FCPS Boundary Review - New Maps

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the sale closed, where did the money come from? They never included the full purchase price in prior school bonds.

Do you think they're paying $150M in cash all at once? You ladies are so stupid.

Do tell. FCPS certainly hasn’t.

Some of you are going to be so disappointed when you aren’t among those benefiting from this school.

And others are going to equally if not more upset when they get moved to the school others clearly hope to escape.

Yeah, I do. Who accepts payments for a real estate sale? You may need to borrow money to pay for it, but typically yes, you write a really really big check.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Did the KAA sale go through? Wasn’t it supposed to close on 8/12?

The deal was supposed to have closed by 8/14, not 8/12. I would have thought there'd be a follow-up announcement if they were so sure this was actually a good deal.

Going to keep writhing until the bitter end I see. The deal closed, it's over. Might as well accept it.

No fanfare suggests there might be some buyer’s remorse. Will be interesting to see what comes next.

Or they're waiting until Monday because the Title IX email came out on Friday and they tend not to send out two emails about two different things on the same day.

The FCPS media department posted three different items on Friday, so that's probably not the issue. But if you're one of Reid's flunkies, maybe you can pull together an email this week (or not).

I don't work for FCPS but I do live in the area that is going to be served by this high school. I think mommies like you that seem to hate our school system so much really should move. You have plenty of options. I hear great thinks about Prince Wiliiam and Loudon. Maybe their values are more similar to yours, too. You would be happier there.

Or maybe you're just the type of person who has nothing better to do than complain, complain, complain about everything. Do you have any friends? I'm guessing no.

Ooh, snap.

No, it’s just clear this is a muted roll-out from folks who apparently thought they were getting a bargain but then realized they were even sure what they were buying.

DP. What is it like to live in your own little world where you just make up your own reality? I see people (or maybe it’s just you) do this a lot when discussing FCPS decisions and actions. Trust me I am no fan of how the school board and Reid are going about things these days but it’s just bizarre to see people like you just fully make up intents and motives of people you have never met. The simplest explanation is usually the correct one. In this case they just don’t really have any new info to share so no point in sending an email.

When they voted to buy KAA, one of the conditions was to close by August 14th.

August 14th came and went, and they did not tell the public whether the purchase closed. Some people came on here and said they closed on August 15th, a day later, but still no confirmation by FCPS.

One way or the other, they ought to tell people whether they closed the deal. If they actually had clear plans for this building, they ought to share them, too, but that's probably asking for too much. It's not making up ANYTHING to point out key questions about this transaction still remain unanswered, whether it's because they are unwilling to share the information or because they don't know themselves.

Some would think our elected School Board ought to have a decent plan in mind before they drop over $150 million in taxpayer money on a buidling, but others are fine with their doing so as long as they think they might benefit personally.

Here’s what you need to know: the school board does not care about you or what you think or want. They will do whatever they think is best regardless of your opinion. They do not feel they owe you anything and any input they ask for is generally just for show. You will be happier i

My post got cut off. You will be happier if you accept this fact and focus on other things in your life. If you hate it so much you really are better off moving because life is short and you seem to be spending a lot of energy being mad about something over which you have no control.

Thanks, but some of us will continue to call out FCPS and its School Board for its incompetence and lack of transparency. If that bothers you, move on to other threads.

Agree that our School Board usually makes terrible decisions. However, this decision was a good on and rights a wrong from a few years ago when they let that property go. (Honestly, I'm sure they had great pressure from the BOS who likely had pressure from the federal government to save an embarrassing and sensitive situation.)
There is actually a need for this school.

It was more than a few years ago that they transferred that property to the Saudis. Since then they've expanded a number of other schools. Going by their own forecasts, adding another high school just creates more excess capacity by SY 2029-30. And there's no cost/benefit analysis to say KAA was the best use of supposedly limited FCPS funds.

Tell that to the kids in the area being split in different directions out of their area. Please remember, THRU plans to split additional neighborhoods and send kids on a 40 minute plus bus ride. This eliminates that plan.

And, which "expanded" schools are supposed to absorb these kids instead of putting them on long bus rides?

We'd already heard the sloppy Thru proposals are going to be substantially revised. You don't get to leverage that to justify a new school when the CIP shows substantial excess capacity in the aggregate by 2029 in the schools serving western Fairfax.

At a minimum, they should be committing now to scaling back the Centreville expansion substantially and canceling the Dunn Loring project entirely if they are spending over $150 M on this property. Otherwise other renovations just get delayed and other areas in need just continue to get screwed.

The area around KAA has been in need for a very long time. Centreville expansion may be scaled back. Changes and adjustments have been made many times through the years.
Get over it.

It's telling that they haven't identified the schools whose boundaries stand to be adjusted if this school becomes a typical HS rather than a specialized program, or it could delay the ongoing boundary review, yet they say it could open in the fall of 2026. Aim, ready, fire!

That new site better not become a magnet program.

It needs to be a real high school, attended by students within a maximum 15-20 minutes drive from the school. It also needs to contribute towards making as many middle schools as possible in that area into single feeder middle schools.

I get you have a vested interest, but dude, unless you inherited the house, you knew full and well the boundaries when you purchased it. Stop acting entitled.

Ironic, since neighborhoods near KAA have been shifted several times since many purchased their houses. So, your premise is incorrect. The area would like some stability.

DP, but the high school boundaries near KAA were last changed over 15 years ago. You don't want stability, you want a different school.

This area is split into four different high schools. Hopefully, that will end. And, don't forget, both Chantilly and Westfield need relief. You seem to forget that. In fact, Chantilly kids are being proposed for a 40 minute plus bus ride. In addition, there is lots of new construction.

One can always come up with an "area" split into multiple high schools. Vienna splits to Madison, Marshall, Oakton, South Lakes, McLean, and Falls Church. Annandale splits to Annandale, Falls Church, Justice, and Woodson. Should we insist on a single high school for each of Vienna and Annandale?

Chantilly and Westfield are both projected by FCPS to have surplus capacity in the coming years. It's in the latest CIP.

And there is new construction in other parts of the county. Did they do any analysis before deciding this area in particular deserves more seats now? If so, they haven't shared it, and the last CIP didn't call for any significant investment in a new western HS for at least six more years. New construction doesn't necessarily translate into enrollment growth because the additional students from a new development can vary and be negated by declines in enrollment from a school's existing neighborhoods.

What you want - and are thrilled the SB is apparently willing to use our money to fund - is a new school that you think will be better than your current school. The schools you want to avoid may decline further if they send kids to KAA, and the families asked to backfill those schools won't be thrilled, either. They will drag this out, and likely refuse to provide details for as long as possible, but when the honeymoon is over it's going to get ugly.

No. You don't get to decide what we want. What my neighborhood wants is a school that is a reasonable distance and will be a community school. We would like to be able to have our kids make friends that don't live miles and miles away. We want them to be able to participate in after school activities without having to depend on a late bus that takes forever. We would like a middle school that is not a 3/4 way split.

And, you can say there is NEW construction everywhere, but there is current new construction in this area and all the schools are full.

I agree with this. Students shouldn’t have to travel too far to go to high school. Who would want to waste at least an hour each day on the school bus and/or car? Add to that, more traffic on roads and air pollution, plus wear and tear on roads.

