King Abdullah Academy Closing: FCPS Buy for HS?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Ya'all should be concerned over the lack of transparency over this sale. Guaranteed it was an inside job for a long time coming and you should be holding your fcps people responsible because there were many bids even higher than fcps that were denied and turned down with legitimate funds in place. this was absolutely not a sale that happened by luck in the past few weeks. and if that is the inside dealing i would be concerned about the transparency of fcps to begin with.

Who knows, maybe the agreement was due to the fact that the County sold the land to the Saudi's with no real discussion to build the school many years back. Maybe the sale to FCPS was a return the favor. the article I just read said that the others bidding for the land where data centers and private users. I am fine with FCPS getting the school, especially since there should have been a HS built there over 10 years ago.

DP.

Rubber stamps are a big problem in this country, at all layers of government.

This is a lot less expensive then buying land and building a new building. And it is significantly faster. So the process saved time and money and we ended up with a new HS right were one was planned to be built years ago. I can see why you are concerned....

Sure, but with a lacking process it’s worth asking some questions about the $150 million transaction that just popped up out of nowhere and approved with little discussion.

Not really. A property unexpectedly became available that almost perfectly suited FCPS's needs, and they made an offer for it. There's nothing shady about it. Its actually one of the only smart things FCPS has done in quite some time.

Unquestioning buffoons get the government they deserve.

I think it is safe to say that this board has had plenty of people questioning FCPS decisions. The fact that most of the people on the board seem to be on board with the purchase of a pre built high school in one of the most crowded school areas in the county is a minor miracle. The only thing less surprising is that the Great Falls families are complaining about said purchase.

DP. Seems to me the county-wide win-win is if they pursue the new HS near Carson but also commit to expanding McLean and say that removing the bulk of the $450M currently allocated to a western HS from FCPS’s cash flow projections makes that possible in another decade or so.

Until that happens Great Falls will assume, and perhaps justifiably so, that the plan is to favor the Carson area with a new school, continue to move McLean kids into Langley, and eventually move part of Great Falls into Herndon. They don’t want that, and while you can insult them for their views, I don’t recall seeing people at Westfield or South Lakes keen to get moved into Herndon or people at Chantilly keen to move to Westfield.

This could be a great opportunity to engage in some longer-term planning that would make a lot of people happy, or it could turn out to be incredibly polarizing.

It sounds like a case could be made for McLean HS to jump the queue and get an out-of-cycle expansion, and that would assuage the fears of Great Falls parents having to associate with lowly Herndon. However, taking a stance against this much needed school as they have for the better part of the last two decades has turned many against them. They are actively trying to sabotage other communities rather than advocate for their own.

More lies from the Great Falls-hater - you really do have a chip the size of the moon on your shoulder. I really am starting to think your ex lives in great falls. Hence your obsession.

DP. Exactly. It's becoming increasingly obvious that the GF-hating troll isn't about to stop trashing that community. Really, really bizarre fixation that speaks volumes about that PP.

DP. People are reacting to several Next Door posts from Great Falls residents raising questions about the KAA acquisition. One post is from the head of the Citizens for Great Falls group, which put out a press release after the School Board meeting last week. Another is from a Great Falls resident who is on the BRAC.

+1 The people affected by the purchase have waited for this a long time. There were other actors vying for the property. Of course, they jumped on it. This area has had many boundary adjustments through the years and understand the disruption. THRU had some major disturbing changes proposed. This is because there is only one high school in close proximity and the School Board thinks there are too many students there. There are neighborhoods who have been switched high schools three times in recent history. And, another switch is proposed.

This is an opportunity for a true community high school.

Again - yes, all of this is true. But the community is still perfectly entitled to question where the money for this purchase magically came from.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So is everyone thinking given the lack of major renovations there is a possibility that it would open for the 26-27 school year or is 27-28 more viable?

