McLean to Explore Separating from FC & FCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if fairfax water could charge McLean residents a high enough rate to make up for all of the lost tax revenue. I also wonder where they’ll locate their landfill - I doubt fairfax will continue to offer up theirs

Of course they will.

Am only halfway reading through this thread... my modest proposal is: if McLean secedes from Fairfax County, FCPS should demolish the schools in McLean and on their sites build affordable housing and create space for landfills; it’s absolutely arrogant to think FCPS should just give the buildings to a seceding McLean.

Let's break it down for you, since you just seem to be spouting off.

Yes, a school building is an asset. But it has a dedicated use, so it also carries a huge liability - the future funding commitments associated with maintaining the building and educating all the kids who would attend that school.

So if you look at a school and only see the asset but not the liability, you're basically conceding the point made by the McLean parents, which is that the county isn't investing as much in a school and school community like McLean as it should (and does in other schools of the same vintage).

If the talks actually progress, they will negotiate the transfer of the school facilities in the new City of McLean, and the new City will have title around the time of its incorporation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder about the timing - if McLean HS is in desperate need of a $100 million + renovation, is that the first bill you are going to ask a new city to pay? Or can the issue be solved by redistricting with Langley alone?

McLean isn't in desperate need of a $100M renovation. However, FCPS has stuck McLean with shitty trailers and a second-hand modular, when it is spending $20M to build additions at schools that are LESS overcrowded than McLean and were built AFTER McLean. It is also spending $40M for an even bigger addition at West Potomac, even though much of the overcrowding at West Potomac could be addressed by redistricting kids to under-enrolled Mount Vernon and the size of West Potomac following this addition (3000 kids) is well over what FCPS previously has said should be the maximum size of a high school. The Board of Supervisors is aware of these disparities - Jeff McKay and at least other member of BOS pointed out the absurdity when reviewing the FCPS budget a couple of years ago - but otherwise just rolls its eyes at the mismanagement.

They can alleviate some of the overcrowding at McLean by moving some kids to Langley. But the timing of that boundary change is uncertain, it won't alleviate all of the overcrowding, and both Langley and McLean could gain kids if FCPS moves to a lottery system for TJ that caps the number of students from Cooper and Longfellow who can attend TJ. Right now they run a high risk of messing it up: if they move too many kids, they'll turn McLean into the runt of FCPS (and it will have to shed electives and teachers), but if there is renewed growth in the area once we emerge from Covid-19 both Langley and McLean could end up over-crowded in a few years.

FCPS lied to McLean parents years ago and told them they'd build an addition at McLean before any kids were moved to Langley. Then they deviated from the numbers that had been in their Capital Improvement Plans for years, and expanded Langley during its renovation far more than had previously been disclosed (from an expansion to 2100 seats to over 2350 seats). After Langley's renovation/expansion was finished, School Board members blocked an initial attempt to authorize a Langley/McLean boundary study in 2018, citing the need for a "holistic review" of boundaries across the entire county. When some families took that to mean FCPS was considering a new county-wide busing scheme, the School Board reversed course and authorized the boundary study in 2019 shortly before the fall School Board elections, because the Democrats stood to lose several seats if they didn't do something. But then the boundary study stalled, first because they realized they'd given no thought to the middle school assignments in addition to the high school assignments, and then due to all the challenges associated with Covid-19.

Many of us are just fed up with how bad the planning has been, and the failure to have dealt with the challenges transparently. The School Board spends hours and hours on TJ admissions, but very little time focusing on growth in the county and the upcoming Capital Improvement Plans. By the time they do look at the CIPs, they are typically behind schedule, the reviews are perfunctory, and very little is changed from the draft prepared by FCPS staff. And the motivation of FCPS staff isn't always to do what makes the most sense, but rather what makes their own lives easiest.

In a smaller system, with fewer schools to manage, it seems like the schools could get more attention on a timely basis. They certainly couldn't do a worse job of managing their facilities than FCPS has done in recent years.

Things could always be worse. Look at Arlington, a smaller system with fewer schools to manage. How is that fourth high school coming along?

Yorktown - completely renovated

W&L - new building

Wakefield - new building

People from Arlington shake their heads at the state of facilities in FCPS when they travel to Fairfax.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder about the timing - if McLean HS is in desperate need of a $100 million + renovation, is that the first bill you are going to ask a new city to pay? Or can the issue be solved by redistricting with Langley alone?

