When are Herndon Middle and Herndon High going to get a break?!??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I think the changes to the boundary policy under consideration are intended to prevent future situations where, for example, some higher-income families get moved from Annandale to Woodson without anyone really taking a hard look at the longer-term implications. And, if Woodson then gets too crowded, we don’t build them an addition; we send kids back to Annandale if there is space.

If that’s unacceptable to whites or Asians, they can leave. But it stops the trend where FCPS itself has begun to treat certain schools as radioactive.

I have no problems with changes that make sense if there is a need because of numbers. But, to move kids just to equalize SES is ridiculous.

A couple years back, the Loudoun county school board voted to bus Latinos from one neighborhood to seven different elementary schools, when they lived in walking distance of two elementary schools. Mind you, this was not done for altruistic reasons but to protect real estate values, despite what was reported in the media. Just put it this way, realtors were totally involved in the lobbying & admitted privately that they were protecting their clients. They don’t do it in Eastern Loudoun that way. The schools there are all neighborhood schools, with high Latino populations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I think the changes to the boundary policy under consideration are intended to prevent future situations where, for example, some higher-income families get moved from Annandale to Woodson without anyone really taking a hard look at the longer-term implications. And, if Woodson then gets too crowded, we don’t build them an addition; we send kids back to Annandale if there is space.

If that’s unacceptable to whites or Asians, they can leave. But it stops the trend where FCPS itself has begun to treat certain schools as radioactive.

I have no problems with changes that make sense if there is a need because of numbers. But, to move kids just to equalize SES is ridiculous.

A couple years back, the Loudoun county school board voted to bus Latinos from one neighborhood to seven different elementary schools, when they lived in walking distance of two elementary schools. Mind you, this was not done for altruistic reasons but to protect real estate values, despite what was reported in the media. Just put it this way, realtors were totally involved in the lobbying & admitted privately that they were protecting their clients. They don’t do it in Eastern Loudoun that way. The schools there are all neighborhood schools, with high Latino populations.

I don't know the circumstances of this deision. I live in Fairfax.

However, I used to teach school and for a number of years I would have ESOL kids in my class. This was long ago and before we had requirements to have special help for those children. I taught first grade. When I had one or two ESOL kids in my class, they quickly learned English and were able to function int he classroom. However, when the numbers started growing to six or seven ESOL kids, the assimilation and English learning became far more difficult. Why? Because the kids formed a group and talked with one another on the playground and at lunch. Think about this--if you are in a large group of people who speak a different language, who are you going to hang with?
So, their English instruction depended on what I did with them in class--along with teaching everything else a first grade teacher must teach.

What I am saying, is there is some benefit to splitting up ESOL kids. It helps them learn English more quickly. However, when you have huge pockets of ESOL--it is impossible to do this. You would have buses crisscrossing the whole of FCPS.
Doing this, however, for real estate prices is not a valid action.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I think the changes to the boundary policy under consideration are intended to prevent future situations where, for example, some higher-income families get moved from Annandale to Woodson without anyone really taking a hard look at the longer-term implications. And, if Woodson then gets too crowded, we don’t build them an addition; we send kids back to Annandale if there is space.

If that’s unacceptable to whites or Asians, they can leave. But it stops the trend where FCPS itself has begun to treat certain schools as radioactive.

I have no problems with changes that make sense if there is a need because of numbers. But, to move kids just to equalize SES is ridiculous.

A couple years back, the Loudoun county school board voted to bus Latinos from one neighborhood to seven different elementary schools, when they lived in walking distance of two elementary schools. Mind you, this was not done for altruistic reasons but to protect real estate values, despite what was reported in the media. Just put it this way, realtors were totally involved in the lobbying & admitted privately that they were protecting their clients. They don’t do it in Eastern Loudoun that way. The schools there are all neighborhood schools, with high Latino populations.

I don't know the circumstances of this deision. I live in Fairfax.

However, I used to teach school and for a number of years I would have ESOL kids in my class. This was long ago and before we had requirements to have special help for those children. I taught first grade. When I had one or two ESOL kids in my class, they quickly learned English and were able to function int he classroom. However, when the numbers started growing to six or seven ESOL kids, the assimilation and English learning became far more difficult. Why? Because the kids formed a group and talked with one another on the playground and at lunch. Think about this--if you are in a large group of people who speak a different language, who are you going to hang with?
So, their English instruction depended on what I did with them in class--along with teaching everything else a first grade teacher must teach.

What I am saying, is there is some benefit to splitting up ESOL kids. It helps them learn English more quickly. However, when you have huge pockets of ESOL--it is impossible to do this. You would have buses crisscrossing the whole of FCPS.
Doing this, however, for real estate prices is not a valid action.