This FFXNow article says, "The property and its extensive amenities — including an indoor swimming pool, three gyms, a theater, and ceramics and robotics studios — could be ready for temporary use in the upcoming school year and become fully operational for fall 2026."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ya'all should be concerned over the lack of transparency over this sale. Guaranteed it was an inside job for a long time coming and you should be holding your fcps people responsible because there were many bids even higher than fcps that were denied and turned down with legitimate funds in place. this was absolutely not a sale that happened by luck in the past few weeks. and if that is the inside dealing i would be concerned about the transparency of fcps to begin with.

Who knows, maybe the agreement was due to the fact that the County sold the land to the Saudi's with no real discussion to build the school many years back. Maybe the sale to FCPS was a return the favor. the article I just read said that the others bidding for the land where data centers and private users. I am fine with FCPS getting the school, especially since there should have been a HS built there over 10 years ago.

DP.

Rubber stamps are a big problem in this country, at all layers of government.

This is a lot less expensive then buying land and building a new building. And it is significantly faster. So the process saved time and money and we ended up with a new HS right were one was planned to be built years ago. I can see why you are concerned....

Sure, but with a lacking process it’s worth asking some questions about the $150 million transaction that just popped up out of nowhere and approved with little discussion.

Not really. A property unexpectedly became available that almost perfectly suited FCPS's needs, and they made an offer for it. There's nothing shady about it. Its actually one of the only smart things FCPS has done in quite some time.

Unquestioning buffoons get the government they deserve.

I think it is safe to say that this board has had plenty of people questioning FCPS decisions. The fact that most of the people on the board seem to be on board with the purchase of a pre built high school in one of the most crowded school areas in the county is a minor miracle. The only thing less surprising is that the Great Falls families are complaining about said purchase.

DP. Seems to me the county-wide win-win is if they pursue the new HS near Carson but also commit to expanding McLean and say that removing the bulk of the $450M currently allocated to a western HS from FCPS’s cash flow projections makes that possible in another decade or so.

Until that happens Great Falls will assume, and perhaps justifiably so, that the plan is to favor the Carson area with a new school, continue to move McLean kids into Langley, and eventually move part of Great Falls into Herndon. They don’t want that, and while you can insult them for their views, I don’t recall seeing people at Westfield or South Lakes keen to get moved into Herndon or people at Chantilly keen to move to Westfield.

This could be a great opportunity to engage in some longer-term planning that would make a lot of people happy, or it could turn out to be incredibly polarizing.

It sounds like a case could be made for McLean HS to jump the queue and get an out-of-cycle expansion, and that would assuage the fears of Great Falls parents having to associate with lowly Herndon. However, taking a stance against this much needed school as they have for the better part of the last two decades has turned many against them. They are actively trying to sabotage other communities rather than advocate for their own.

More lies from the Great Falls-hater - you really do have a chip the size of the moon on your shoulder. I really am starting to think your ex lives in great falls. Hence your obsession.

DP. Exactly. It's becoming increasingly obvious that the GF-hating troll isn't about to stop trashing that community. Really, really bizarre fixation that speaks volumes about that PP.

DP. People are reacting to several Next Door posts from Great Falls residents raising questions about the KAA acquisition. One post is from the head of the Citizens for Great Falls group, which put out a press release after the School Board meeting last week. Another is from a Great Falls resident who is on the BRAC.

+1 The people affected by the purchase have waited for this a long time. There were other actors vying for the property. Of course, they jumped on it. This area has had many boundary adjustments through the years and understand the disruption. THRU had some major disturbing changes proposed. This is because there is only one high school in close proximity and the School Board thinks there are too many students there. There are neighborhoods who have been switched high schools three times in recent history. And, another switch is proposed.

This is an opportunity for a true community high school.

^ This is it exactly. So much excitement to not be switched around anymore, and which group is trying to trash the idea? The Citizens for Great Falls and the BRAC woman on Nextdoor. Why is it only they are being vocal opponents of this? Pretty easy to see through their fake outrage and suss out their true motives with just a tiny bit of critical thinking.

