School Board Forum on "Boundary and Capacity"

[Anonymous]

Why should zip codes be the ultimate defining line anyway? Isn't that just some USPS fabrication? There is probably a weak relationship between efficient mail service and corresponding bus routes, but really it shouldn't even be a consideration for boundaries.

[Anonymous]

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No mixed messages. I’ll be clear. If redistricting happened I would do everything I could legally do within my power to destroy the school boards’ political careers. And there are many well-resourced great falls residents who would likely do the same.

See, I’m a grown up!

Are you one of these people?

http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2019/jun/25/great-falls-residents-fired-school-issues/

Not very nice.

“Busing is not a consideration.” You gotta love the chutzpah. They absolutely were considering it and the proof is in the work sessions, which were recorded.

None of the following would be considered "bussing":

Sending Great Falls kids to Herndon

Sending some West Potomac kids to Mt. Vernon

Sending some West Springfield kids to Lewis

These are all schools that have adjoining boundaries. The last two should have been done on enrollment and capacity alone.

Has or is the School Board proposing to bus kids past multiple other schools just to achieve some desired demographic breakdown? That would be "bussing".

And here she goes off the deep end. Pretty soon she’s going to start railing against non native speakers again.

I was certainly not the previous poster that you refer to and I am not sure how anyone sane could interpret those potential changes listed above as "going off the deep end".

I agree with you. It's not going off the deep end. Why is west springfield an 8 and Lewis a 3 when they are literally right next to each other. I am going to say it why can't they even it out and both schools be 5. I am sure I will piss off everyone by saying that but so be it.

So, you hate excellence and would rather all schools be mediocre.

Thanks.

So excellence is Fairfax county is only for the kids with wealthy parents. Got it!

You’ve already admitted that the achievement isn’t coming from anything FCPS is doing differently for schools with fewer poor students.

It’s the disparity in Great Schools rankings triggering unfounded and unnecessary feelings of inferiority.

Scientifically known as “hateration.”

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Please fix the school boundaries in and around 20171. Thank you.

+1

This is the most urgent boundary crisis in the county.

Agree. Consistently ignored.

Unfortunately, that’s because some people fear a domino effect in their own district.

Probably true, but people might be more accepting when there are serious, long-term overcapacity issues that need to be addressed. Chantilly has been overcapacity for a decade. The Herndon/Langley discussion doesn't make any sense because both schools are under capacity, and it seems like people think there is some other motive for people pushing that agenda.

They want to soak the rich Forestville families - demonstrated extensively on this thread.

Agreed that H/L doesn’t make any sense, unless you are a paternalistic sociologist with no economics sense.

Forestville is a few miles from Herndon and 10-12 miles from Langley. In the mid-90s it got moved to Langley because Herndon was overcrowded. Now Langley is approaching full capacity and Herndon has space again. Not a hard call.

Not a hard call assumes that moving kids to different school pyramids comes without cost. That is a very wrong assumption.

It’s a pretty simple minded view. Moving all Forestville kids to Herndon would put Herndon close to 100% and drop Langley to around 75%, so you would actually make the supposed capacity issue worse. It’s quite a bit more complicated even from a numbers perspective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please fix the school boundaries in and around 20171. Thank you.

+1

This is the most urgent boundary crisis in the county.

Agree. Consistently ignored.

Unfortunately, that’s because some people fear a domino effect in their own district.

Probably true, but people might be more accepting when there are serious, long-term overcapacity issues that need to be addressed. Chantilly has been overcapacity for a decade. The Herndon/Langley discussion doesn't make any sense because both schools are under capacity, and it seems like people think there is some other motive for people pushing that agenda.

They want to soak the rich Forestville families - demonstrated extensively on this thread.

Agreed that H/L doesn’t make any sense, unless you are a paternalistic sociologist with no economics sense.

Forestville is a few miles from Herndon and 10-12 miles from Langley. In the mid-90s it got moved to Langley because Herndon was overcrowded. Now Langley is approaching full capacity and Herndon has space again. Not a hard call.

Not a hard call assumes that moving kids to different school pyramids comes without cost. That is a very wrong assumption.

It’s a pretty simple minded view. Moving all Forestville kids to Herndon would put Herndon close to 100% and drop Langley to around 75%, so you would actually make the supposed capacity issue worse. It’s quite a bit more complicated even from a numbers perspective.