Yes, those types of arguments were made. But they need to do it across the board, not just in one part of the county. In Loudoun, it is all about power and money and rarely about the quality of education and idealism although they will spin it a different way. Also, those title I schools are doing pretty well in Eastern Loudoun because they have the resources. The only way you’re going to get that to happen and is through a lawsuit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We just moved to the Langley pyramid. My kids are young and a long ways from high school and I would welcome some diversity.

However, there is a HUGE bottleneck to get to Langley. I live only 2 miles from Langley and it can easily take half an hour just to get past the 495 entrance on Georgetown Pike. When there is an accident or bad weather, forget about it. There is also no public transportation so I think these low income students could potentially get stranded at school.

I think it makes more sense for all tysons area apartments to go to Langley. Just my 2 cents.

I don’t think it makes sense to move great falls students from an under enrolled high school to an overcrowded school, especially if they are so dead against it.

How many white people need to leave to make Langley ideal?

More than a third of the students aren't white.

Are you referring to socioeconomi diversity? Clearly it is nonexistent for you as a priority. Certainly not important enough for you to buy in another pyramid.

You are correct. Socioeconomic diversity was not the priority. Proximity to work and good schools were most important. We were looking at houses in Arlington and McLean. We chose the house we liked best in McLean and it happened to be in Langley pyramid.

You wanted to live near work and a good school and it just so happened that the good school pyramid you chose was lacking in diversity.

Okay.

We are actually Asian American. Langley is 25% Asian. I would not have cared if Langley was 5% or 25% Asian but this school district has far more Asians than our old school. I was actually really surprised how many Asian kids there are. My child’s AAP class is actually over 50% Asian.

There are less Hispanics and African Americans. However, my kids have made friends with more Persians and international students. These are not immigrants but children of diplomats that return to their home countries. Our international night was quite impressive and my kids are meeting people from various backgrounds.

I wasn't criticizing you for prioritizing a good school over diversity.
I wasn't criticizing you at all.


I thought we were discussing socioeconomic diversity so I'm not sure why you're bringing up the racial make up of Langley.



Everyone not set on the "Langley parents are afraid of brown children" narrative knows that Langley has many children from backgrounds other than Europe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I invite these GF families to go private. AS IF they will! I dare them! These people are way too cheap to leave. And if they do, it's better for the rest of the kids to be away from the racists.

Perhaps we will... by forming a proper City and seceding from Fairfax County, like Vienna and Falls Church have done. I for one am tired of having our (high-achieving) children used as pawns, and our (quite signifigant) tax dollars spent on pet projects elsewhere.

I don't know if population numbers/density supports that but there are smaller towns so I guess it could work.

This is what I find so laughable. Communities like yours eat up the lion's share of resources when you compare what you put in to versus what you actually take out. High density neighborhoods generate a far larger share of the tax revenue on all fronts. It's like comparing Northern VA to S. Va. Think abot how many tax dollars sit on 3 acres in high density areas vs on 3 acres in less dense areas. You are over inflating your importance to generation of tax revenue in the local economy.

If only all these self important rich people would leave Northern Virginia, it would be so much better.

Then there would be no more scheming to get their kids into the not-rich schools.

[Anonymous]

Busing does not work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I invite these GF families to go private. AS IF they will! I dare them! These people are way too cheap to leave. And if they do, it's better for the rest of the kids to be away from the racists.

Perhaps we will... by forming a proper City and seceding from Fairfax County, like Vienna and Falls Church have done. I for one am tired of having our (high-achieving) children used as pawns, and our (quite signifigant) tax dollars spent on pet projects elsewhere.

I don't know if population numbers/density supports that but there are smaller towns so I guess it could work.

This is what I find so laughable. Communities like yours eat up the lion's share of resources when you compare what you put in to versus what you actually take out. High density neighborhoods generate a far larger share of the tax revenue on all fronts. It's like comparing Northern VA to S. Va. Think abot how many tax dollars sit on 3 acres in high density areas vs on 3 acres in less dense areas. You are over inflating your importance to generation of tax revenue in the local economy.

If only all these self important rich people would leave Northern Virginia, it would be so much better.

Then there would be no more scheming to get their kids into the not-rich schools.