McLean isn't in desperate need of a $100M renovation. However, FCPS has stuck McLean with shitty trailers and a second-hand modular, when it is spending $20M to build additions at schools that are LESS overcrowded than McLean and were built AFTER McLean. It is also spending $40M for an even bigger addition at West Potomac, even though much of the overcrowding at West Potomac could be addressed by redistricting kids to under-enrolled Mount Vernon and the size of West Potomac following this addition (3000 kids) is well over what FCPS previously has said should be the maximum size of a high school. The Board of Supervisors is aware of these disparities - Jeff McKay and at least other member of BOS pointed out the absurdity when reviewing the FCPS budget a couple of years ago - but otherwise just rolls its eyes at the mismanagement.

They can alleviate some of the overcrowding at McLean by moving some kids to Langley. But the timing of that boundary change is uncertain, it won't alleviate all of the overcrowding, and both Langley and McLean could gain kids if FCPS moves to a lottery system for TJ that caps the number of students from Cooper and Longfellow who can attend TJ. Right now they run a high risk of messing it up: if they move too many kids, they'll turn McLean into the runt of FCPS (and it will have to shed electives and teachers), but if there is renewed growth in the area once we emerge from Covid-19 both Langley and McLean could end up over-crowded in a few years.

FCPS lied to McLean parents years ago and told them they'd build an addition at McLean before any kids were moved to Langley. Then they deviated from the numbers that had been in their Capital Improvement Plans for years, and expanded Langley during its renovation far more than had previously been disclosed (from an expansion to 2100 seats to over 2350 seats). After Langley's renovation/expansion was finished, School Board members blocked an initial attempt to authorize a Langley/McLean boundary study in 2018, citing the need for a "holistic review" of boundaries across the entire county. When some families took that to mean FCPS was considering a new county-wide busing scheme, the School Board reversed course and authorized the boundary study in 2019 shortly before the fall School Board elections, because the Democrats stood to lose several seats if they didn't do something. But then the boundary study stalled, first because they realized they'd given no thought to the middle school assignments in addition to the high school assignments, and then due to all the challenges associated with Covid-19.

Many of us are just fed up with how bad the planning has been, and the failure to have dealt with the challenges transparently. The School Board spends hours and hours on TJ admissions, but very little time focusing on growth in the county and the upcoming Capital Improvement Plans. By the time they do look at the CIPs, they are typically behind schedule, the reviews are perfunctory, and very little is changed from the draft prepared by FCPS staff. And the motivation of FCPS staff isn't always to do what makes the most sense, but rather what makes their own lives easiest.

In a smaller system, with fewer schools to manage, it seems like the schools could get more attention on a timely basis. They certainly couldn't do a worse job of managing their facilities than FCPS has done in recent years.

Things could always be worse. Look at Arlington, a smaller system with fewer schools to manage. How is that fourth high school coming along?

Yorktown - completely renovated

W&L - new building

Wakefield - new building

People from Arlington shake their heads at the state of facilities in FCPS when they travel to Fairfax.

And the fourth high school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if fairfax water could charge McLean residents a high enough rate to make up for all of the lost tax revenue. I also wonder where they’ll locate their landfill - I doubt fairfax will continue to offer up theirs

Of course they will.

Am only halfway reading through this thread... my modest proposal is: if McLean secedes from Fairfax County, FCPS should demolish the schools in McLean and on their sites build affordable housing and create space for landfills; it’s absolutely arrogant to think FCPS should just give the buildings to a seceding McLean.

Uh, no. It’s not arrogant. It’s common sense. They’re ON McLean territory and fcps does not manta in them. But fcps is quick taking McLean $$. So sit down and stfu kiddo. Convo isn’t for dummies of your caliber. Dont you have some emo thousand-gender antipatriarchy points to spout elsewhere?

Doesn’t Fairfax County own the land that the schools are on? Doesn’t Fairfax County technically own McLean at this point? If you want a divorce, you will have to ask Fairfax County to give up the county land that the schools are on as well as the county roads and Fairfax County doesn’t have to agree. Fairfax County could carve out islands from what would become McLean City and McLean City wouldn’t be able to have input on what Fairfax County did with it’s land after the divorce. I doubt McLean City would like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder about the timing - if McLean HS is in desperate need of a $100 million + renovation, is that the first bill you are going to ask a new city to pay? Or can the issue be solved by redistricting with Langley alone?

McLean isn't in desperate need of a $100M renovation. However, FCPS has stuck McLean with shitty trailers and a second-hand modular, when it is spending $20M to build additions at schools that are LESS overcrowded than McLean and were built AFTER McLean. It is also spending $40M for an even bigger addition at West Potomac, even though much of the overcrowding at West Potomac could be addressed by redistricting kids to under-enrolled Mount Vernon and the size of West Potomac following this addition (3000 kids) is well over what FCPS previously has said should be the maximum size of a high school. The Board of Supervisors is aware of these disparities - Jeff McKay and at least other member of BOS pointed out the absurdity when reviewing the FCPS budget a couple of years ago - but otherwise just rolls its eyes at the mismanagement.