Except they could also move other areas to Langley that are closer to Langley than Forestville, which would put Langley well above 75%. But we get it - you'd prefer to continue having kids at some schools in temporary classrooms so that kids who live 10-12 miles from Langley can continue to go there with no disruption.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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No mixed messages. I’ll be clear. If redistricting happened I would do everything I could legally do within my power to destroy the school boards’ political careers. And there are many well-resourced great falls residents who would likely do the same.

See, I’m a grown up!

Are you one of these people?

http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2019/jun/25/great-falls-residents-fired-school-issues/

Not very nice.

“Busing is not a consideration.” You gotta love the chutzpah. They absolutely were considering it and the proof is in the work sessions, which were recorded.

None of the following would be considered "bussing":

Sending Great Falls kids to Herndon

Sending some West Potomac kids to Mt. Vernon

Sending some West Springfield kids to Lewis

These are all schools that have adjoining boundaries. The last two should have been done on enrollment and capacity alone.

Has or is the School Board proposing to bus kids past multiple other schools just to achieve some desired demographic breakdown? That would be "bussing".

And here she goes off the deep end. Pretty soon she’s going to start railing against non native speakers again.

I was certainly not the previous poster that you refer to and I am not sure how anyone sane could interpret those potential changes listed above as "going off the deep end".

I agree with you. It's not going off the deep end. Why is west springfield an 8 and Lewis a 3 when they are literally right next to each other. I am going to say it why can't they even it out and both schools be 5. I am sure I will piss off everyone by saying that but so be it.

So, you hate excellence and would rather all schools be mediocre.

Thanks.

So excellence is Fairfax county is only for the kids with wealthy parents. Got it!

You’ve already admitted that the achievement isn’t coming from anything FCPS is doing differently for schools with fewer poor students.

It’s the disparity in Great Schools rankings triggering unfounded and unnecessary feelings of inferiority.

Scientifically known as “hateration.”

That's some serious word salad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please fix the school boundaries in and around 20171. Thank you.

+1

This is the most urgent boundary crisis in the county.

Agree. Consistently ignored.

Unfortunately, that’s because some people fear a domino effect in their own district.

Probably true, but people might be more accepting when there are serious, long-term overcapacity issues that need to be addressed. Chantilly has been overcapacity for a decade. The Herndon/Langley discussion doesn't make any sense because both schools are under capacity, and it seems like people think there is some other motive for people pushing that agenda.

They want to soak the rich Forestville families - demonstrated extensively on this thread.

Agreed that H/L doesn’t make any sense, unless you are a paternalistic sociologist with no economics sense.

Forestville is a few miles from Herndon and 10-12 miles from Langley. In the mid-90s it got moved to Langley because Herndon was overcrowded. Now Langley is approaching full capacity and Herndon has space again. Not a hard call.

Not a hard call assumes that moving kids to different school pyramids comes without cost. That is a very wrong assumption.

It’s a pretty simple minded view. Moving all Forestville kids to Herndon would put Herndon close to 100% and drop Langley to around 75%, so you would actually make the supposed capacity issue worse. It’s quite a bit more complicated even from a numbers perspective.

Except they could also move other areas to Langley that are closer to Langley than Forestville, which would put Langley well above 75%. But we get it - you'd prefer to continue having kids at some schools in temporary classrooms so that kids who live 10-12 miles from Langley can continue to go there with no disruption.

It’s funny how you agitate to move kids like pawns on a chessboard all over the county, disrupting lives in the process, but when somebody makes a point that runs counter to your single track narrative, you accuse them of nefarious intent and not caring about kids, or you say that their English is bad. I’m going to hazard a guess that you’re not a very fun person to be around IRL.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:What is so incredibly fascinating to me, is that none of the current school board members’ campaign webpages mentioned redistricting as an issue. It’s almost like they know how immensely unpopular those efforts are going to be.

If they can’t even work up the nerve to publicly state the intent while running for the board, what business do they have trying to ram it through once elected?

+1
After the nutty poster insisted that the SB was going to be redistricting ANY DAY NOW, I looked them all up. There is nothing at all about it, and certainly nothing about the schools being mentioned here. I wonder why that is! Could it be that there is no issue with these particular schools and that psycho poster thinks if she talks about often enough, it will suddenly become an issue?

Literally no one has said the SB will be redistricting any day now.

However, as PP noted they have decided to update the boundary policy and some School Board members have said this is a prelude to a county-wide boundary study.