You are such a nitwit - no one is opposing the school itself. They are asking where the money for it came from, when FCPS wasn't even able to give its staff a full 7% raise. If you continue spinning this into some kind of fake narrative, it's probably time to ask for your idiotic posts to be deleted.

Won't the money come from bond funds already set aside for CIPs? That's not mondy that can be used for staff raises.

The only bond money that FCPS has previously allocated to a new western HS is $25 million for land acquisition. All the other costs associated with a future western HS have been described as unfunded in the CIPs.

Presumably they can move money around but we don’t know yet how they’ll do that or what other projects might be delayed or canceled.

You’re right that the capital budget is distinct from the operating budget that includes employee salaries. If they open a new HS they will incur higher operating costs on a recurring basis after the school opens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ya'all should be concerned over the lack of transparency over this sale. Guaranteed it was an inside job for a long time coming and you should be holding your fcps people responsible because there were many bids even higher than fcps that were denied and turned down with legitimate funds in place. this was absolutely not a sale that happened by luck in the past few weeks. and if that is the inside dealing i would be concerned about the transparency of fcps to begin with.

Who knows, maybe the agreement was due to the fact that the County sold the land to the Saudi's with no real discussion to build the school many years back. Maybe the sale to FCPS was a return the favor. the article I just read said that the others bidding for the land where data centers and private users. I am fine with FCPS getting the school, especially since there should have been a HS built there over 10 years ago.

DP.

Rubber stamps are a big problem in this country, at all layers of government.

This is a lot less expensive then buying land and building a new building. And it is significantly faster. So the process saved time and money and we ended up with a new HS right were one was planned to be built years ago. I can see why you are concerned....

Sure, but with a lacking process it’s worth asking some questions about the $150 million transaction that just popped up out of nowhere and approved with little discussion.

Not really. A property unexpectedly became available that almost perfectly suited FCPS's needs, and they made an offer for it. There's nothing shady about it. Its actually one of the only smart things FCPS has done in quite some time.

Unquestioning buffoons get the government they deserve.

I think it is safe to say that this board has had plenty of people questioning FCPS decisions. The fact that most of the people on the board seem to be on board with the purchase of a pre built high school in one of the most crowded school areas in the county is a minor miracle. The only thing less surprising is that the Great Falls families are complaining about said purchase.

DP. Seems to me the county-wide win-win is if they pursue the new HS near Carson but also commit to expanding McLean and say that removing the bulk of the $450M currently allocated to a western HS from FCPS’s cash flow projections makes that possible in another decade or so.

Until that happens Great Falls will assume, and perhaps justifiably so, that the plan is to favor the Carson area with a new school, continue to move McLean kids into Langley, and eventually move part of Great Falls into Herndon. They don’t want that, and while you can insult them for their views, I don’t recall seeing people at Westfield or South Lakes keen to get moved into Herndon or people at Chantilly keen to move to Westfield.

This could be a great opportunity to engage in some longer-term planning that would make a lot of people happy, or it could turn out to be incredibly polarizing.

It sounds like a case could be made for McLean HS to jump the queue and get an out-of-cycle expansion, and that would assuage the fears of Great Falls parents having to associate with lowly Herndon. However, taking a stance against this much needed school as they have for the better part of the last two decades has turned many against them. They are actively trying to sabotage other communities rather than advocate for their own.

More lies from the Great Falls-hater - you really do have a chip the size of the moon on your shoulder. I really am starting to think your ex lives in great falls. Hence your obsession.

DP. Exactly. It's becoming increasingly obvious that the GF-hating troll isn't about to stop trashing that community. Really, really bizarre fixation that speaks volumes about that PP.

DP. People are reacting to several Next Door posts from Great Falls residents raising questions about the KAA acquisition. One post is from the head of the Citizens for Great Falls group, which put out a press release after the School Board meeting last week. Another is from a Great Falls resident who is on the BRAC.

+1 The people affected by the purchase have waited for this a long time. There were other actors vying for the property. Of course, they jumped on it. This area has had many boundary adjustments through the years and understand the disruption. THRU had some major disturbing changes proposed. This is because there is only one high school in close proximity and the School Board thinks there are too many students there. There are neighborhoods who have been switched high schools three times in recent history. And, another switch is proposed.