They can alleviate some of the overcrowding at McLean by moving some kids to Langley. But the timing of that boundary change is uncertain, it won't alleviate all of the overcrowding, and both Langley and McLean could gain kids if FCPS moves to a lottery system for TJ that caps the number of students from Cooper and Longfellow who can attend TJ. Right now they run a high risk of messing it up: if they move too many kids, they'll turn McLean into the runt of FCPS (and it will have to shed electives and teachers), but if there is renewed growth in the area once we emerge from Covid-19 both Langley and McLean could end up over-crowded in a few years.

FCPS lied to McLean parents years ago and told them they'd build an addition at McLean before any kids were moved to Langley. Then they deviated from the numbers that had been in their Capital Improvement Plans for years, and expanded Langley during its renovation far more than had previously been disclosed (from an expansion to 2100 seats to over 2350 seats). After Langley's renovation/expansion was finished, School Board members blocked an initial attempt to authorize a Langley/McLean boundary study in 2018, citing the need for a "holistic review" of boundaries across the entire county. When some families took that to mean FCPS was considering a new county-wide busing scheme, the School Board reversed course and authorized the boundary study in 2019 shortly before the fall School Board elections, because the Democrats stood to lose several seats if they didn't do something. But then the boundary study stalled, first because they realized they'd given no thought to the middle school assignments in addition to the high school assignments, and then due to all the challenges associated with Covid-19.

Many of us are just fed up with how bad the planning has been, and the failure to have dealt with the challenges transparently. The School Board spends hours and hours on TJ admissions, but very little time focusing on growth in the county and the upcoming Capital Improvement Plans. By the time they do look at the CIPs, they are typically behind schedule, the reviews are perfunctory, and very little is changed from the draft prepared by FCPS staff. And the motivation of FCPS staff isn't always to do what makes the most sense, but rather what makes their own lives easiest.

In a smaller system, with fewer schools to manage, it seems like the schools could get more attention on a timely basis. They certainly couldn't do a worse job of managing their facilities than FCPS has done in recent years.

Things could always be worse. Look at Arlington, a smaller system with fewer schools to manage. How is that fourth high school coming along?

The point is to do better. There are so many ways to improve it. It would be good to try. It would be interesting to see how many people in the area MCA serves would be against this idea - meaning they feel strongly about staying in FCPS.

[Anonymous]

We need a name for this. How about McLexit?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We need a name for this. How about McLexit?

I like FcExit. The first part pronounced exactly how FCPS treats McLean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What a surprise that McLean residents want segregation. Living up to the rep on DCUM for all these years.

The virtue of a big county and big school system is to be able to spread things around a bit for the greater good. FCC formed because of its desire to avoid black people and they pretty well have succeeded.

How dare you write that. The remnants of segregation in Fairfax County schools are in the Sandburg-West Potomac v Whitman-Mount Vernon boundaries.
City of Fairfax could dump FCPS and be just like FCC.

Pull the racist card? The Mclean special tax district? Reston special tax district? Reston has never been segregated and is shat upon by this county. Herndon is a town and goes to FCPS schools. Pay Herndon and county taxes. Herndon has many immigrants from Central America and many own real estate. They are also paying extra for the junk and elephants in the room of Mackay, Storck, Kaufax, and Corbett Sanders plus whoever is now the Lee District Rep.

Give me your take on trash and recycling. Who picks up your garbage? Has FX county given your area the heave ho? Many of us are on our own - 90% of the county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if fairfax water could charge McLean residents a high enough rate to make up for all of the lost tax revenue. I also wonder where they’ll locate their landfill - I doubt fairfax will continue to offer up theirs

Of course they will.

Am only halfway reading through this thread... my modest proposal is: if McLean secedes from Fairfax County, FCPS should demolish the schools in McLean and on their sites build affordable housing and create space for landfills; it’s absolutely arrogant to think FCPS should just give the buildings to a seceding McLean.

Uh, no. It’s not arrogant. It’s common sense. They’re ON McLean territory and fcps does not manta in them. But fcps is quick taking McLean $$. So sit down and stfu kiddo. Convo isn’t for dummies of your caliber. Dont you have some emo thousand-gender antipatriarchy points to spout elsewhere?

Doesn’t Fairfax County own the land that the schools are on? Doesn’t Fairfax County technically own McLean at this point? If you want a divorce, you will have to ask Fairfax County to give up the county land that the schools are on as well as the county roads and Fairfax County doesn’t have to agree. Fairfax County could carve out islands from what would become McLean City and McLean City wouldn’t be able to have input on what Fairfax County did with it’s land after the divorce. I doubt McLean City would like that.

If the county wants to prevent this, they will push legislators to renew a moratorium on creating new cities.