A county-wide study would not change all the boundaries; rather, it would adjust those boundaries throughout the county that are found to warrant adjustment at the same time.

The usual suspects get all worked up that it's a plot to kick them out of their precious Langley, and try to derail any such efforts before they are even undertaken, to the detriment of everyone else.

Where do your kids go to school?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Send all the Tysons spill over from McLean to Langley and put them in their own special but official region so we can be done with them. Problem solved.

Sorry, I’m not ready to turn away from your prior racist comments about people who don’t speak English good enough. We haven’t talked that through yet, especially given your stance as a SJW.

Sorry, I’m not the person you’ve been spitting at.

I think it is important to call out racists when they post, especially when they masquerade as being an ally to the downtrodden by advocating for redistricting. We can’t let racism slide in our society. I won’t tolerate it.

How is suggesting separating Langley from the Dranesville District an issue? I’m exhausted by the entitlement of some of those parents. I resent the fact that they think going to HHS will be a detriment to their children. What a load of crock. I want Langley out of our region, so that we can focus on education and not property values.
—HHS parent

DP. I highly, highly doubt you are a HHS parent. But nice trolling.

You would be VERY wrong.

Ok. Assuming you actually are an HHS parent, please explain exactly why you want Forestville students to be redistricted to Herndon.

I don’t and never said I did. If a boundary study says it makes sense fine, but really I hope they don’t get added because I don’t want to put up with their incessant whining about how the school is harming their children (as they (you??) cited as a reason upthread). As if HHS is any worse than any other school in FCPS for their children. In fact their children would likely thrive at HHS but that won’t ever resonate with them for … reasons.

So here we have an HHS parent saying she does not want Forestville kids added to Herndon. Noted. So the poster who is obsessed with this (non)issue - you still haven't told us where YOUR kids go to school. I can bet with 100% certainty it isn't Herndon HS. It's some school that isn't even in the same area. So do tell us! What is it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
No mixed messages. I’ll be clear. If redistricting happened I would do everything I could legally do within my power to destroy the school boards’ political careers. And there are many well-resourced great falls residents who would likely do the same.

See, I’m a grown up!

Are you one of these people?

http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2019/jun/25/great-falls-residents-fired-school-issues/

Not very nice.

DP. I'm not any of the people in that article, but I agree wholeheartedly with all of them. How is it "not very nice" to simply state the obvious: that FCPS prioritizes "diversity" over academics. Truth.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:
No mixed messages. I’ll be clear. If redistricting happened I would do everything I could legally do within my power to destroy the school boards’ political careers. And there are many well-resourced great falls residents who would likely do the same.

See, I’m a grown up!

Are you one of these people?

http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2019/jun/25/great-falls-residents-fired-school-issues/

Not very nice.

“Busing is not a consideration.” You gotta love the chutzpah. They absolutely were considering it and the proof is in the work sessions, which were recorded.

None of the following would be considered "bussing":

Sending Great Falls kids to Herndon

Sending some West Potomac kids to Mt. Vernon

Sending some West Springfield kids to Lewis

These are all schools that have adjoining boundaries. The last two should have been done on enrollment and capacity alone.

Has or is the School Board proposing to bus kids past multiple other schools just to achieve some desired demographic breakdown? That would be "bussing".

+1. And going by FCPS projections sending Great Falls kids to Herndon in the not-too-distant future also should be done based on enrollment and capacity alone.

Yawn, we’ve dismantled all of this so many times in the previous hundreds of posts on this thread, I grow weary of destroying your arguments, just to have you regurgitate them. Quantity does not equal quantity.

To frame this debate though, you are just one aggravating poster on a barely read obscure discussion board. In the real world, there are hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of real! Fairfax county residents that would line up against a county wide redistricting. Certainly thousands of great falls residents would fight tooth and nail, but really no one wants their kids to move school districts.

You have ambitious dreams to drive Fairfax County into a mediocre-at-best, lowest common denominator school district, I will give you that. But man, if that ever came to fruition, the county as a whole would have significant regrets, with no way to put the cat back in the bag. I’d say be careful what you wish for, but we all know you’re blinded by this goal.

Oh, and one last point, we still haven’t forgotten your broadside racist screed against non native English speakers. Remember that hypocritical rant?

You're essentially admitting that FCPS's best schools are only excellent because they're able to segregate the poor and low-achieving kids away to other buildings; such that if mass mixing were to occur, FCPS would cease to be great. Regardless of the politics and whatnot, that's not a good defense of our school system. FCPS is great not because it has been able to maintain high reputations for roughly half of it's pyramids through segregation, but because it diligently funds even the poorest schools.