However there are some on this thread who happily schlep their high schoolers 10 plus miles, and will fight tooth and nail to avoid sending them to one that is 3-4 miles away, and it seems like they will get their way. So, apparently distance from high schools may not weigh as much when drawing boundary lines. So don’t get your hopes up. Sorry.

You are such a transparent, broken record it's comical.
DP

What part was not true?

DP. You’re just spewing your hateful opinion, so it is neither true nor false.

Your hatred of one particular pyramid, man, that will be studied by psychologists for centuries to come. With all that is going on in our area, it’s absurd that you continue to focus on your pet project so much, and hate so much the schooling decisions that some parents make for their own kids.

Langley mommies are so self centered. You do realize that what PP said could be said of many, many other schools in the area. Look at all the drama surrounding the rezoning of Timber Lane ES. Those families live closer to both Falls Church and Marshall but are desperate to stay zoned to McLean.

The dumbest take I’ve seen in a while, especially since she confirmed it a few posts back. 🥸

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Did the KAA sale go through? Wasn’t it supposed to close on 8/12?

The deal was supposed to have closed by 8/14, not 8/12. I would have thought there'd be a follow-up announcement if they were so sure this was actually a good deal.

Going to keep writhing until the bitter end I see. The deal closed, it's over. Might as well accept it.

No fanfare suggests there might be some buyer’s remorse. Will be interesting to see what comes next.

Or they're waiting until Monday because the Title IX email came out on Friday and they tend not to send out two emails about two different things on the same day.

The FCPS media department posted three different items on Friday, so that's probably not the issue. But if you're one of Reid's flunkies, maybe you can pull together an email this week (or not).

I don't work for FCPS but I do live in the area that is going to be served by this high school. I think mommies like you that seem to hate our school system so much really should move. You have plenty of options. I hear great thinks about Prince Wiliiam and Loudon. Maybe their values are more similar to yours, too. You would be happier there.

Or maybe you're just the type of person who has nothing better to do than complain, complain, complain about everything. Do you have any friends? I'm guessing no.

Ooh, snap.

No, it’s just clear this is a muted roll-out from folks who apparently thought they were getting a bargain but then realized they were even sure what they were buying.

DP. What is it like to live in your own little world where you just make up your own reality? I see people (or maybe it’s just you) do this a lot when discussing FCPS decisions and actions. Trust me I am no fan of how the school board and Reid are going about things these days but it’s just bizarre to see people like you just fully make up intents and motives of people you have never met. The simplest explanation is usually the correct one. In this case they just don’t really have any new info to share so no point in sending an email.

When they voted to buy KAA, one of the conditions was to close by August 14th.

August 14th came and went, and they did not tell the public whether the purchase closed. Some people came on here and said they closed on August 15th, a day later, but still no confirmation by FCPS.

One way or the other, they ought to tell people whether they closed the deal. If they actually had clear plans for this building, they ought to share them, too, but that's probably asking for too much. It's not making up ANYTHING to point out key questions about this transaction still remain unanswered, whether it's because they are unwilling to share the information or because they don't know themselves.

Some would think our elected School Board ought to have a decent plan in mind before they drop over $150 million in taxpayer money on a buidling, but others are fine with their doing so as long as they think they might benefit personally.

Here’s what you need to know: the school board does not care about you or what you think or want. They will do whatever they think is best regardless of your opinion. They do not feel they owe you anything and any input they ask for is generally just for show. You will be happier i

My post got cut off. You will be happier if you accept this fact and focus on other things in your life. If you hate it so much you really are better off moving because life is short and you seem to be spending a lot of energy being mad about something over which you have no control.

Thanks, but some of us will continue to call out FCPS and its School Board for its incompetence and lack of transparency. If that bothers you, move on to other threads.

Agree that our School Board usually makes terrible decisions. However, this decision was a good on and rights a wrong from a few years ago when they let that property go. (Honestly, I'm sure they had great pressure from the BOS who likely had pressure from the federal government to save an embarrassing and sensitive situation.)
There is actually a need for this school.

It was more than a few years ago that they transferred that property to the Saudis. Since then they've expanded a number of other schools. Going by their own forecasts, adding another high school just creates more excess capacity by SY 2029-30. And there's no cost/benefit analysis to say KAA was the best use of supposedly limited FCPS funds.

Tell that to the kids in the area being split in different directions out of their area. Please remember, THRU plans to split additional neighborhoods and send kids on a 40 minute plus bus ride. This eliminates that plan.

And, which "expanded" schools are supposed to absorb these kids instead of putting them on long bus rides?

We'd already heard the sloppy Thru proposals are going to be substantially revised. You don't get to leverage that to justify a new school when the CIP shows substantial excess capacity in the aggregate by 2029 in the schools serving western Fairfax.

At a minimum, they should be committing now to scaling back the Centreville expansion substantially and canceling the Dunn Loring project entirely if they are spending over $150 M on this property. Otherwise other renovations just get delayed and other areas in need just continue to get screwed.

The area around KAA has been in need for a very long time. Centreville expansion may be scaled back. Changes and adjustments have been made many times through the years.
Get over it.

It's telling that they haven't identified the schools whose boundaries stand to be adjusted if this school becomes a typical HS rather than a specialized program, or it could delay the ongoing boundary review, yet they say it could open in the fall of 2026. Aim, ready, fire!

That new site better not become a magnet program.

It needs to be a real high school, attended by students within a maximum 15-20 minutes drive from the school. It also needs to contribute towards making as many middle schools as possible in that area into single feeder middle schools.

I get you have a vested interest, but dude, unless you inherited the house, you knew full and well the boundaries when you purchased it. Stop acting entitled.

Ironic, since neighborhoods near KAA have been shifted several times since many purchased their houses. So, your premise is incorrect. The area would like some stability.

DP, but the high school boundaries near KAA were last changed over 15 years ago. You don't want stability, you want a different school.

This area is split into four different high schools. Hopefully, that will end. And, don't forget, both Chantilly and Westfield need relief. You seem to forget that. In fact, Chantilly kids are being proposed for a 40 minute plus bus ride. In addition, there is lots of new construction.

One can always come up with an "area" split into multiple high schools. Vienna splits to Madison, Marshall, Oakton, South Lakes, McLean, and Falls Church. Annandale splits to Annandale, Falls Church, Justice, and Woodson. Should we insist on a single high school for each of Vienna and Annandale?

Chantilly and Westfield are both projected by FCPS to have surplus capacity in the coming years. It's in the latest CIP.

And there is new construction in other parts of the county. Did they do any analysis before deciding this area in particular deserves more seats now? If so, they haven't shared it, and the last CIP didn't call for any significant investment in a new western HS for at least six more years. New construction doesn't necessarily translate into enrollment growth because the additional students from a new development can vary and be negated by declines in enrollment from a school's existing neighborhoods.

What you want - and are thrilled the SB is apparently willing to use our money to fund - is a new school that you think will be better than your current school. The schools you want to avoid may decline further if they send kids to KAA, and the families asked to backfill those schools won't be thrilled, either. They will drag this out, and likely refuse to provide details for as long as possible, but when the honeymoon is over it's going to get ugly.