If the moratorium is not renewed, a new "City of McLean" (and the new city likely would be McLean, Great Falls, and other areas now zoned to Langley and McLean) will not incorporate unless the county has first agreed to transfer the school buildings and sites.

The one thing that is not going to happen is the county selling those sites to developers, either before or after a City of McLean is created.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder about the timing - if McLean HS is in desperate need of a $100 million + renovation, is that the first bill you are going to ask a new city to pay? Or can the issue be solved by redistricting with Langley alone?

McLean isn't in desperate need of a $100M renovation. However, FCPS has stuck McLean with shitty trailers and a second-hand modular, when it is spending $20M to build additions at schools that are LESS overcrowded than McLean and were built AFTER McLean. It is also spending $40M for an even bigger addition at West Potomac, even though much of the overcrowding at West Potomac could be addressed by redistricting kids to under-enrolled Mount Vernon and the size of West Potomac following this addition (3000 kids) is well over what FCPS previously has said should be the maximum size of a high school. The Board of Supervisors is aware of these disparities - Jeff McKay and at least other member of BOS pointed out the absurdity when reviewing the FCPS budget a couple of years ago - but otherwise just rolls its eyes at the mismanagement.

They can alleviate some of the overcrowding at McLean by moving some kids to Langley. But the timing of that boundary change is uncertain, it won't alleviate all of the overcrowding, and both Langley and McLean could gain kids if FCPS moves to a lottery system for TJ that caps the number of students from Cooper and Longfellow who can attend TJ. Right now they run a high risk of messing it up: if they move too many kids, they'll turn McLean into the runt of FCPS (and it will have to shed electives and teachers), but if there is renewed growth in the area once we emerge from Covid-19 both Langley and McLean could end up over-crowded in a few years.

FCPS lied to McLean parents years ago and told them they'd build an addition at McLean before any kids were moved to Langley. Then they deviated from the numbers that had been in their Capital Improvement Plans for years, and expanded Langley during its renovation far more than had previously been disclosed (from an expansion to 2100 seats to over 2350 seats). After Langley's renovation/expansion was finished, School Board members blocked an initial attempt to authorize a Langley/McLean boundary study in 2018, citing the need for a "holistic review" of boundaries across the entire county. When some families took that to mean FCPS was considering a new county-wide busing scheme, the School Board reversed course and authorized the boundary study in 2019 shortly before the fall School Board elections, because the Democrats stood to lose several seats if they didn't do something. But then the boundary study stalled, first because they realized they'd given no thought to the middle school assignments in addition to the high school assignments, and then due to all the challenges associated with Covid-19.

Many of us are just fed up with how bad the planning has been, and the failure to have dealt with the challenges transparently. The School Board spends hours and hours on TJ admissions, but very little time focusing on growth in the county and the upcoming Capital Improvement Plans. By the time they do look at the CIPs, they are typically behind schedule, the reviews are perfunctory, and very little is changed from the draft prepared by FCPS staff. And the motivation of FCPS staff isn't always to do what makes the most sense, but rather what makes their own lives easiest.

In a smaller system, with fewer schools to manage, it seems like the schools could get more attention on a timely basis. They certainly couldn't do a worse job of managing their facilities than FCPS has done in recent years.

Among the School Board members who blocked the boundary study back then (without budgeting any funds for a McLean addition similar to the additions now getting built at Justice, Madison, and West Potomac) were Corbett-Sanders, Derenak Kaufax, and Keys Gamarra.

They are still around, and openly hostile to the northern part of the county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder about the timing - if McLean HS is in desperate need of a $100 million + renovation, is that the first bill you are going to ask a new city to pay? Or can the issue be solved by redistricting with Langley alone?

McLean isn't in desperate need of a $100M renovation. However, FCPS has stuck McLean with shitty trailers and a second-hand modular, when it is spending $20M to build additions at schools that are LESS overcrowded than McLean and were built AFTER McLean. It is also spending $40M for an even bigger addition at West Potomac, even though much of the overcrowding at West Potomac could be addressed by redistricting kids to under-enrolled Mount Vernon and the size of West Potomac following this addition (3000 kids) is well over what FCPS previously has said should be the maximum size of a high school. The Board of Supervisors is aware of these disparities - Jeff McKay and at least other member of BOS pointed out the absurdity when reviewing the FCPS budget a couple of years ago - but otherwise just rolls its eyes at the mismanagement.

They can alleviate some of the overcrowding at McLean by moving some kids to Langley. But the timing of that boundary change is uncertain, it won't alleviate all of the overcrowding, and both Langley and McLean could gain kids if FCPS moves to a lottery system for TJ that caps the number of students from Cooper and Longfellow who can attend TJ. Right now they run a high risk of messing it up: if they move too many kids, they'll turn McLean into the runt of FCPS (and it will have to shed electives and teachers), but if there is renewed growth in the area once we emerge from Covid-19 both Langley and McLean could end up over-crowded in a few years.