You can tell yourself whatever narrative you want, but nobody wants to move into the county not knowing what school district they get. The short term ramifications are that people would move or go private, and the long term ramifications are way worse - that people can’t trust that they would remain in whatever pyramid their house is currently in, hence significantly less interest in moving to Fairfax county. Think about why people move where they do, the number one reason is they like the schools.

As I mentioned, in the short term, people still have some good options when it comes to private schools. You might say good riddance getting the rich people out of the system, but again, you may want to be careful what you wish for - it’d be hard to get that tax basis back to fund “even the poorest schools”, when rich people no longer have an incentive to live in the county.

Because I know you are concerned, no need to worry about me. My kids will thrive regardless of what happens because we can afford the move or to send our kids private. I would lament the loss of the community that we’ve come to enjoy, but I guess that’s not the end of the world.

I do feel for the kids that get left behind in a mediocre school system, but, oh well, my kids will be just fine.

In the vernacular, this is the "I'll take my marbles and go home" argument. It's not especially convincing, since things that might send you running for the hills might also make it more likely for others to send their kids to, or keep their kids in, FCPS.

And, of course, the system doesn't become mediocre simply because a Langley feeder might get reassigned to Herndon (this is the tired "without me, you're nothing" argument). In years past, FCPS used to adjust boundaries annually, before the process became unduly politicized.

Again, tell yourself whatever narrative you want, and try pretending I’m making whatever argument suits you, but you know deep down that I’m right. And it’s not marbles, it’s tax dollars and school support that decreases, across the county. Believe it, don’t believe it, that’s fine, but it’s the reality that FCPS faces, whether you believe it or not.

I’d recommend an economics class for you, but I’m guessing that’s not your thing.

This is more about sociology than economics, and in particular your inflated sense of just how important you and your current neighbors are to the well-being of both the county and FCPS.

Adjusting boundaries such that kids who live much closer to Herndon than to Langley end up attending Herndon when Herndon has the space to accommodate them is unlikely to have any big impact effect. Some of you might go private or leave, and those who left would be replaced by other affluent people who are less racist and more confident in the ability of their children to learn without being surrounded entirely by upper-income families.

And there it is. Sociology. Least surprising thing I’ve read in this thread, and that’s saying something. Your lack of economic understanding gave that away before you even said it.

Four example, one of the most out there comments above: you think that all the people who leave will be replaced by affluent people who want to go to a less affluent school? Oh, sweet pie, that’s not the way the world works. I think your sociology teacher led you astray.

To counter your suggestion, there recently was a new Gulick development of $1.75-2.0M houses in the Justice High district that sold out in a few months, so nice areas in Great Falls would surely continue to attract affluent people even if they aren't zoned to Langley. Surely they have something else to recommend them other than some schools that are over 10 miles away.

Alexandria high school is what it is and they have lots of beautiful, expensive houses that occupied by families who send their children to private.

Government schools are a major factor in home-buying decisions, not the only one.
In the end those most affected by a declining government school are the working and middle class. My old high school was a top performer. 30 years later, my (wealthier) classmates who still live in town either send their own children to private or moved to a different neighborhood than the one they grew up in and their kids attend a school in the same system that now outranks our Alma mater.

We aren't talking about ACPS here.

If a Langley area got moved to Herndon, and the parents sent their kids to privates, they could move even more of Langley to Herndon to free up more space at Langley. As it turns out, many Langley families already send their kids to privates (probably a higher percentage than is the case among Herndon families).

Yup and Langley may very well decline. If it gets Herndon a little less English language learner poor Hispanic it may well help the temperaments of those middle and working class white people who are perennially mad about Langley hoarding the White and Asian children to whom they are entitled.

You are race obsessed. It is quite disgusting. Herndon parents seem fine with the demographics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
No mixed messages. I’ll be clear. If redistricting happened I would do everything I could legally do within my power to destroy the school boards’ political careers. And there are many well-resourced great falls residents who would likely do the same.

See, I’m a grown up!

Are you one of these people?

http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2019/jun/25/great-falls-residents-fired-school-issues/

Not very nice.

“Busing is not a consideration.” You gotta love the chutzpah. They absolutely were considering it and the proof is in the work sessions, which were recorded.