This is an opportunity for a true community high school.

^ This is it exactly. So much excitement to not be switched around anymore, and which group is trying to trash the idea? The Citizens for Great Falls and the BRAC woman on Nextdoor. Why is it only they are being vocal opponents of this? Pretty easy to see through their fake outrage and suss out their true motives with just a tiny bit of critical thinking.

Ironic that in a post where you espouse the virtues of critical thinking, you appear to be devoid of any. Those posts, rather than being against your precious new school, question the process by which it is being obtained. If you can’t tell the difference between that and being against the school, then you’re even denser than I previously thought, which is a difficult feat to accomplish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ya'all should be concerned over the lack of transparency over this sale. Guaranteed it was an inside job for a long time coming and you should be holding your fcps people responsible because there were many bids even higher than fcps that were denied and turned down with legitimate funds in place. this was absolutely not a sale that happened by luck in the past few weeks. and if that is the inside dealing i would be concerned about the transparency of fcps to begin with.

Who knows, maybe the agreement was due to the fact that the County sold the land to the Saudi's with no real discussion to build the school many years back. Maybe the sale to FCPS was a return the favor. the article I just read said that the others bidding for the land where data centers and private users. I am fine with FCPS getting the school, especially since there should have been a HS built there over 10 years ago.

DP.

Rubber stamps are a big problem in this country, at all layers of government.

This is a lot less expensive then buying land and building a new building. And it is significantly faster. So the process saved time and money and we ended up with a new HS right were one was planned to be built years ago. I can see why you are concerned....

Sure, but with a lacking process it’s worth asking some questions about the $150 million transaction that just popped up out of nowhere and approved with little discussion.

Not really. A property unexpectedly became available that almost perfectly suited FCPS's needs, and they made an offer for it. There's nothing shady about it. Its actually one of the only smart things FCPS has done in quite some time.

Unquestioning buffoons get the government they deserve.

I think it is safe to say that this board has had plenty of people questioning FCPS decisions. The fact that most of the people on the board seem to be on board with the purchase of a pre built high school in one of the most crowded school areas in the county is a minor miracle. The only thing less surprising is that the Great Falls families are complaining about said purchase.

DP. Seems to me the county-wide win-win is if they pursue the new HS near Carson but also commit to expanding McLean and say that removing the bulk of the $450M currently allocated to a western HS from FCPS’s cash flow projections makes that possible in another decade or so.

Until that happens Great Falls will assume, and perhaps justifiably so, that the plan is to favor the Carson area with a new school, continue to move McLean kids into Langley, and eventually move part of Great Falls into Herndon. They don’t want that, and while you can insult them for their views, I don’t recall seeing people at Westfield or South Lakes keen to get moved into Herndon or people at Chantilly keen to move to Westfield.

This could be a great opportunity to engage in some longer-term planning that would make a lot of people happy, or it could turn out to be incredibly polarizing.

It sounds like a case could be made for McLean HS to jump the queue and get an out-of-cycle expansion, and that would assuage the fears of Great Falls parents having to associate with lowly Herndon. However, taking a stance against this much needed school as they have for the better part of the last two decades has turned many against them. They are actively trying to sabotage other communities rather than advocate for their own.

More lies from the Great Falls-hater - you really do have a chip the size of the moon on your shoulder. I really am starting to think your ex lives in great falls. Hence your obsession.

DP. Exactly. It's becoming increasingly obvious that the GF-hating troll isn't about to stop trashing that community. Really, really bizarre fixation that speaks volumes about that PP.

DP. People are reacting to several Next Door posts from Great Falls residents raising questions about the KAA acquisition. One post is from the head of the Citizens for Great Falls group, which put out a press release after the School Board meeting last week. Another is from a Great Falls resident who is on the BRAC.