FCPS lied to McLean parents years ago and told them they'd build an addition at McLean before any kids were moved to Langley. Then they deviated from the numbers that had been in their Capital Improvement Plans for years, and expanded Langley during its renovation far more than had previously been disclosed (from an expansion to 2100 seats to over 2350 seats). After Langley's renovation/expansion was finished, School Board members blocked an initial attempt to authorize a Langley/McLean boundary study in 2018, citing the need for a "holistic review" of boundaries across the entire county. When some families took that to mean FCPS was considering a new county-wide busing scheme, the School Board reversed course and authorized the boundary study in 2019 shortly before the fall School Board elections, because the Democrats stood to lose several seats if they didn't do something. But then the boundary study stalled, first because they realized they'd given no thought to the middle school assignments in addition to the high school assignments, and then due to all the challenges associated with Covid-19.

Many of us are just fed up with how bad the planning has been, and the failure to have dealt with the challenges transparently. The School Board spends hours and hours on TJ admissions, but very little time focusing on growth in the county and the upcoming Capital Improvement Plans. By the time they do look at the CIPs, they are typically behind schedule, the reviews are perfunctory, and very little is changed from the draft prepared by FCPS staff. And the motivation of FCPS staff isn't always to do what makes the most sense, but rather what makes their own lives easiest.

In a smaller system, with fewer schools to manage, it seems like the schools could get more attention on a timely basis. They certainly couldn't do a worse job of managing their facilities than FCPS has done in recent years.

Among the School Board members who blocked the boundary study back then (without budgeting any funds for a McLean addition similar to the additions now getting built at Justice, Madison, and West Potomac) were Corbett-Sanders, Derenak Kaufax, and Keys Gamarra.

They are still around, and openly hostile to the northern part of the county.

Corbett Sanders: Getting huge addition for West Potomac, her neighborhood school

Derenak Kaufax: Currently pushing expensive new academy program for Lewis in her district

Keys Gamarra: Kids went to Madison

See the pattern. Why shouldn't people in northern Fairfax want to run their own schools without these people constantly screwing them over?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder about the timing - if McLean HS is in desperate need of a $100 million + renovation, is that the first bill you are going to ask a new city to pay? Or can the issue be solved by redistricting with Langley alone?

McLean isn't in desperate need of a $100M renovation. However, FCPS has stuck McLean with shitty trailers and a second-hand modular, when it is spending $20M to build additions at schools that are LESS overcrowded than McLean and were built AFTER McLean. It is also spending $40M for an even bigger addition at West Potomac, even though much of the overcrowding at West Potomac could be addressed by redistricting kids to under-enrolled Mount Vernon and the size of West Potomac following this addition (3000 kids) is well over what FCPS previously has said should be the maximum size of a high school. The Board of Supervisors is aware of these disparities - Jeff McKay and at least other member of BOS pointed out the absurdity when reviewing the FCPS budget a couple of years ago - but otherwise just rolls its eyes at the mismanagement.

They can alleviate some of the overcrowding at McLean by moving some kids to Langley. But the timing of that boundary change is uncertain, it won't alleviate all of the overcrowding, and both Langley and McLean could gain kids if FCPS moves to a lottery system for TJ that caps the number of students from Cooper and Longfellow who can attend TJ. Right now they run a high risk of messing it up: if they move too many kids, they'll turn McLean into the runt of FCPS (and it will have to shed electives and teachers), but if there is renewed growth in the area once we emerge from Covid-19 both Langley and McLean could end up over-crowded in a few years.

FCPS lied to McLean parents years ago and told them they'd build an addition at McLean before any kids were moved to Langley. Then they deviated from the numbers that had been in their Capital Improvement Plans for years, and expanded Langley during its renovation far more than had previously been disclosed (from an expansion to 2100 seats to over 2350 seats). After Langley's renovation/expansion was finished, School Board members blocked an initial attempt to authorize a Langley/McLean boundary study in 2018, citing the need for a "holistic review" of boundaries across the entire county. When some families took that to mean FCPS was considering a new county-wide busing scheme, the School Board reversed course and authorized the boundary study in 2019 shortly before the fall School Board elections, because the Democrats stood to lose several seats if they didn't do something. But then the boundary study stalled, first because they realized they'd given no thought to the middle school assignments in addition to the high school assignments, and then due to all the challenges associated with Covid-19.