DP. I think your premise that PP wants to get into a better school is flawed. We are currently zoned for Oakton but live in an area that could get rezoned to KAA if it were to become a regular high school. I am not seeing how KAA would be “better” than Oakton other than being smaller and a nicer building. The schools that would feed into KAA would likely be much more socioeconomically diverse than those that currently feed into Oakton. I think some people will be upset if they get moved from Oakton to KAA. I wouldn’t say KAA is likely to be better than Chantilly either. Maybe better than South Lakes or Westfield but probably not in any measurable way. I really think PP is someone who would just prefer their kids attend a HS closer to home and maybe sees a benefit to a smaller HS. That’s not the same as being moved out of a “bad” school.

SAME. We are zoned for Oakton. We bought our house because it was zoned to Oakton, which is one of the most highly rated, "desirable" high schools in FCPS. KAA is likely to have a much more diverse population (read: low income families) than Oakton. As a new high school, it won't get immediately get the best teachers, best coaches, best administrators, etc., and will probably be lacking in equipment for a few years, too. It won't be as good as Oakton but it will be 5 minutes from our home instead of 20+ and this makes it desirable to us. Anyone who thinks this is going to be somehow better than Oakton or Chantilly is thinking purely about building itself (oh and by the way, this school is unlikely to start with a football field or baseball diamond either) and not everything that actually makes a good school good.

There’s a very good chance no one from Oakton will end up at KAA but some might get moved to South Lakes since Floris will surely move unless KAA is a magnet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If the sale closed, where did the money come from? They never included the full purchase price in prior school bonds.

Do you think they're paying $150M in cash all at once? You ladies are so stupid.

Do tell. FCPS certainly hasn’t.

Some of you are going to be so disappointed when you aren’t among those benefiting from this school.

And others are going to equally if not more upset when they get moved to the school others clearly hope to escape.

Yeah, I do. Who accepts payments for a real estate sale? You may need to borrow money to pay for it, but typically yes, you write a really really big check.

Wow you're dumb. Borrowing money is different than paying in cash.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Did the KAA sale go through? Wasn’t it supposed to close on 8/12?

The deal was supposed to have closed by 8/14, not 8/12. I would have thought there'd be a follow-up announcement if they were so sure this was actually a good deal.

Going to keep writhing until the bitter end I see. The deal closed, it's over. Might as well accept it.

No fanfare suggests there might be some buyer’s remorse. Will be interesting to see what comes next.

Or they're waiting until Monday because the Title IX email came out on Friday and they tend not to send out two emails about two different things on the same day.

The FCPS media department posted three different items on Friday, so that's probably not the issue. But if you're one of Reid's flunkies, maybe you can pull together an email this week (or not).

I don't work for FCPS but I do live in the area that is going to be served by this high school. I think mommies like you that seem to hate our school system so much really should move. You have plenty of options. I hear great thinks about Prince Wiliiam and Loudon. Maybe their values are more similar to yours, too. You would be happier there.

Or maybe you're just the type of person who has nothing better to do than complain, complain, complain about everything. Do you have any friends? I'm guessing no.

Ooh, snap.

No, it’s just clear this is a muted roll-out from folks who apparently thought they were getting a bargain but then realized they were even sure what they were buying.

DP. What is it like to live in your own little world where you just make up your own reality? I see people (or maybe it’s just you) do this a lot when discussing FCPS decisions and actions. Trust me I am no fan of how the school board and Reid are going about things these days but it’s just bizarre to see people like you just fully make up intents and motives of people you have never met. The simplest explanation is usually the correct one. In this case they just don’t really have any new info to share so no point in sending an email.

When they voted to buy KAA, one of the conditions was to close by August 14th.

August 14th came and went, and they did not tell the public whether the purchase closed. Some people came on here and said they closed on August 15th, a day later, but still no confirmation by FCPS.

One way or the other, they ought to tell people whether they closed the deal. If they actually had clear plans for this building, they ought to share them, too, but that's probably asking for too much. It's not making up ANYTHING to point out key questions about this transaction still remain unanswered, whether it's because they are unwilling to share the information or because they don't know themselves.

Some would think our elected School Board ought to have a decent plan in mind before they drop over $150 million in taxpayer money on a buidling, but others are fine with their doing so as long as they think they might benefit personally.

Here’s what you need to know: the school board does not care about you or what you think or want. They will do whatever they think is best regardless of your opinion. They do not feel they owe you anything and any input they ask for is generally just for show. You will be happier i

My post got cut off. You will be happier if you accept this fact and focus on other things in your life. If you hate it so much you really are better off moving because life is short and you seem to be spending a lot of energy being mad about something over which you have no control.

Thanks, but some of us will continue to call out FCPS and its School Board for its incompetence and lack of transparency. If that bothers you, move on to other threads.

Agree that our School Board usually makes terrible decisions. However, this decision was a good on and rights a wrong from a few years ago when they let that property go. (Honestly, I'm sure they had great pressure from the BOS who likely had pressure from the federal government to save an embarrassing and sensitive situation.)
There is actually a need for this school.

It was more than a few years ago that they transferred that property to the Saudis. Since then they've expanded a number of other schools. Going by their own forecasts, adding another high school just creates more excess capacity by SY 2029-30. And there's no cost/benefit analysis to say KAA was the best use of supposedly limited FCPS funds.

Tell that to the kids in the area being split in different directions out of their area. Please remember, THRU plans to split additional neighborhoods and send kids on a 40 minute plus bus ride. This eliminates that plan.

And, which "expanded" schools are supposed to absorb these kids instead of putting them on long bus rides?

We'd already heard the sloppy Thru proposals are going to be substantially revised. You don't get to leverage that to justify a new school when the CIP shows substantial excess capacity in the aggregate by 2029 in the schools serving western Fairfax.

At a minimum, they should be committing now to scaling back the Centreville expansion substantially and canceling the Dunn Loring project entirely if they are spending over $150 M on this property. Otherwise other renovations just get delayed and other areas in need just continue to get screwed.

The area around KAA has been in need for a very long time. Centreville expansion may be scaled back. Changes and adjustments have been made many times through the years.
Get over it.

It's telling that they haven't identified the schools whose boundaries stand to be adjusted if this school becomes a typical HS rather than a specialized program, or it could delay the ongoing boundary review, yet they say it could open in the fall of 2026. Aim, ready, fire!

That new site better not become a magnet program.

It needs to be a real high school, attended by students within a maximum 15-20 minutes drive from the school. It also needs to contribute towards making as many middle schools as possible in that area into single feeder middle schools.

I get you have a vested interest, but dude, unless you inherited the house, you knew full and well the boundaries when you purchased it. Stop acting entitled.

Ironic, since neighborhoods near KAA have been shifted several times since many purchased their houses. So, your premise is incorrect. The area would like some stability.

DP, but the high school boundaries near KAA were last changed over 15 years ago. You don't want stability, you want a different school.

This area is split into four different high schools. Hopefully, that will end. And, don't forget, both Chantilly and Westfield need relief. You seem to forget that. In fact, Chantilly kids are being proposed for a 40 minute plus bus ride. In addition, there is lots of new construction.

One can always come up with an "area" split into multiple high schools. Vienna splits to Madison, Marshall, Oakton, South Lakes, McLean, and Falls Church. Annandale splits to Annandale, Falls Church, Justice, and Woodson. Should we insist on a single high school for each of Vienna and Annandale?

