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.
“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.
Ha, I picture her as Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind, scribbling on some empty window somewhere. Except sociology, not economics, of course.
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.
PRECISELY. It makes no sense to constantly fret over two underenrolled schools. But really, it's just the one dodo doing the fretting. Other people have more important things to worry about.
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.
“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.
You're kind of a tool, and you repeat yourself more consistently than anyone else who has been posting.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
PRECISELY. It makes no sense to constantly fret over two underenrolled schools. But really, it's just the one dodo doing the fretting. Other people have more important things to worry about.
She typically posts during the day, when most of us have jobs to do, but I’m guessing she’s just bored and looking for an outlet. She should take up weed so that she can relax a bit.
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.
DP. What are you talking about? McLean? Haven't a bunch of McLean students been redistricted to Langley - and probably more to come? You are making up issues to blame on Langley. Very, very peculiar.
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.
“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.
You should go back and listen to the remarks of some of the School Board members who approved the Floris and Parklawn boundary changes. They said it would be the last "one-off" boundary studies they supported and that they wanted staff coming up with county-wide recommendations.
And, from a recent Kyle McDaniel newsletter: "On February 13th, the School Board will hold a work session to discuss a path forward that addresses significant gaps in existing policies, and creates a roadmap for a division wide boundary adjustment. In my comments last night, I stated that I will not support anymore one-off boundary changes until we overhaul these flawed policies, and implement a County-wide boundary study to fix the overcrowding that has plagued our schools for decades.
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.
+1
Wouldn't it be enlightening to know where this poster's own kids go to school? So telling that she refuses to cough up that information.
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.
“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.
The PP was being sarcastic. Of course Herndon parents are fine with it. It's just the one nutjob who is like a dog with a bone - and who doesn't even have kids at either Langley or Herndon but sure thinks she's going to dictate where other people's kids go to school.
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.
“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.
+1000
I know it's just the one poseur - I mean poster. So very transparent.
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.
“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.
Ha, I picture her as Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind, scribbling on some empty window somewhere. Except sociology, not economics, of course.
Or some conspiracy theorist with an evidence board and red string connecting all the nutty parts of her imagination, with Langley HS at the very center.
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.
“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.
You're kind of a tool, and you repeat yourself more consistently than anyone else who has been posting.
When the argument is unassailable, attack the person, right?
Everything I posted is accurate. Your views are wildly unpopular, and you only care about skin color and how much money someone has, not the content of her character.
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.
DP. What are you talking about? McLean? Haven't a bunch of McLean students been redistricted to Langley - and probably more to come? You are making up issues to blame on Langley. Very, very peculiar.
Both Marshall and McLean have temporary classrooms and according to FCPS could between them pick up hundreds more kids given all the new construction. Just today there was an article about a new townhouse complex being proposed off Idylwood Road in the Marshall district. And McLean remains well over capacity even with most of the last boundary change already phased in.
Certainly one solution is to move some more kids from those schools to Langley and then move part of Langley to Herndon, which is projected to be 28% below capacity in five years.
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.
“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.
You should go back and listen to the remarks of some of the School Board members who approved the Floris and Parklawn boundary changes. They said it would be the last "one-off" boundary studies they supported and that they wanted staff coming up with county-wide recommendations.
And, from a recent Kyle McDaniel newsletter: "On February 13th, the School Board will hold a work session to discuss a path forward that addresses significant gaps in existing policies, and creates a roadmap for a division wide boundary adjustment. In my comments last night, I stated that I will not support anymore one-off boundary changes until we overhaul these flawed policies, and implement a County-wide boundary study to fix the overcrowding that has plagued our schools for decades.
That didn't answer the question. I asked for links to support your assertion that the SB has specifically mentioned readjusting the Langley/Herndon boundary.
Forum Index
»
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS)
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