Many of us are just fed up with how bad the planning has been, and the failure to have dealt with the challenges transparently. The School Board spends hours and hours on TJ admissions, but very little time focusing on growth in the county and the upcoming Capital Improvement Plans. By the time they do look at the CIPs, they are typically behind schedule, the reviews are perfunctory, and very little is changed from the draft prepared by FCPS staff. And the motivation of FCPS staff isn't always to do what makes the most sense, but rather what makes their own lives easiest.

In a smaller system, with fewer schools to manage, it seems like the schools could get more attention on a timely basis. They certainly couldn't do a worse job of managing their facilities than FCPS has done in recent years.

Among the School Board members who blocked the boundary study back then (without budgeting any funds for a McLean addition similar to the additions now getting built at Justice, Madison, and West Potomac) were Corbett-Sanders, Derenak Kaufax, and Keys Gamarra.

They are still around, and openly hostile to the northern part of the county.

Corbett Sanders: Getting huge addition for West Potomac, her neighborhood school

Derenak Kaufax: Currently pushing expensive new academy program for Lewis in her district

Keys Gamarra: Kids went to Madison


See the pattern. Why shouldn't people in northern Fairfax want to run their own schools without these people constantly screwing them over?

you do know you have voting representatives too? Maybe vote for people who run on platforms of helping their local schools- that was Corbett Sanders' pitch when she was knocking on doors

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder about the timing - if McLean HS is in desperate need of a $100 million + renovation, is that the first bill you are going to ask a new city to pay? Or can the issue be solved by redistricting with Langley alone?

McLean isn't in desperate need of a $100M renovation. However, FCPS has stuck McLean with shitty trailers and a second-hand modular, when it is spending $20M to build additions at schools that are LESS overcrowded than McLean and were built AFTER McLean. It is also spending $40M for an even bigger addition at West Potomac, even though much of the overcrowding at West Potomac could be addressed by redistricting kids to under-enrolled Mount Vernon and the size of West Potomac following this addition (3000 kids) is well over what FCPS previously has said should be the maximum size of a high school. The Board of Supervisors is aware of these disparities - Jeff McKay and at least other member of BOS pointed out the absurdity when reviewing the FCPS budget a couple of years ago - but otherwise just rolls its eyes at the mismanagement.

They can alleviate some of the overcrowding at McLean by moving some kids to Langley. But the timing of that boundary change is uncertain, it won't alleviate all of the overcrowding, and both Langley and McLean could gain kids if FCPS moves to a lottery system for TJ that caps the number of students from Cooper and Longfellow who can attend TJ. Right now they run a high risk of messing it up: if they move too many kids, they'll turn McLean into the runt of FCPS (and it will have to shed electives and teachers), but if there is renewed growth in the area once we emerge from Covid-19 both Langley and McLean could end up over-crowded in a few years.

FCPS lied to McLean parents years ago and told them they'd build an addition at McLean before any kids were moved to Langley. Then they deviated from the numbers that had been in their Capital Improvement Plans for years, and expanded Langley during its renovation far more than had previously been disclosed (from an expansion to 2100 seats to over 2350 seats). After Langley's renovation/expansion was finished, School Board members blocked an initial attempt to authorize a Langley/McLean boundary study in 2018, citing the need for a "holistic review" of boundaries across the entire county. When some families took that to mean FCPS was considering a new county-wide busing scheme, the School Board reversed course and authorized the boundary study in 2019 shortly before the fall School Board elections, because the Democrats stood to lose several seats if they didn't do something. But then the boundary study stalled, first because they realized they'd given no thought to the middle school assignments in addition to the high school assignments, and then due to all the challenges associated with Covid-19.

Many of us are just fed up with how bad the planning has been, and the failure to have dealt with the challenges transparently. The School Board spends hours and hours on TJ admissions, but very little time focusing on growth in the county and the upcoming Capital Improvement Plans. By the time they do look at the CIPs, they are typically behind schedule, the reviews are perfunctory, and very little is changed from the draft prepared by FCPS staff. And the motivation of FCPS staff isn't always to do what makes the most sense, but rather what makes their own lives easiest.

In a smaller system, with fewer schools to manage, it seems like the schools could get more attention on a timely basis. They certainly couldn't do a worse job of managing their facilities than FCPS has done in recent years.

Among the School Board members who blocked the boundary study back then (without budgeting any funds for a McLean addition similar to the additions now getting built at Justice, Madison, and West Potomac) were Corbett-Sanders, Derenak Kaufax, and Keys Gamarra.

They are still around, and openly hostile to the northern part of the county.