Chantilly and Westfield are both projected by FCPS to have surplus capacity in the coming years. It's in the latest CIP.

And there is new construction in other parts of the county. Did they do any analysis before deciding this area in particular deserves more seats now? If so, they haven't shared it, and the last CIP didn't call for any significant investment in a new western HS for at least six more years. New construction doesn't necessarily translate into enrollment growth because the additional students from a new development can vary and be negated by declines in enrollment from a school's existing neighborhoods.

What you want - and are thrilled the SB is apparently willing to use our money to fund - is a new school that you think will be better than your current school. The schools you want to avoid may decline further if they send kids to KAA, and the families asked to backfill those schools won't be thrilled, either. They will drag this out, and likely refuse to provide details for as long as possible, but when the honeymoon is over it's going to get ugly.

DP. I think your premise that PP wants to get into a better school is flawed. We are currently zoned for Oakton but live in an area that could get rezoned to KAA if it were to become a regular high school. I am not seeing how KAA would be “better” than Oakton other than being smaller and a nicer building. The schools that would feed into KAA would likely be much more socioeconomically diverse than those that currently feed into Oakton. I think some people will be upset if they get moved from Oakton to KAA. I wouldn’t say KAA is likely to be better than Chantilly either. Maybe better than South Lakes or Westfield but probably not in any measurable way. I really think PP is someone who would just prefer their kids attend a HS closer to home and maybe sees a benefit to a smaller HS. That’s not the same as being moved out of a “bad” school.

SAME. We are zoned for Oakton. We bought our house because it was zoned to Oakton, which is one of the most highly rated, "desirable" high schools in FCPS. KAA is likely to have a much more diverse population (read: low income families) than Oakton. As a new high school, it won't get immediately get the best teachers, best coaches, best administrators, etc., and will probably be lacking in equipment for a few years, too. It won't be as good as Oakton but it will be 5 minutes from our home instead of 20+ and this makes it desirable to us. Anyone who thinks this is going to be somehow better than Oakton or Chantilly is thinking purely about building itself (oh and by the way, this school is unlikely to start with a football field or baseball diamond either) and not everything that actually makes a good school good.

KAA was sold with the furnishings and equipment. It is not enough for the increased size of the student population that will be there, but it is not starting from scratch. The student body is likely to be reasonably strong. If kids from Oak Hill and Floris are part of the school, maybe Fox Mill, over half the student body will be from low FARMs school with plenty of kids who have families strongly invested in college. I don't know enough about Coates and McNair to discuss the kids coming from those ES but I do know kids in our neighborhood who really like the kids from McNair and has asked their parents to pupil place at Westfield to stay with their MS friends, we are scheduled for SLHS.

The school will have a higher FARMs rate but the percentage of MC and UMC kids will be far higher than what it is a SLHS right now. I think the overall cohort will be solid. They have a year to put in a football field and baseball and softball diamonds. The land neighbors Carson so there is plenty of space. Or they play their games at a different field for a while. I am guessing that there will be teachers and staff happy to move to a newer building in the area.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Did the KAA sale go through? Wasn’t it supposed to close on 8/12?

The deal was supposed to have closed by 8/14, not 8/12. I would have thought there'd be a follow-up announcement if they were so sure this was actually a good deal.

Going to keep writhing until the bitter end I see. The deal closed, it's over. Might as well accept it.

No fanfare suggests there might be some buyer’s remorse. Will be interesting to see what comes next.

Or they're waiting until Monday because the Title IX email came out on Friday and they tend not to send out two emails about two different things on the same day.

The FCPS media department posted three different items on Friday, so that's probably not the issue. But if you're one of Reid's flunkies, maybe you can pull together an email this week (or not).

I don't work for FCPS but I do live in the area that is going to be served by this high school. I think mommies like you that seem to hate our school system so much really should move. You have plenty of options. I hear great thinks about Prince Wiliiam and Loudon. Maybe their values are more similar to yours, too. You would be happier there.

Or maybe you're just the type of person who has nothing better to do than complain, complain, complain about everything. Do you have any friends? I'm guessing no.

Ooh, snap.

No, it’s just clear this is a muted roll-out from folks who apparently thought they were getting a bargain but then realized they were even sure what they were buying.

DP. What is it like to live in your own little world where you just make up your own reality? I see people (or maybe it’s just you) do this a lot when discussing FCPS decisions and actions. Trust me I am no fan of how the school board and Reid are going about things these days but it’s just bizarre to see people like you just fully make up intents and motives of people you have never met. The simplest explanation is usually the correct one. In this case they just don’t really have any new info to share so no point in sending an email.

When they voted to buy KAA, one of the conditions was to close by August 14th.

August 14th came and went, and they did not tell the public whether the purchase closed. Some people came on here and said they closed on August 15th, a day later, but still no confirmation by FCPS.

One way or the other, they ought to tell people whether they closed the deal. If they actually had clear plans for this building, they ought to share them, too, but that's probably asking for too much. It's not making up ANYTHING to point out key questions about this transaction still remain unanswered, whether it's because they are unwilling to share the information or because they don't know themselves.

Some would think our elected School Board ought to have a decent plan in mind before they drop over $150 million in taxpayer money on a buidling, but others are fine with their doing so as long as they think they might benefit personally.

Here’s what you need to know: the school board does not care about you or what you think or want. They will do whatever they think is best regardless of your opinion. They do not feel they owe you anything and any input they ask for is generally just for show. You will be happier i

My post got cut off. You will be happier if you accept this fact and focus on other things in your life. If you hate it so much you really are better off moving because life is short and you seem to be spending a lot of energy being mad about something over which you have no control.

Thanks, but some of us will continue to call out FCPS and its School Board for its incompetence and lack of transparency. If that bothers you, move on to other threads.

Agree that our School Board usually makes terrible decisions. However, this decision was a good on and rights a wrong from a few years ago when they let that property go. (Honestly, I'm sure they had great pressure from the BOS who likely had pressure from the federal government to save an embarrassing and sensitive situation.)
There is actually a need for this school.

It was more than a few years ago that they transferred that property to the Saudis. Since then they've expanded a number of other schools. Going by their own forecasts, adding another high school just creates more excess capacity by SY 2029-30. And there's no cost/benefit analysis to say KAA was the best use of supposedly limited FCPS funds.

Tell that to the kids in the area being split in different directions out of their area. Please remember, THRU plans to split additional neighborhoods and send kids on a 40 minute plus bus ride. This eliminates that plan.

And, which "expanded" schools are supposed to absorb these kids instead of putting them on long bus rides?

We'd already heard the sloppy Thru proposals are going to be substantially revised. You don't get to leverage that to justify a new school when the CIP shows substantial excess capacity in the aggregate by 2029 in the schools serving western Fairfax.

At a minimum, they should be committing now to scaling back the Centreville expansion substantially and canceling the Dunn Loring project entirely if they are spending over $150 M on this property. Otherwise other renovations just get delayed and other areas in need just continue to get screwed.

The area around KAA has been in need for a very long time. Centreville expansion may be scaled back. Changes and adjustments have been made many times through the years.
Get over it.