None of the following would be considered "bussing":

Sending Great Falls kids to Herndon

Sending some West Potomac kids to Mt. Vernon

Sending some West Springfield kids to Lewis

These are all schools that have adjoining boundaries. The last two should have been done on enrollment and capacity alone.

Has or is the School Board proposing to bus kids past multiple other schools just to achieve some desired demographic breakdown? That would be "bussing".

+1. And going by FCPS projections sending Great Falls kids to Herndon in the not-too-distant future also should be done based on enrollment and capacity alone.

What school do your kids go to? I'd like to let you know where they should be going instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
No mixed messages. I’ll be clear. If redistricting happened I would do everything I could legally do within my power to destroy the school boards’ political careers. And there are many well-resourced great falls residents who would likely do the same.

See, I’m a grown up!

Are you one of these people?

http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2019/jun/25/great-falls-residents-fired-school-issues/

Not very nice.

“Busing is not a consideration.” You gotta love the chutzpah. They absolutely were considering it and the proof is in the work sessions, which were recorded.

None of the following would be considered "bussing":

Sending Great Falls kids to Herndon

Sending some West Potomac kids to Mt. Vernon

Sending some West Springfield kids to Lewis

These are all schools that have adjoining boundaries. The last two should have been done on enrollment and capacity alone.

Has or is the School Board proposing to bus kids past multiple other schools just to achieve some desired demographic breakdown? That would be "bussing".

+1. And going by FCPS projections sending Great Falls kids to Herndon in the not-too-distant future also should be done based on enrollment and capacity alone.

What school do your kids go to? I'd like to let you know where they should be going instead.

That redistricting advocate is responsible for a couple hundred of the posts on this thread. She just repeats the same talking points over and over again, using almost the exact same language. I think she just wants to give the impression that there are a lot of people who support her views, when, in reality, she’s in the distinct minority in her quest to equalize the schools, no matter the cost.

Her world is one where individuals are measured by skin color and pocketbook, nothing else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
No mixed messages. I’ll be clear. If redistricting happened I would do everything I could legally do within my power to destroy the school boards’ political careers. And there are many well-resourced great falls residents who would likely do the same.

See, I’m a grown up!

Are you one of these people?

http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2019/jun/25/great-falls-residents-fired-school-issues/

Not very nice.

“Busing is not a consideration.” You gotta love the chutzpah. They absolutely were considering it and the proof is in the work sessions, which were recorded.

None of the following would be considered "bussing":

Sending Great Falls kids to Herndon

Sending some West Potomac kids to Mt. Vernon

Sending some West Springfield kids to Lewis

These are all schools that have adjoining boundaries. The last two should have been done on enrollment and capacity alone.

Has or is the School Board proposing to bus kids past multiple other schools just to achieve some desired demographic breakdown? That would be "bussing".

+1. And going by FCPS projections sending Great Falls kids to Herndon in the not-too-distant future also should be done based on enrollment and capacity alone.

Yawn, we’ve dismantled all of this so many times in the previous hundreds of posts on this thread, I grow weary of destroying your arguments, just to have you regurgitate them. Quantity does not equal quantity.

To frame this debate though, you are just one aggravating poster on a barely read obscure discussion board. In the real world, there are hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of real! Fairfax county residents that would line up against a county wide redistricting. Certainly thousands of great falls residents would fight tooth and nail, but really no one wants their kids to move school districts.

You have ambitious dreams to drive Fairfax County into a mediocre-at-best, lowest common denominator school district, I will give you that. But man, if that ever came to fruition, the county as a whole would have significant regrets, with no way to put the cat back in the bag. I’d say be careful what you wish for, but we all know you’re blinded by this goal.

Oh, and one last point, we still haven’t forgotten your broadside racist screed against non native English speakers. Remember that hypocritical rant?

You're essentially admitting that FCPS's best schools are only excellent because they're able to segregate the poor and low-achieving kids away to other buildings; such that if mass mixing were to occur, FCPS would cease to be great. Regardless of the politics and whatnot, that's not a good defense of our school system. FCPS is great not because it has been able to maintain high reputations for roughly half of it's pyramids through segregation, but because it diligently funds even the poorest schools.

You can tell yourself whatever narrative you want, but nobody wants to move into the county not knowing what school district they get. The short term ramifications are that people would move or go private, and the long term ramifications are way worse - that people can’t trust that they would remain in whatever pyramid their house is currently in, hence significantly less interest in moving to Fairfax county. Think about why people move where they do, the number one reason is they like the schools.