+1 The people affected by the purchase have waited for this a long time. There were other actors vying for the property. Of course, they jumped on it. This area has had many boundary adjustments through the years and understand the disruption. THRU had some major disturbing changes proposed. This is because there is only one high school in close proximity and the School Board thinks there are too many students there. There are neighborhoods who have been switched high schools three times in recent history. And, another switch is proposed.

This is an opportunity for a true community high school.

^ This is it exactly. So much excitement to not be switched around anymore, and which group is trying to trash the idea? The Citizens for Great Falls and the BRAC woman on Nextdoor. Why is it only they are being vocal opponents of this? Pretty easy to see through their fake outrage and suss out their true motives with just a tiny bit of critical thinking.

Ironic that in a post where you espouse the virtues of critical thinking, you appear to be devoid of any. Those posts, rather than being against your precious new school, question the process by which it is being obtained. If you can’t tell the difference between that and being against the school, then you’re even denser than I previously thought, which is a difficult feat to accomplish.

So much vitroil. Someone struck a nerve!

[Anonymous]

The school will not be so beautiful anymore after a few years of being used by public school haha.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ya'all should be concerned over the lack of transparency over this sale. Guaranteed it was an inside job for a long time coming and you should be holding your fcps people responsible because there were many bids even higher than fcps that were denied and turned down with legitimate funds in place. this was absolutely not a sale that happened by luck in the past few weeks. and if that is the inside dealing i would be concerned about the transparency of fcps to begin with.

Who knows, maybe the agreement was due to the fact that the County sold the land to the Saudi's with no real discussion to build the school many years back. Maybe the sale to FCPS was a return the favor. the article I just read said that the others bidding for the land where data centers and private users. I am fine with FCPS getting the school, especially since there should have been a HS built there over 10 years ago.

DP.

Rubber stamps are a big problem in this country, at all layers of government.

This is a lot less expensive then buying land and building a new building. And it is significantly faster. So the process saved time and money and we ended up with a new HS right were one was planned to be built years ago. I can see why you are concerned....

Sure, but with a lacking process it’s worth asking some questions about the $150 million transaction that just popped up out of nowhere and approved with little discussion.

Not really. A property unexpectedly became available that almost perfectly suited FCPS's needs, and they made an offer for it. There's nothing shady about it. Its actually one of the only smart things FCPS has done in quite some time.

Unquestioning buffoons get the government they deserve.

I think it is safe to say that this board has had plenty of people questioning FCPS decisions. The fact that most of the people on the board seem to be on board with the purchase of a pre built high school in one of the most crowded school areas in the county is a minor miracle. The only thing less surprising is that the Great Falls families are complaining about said purchase.

DP. Seems to me the county-wide win-win is if they pursue the new HS near Carson but also commit to expanding McLean and say that removing the bulk of the $450M currently allocated to a western HS from FCPS’s cash flow projections makes that possible in another decade or so.

Until that happens Great Falls will assume, and perhaps justifiably so, that the plan is to favor the Carson area with a new school, continue to move McLean kids into Langley, and eventually move part of Great Falls into Herndon. They don’t want that, and while you can insult them for their views, I don’t recall seeing people at Westfield or South Lakes keen to get moved into Herndon or people at Chantilly keen to move to Westfield.

This could be a great opportunity to engage in some longer-term planning that would make a lot of people happy, or it could turn out to be incredibly polarizing.

It sounds like a case could be made for McLean HS to jump the queue and get an out-of-cycle expansion, and that would assuage the fears of Great Falls parents having to associate with lowly Herndon. However, taking a stance against this much needed school as they have for the better part of the last two decades has turned many against them. They are actively trying to sabotage other communities rather than advocate for their own.

More lies from the Great Falls-hater - you really do have a chip the size of the moon on your shoulder. I really am starting to think your ex lives in great falls. Hence your obsession.

DP. Exactly. It's becoming increasingly obvious that the GF-hating troll isn't about to stop trashing that community. Really, really bizarre fixation that speaks volumes about that PP.