It's telling that they haven't identified the schools whose boundaries stand to be adjusted if this school becomes a typical HS rather than a specialized program, or it could delay the ongoing boundary review, yet they say it could open in the fall of 2026. Aim, ready, fire!

That new site better not become a magnet program.

It needs to be a real high school, attended by students within a maximum 15-20 minutes drive from the school. It also needs to contribute towards making as many middle schools as possible in that area into single feeder middle schools.

I get you have a vested interest, but dude, unless you inherited the house, you knew full and well the boundaries when you purchased it. Stop acting entitled.

Ironic, since neighborhoods near KAA have been shifted several times since many purchased their houses. So, your premise is incorrect. The area would like some stability.

DP, but the high school boundaries near KAA were last changed over 15 years ago. You don't want stability, you want a different school.

This area is split into four different high schools. Hopefully, that will end. And, don't forget, both Chantilly and Westfield need relief. You seem to forget that. In fact, Chantilly kids are being proposed for a 40 minute plus bus ride. In addition, there is lots of new construction.

One can always come up with an "area" split into multiple high schools. Vienna splits to Madison, Marshall, Oakton, South Lakes, McLean, and Falls Church. Annandale splits to Annandale, Falls Church, Justice, and Woodson. Should we insist on a single high school for each of Vienna and Annandale?

Chantilly and Westfield are both projected by FCPS to have surplus capacity in the coming years. It's in the latest CIP.

And there is new construction in other parts of the county. Did they do any analysis before deciding this area in particular deserves more seats now? If so, they haven't shared it, and the last CIP didn't call for any significant investment in a new western HS for at least six more years. New construction doesn't necessarily translate into enrollment growth because the additional students from a new development can vary and be negated by declines in enrollment from a school's existing neighborhoods.

What you want - and are thrilled the SB is apparently willing to use our money to fund - is a new school that you think will be better than your current school. The schools you want to avoid may decline further if they send kids to KAA, and the families asked to backfill those schools won't be thrilled, either. They will drag this out, and likely refuse to provide details for as long as possible, but when the honeymoon is over it's going to get ugly.

DP. I think your premise that PP wants to get into a better school is flawed. We are currently zoned for Oakton but live in an area that could get rezoned to KAA if it were to become a regular high school. I am not seeing how KAA would be “better” than Oakton other than being smaller and a nicer building. The schools that would feed into KAA would likely be much more socioeconomically diverse than those that currently feed into Oakton. I think some people will be upset if they get moved from Oakton to KAA. I wouldn’t say KAA is likely to be better than Chantilly either. Maybe better than South Lakes or Westfield but probably not in any measurable way. I really think PP is someone who would just prefer their kids attend a HS closer to home and maybe sees a benefit to a smaller HS. That’s not the same as being moved out of a “bad” school.

SAME. We are zoned for Oakton. We bought our house because it was zoned to Oakton, which is one of the most highly rated, "desirable" high schools in FCPS. KAA is likely to have a much more diverse population (read: low income families) than Oakton. As a new high school, it won't get immediately get the best teachers, best coaches, best administrators, etc., and will probably be lacking in equipment for a few years, too. It won't be as good as Oakton but it will be 5 minutes from our home instead of 20+ and this makes it desirable to us. Anyone who thinks this is going to be somehow better than Oakton or Chantilly is thinking purely about building itself (oh and by the way, this school is unlikely to start with a football field or baseball diamond either) and not everything that actually makes a good school good.

There’s a very good chance no one from Oakton will end up at KAA but some might get moved to South Lakes since Floris will surely move unless KAA is a magnet.

That seems unlikely considering only a very small portion of Floris kids go to South Lakes.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Did the KAA sale go through? Wasn’t it supposed to close on 8/12?

The deal was supposed to have closed by 8/14, not 8/12. I would have thought there'd be a follow-up announcement if they were so sure this was actually a good deal.

Going to keep writhing until the bitter end I see. The deal closed, it's over. Might as well accept it.

No fanfare suggests there might be some buyer’s remorse. Will be interesting to see what comes next.

Or they're waiting until Monday because the Title IX email came out on Friday and they tend not to send out two emails about two different things on the same day.

The FCPS media department posted three different items on Friday, so that's probably not the issue. But if you're one of Reid's flunkies, maybe you can pull together an email this week (or not).

I don't work for FCPS but I do live in the area that is going to be served by this high school. I think mommies like you that seem to hate our school system so much really should move. You have plenty of options. I hear great thinks about Prince Wiliiam and Loudon. Maybe their values are more similar to yours, too. You would be happier there.

Or maybe you're just the type of person who has nothing better to do than complain, complain, complain about everything. Do you have any friends? I'm guessing no.

Ooh, snap.

No, it’s just clear this is a muted roll-out from folks who apparently thought they were getting a bargain but then realized they were even sure what they were buying.

DP. What is it like to live in your own little world where you just make up your own reality? I see people (or maybe it’s just you) do this a lot when discussing FCPS decisions and actions. Trust me I am no fan of how the school board and Reid are going about things these days but it’s just bizarre to see people like you just fully make up intents and motives of people you have never met. The simplest explanation is usually the correct one. In this case they just don’t really have any new info to share so no point in sending an email.

When they voted to buy KAA, one of the conditions was to close by August 14th.

August 14th came and went, and they did not tell the public whether the purchase closed. Some people came on here and said they closed on August 15th, a day later, but still no confirmation by FCPS.

One way or the other, they ought to tell people whether they closed the deal. If they actually had clear plans for this building, they ought to share them, too, but that's probably asking for too much. It's not making up ANYTHING to point out key questions about this transaction still remain unanswered, whether it's because they are unwilling to share the information or because they don't know themselves.

Some would think our elected School Board ought to have a decent plan in mind before they drop over $150 million in taxpayer money on a buidling, but others are fine with their doing so as long as they think they might benefit personally.

Here’s what you need to know: the school board does not care about you or what you think or want. They will do whatever they think is best regardless of your opinion. They do not feel they owe you anything and any input they ask for is generally just for show. You will be happier i

My post got cut off. You will be happier if you accept this fact and focus on other things in your life. If you hate it so much you really are better off moving because life is short and you seem to be spending a lot of energy being mad about something over which you have no control.

Thanks, but some of us will continue to call out FCPS and its School Board for its incompetence and lack of transparency. If that bothers you, move on to other threads.

Agree that our School Board usually makes terrible decisions. However, this decision was a good on and rights a wrong from a few years ago when they let that property go. (Honestly, I'm sure they had great pressure from the BOS who likely had pressure from the federal government to save an embarrassing and sensitive situation.)
There is actually a need for this school.

It was more than a few years ago that they transferred that property to the Saudis. Since then they've expanded a number of other schools. Going by their own forecasts, adding another high school just creates more excess capacity by SY 2029-30. And there's no cost/benefit analysis to say KAA was the best use of supposedly limited FCPS funds.

Tell that to the kids in the area being split in different directions out of their area. Please remember, THRU plans to split additional neighborhoods and send kids on a 40 minute plus bus ride. This eliminates that plan.

And, which "expanded" schools are supposed to absorb these kids instead of putting them on long bus rides?

We'd already heard the sloppy Thru proposals are going to be substantially revised. You don't get to leverage that to justify a new school when the CIP shows substantial excess capacity in the aggregate by 2029 in the schools serving western Fairfax.