Look at all the resources those evil rich people are using:

Family Services Program Directory: Financial Assistance
Auxiliary Grants
Provides a supplemental check to resource- and income-eligible adults residing in licensed assisted living facilities or approved adult foster care homes.
703-324-7622

Child Care Assistance and Referral
Helps families find and pay for child care.
703-449-8484

Energy Assistance
Provides emergency fuel, crisis, and cooling assistance for income-eligible households.
703-324-4328

Family Access to Medical Insurance Security (FAMIS)
Medical coverage for children without health insurance but family exceeds Medicaid income level.
703-324-7500

General Relief
Temporary assistance/medical care for adults who are disabled or ill, and for certain children living with families unrelated to them.
703-324-7500

Medicaid - Adults
Help with medical care for low-income elderly, blind and disabled individuals; pregnant women, needy children and their caretakers; and refugees first entering the U.S.
703-324-7500

Medicaid - Long Term Care (LTC)
Medical assistance for eligible individuals who meet the financial and non-financial eligibility conditions.
703-324-7500

Medical Care for Children Partnership (MCCP)
Helps low-income families find reduced cost healthcare for children up to age 19 who are not eligible for Medicaid.
703-324-7315

Refugee Assistance
Refugee case assistance and refugee Medicaid assistance applications.
703-324-7500

SNAP Employment & Training (SNAPET)
Optional employment program for SNAP benefit recipients.
703-324-7500

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Nutrition assistance program for low-income individuals and families.
703-324-7500

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
Temporary financial assistance for income-eligible families with children.
703-324-7500

Virginia Initiative for Employment not Welfare (VIEW)
Supports families receiving TANF to achieve independence through employment.
703-324-7500

They TOTES rely on everyone else's taxes to subsidize food for their kids, and the larger community to feed them as well (HUGE food pantries at Langley and Cooper, and teachers send hundreds of kids home on Fridays with food to get them through the weekend). They rely on scholarships so that their kids can play sports and attend camps. They are the ones picking up free backpacks with school supplies in August and free winter coats in the fall.

I don't know what the process of becoming a city entails. But I don't think GF residents would be clamoring for lots and lots of services and the staff to administer them. Anyway, a smaller population means a smaller government so it would be entirely manageable. Several organizations are already handling community events and concerns, so the experience is already here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I invite these GF families to go private. AS IF they will! I dare them! These people are way too cheap to leave. And if they do, it's better for the rest of the kids to be away from the racists.

Perhaps we will... by forming a proper City and seceding from Fairfax County, like Vienna and Falls Church have done. I for one am tired of having our (high-achieving) children used as pawns, and our (quite signifigant) tax dollars spent on pet projects elsewhere.

I don't know if population numbers/density supports that but there are smaller towns so I guess it could work.

This is what I find so laughable. Communities like yours eat up the lion's share of resources when you compare what you put in to versus what you actually take out. High density neighborhoods generate a far larger share of the tax revenue on all fronts. It's like comparing Northern VA to S. Va. Think abot how many tax dollars sit on 3 acres in high density areas vs on 3 acres in less dense areas. You are over inflating your importance to generation of tax revenue in the local economy.

If only all these self important rich people would leave Northern Virginia, it would be so much better.

Then there would be no more scheming to get their kids into the not-rich schools.

Let's start with the dentists and medical doctors. We don't need those!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
In 2002-2003 Herndon HS had a F/R lunch rate of around 14%. The rate is now around 40%. Langley's rate meantime has barely moved and is around 2%. So some schools have seen a much larger impact. You can understand why people who bought a home in Herndon might be upset. They have seen drastic changes just in the lifetime of a baby growing into high school.

Blaming Langley parents is not going to engender much good will.

They do face unfortunate circumstances, I would not want to be in that position either. The difference is, I would find a way over, around, or under the problem instead of blaming the next school boundary over. Homeschool. Sell and move. Rent out the house and move. Stay and go private. Stay and find a way to send your kid elsewhere for public (there are a few ways).

The "if everyone can't have it, no one should" attitude doesn't help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
In 2002-2003 Herndon HS had a F/R lunch rate of around 14%. The rate is now around 40%. Langley's rate meantime has barely moved and is around 2%. So some schools have seen a much larger impact. You can understand why people who bought a home in Herndon might be upset. They have seen drastic changes just in the lifetime of a baby growing into high school.

Blaming Langley parents is not going to engender much good will.

They do face unfortunate circumstances, I would not want to be in that position either. The difference is, I would find a way over, around, or under the problem instead of blaming the next school boundary over. Homeschool. Sell and move. Rent out the house and move. Stay and go private. Stay and find a way to send your kid elsewhere for public (there are a few ways).

The "if everyone can't have it, no one should" attitude doesn't help.

I don't live in Great Falls. But, painting the whole community with such a broad brush is not going to help anyone.

One of the reasons they were sent to Langley to begin with is that McLean is so close and there are no other options to fill Langley. That is based on logistics.

Sitting in a different area, I can look at a map and see that. Where do you expect the kids to come from to fill Langley?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where do you expect the kids to come from to fill Langley?