DP. People are reacting to several Next Door posts from Great Falls residents raising questions about the KAA acquisition. One post is from the head of the Citizens for Great Falls group, which put out a press release after the School Board meeting last week. Another is from a Great Falls resident who is on the BRAC.

+1 The people affected by the purchase have waited for this a long time. There were other actors vying for the property. Of course, they jumped on it. This area has had many boundary adjustments through the years and understand the disruption. THRU had some major disturbing changes proposed. This is because there is only one high school in close proximity and the School Board thinks there are too many students there. There are neighborhoods who have been switched high schools three times in recent history. And, another switch is proposed.

This is an opportunity for a true community high school.

^ This is it exactly. So much excitement to not be switched around anymore, and which group is trying to trash the idea? The Citizens for Great Falls and the BRAC woman on Nextdoor. Why is it only they are being vocal opponents of this? Pretty easy to see through their fake outrage and suss out their true motives with just a tiny bit of critical thinking.

Ironic that in a post where you espouse the virtues of critical thinking, you appear to be devoid of any. Those posts, rather than being against your precious new school, question the process by which it is being obtained. If you can’t tell the difference between that and being against the school, then you’re even denser than I previously thought, which is a difficult feat to accomplish.

So much vitroil. Someone struck a nerve!

Yep, I like my neighbors -best around. I’m not a fan of when people make $hit up to unjustifiably go after others.

One of the biggest tells that someone is on the losing side of a position is when they lie. That poster is just straight up lying, and she knows it. You know it too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We live nearby. KAA does nothing for the surrounding community. Their teens don't volunteer at our rec league, I never see them out doing food drives or anything. They charge fees to use their fields.

Sweetheart, FCPS charges fees to use their fields, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So is everyone thinking given the lack of major renovations there is a possibility that it would open for the 26-27 school year or is 27-28 more viable?

This FFXNow article says, "The property and its extensive amenities — including an indoor swimming pool, three gyms, a theater, and ceramics and robotics studios — could be ready for temporary use in the upcoming school year and become fully operational for fall 2026."

I doubt FCPS will spend money to add more brock-and-mortar classrooms to this amenity rich campus. I think the Western High School (or West County HS) will simply be a smaller format high school with a minimal renovation over the next year (as necessary) and some trailers as needed until an expansion is funded by the CIP or desired. It could play the smaller, adjacent Loudoun high schools in sports.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ya'all should be concerned over the lack of transparency over this sale. Guaranteed it was an inside job for a long time coming and you should be holding your fcps people responsible because there were many bids even higher than fcps that were denied and turned down with legitimate funds in place. this was absolutely not a sale that happened by luck in the past few weeks. and if that is the inside dealing i would be concerned about the transparency of fcps to begin with.

Who knows, maybe the agreement was due to the fact that the County sold the land to the Saudi's with no real discussion to build the school many years back. Maybe the sale to FCPS was a return the favor. the article I just read said that the others bidding for the land where data centers and private users. I am fine with FCPS getting the school, especially since there should have been a HS built there over 10 years ago.

DP.

Rubber stamps are a big problem in this country, at all layers of government.

This is a lot less expensive then buying land and building a new building. And it is significantly faster. So the process saved time and money and we ended up with a new HS right were one was planned to be built years ago. I can see why you are concerned....

Sure, but with a lacking process it’s worth asking some questions about the $150 million transaction that just popped up out of nowhere and approved with little discussion.

Not really. A property unexpectedly became available that almost perfectly suited FCPS's needs, and they made an offer for it. There's nothing shady about it. Its actually one of the only smart things FCPS has done in quite some time.

Unquestioning buffoons get the government they deserve.

I think it is safe to say that this board has had plenty of people questioning FCPS decisions. The fact that most of the people on the board seem to be on board with the purchase of a pre built high school in one of the most crowded school areas in the county is a minor miracle. The only thing less surprising is that the Great Falls families are complaining about said purchase.

DP. Seems to me the county-wide win-win is if they pursue the new HS near Carson but also commit to expanding McLean and say that removing the bulk of the $450M currently allocated to a western HS from FCPS’s cash flow projections makes that possible in another decade or so.