At a minimum, they should be committing now to scaling back the Centreville expansion substantially and canceling the Dunn Loring project entirely if they are spending over $150 M on this property. Otherwise other renovations just get delayed and other areas in need just continue to get screwed.

The area around KAA has been in need for a very long time. Centreville expansion may be scaled back. Changes and adjustments have been made many times through the years.
Get over it.

It's telling that they haven't identified the schools whose boundaries stand to be adjusted if this school becomes a typical HS rather than a specialized program, or it could delay the ongoing boundary review, yet they say it could open in the fall of 2026. Aim, ready, fire!

That new site better not become a magnet program.

It needs to be a real high school, attended by students within a maximum 15-20 minutes drive from the school. It also needs to contribute towards making as many middle schools as possible in that area into single feeder middle schools.

I get you have a vested interest, but dude, unless you inherited the house, you knew full and well the boundaries when you purchased it. Stop acting entitled.

Ironic, since neighborhoods near KAA have been shifted several times since many purchased their houses. So, your premise is incorrect. The area would like some stability.

DP, but the high school boundaries near KAA were last changed over 15 years ago. You don't want stability, you want a different school.

This area is split into four different high schools. Hopefully, that will end. And, don't forget, both Chantilly and Westfield need relief. You seem to forget that. In fact, Chantilly kids are being proposed for a 40 minute plus bus ride. In addition, there is lots of new construction.

One can always come up with an "area" split into multiple high schools. Vienna splits to Madison, Marshall, Oakton, South Lakes, McLean, and Falls Church. Annandale splits to Annandale, Falls Church, Justice, and Woodson. Should we insist on a single high school for each of Vienna and Annandale?

Chantilly and Westfield are both projected by FCPS to have surplus capacity in the coming years. It's in the latest CIP.

And there is new construction in other parts of the county. Did they do any analysis before deciding this area in particular deserves more seats now? If so, they haven't shared it, and the last CIP didn't call for any significant investment in a new western HS for at least six more years. New construction doesn't necessarily translate into enrollment growth because the additional students from a new development can vary and be negated by declines in enrollment from a school's existing neighborhoods.

What you want - and are thrilled the SB is apparently willing to use our money to fund - is a new school that you think will be better than your current school. The schools you want to avoid may decline further if they send kids to KAA, and the families asked to backfill those schools won't be thrilled, either. They will drag this out, and likely refuse to provide details for as long as possible, but when the honeymoon is over it's going to get ugly.

DP. I think your premise that PP wants to get into a better school is flawed. We are currently zoned for Oakton but live in an area that could get rezoned to KAA if it were to become a regular high school. I am not seeing how KAA would be “better” than Oakton other than being smaller and a nicer building. The schools that would feed into KAA would likely be much more socioeconomically diverse than those that currently feed into Oakton. I think some people will be upset if they get moved from Oakton to KAA. I wouldn’t say KAA is likely to be better than Chantilly either. Maybe better than South Lakes or Westfield but probably not in any measurable way. I really think PP is someone who would just prefer their kids attend a HS closer to home and maybe sees a benefit to a smaller HS. That’s not the same as being moved out of a “bad” school.

SAME. We are zoned for Oakton. We bought our house because it was zoned to Oakton, which is one of the most highly rated, "desirable" high schools in FCPS. KAA is likely to have a much more diverse population (read: low income families) than Oakton. As a new high school, it won't get immediately get the best teachers, best coaches, best administrators, etc., and will probably be lacking in equipment for a few years, too. It won't be as good as Oakton but it will be 5 minutes from our home instead of 20+ and this makes it desirable to us. Anyone who thinks this is going to be somehow better than Oakton or Chantilly is thinking purely about building itself (oh and by the way, this school is unlikely to start with a football field or baseball diamond either) and not everything that actually makes a good school good.

There’s a very good chance no one from Oakton will end up at KAA but some might get moved to South Lakes since Floris will surely move unless KAA is a magnet.

I would be surprised if Floris is not moved to KAA, it ends the ES split feeder. A good number of people think that Oak Hill will be placed at KAA, ending the long commute to Oakton. McNair and Coates are projected to move to KAA. The question most people have is will Crossfield, also sent to Oakton, or Fox Mill added to KAA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not sure if this has been brought up, but West Springfield HS has trailers installed this year for the first time since the renovation was completed. I was not expecting that, because even though the CIP numbers say the school is overcrowded, my student's class numbers have been reasonable, cafeteria isn't crowded, etc.

It did strike me to wonder how having classes in trailers will impact community support of boundary changes. I feel like most of the discussion has been to just leave the boundary as is, from both those with potential to change and those without, but maybe adding trailers will change that vibe?

2 trailers (4 total rooms) is no big deal and what people want to get over this temporary peak until class of 2026 graduates. Once 2026 graduates, enrollment will start shrinking, gradually at first, then more noticeably.

Using trailers as a temporary solution is the best option over rezoning.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Did the KAA sale go through? Wasn’t it supposed to close on 8/12?

The deal was supposed to have closed by 8/14, not 8/12. I would have thought there'd be a follow-up announcement if they were so sure this was actually a good deal.

Going to keep writhing until the bitter end I see. The deal closed, it's over. Might as well accept it.

No fanfare suggests there might be some buyer’s remorse. Will be interesting to see what comes next.

Or they're waiting until Monday because the Title IX email came out on Friday and they tend not to send out two emails about two different things on the same day. :roll:

The FCPS media department posted three different items on Friday, so that's probably not the issue. But if you're one of Reid's flunkies, maybe you can pull together an email this week (or not).

I don't work for FCPS but I do live in the area that is going to be served by this high school. I think mommies like you that seem to hate our school system so much really should move. You have plenty of options. I hear great thinks about Prince Wiliiam and Loudon. Maybe their values are more similar to yours, too. You would be happier there.

Or maybe you're just the type of person who has nothing better to do than complain, complain, complain about everything. Do you have any friends? I'm guessing no.

Ooh, snap.

No, it’s just clear this is a muted roll-out from folks who apparently thought they were getting a bargain but then realized they were even sure what they were buying.

DP. What is it like to live in your own little world where you just make up your own reality? I see people (or maybe it’s just you) do this a lot when discussing FCPS decisions and actions. Trust me I am no fan of how the school board and Reid are going about things these days but it’s just bizarre to see people like you just fully make up intents and motives of people you have never met. The simplest explanation is usually the correct one. In this case they just don’t really have any new info to share so no point in sending an email.

When they voted to buy KAA, one of the conditions was to close by August 14th.

August 14th came and went, and they did not tell the public whether the purchase closed. Some people came on here and said they closed on August 15th, a day later, but still no confirmation by FCPS.

One way or the other, they ought to tell people whether they closed the deal. If they actually had clear plans for this building, they ought to share them, too, but that's probably asking for too much. It's not making up ANYTHING to point out key questions about this transaction still remain unanswered, whether it's because they are unwilling to share the information or because they don't know themselves.

Some would think our elected School Board ought to have a decent plan in mind before they drop over $150 million in taxpayer money on a buidling, but others are fine with their doing so as long as they think they might benefit personally.