Corbett Sanders: Getting huge addition for West Potomac, her neighborhood school

Derenak Kaufax: Currently pushing expensive new academy program for Lewis in her district

Keys Gamarra: Kids went to Madison


See the pattern. Why shouldn't people in northern Fairfax want to run their own schools without these people constantly screwing them over?

you do know you have voting representatives too? Maybe vote for people who run on platforms of helping their local schools- that was Corbett Sanders' pitch when she was knocking on doors

Don't usually do this, but

This is like Abrar Omeish telling McLean parents in 2019 action would have been taken on the overcrowding if only they'd organized. As if parents had not been advocating before FCPS for years and been lied to and then ignored.

And it doesn't matter if you have a representative who wants to help their local schools, if the other members form a block to shut you down. Corbett Sanders et a shut down Janie Strauss in 2018, and the current group that controls FCPS is shutting down Elaine Tholen in 2020 and will continue to do so in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

We are just expected to write the checks, but treating us fairly doesn't help promote their equity agenda. Our best recourse is to hope for a "McExit," as otherwise we're just going to keep getting screwed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder about the timing - if McLean HS is in desperate need of a $100 million + renovation, is that the first bill you are going to ask a new city to pay? Or can the issue be solved by redistricting with Langley alone?

McLean isn't in desperate need of a $100M renovation. However, FCPS has stuck McLean with shitty trailers and a second-hand modular, when it is spending $20M to build additions at schools that are LESS overcrowded than McLean and were built AFTER McLean. It is also spending $40M for an even bigger addition at West Potomac, even though much of the overcrowding at West Potomac could be addressed by redistricting kids to under-enrolled Mount Vernon and the size of West Potomac following this addition (3000 kids) is well over what FCPS previously has said should be the maximum size of a high school. The Board of Supervisors is aware of these disparities - Jeff McKay and at least other member of BOS pointed out the absurdity when reviewing the FCPS budget a couple of years ago - but otherwise just rolls its eyes at the mismanagement.

They can alleviate some of the overcrowding at McLean by moving some kids to Langley. But the timing of that boundary change is uncertain, it won't alleviate all of the overcrowding, and both Langley and McLean could gain kids if FCPS moves to a lottery system for TJ that caps the number of students from Cooper and Longfellow who can attend TJ. Right now they run a high risk of messing it up: if they move too many kids, they'll turn McLean into the runt of FCPS (and it will have to shed electives and teachers), but if there is renewed growth in the area once we emerge from Covid-19 both Langley and McLean could end up over-crowded in a few years.

FCPS lied to McLean parents years ago and told them they'd build an addition at McLean before any kids were moved to Langley. Then they deviated from the numbers that had been in their Capital Improvement Plans for years, and expanded Langley during its renovation far more than had previously been disclosed (from an expansion to 2100 seats to over 2350 seats). After Langley's renovation/expansion was finished, School Board members blocked an initial attempt to authorize a Langley/McLean boundary study in 2018, citing the need for a "holistic review" of boundaries across the entire county. When some families took that to mean FCPS was considering a new county-wide busing scheme, the School Board reversed course and authorized the boundary study in 2019 shortly before the fall School Board elections, because the Democrats stood to lose several seats if they didn't do something. But then the boundary study stalled, first because they realized they'd given no thought to the middle school assignments in addition to the high school assignments, and then due to all the challenges associated with Covid-19.

Many of us are just fed up with how bad the planning has been, and the failure to have dealt with the challenges transparently. The School Board spends hours and hours on TJ admissions, but very little time focusing on growth in the county and the upcoming Capital Improvement Plans. By the time they do look at the CIPs, they are typically behind schedule, the reviews are perfunctory, and very little is changed from the draft prepared by FCPS staff. And the motivation of FCPS staff isn't always to do what makes the most sense, but rather what makes their own lives easiest.

In a smaller system, with fewer schools to manage, it seems like the schools could get more attention on a timely basis. They certainly couldn't do a worse job of managing their facilities than FCPS has done in recent years.

Among the School Board members who blocked the boundary study back then (without budgeting any funds for a McLean addition similar to the additions now getting built at Justice, Madison, and West Potomac) were Corbett-Sanders, Derenak Kaufax, and Keys Gamarra.

They are still around, and openly hostile to the northern part of the county.

Corbett Sanders: Getting huge addition for West Potomac, her neighborhood school

Derenak Kaufax: Currently pushing expensive new academy program for Lewis in her district

Keys Gamarra: Kids went to Madison


See the pattern. Why shouldn't people in northern Fairfax want to run their own schools without these people constantly screwing them over?

you do know you have voting representatives too? Maybe vote for people who run on platforms of helping their local schools- that was Corbett Sanders' pitch when she was knocking on doors

Don't usually do this, but

This is like Abrar Omeish telling McLean parents in 2019 action would have been taken on the overcrowding if only they'd organized. As if parents had not been advocating before FCPS for years and been lied to and then ignored.