Until that happens Great Falls will assume, and perhaps justifiably so, that the plan is to favor the Carson area with a new school, continue to move McLean kids into Langley, and eventually move part of Great Falls into Herndon. They don’t want that, and while you can insult them for their views, I don’t recall seeing people at Westfield or South Lakes keen to get moved into Herndon or people at Chantilly keen to move to Westfield.

This could be a great opportunity to engage in some longer-term planning that would make a lot of people happy, or it could turn out to be incredibly polarizing.

It sounds like a case could be made for McLean HS to jump the queue and get an out-of-cycle expansion, and that would assuage the fears of Great Falls parents having to associate with lowly Herndon. However, taking a stance against this much needed school as they have for the better part of the last two decades has turned many against them. They are actively trying to sabotage other communities rather than advocate for their own.

More lies from the Great Falls-hater - you really do have a chip the size of the moon on your shoulder. I really am starting to think your ex lives in great falls. Hence your obsession.

DP. Exactly. It's becoming increasingly obvious that the GF-hating troll isn't about to stop trashing that community. Really, really bizarre fixation that speaks volumes about that PP.

DP. People are reacting to several Next Door posts from Great Falls residents raising questions about the KAA acquisition. One post is from the head of the Citizens for Great Falls group, which put out a press release after the School Board meeting last week. Another is from a Great Falls resident who is on the BRAC.

+1 The people affected by the purchase have waited for this a long time. There were other actors vying for the property. Of course, they jumped on it. This area has had many boundary adjustments through the years and understand the disruption. THRU had some major disturbing changes proposed. This is because there is only one high school in close proximity and the School Board thinks there are too many students there. There are neighborhoods who have been switched high schools three times in recent history. And, another switch is proposed.

This is an opportunity for a true community high school.

^ This is it exactly. So much excitement to not be switched around anymore, and which group is trying to trash the idea? The Citizens for Great Falls and the BRAC woman on Nextdoor. Why is it only they are being vocal opponents of this? Pretty easy to see through their fake outrage and suss out their true motives with just a tiny bit of critical thinking.

Ironic that in a post where you espouse the virtues of critical thinking, you appear to be devoid of any. Those posts, rather than being against your precious new school, question the process by which it is being obtained. If you can’t tell the difference between that and being against the school, then you’re even denser than I previously thought, which is a difficult feat to accomplish.

So much vitroil. Someone struck a nerve!

DP. The PP is absolutely right. Grow up and stop being an immature troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So is everyone thinking given the lack of major renovations there is a possibility that it would open for the 26-27 school year or is 27-28 more viable?

This FFXNow article says, "The property and its extensive amenities — including an indoor swimming pool, three gyms, a theater, and ceramics and robotics studios — could be ready for temporary use in the upcoming school year and become fully operational for fall 2026."

I doubt FCPS will spend money to add more brock-and-mortar classrooms to this amenity rich campus. I think the Western High School (or West County HS) will simply be a smaller format high school with a minimal renovation over the next year (as necessary) and some trailers as needed until an expansion is funded by the CIP or desired. It could play the smaller, adjacent Loudoun high schools in sports.

The building square footage is the same size as Centreville HS (325,000 SF from the board docs vs 325,562 SF for Centreville HS before the pending renovation) plus it has an additional two 15,000 SF admin buildings there on the campus. Once they partition those large kindergarten rooms into individual classrooms with some simple framing and drywall and then scale up the student:teacher ratio I don't think it will be a "small format high school" at all.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Ya'all should be concerned over the lack of transparency over this sale. Guaranteed it was an inside job for a long time coming and you should be holding your fcps people responsible because there were many bids even higher than fcps that were denied and turned down with legitimate funds in place. this was absolutely not a sale that happened by luck in the past few weeks. and if that is the inside dealing i would be concerned about the transparency of fcps to begin with.