Here’s what you need to know: the school board does not care about you or what you think or want. They will do whatever they think is best regardless of your opinion. They do not feel they owe you anything and any input they ask for is generally just for show. You will be happier i

My post got cut off. You will be happier if you accept this fact and focus on other things in your life. If you hate it so much you really are better off moving because life is short and you seem to be spending a lot of energy being mad about something over which you have no control.

Thanks, but some of us will continue to call out FCPS and its School Board for its incompetence and lack of transparency. If that bothers you, move on to other threads.

Agree that our School Board usually makes terrible decisions. However, this decision was a good on and rights a wrong from a few years ago when they let that property go. (Honestly, I'm sure they had great pressure from the BOS who likely had pressure from the federal government to save an embarrassing and sensitive situation.)
There is actually a need for this school.

It was more than a few years ago that they transferred that property to the Saudis. Since then they've expanded a number of other schools. Going by their own forecasts, adding another high school just creates more excess capacity by SY 2029-30. And there's no cost/benefit analysis to say KAA was the best use of supposedly limited FCPS funds.

Tell that to the kids in the area being split in different directions out of their area. Please remember, THRU plans to split additional neighborhoods and send kids on a 40 minute plus bus ride. This eliminates that plan.

And, which "expanded" schools are supposed to absorb these kids instead of putting them on long bus rides?

We'd already heard the sloppy Thru proposals are going to be substantially revised. You don't get to leverage that to justify a new school when the CIP shows substantial excess capacity in the aggregate by 2029 in the schools serving western Fairfax.

At a minimum, they should be committing now to scaling back the Centreville expansion substantially and canceling the Dunn Loring project entirely if they are spending over $150 M on this property. Otherwise other renovations just get delayed and other areas in need just continue to get screwed.

The area around KAA has been in need for a very long time. Centreville expansion may be scaled back. Changes and adjustments have been made many times through the years.
Get over it.

It's telling that they haven't identified the schools whose boundaries stand to be adjusted if this school becomes a typical HS rather than a specialized program, or it could delay the ongoing boundary review, yet they say it could open in the fall of 2026. Aim, ready, fire!

That new site better not become a magnet program.

It needs to be a real high school, attended by students within a maximum 15-20 minutes drive from the school. It also needs to contribute towards making as many middle schools as possible in that area into single feeder middle schools.

I get you have a vested interest, but dude, unless you inherited the house, you knew full and well the boundaries when you purchased it. Stop acting entitled.

Ironic, since neighborhoods near KAA have been shifted several times since many purchased their houses. So, your premise is incorrect. The area would like some stability.

DP, but the high school boundaries near KAA were last changed over 15 years ago. You don't want stability, you want a different school.

This area is split into four different high schools. Hopefully, that will end. And, don't forget, both Chantilly and Westfield need relief. You seem to forget that. In fact, Chantilly kids are being proposed for a 40 minute plus bus ride. In addition, there is lots of new construction.

One can always come up with an "area" split into multiple high schools. Vienna splits to Madison, Marshall, Oakton, South Lakes, McLean, and Falls Church. Annandale splits to Annandale, Falls Church, Justice, and Woodson. Should we insist on a single high school for each of Vienna and Annandale?

Chantilly and Westfield are both projected by FCPS to have surplus capacity in the coming years. It's in the latest CIP.

And there is new construction in other parts of the county. Did they do any analysis before deciding this area in particular deserves more seats now? If so, they haven't shared it, and the last CIP didn't call for any significant investment in a new western HS for at least six more years. New construction doesn't necessarily translate into enrollment growth because the additional students from a new development can vary and be negated by declines in enrollment from a school's existing neighborhoods.

What you want - and are thrilled the SB is apparently willing to use our money to fund - is a new school that you think will be better than your current school. The schools you want to avoid may decline further if they send kids to KAA, and the families asked to backfill those schools won't be thrilled, either. They will drag this out, and likely refuse to provide details for as long as possible, but when the honeymoon is over it's going to get ugly.

Hm, sounds like jealousy to me.

I'm a DP from who you are responding to, and what I want (and likely PP, too) is for our kids not to be on a bus for 40 minutes to and from high school. That's literally it.

Not buying it. If you were happy with your current school you and your kids would happily tolerate that trip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[twitter]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did the KAA sale go through? Wasn’t it supposed to close on 8/12?

The deal was supposed to have closed by 8/14, not 8/12. I would have thought there'd be a follow-up announcement if they were so sure this was actually a good deal.

Going to keep writhing until the bitter end I see. The deal closed, it's over. Might as well accept it.

No fanfare suggests there might be some buyer’s remorse. Will be interesting to see what comes next.

Or they're waiting until Monday because the Title IX email came out on Friday and they tend not to send out two emails about two different things on the same day.

The FCPS media department posted three different items on Friday, so that's probably not the issue. But if you're one of Reid's flunkies, maybe you can pull together an email this week (or not).

I don't work for FCPS but I do live in the area that is going to be served by this high school. I think mommies like you that seem to hate our school system so much really should move. You have plenty of options. I hear great thinks about Prince Wiliiam and Loudon. Maybe their values are more similar to yours, too. You would be happier there.

Or maybe you're just the type of person who has nothing better to do than complain, complain, complain about everything. Do you have any friends? I'm guessing no.

Ooh, snap.

No, it’s just clear this is a muted roll-out from folks who apparently thought they were getting a bargain but then realized they were even sure what they were buying.

DP. What is it like to live in your own little world where you just make up your own reality? I see people (or maybe it’s just you) do this a lot when discussing FCPS decisions and actions. Trust me I am no fan of how the school board and Reid are going about things these days but it’s just bizarre to see people like you just fully make up intents and motives of people you have never met. The simplest explanation is usually the correct one. In this case they just don’t really have any new info to share so no point in sending an email.

When they voted to buy KAA, one of the conditions was to close by August 14th.

August 14th came and went, and they did not tell the public whether the purchase closed. Some people came on here and said they closed on August 15th, a day later, but still no confirmation by FCPS.

One way or the other, they ought to tell people whether they closed the deal. If they actually had clear plans for this building, they ought to share them, too, but that's probably asking for too much. It's not making up ANYTHING to point out key questions about this transaction still remain unanswered, whether it's because they are unwilling to share the information or because they don't know themselves.

Some would think our elected School Board ought to have a decent plan in mind before they drop over $150 million in taxpayer money on a buidling, but others are fine with their doing so as long as they think they might benefit personally.

Here’s what you need to know: the school board does not care about you or what you think or want. They will do whatever they think is best regardless of your opinion. They do not feel they owe you anything and any input they ask for is generally just for show. You will be happier i

My post got cut off. You will be happier if you accept this fact and focus on other things in your life. If you hate it so much you really are better off moving because life is short and you seem to be spending a lot of energy being mad about something over which you have no control.

Thanks, but some of us will continue to call out FCPS and its School Board for its incompetence and lack of transparency. If that bothers you, move on to other threads.

Agree that our School Board usually makes terrible decisions. However, this decision was a good on and rights a wrong from a few years ago when they let that property go. (Honestly, I'm sure they had great pressure from the BOS who likely had pressure from the federal government to save an embarrassing and sensitive situation.)
There is actually a need for this school.

It was more than a few years ago that they transferred that property to the Saudis. Since then they've expanded a number of other schools. Going by their own forecasts, adding another high school just creates more excess capacity by SY 2029-30. And there's no cost/benefit analysis to say KAA was the best use of supposedly limited FCPS funds.