My guess is that the school board is salivating at the prospect of zoning a bunch of apartments in Tysons to Langley.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where do you expect the kids to come from to fill Langley?

My guess is that the school board is salivating at the prospect of zoning a bunch of apartments in Tysons to Langley.

Some of the Tysons apartments already go to an elementary school that feeds primarily to Langley. Others do not, but are only four miles from Langley, or about 1/3 the distance to the school of some areas zoned for Langley.

I don’t know why anyone at Langley would take issue with moving at least some of those apartments to Langley when it has so much available space. It would still leave McLean and Marshall with other, lower-income apartments in Falls Church.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I think the changes to the boundary policy under consideration are intended to prevent future situations where, for example, some higher-income families get moved from Annandale to Woodson without anyone really taking a hard look at the longer-term implications. And, if Woodson then gets too crowded, we don’t build them an addition; we send kids back to Annandale if there is space.

If that’s unacceptable to whites or Asians, they can leave. But it stops the trend where FCPS itself has begun to treat certain schools as radioactive.

I have no problems with changes that make sense if there is a need because of numbers. But, to move kids just to equalize SES is ridiculous.

A couple years back, the Loudoun county school board voted to bus Latinos from one neighborhood to seven different elementary schools, when they lived in walking distance of two elementary schools. Mind you, this was not done for altruistic reasons but to protect real estate values, despite what was reported in the media. Just put it this way, realtors were totally involved in the lobbying & admitted privately that they were protecting their clients. They don’t do it in Eastern Loudoun that way. The schools there are all neighborhood schools, with high Latino populations.

Radioactive was when FCPS set up the 2 elementary magnets - choice enrollment - because it didn't want to make boundary changes. Hunters Woods and Bailey's. Still won't do a change and Evans the Bailey's SB member actually pointed out marketing Bailey's to an over capacity neighbor.

Here's another profile in courage "delivering equity in education" https://karen4schools.com/

Weirdest long term boundary in the county. Radioactive? IB Mount Vernon's middle school Whitman is in AP West Potomac's middle school Sandburg's attendance area. That area has residential streets and one pyramid is over capacity and another under. Mount Vernon only had 12 IB senior diplomas and 18 seniors in that program diploma track- source VDOE. Major pupil placement to West Potomac. With those IB stats the program should be dumped along with the pupil placements.


Prior to 7/22/19 some were talking like FCPS would go Wake County or Arlington Option across the board. Now they mentioned HOT SPOTS- Mclean to Langley?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I think the changes to the boundary policy under consideration are intended to prevent future situations where, for example, some higher-income families get moved from Annandale to Woodson without anyone really taking a hard look at the longer-term implications. And, if Woodson then gets too crowded, we don’t build them an addition; we send kids back to Annandale if there is space.

If that’s unacceptable to whites or Asians, they can leave. But it stops the trend where FCPS itself has begun to treat certain schools as radioactive.

I have no problems with changes that make sense if there is a need because of numbers. But, to move kids just to equalize SES is ridiculous.

A couple years back, the Loudoun county school board voted to bus Latinos from one neighborhood to seven different elementary schools, when they lived in walking distance of two elementary schools. Mind you, this was not done for altruistic reasons but to protect real estate values, despite what was reported in the media. Just put it this way, realtors were totally involved in the lobbying & admitted privately that they were protecting their clients. They don’t do it in Eastern Loudoun that way. The schools there are all neighborhood schools, with high Latino populations.

Radioactive was when FCPS set up the 2 elementary magnets - choice enrollment - because it didn't want to make boundary changes. Hunters Woods and Bailey's. Still won't do a change and Evans the Bailey's SB member actually pointed out marketing Bailey's to an over capacity neighbor.

Here's another profile in courage "delivering equity in education" https://karen4schools.com/

Weirdest long term boundary in the county. Radioactive? IB Mount Vernon's middle school Whitman is in AP West Potomac's middle school Sandburg's attendance area. That area has residential streets and one pyramid is over capacity and another under. Mount Vernon only had 12 IB senior diplomas and 18 seniors in that program diploma track- source VDOE. Major pupil placement to West Potomac. With those IB stats the program should be dumped along with the pupil placements.


Prior to 7/22/19 some were talking like FCPS would go Wake County or Arlington Option across the board. Now they mentioned HOT SPOTS- Mclean to Langley?

Half the board is retiring so who knows what they will do when the time comes

[Anonymous]

Mount Vernon only had 12 IB senior diplomas and 18 seniors in that program diploma track- source VDOE. Major pupil placement to West Potomac. With those IB stats the program should be dumped along with the pupil placements.

But, that would require common sense.