As I mentioned, in the short term, people still have some good options when it comes to private schools. You might say good riddance getting the rich people out of the system, but again, you may want to be careful what you wish for - it’d be hard to get that tax basis back to fund “even the poorest schools”, when rich people no longer have an incentive to live in the county.

Because I know you are concerned, no need to worry about me. My kids will thrive regardless of what happens because we can afford the move or to send our kids private. I would lament the loss of the community that we’ve come to enjoy, but I guess that’s not the end of the world.

I do feel for the kids that get left behind in a mediocre school system, but, oh well, my kids will be just fine.

In the vernacular, this is the "I'll take my marbles and go home" argument. It's not especially convincing, since things that might send you running for the hills might also make it more likely for others to send their kids to, or keep their kids in, FCPS.

And, of course, the system doesn't become mediocre simply because a Langley feeder might get reassigned to Herndon (this is the tired "without me, you're nothing" argument). In years past, FCPS used to adjust boundaries annually, before the process became unduly politicized.

Again, tell yourself whatever narrative you want, and try pretending I’m making whatever argument suits you, but you know deep down that I’m right. And it’s not marbles, it’s tax dollars and school support that decreases, across the county. Believe it, don’t believe it, that’s fine, but it’s the reality that FCPS faces, whether you believe it or not.

I’d recommend an economics class for you, but I’m guessing that’s not your thing.

This is more about sociology than economics, and in particular your inflated sense of just how important you and your current neighbors are to the well-being of both the county and FCPS.

Adjusting boundaries such that kids who live much closer to Herndon than to Langley end up attending Herndon when Herndon has the space to accommodate them is unlikely to have any big impact effect. Some of you might go private or leave, and those who left would be replaced by other affluent people who are less racist and more confident in the ability of their children to learn without being surrounded entirely by upper-income families.

And there it is. Sociology. Least surprising thing I’ve read in this thread, and that’s saying something. Your lack of economic understanding gave that away before you even said it.

Four example, one of the most out there comments above: you think that all the people who leave will be replaced by affluent people who want to go to a less affluent school? Oh, sweet pie, that’s not the way the world works. I think your sociology teacher led you astray.

To counter your suggestion, there recently was a new Gulick development of $1.75-2.0M houses in the Justice High district that sold out in a few months, so nice areas in Great Falls would surely continue to attract affluent people even if they aren't zoned to Langley. Surely they have something else to recommend them other than some schools that are over 10 miles away.

Alexandria high school is what it is and they have lots of beautiful, expensive houses that occupied by families who send their children to private.

Government schools are a major factor in home-buying decisions, not the only one.
In the end those most affected by a declining government school are the working and middle class. My old high school was a top performer. 30 years later, my (wealthier) classmates who still live in town either send their own children to private or moved to a different neighborhood than the one they grew up in and their kids attend a school in the same system that now outranks our Alma mater.

We aren't talking about ACPS here.

If a Langley area got moved to Herndon, and the parents sent their kids to privates, they could move even more of Langley to Herndon to free up more space at Langley. As it turns out, many Langley families already send their kids to privates (probably a higher percentage than is the case among Herndon families).

Yup and Langley may very well decline. If it gets Herndon a little less English language learner poor Hispanic it may well help the temperaments of those middle and working class white people who are perennially mad about Langley hoarding the White and Asian children to whom they are entitled.

You are race obsessed. It is quite disgusting. Herndon parents seem fine with the demographics.

I don't know sounds like this poster is classist. Us white middle and working class white folks, lol. You got my number. How dare you Langley parents hoard all the Asian children. As if. Chantilly has quite a high Asian population. This thread has officially jumped the tracks.

[Anonymous]

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No mixed messages. I’ll be clear. If redistricting happened I would do everything I could legally do within my power to destroy the school boards’ political careers. And there are many well-resourced great falls residents who would likely do the same.

See, I’m a grown up!

Are you one of these people?

http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/news/2019/jun/25/great-falls-residents-fired-school-issues/

Not very nice.

“Busing is not a consideration.” You gotta love the chutzpah. They absolutely were considering it and the proof is in the work sessions, which were recorded.

None of the following would be considered "bussing":

Sending Great Falls kids to Herndon

Sending some West Potomac kids to Mt. Vernon

Sending some West Springfield kids to Lewis

These are all schools that have adjoining boundaries. The last two should have been done on enrollment and capacity alone.

