea--but not at a location where it is needed for relief from overcrowded schools and long bus rides.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand how you get such level of "suggested" plans without the SB being involved at all. That's wild. WTF

Someone with a vested interest is pushing this hard and spent a lot of time compiling all those documents. There is no community demand for this and there never was a need or plan for it. Ever since the new school fell in their lap there has been someone or some group planting seeds on how to make sure it didn't get used as a community school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand how you get such level of "suggested" plans without the SB being involved at all. That's wild. WTF

Someone with a vested interest is pushing this hard and spent a lot of time compiling all those documents. There is no community demand for this and there never was a need or plan for it. Ever since the new school fell in their lap there has been someone or some group planting seeds on how to make sure it didn't get used as a community school.

Illuminati. 🤣🤣🤣

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand how you get such level of "suggested" plans without the SB being involved at all. That's wild. WTF

Someone with a vested interest is pushing this hard and spent a lot of time compiling all those documents. There is no community demand for this and there never was a need or plan for it. Ever since the new school fell in their lap there has been someone or some group planting seeds on how to make sure it didn't get used as a community school.

There is one community that has been quite vocal about it. It is not a community that is affected by it, but they keep screaming "transparency" even though it has not effect on them.

[Anonymous]

All the documents to be discussed in tomorrow's meeting: https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=DKGK3K4FEA8B

Write your school board rep ASAP to let them know this is not what you want. Don't let a vocal group with ulterior motives shove this corruption through.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

This model allows students from designated attendance areas to attend as their base school while also drawing students from across Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) for the specialty program. The approach supports enrollment balancing and creates a magnet-like pull that reduces pressure on other high schools without forced reassignment.

What does this even mean? Does it mean that they will allow students from designated areas to attend while giving the option to go to a different school? Knowing this School Board, that would not surprise me.

So, if THRU starts sending Chantilly kids far away, they will be "allowed" to attend this school as their base school?

This sounds like a confusing mess.

If they really want an Aviation Academy, put it at another school. Yes, this school is very close to Dulles, but I don't think we are going to have kids going daily to Dulles to work on airplanes.

And, if it is essential to have access to Dulles, lots of workers go in and out that back gate onto 50 that continues to Lee Road. They could put this at Westfield which has the space.

The last few School Boards have shown they are utterly incapable of getting the basics right, but given the opportunity to pursue something shiny they couldn’t pass it up even if it blew up their capital budget and the renovation plans for other schools.

Now they want it to have bells and whistles but it’s more like a grenade than a bell or whistle.