Who knows, maybe the agreement was due to the fact that the County sold the land to the Saudi's with no real discussion to build the school many years back. Maybe the sale to FCPS was a return the favor. the article I just read said that the others bidding for the land where data centers and private users. I am fine with FCPS getting the school, especially since there should have been a HS built there over 10 years ago.

DP.

Rubber stamps are a big problem in this country, at all layers of government.

This is a lot less expensive then buying land and building a new building. And it is significantly faster. So the process saved time and money and we ended up with a new HS right were one was planned to be built years ago. I can see why you are concerned....

Sure, but with a lacking process it’s worth asking some questions about the $150 million transaction that just popped up out of nowhere and approved with little discussion.

Not really. A property unexpectedly became available that almost perfectly suited FCPS's needs, and they made an offer for it. There's nothing shady about it. Its actually one of the only smart things FCPS has done in quite some time.

Unquestioning buffoons get the government they deserve.

I think it is safe to say that this board has had plenty of people questioning FCPS decisions. The fact that most of the people on the board seem to be on board with the purchase of a pre built high school in one of the most crowded school areas in the county is a minor miracle. The only thing less surprising is that the Great Falls families are complaining about said purchase.

DP. Seems to me the county-wide win-win is if they pursue the new HS near Carson but also commit to expanding McLean and say that removing the bulk of the $450M currently allocated to a western HS from FCPS’s cash flow projections makes that possible in another decade or so.

Until that happens Great Falls will assume, and perhaps justifiably so, that the plan is to favor the Carson area with a new school, continue to move McLean kids into Langley, and eventually move part of Great Falls into Herndon. They don’t want that, and while you can insult them for their views, I don’t recall seeing people at Westfield or South Lakes keen to get moved into Herndon or people at Chantilly keen to move to Westfield.

This could be a great opportunity to engage in some longer-term planning that would make a lot of people happy, or it could turn out to be incredibly polarizing.

It sounds like a case could be made for McLean HS to jump the queue and get an out-of-cycle expansion, and that would assuage the fears of Great Falls parents having to associate with lowly Herndon. However, taking a stance against this much needed school as they have for the better part of the last two decades has turned many against them. They are actively trying to sabotage other communities rather than advocate for their own.

More lies from the Great Falls-hater - you really do have a chip the size of the moon on your shoulder. I really am starting to think your ex lives in great falls. Hence your obsession.

DP. Exactly. It's becoming increasingly obvious that the GF-hating troll isn't about to stop trashing that community. Really, really bizarre fixation that speaks volumes about that PP.

DP. People are reacting to several Next Door posts from Great Falls residents raising questions about the KAA acquisition. One post is from the head of the Citizens for Great Falls group, which put out a press release after the School Board meeting last week. Another is from a Great Falls resident who is on the BRAC.

+1 The people affected by the purchase have waited for this a long time. There were other actors vying for the property. Of course, they jumped on it. This area has had many boundary adjustments through the years and understand the disruption. THRU had some major disturbing changes proposed. This is because there is only one high school in close proximity and the School Board thinks there are too many students there. There are neighborhoods who have been switched high schools three times in recent history. And, another switch is proposed.

This is an opportunity for a true community high school.

Again - yes, all of this is true. But the community is still perfectly entitled to question where the money for this purchase magically came from.

The ffxnow article mentioned that the previous plan for a western HS was to basically freeze the renovation queue for a couple of years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The school will not be so beautiful anymore after a few years of being used by public school haha.

Yes, it will be ruined by those grubby gross public school students.
Fcps should totally buy it and just let the KAA
families use it for free.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The school will not be so beautiful anymore after a few years of being used by public school haha.

Yes, it will be ruined by those grubby gross public school students.
Fcps should totally buy it and just let the KAA
families use it for free.

Yes, that is literally what the KAA families think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The school will not be so beautiful anymore after a few years of being used by public school haha.

Yes, it will be ruined by those grubby gross public school students.
Fcps should totally buy it and just let the KAA
families use it for free.

Yes, that is literally what the KAA families think.

Oh yeah, you can read the undertones of their posts. Their children are too good to mix with those nasty public school students.