Has or is the School Board proposing to bus kids past multiple other schools just to achieve some desired demographic breakdown? That would be "bussing".

+1. And going by FCPS projections sending Great Falls kids to Herndon in the not-too-distant future also should be done based on enrollment and capacity alone.

Yawn, we’ve dismantled all of this so many times in the previous hundreds of posts on this thread, I grow weary of destroying your arguments, just to have you regurgitate them. Quantity does not equal quantity.

To frame this debate though, you are just one aggravating poster on a barely read obscure discussion board. In the real world, there are hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of real! Fairfax county residents that would line up against a county wide redistricting. Certainly thousands of great falls residents would fight tooth and nail, but really no one wants their kids to move school districts.

You have ambitious dreams to drive Fairfax County into a mediocre-at-best, lowest common denominator school district, I will give you that. But man, if that ever came to fruition, the county as a whole would have significant regrets, with no way to put the cat back in the bag. I’d say be careful what you wish for, but we all know you’re blinded by this goal.

Oh, and one last point, we still haven’t forgotten your broadside racist screed against non native English speakers. Remember that hypocritical rant?

Sorry, snowflake, but the projections in the latest CIP basically make the case for moving the western part of Langley to Herndon. If you have a problem with the new projections, take them up with FCPS staff, not posters here.

It would be interesting to see "thousands" of Great Falls residents protest about their kids being assigned to a renovated, expanded school 3-4 miles away rather than to one over 10 miles away. It would be the ultimate Karen convention, and the ridicule - both local and national - would be non-stop. And it's not like many people in other parts of the county are going to take up your cause; to the contrary, it would be welcome by some and a matter of little to no concern to others.

Funny how you are celebrating a 5-year projection buried in a staff generated CIP (that is likely wrong, given the sharp decrease of HH students), and projecting that out to a de facto win for your cause. You are a long way from measuring the drapes on this, and it’d be a bumpy road to say the least.

And, sure, maybe non-great falls wouldn’t care about a Forestville redistricting, but they would care about a county wide redistricting, which is what McDaniel is discussing. The great falls protest would be due to kids being redistricted, but also property value hits. And, before you protest that property value doesn’t matter, I’m just telling you what would happen, whether you like it or not.

I wouldn't say the 5-year projection for Herndon is "buried" any more than other information in the CIP, which is FCPS's primary planning document when it comes to facilities and capital expenditures. It's reflected in multiple places in the document. And, while the CIP is prepared by the staff, it is approved by the School Board.

I did not treat this as a "de facto win" for any "cause." You previously implied that the projections resulting in Herndon being 28% below capacity by 2028 had been doctored by FCPS "bureaucrats." While I don't necessarily agree with that assertion, I pointed out that, if that were the case, it would increase rather than decrease the likelihood of a boundary change since you clearly implied the "fix" was already in. Perhaps you did not consider the implications of your own argument before posting.

Looking at the projections more broadly, FCPS has several schools in eastern Fairfax (McLean, Marshall) that are projected to remain overcrowded and that rely on temporary classrooms (modulars, trailers), Langley projected to be at roughly full capacity, Herndon sitting at 28% below capacity, and numerous neighborhoods in Great Falls that are closer to Herndon than to Langley. Does the School Board not have a fiduciary obligation to students (if not a legal obligation to taxpayers) to consider the efficient use of its facilities and ongoing transportation costs?

Finally, if the current School Board gets a staff recommendation over the coming years to reassign part of Great Falls to Herndon, I can't imagine that Robyn Lady, Jimmy Bierman, or any other local politician is going to lose much sleep if some folks in Great Falls are upset (and standing up to Great Falls might even enhance their standing were they were to run for higher office). But, any such decisions should be made based on what's in the best interests of FCPS as a whole, not what's politically expedient.

DP. Could you link to exactly where any of this speculation is actually discussed by the SB? Because from reading this thread, it seems very clear that you are spinning yourself up in imagining this completely hypothetical situation. IOW, it seems like you're the only person who cares so very deeply about this little corner of FCPS and I'd really love to know why that is. And also, where your OWN kids attend school.

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Anonymous wrote:Please fix the school boundaries in and around 20171. Thank you.

+1

This is the most urgent boundary crisis in the county.

Agree. Consistently ignored.

Not according to the Herndon/Langley obsessed poster who thinks there is nothing more important to focus on than making sure some GF kids are sent to Herndon, for reasons.