And it doesn't matter if you have a representative who wants to help their local schools, if the other members form a block to shut you down. Corbett Sanders et a shut down Janie Strauss in 2018, and the current group that controls FCPS is shutting down Elaine Tholen in 2020 and will continue to do so in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

We are just expected to write the checks, but treating us fairly doesn't help promote their equity agenda. Our best recourse is to hope for a "McExit," as otherwise we're just going to keep getting screwed.

So you elect bad politicians?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder about the timing - if McLean HS is in desperate need of a $100 million + renovation, is that the first bill you are going to ask a new city to pay? Or can the issue be solved by redistricting with Langley alone?

McLean isn't in desperate need of a $100M renovation. However, FCPS has stuck McLean with shitty trailers and a second-hand modular, when it is spending $20M to build additions at schools that are LESS overcrowded than McLean and were built AFTER McLean. It is also spending $40M for an even bigger addition at West Potomac, even though much of the overcrowding at West Potomac could be addressed by redistricting kids to under-enrolled Mount Vernon and the size of West Potomac following this addition (3000 kids) is well over what FCPS previously has said should be the maximum size of a high school. The Board of Supervisors is aware of these disparities - Jeff McKay and at least other member of BOS pointed out the absurdity when reviewing the FCPS budget a couple of years ago - but otherwise just rolls its eyes at the mismanagement.

They can alleviate some of the overcrowding at McLean by moving some kids to Langley. But the timing of that boundary change is uncertain, it won't alleviate all of the overcrowding, and both Langley and McLean could gain kids if FCPS moves to a lottery system for TJ that caps the number of students from Cooper and Longfellow who can attend TJ. Right now they run a high risk of messing it up: if they move too many kids, they'll turn McLean into the runt of FCPS (and it will have to shed electives and teachers), but if there is renewed growth in the area once we emerge from Covid-19 both Langley and McLean could end up over-crowded in a few years.

FCPS lied to McLean parents years ago and told them they'd build an addition at McLean before any kids were moved to Langley. Then they deviated from the numbers that had been in their Capital Improvement Plans for years, and expanded Langley during its renovation far more than had previously been disclosed (from an expansion to 2100 seats to over 2350 seats). After Langley's renovation/expansion was finished, School Board members blocked an initial attempt to authorize a Langley/McLean boundary study in 2018, citing the need for a "holistic review" of boundaries across the entire county. When some families took that to mean FCPS was considering a new county-wide busing scheme, the School Board reversed course and authorized the boundary study in 2019 shortly before the fall School Board elections, because the Democrats stood to lose several seats if they didn't do something. But then the boundary study stalled, first because they realized they'd given no thought to the middle school assignments in addition to the high school assignments, and then due to all the challenges associated with Covid-19.

Many of us are just fed up with how bad the planning has been, and the failure to have dealt with the challenges transparently. The School Board spends hours and hours on TJ admissions, but very little time focusing on growth in the county and the upcoming Capital Improvement Plans. By the time they do look at the CIPs, they are typically behind schedule, the reviews are perfunctory, and very little is changed from the draft prepared by FCPS staff. And the motivation of FCPS staff isn't always to do what makes the most sense, but rather what makes their own lives easiest.

In a smaller system, with fewer schools to manage, it seems like the schools could get more attention on a timely basis. They certainly couldn't do a worse job of managing their facilities than FCPS has done in recent years.

Among the School Board members who blocked the boundary study back then (without budgeting any funds for a McLean addition similar to the additions now getting built at Justice, Madison, and West Potomac) were Corbett-Sanders, Derenak Kaufax, and Keys Gamarra.

They are still around, and openly hostile to the northern part of the county.

Corbett Sanders: Getting huge addition for West Potomac, her neighborhood school

Derenak Kaufax: Currently pushing expensive new academy program for Lewis in her district

Keys Gamarra: Kids went to Madison


See the pattern. Why shouldn't people in northern Fairfax want to run their own schools without these people constantly screwing them over?

you do know you have voting representatives too? Maybe vote for people who run on platforms of helping their local schools- that was Corbett Sanders' pitch when she was knocking on doors

Don't usually do this, but

This is like Abrar Omeish telling McLean parents in 2019 action would have been taken on the overcrowding if only they'd organized. As if parents had not been advocating before FCPS for years and been lied to and then ignored.

And it doesn't matter if you have a representative who wants to help their local schools, if the other members form a block to shut you down. Corbett Sanders et a shut down Janie Strauss in 2018, and the current group that controls FCPS is shutting down Elaine Tholen in 2020 and will continue to do so in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

We are just expected to write the checks, but treating us fairly doesn't help promote their equity agenda. Our best recourse is to hope for a "McExit," as otherwise we're just going to keep getting screwed.

You should run for school board, PP. You'll do a better job than Tholen.