Tell that to the kids in the area being split in different directions out of their area. Please remember, THRU plans to split additional neighborhoods and send kids on a 40 minute plus bus ride. This eliminates that plan.

And, which "expanded" schools are supposed to absorb these kids instead of putting them on long bus rides?

We'd already heard the sloppy Thru proposals are going to be substantially revised. You don't get to leverage that to justify a new school when the CIP shows substantial excess capacity in the aggregate by 2029 in the schools serving western Fairfax.

At a minimum, they should be committing now to scaling back the Centreville expansion substantially and canceling the Dunn Loring project entirely if they are spending over $150 M on this property. Otherwise other renovations just get delayed and other areas in need just continue to get screwed.

The area around KAA has been in need for a very long time. Centreville expansion may be scaled back. Changes and adjustments have been made many times through the years.
Get over it.

It's telling that they haven't identified the schools whose boundaries stand to be adjusted if this school becomes a typical HS rather than a specialized program, or it could delay the ongoing boundary review, yet they say it could open in the fall of 2026. Aim, ready, fire!

That new site better not become a magnet program.

It needs to be a real high school, attended by students within a maximum 15-20 minutes drive from the school. It also needs to contribute towards making as many middle schools as possible in that area into single feeder middle schools.

I get you have a vested interest, but dude, unless you inherited the house, you knew full and well the boundaries when you purchased it. Stop acting entitled.

My vested interest is that I am a taxpayer on the other side of the county who cares about schools, neighborhoods and stability.

I will be pissed if my taxpayer dollars go to create another magnet school for a handful of people to fight over, instead of a neighborhood high school for people who live within a reasonable distance, that can possibly streamline the disastrous, disruptive and wasteful middle school feeder patterns in that part of the county, and hopefully provide some long term stability in that part of county to minimize future rezoning that no one wants.

I think this purchase is a good use of taxpayer funds, but only if it is not used to create a magnet school but is instead used as a neighborhood high school to stabilize feeder patterns, help with overcrowding, and provides long term stability.

I don't know why you're going on and on about a magnet school. This is not going to be a magnet school, it is going to be a high school for Oak Hill and surrounding areas.

There are many people arguing for a 2nd TJ, and school board members have alluded to not knowing what type of high school the new high school will be.

The school board needs to publicly take magnet school off the table.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:[twitter]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did the KAA sale go through? Wasn’t it supposed to close on 8/12?

The deal was supposed to have closed by 8/14, not 8/12. I would have thought there'd be a follow-up announcement if they were so sure this was actually a good deal.

Going to keep writhing until the bitter end I see. The deal closed, it's over. Might as well accept it.

No fanfare suggests there might be some buyer’s remorse. Will be interesting to see what comes next.

Or they're waiting until Monday because the Title IX email came out on Friday and they tend not to send out two emails about two different things on the same day.

The FCPS media department posted three different items on Friday, so that's probably not the issue. But if you're one of Reid's flunkies, maybe you can pull together an email this week (or not).

I don't work for FCPS but I do live in the area that is going to be served by this high school. I think mommies like you that seem to hate our school system so much really should move. You have plenty of options. I hear great thinks about Prince Wiliiam and Loudon. Maybe their values are more similar to yours, too. You would be happier there.

Or maybe you're just the type of person who has nothing better to do than complain, complain, complain about everything. Do you have any friends? I'm guessing no.

Ooh, snap.

No, it’s just clear this is a muted roll-out from folks who apparently thought they were getting a bargain but then realized they were even sure what they were buying.

DP. What is it like to live in your own little world where you just make up your own reality? I see people (or maybe it’s just you) do this a lot when discussing FCPS decisions and actions. Trust me I am no fan of how the school board and Reid are going about things these days but it’s just bizarre to see people like you just fully make up intents and motives of people you have never met. The simplest explanation is usually the correct one. In this case they just don’t really have any new info to share so no point in sending an email.

When they voted to buy KAA, one of the conditions was to close by August 14th.

August 14th came and went, and they did not tell the public whether the purchase closed. Some people came on here and said they closed on August 15th, a day later, but still no confirmation by FCPS.

One way or the other, they ought to tell people whether they closed the deal. If they actually had clear plans for this building, they ought to share them, too, but that's probably asking for too much. It's not making up ANYTHING to point out key questions about this transaction still remain unanswered, whether it's because they are unwilling to share the information or because they don't know themselves.

Some would think our elected School Board ought to have a decent plan in mind before they drop over $150 million in taxpayer money on a buidling, but others are fine with their doing so as long as they think they might benefit personally.

Here’s what you need to know: the school board does not care about you or what you think or want. They will do whatever they think is best regardless of your opinion. They do not feel they owe you anything and any input they ask for is generally just for show. You will be happier i

My post got cut off. You will be happier if you accept this fact and focus on other things in your life. If you hate it so much you really are better off moving because life is short and you seem to be spending a lot of energy being mad about something over which you have no control.

Thanks, but some of us will continue to call out FCPS and its School Board for its incompetence and lack of transparency. If that bothers you, move on to other threads.

Agree that our School Board usually makes terrible decisions. However, this decision was a good on and rights a wrong from a few years ago when they let that property go. (Honestly, I'm sure they had great pressure from the BOS who likely had pressure from the federal government to save an embarrassing and sensitive situation.)
There is actually a need for this school.

It was more than a few years ago that they transferred that property to the Saudis. Since then they've expanded a number of other schools. Going by their own forecasts, adding another high school just creates more excess capacity by SY 2029-30. And there's no cost/benefit analysis to say KAA was the best use of supposedly limited FCPS funds.

Tell that to the kids in the area being split in different directions out of their area. Please remember, THRU plans to split additional neighborhoods and send kids on a 40 minute plus bus ride. This eliminates that plan.

And, which "expanded" schools are supposed to absorb these kids instead of putting them on long bus rides?

We'd already heard the sloppy Thru proposals are going to be substantially revised. You don't get to leverage that to justify a new school when the CIP shows substantial excess capacity in the aggregate by 2029 in the schools serving western Fairfax.

At a minimum, they should be committing now to scaling back the Centreville expansion substantially and canceling the Dunn Loring project entirely if they are spending over $150 M on this property. Otherwise other renovations just get delayed and other areas in need just continue to get screwed.

The area around KAA has been in need for a very long time. Centreville expansion may be scaled back. Changes and adjustments have been made many times through the years.
Get over it.

It's telling that they haven't identified the schools whose boundaries stand to be adjusted if this school becomes a typical HS rather than a specialized program, or it could delay the ongoing boundary review, yet they say it could open in the fall of 2026. Aim, ready, fire!

That new site better not become a magnet program.

It needs to be a real high school, attended by students within a maximum 15-20 minutes drive from the school. It also needs to contribute towards making as many middle schools as possible in that area into single feeder middle schools.

I get you have a vested interest, but dude, unless you inherited the house, you knew full and well the boundaries when you purchased it. Stop acting entitled.

Ironic, since neighborhoods near KAA have been shifted several times since many purchased their houses. So, your premise is incorrect. The area would like some stability.

DP, but the high school boundaries near KAA were last changed over 15 years ago. You don't want stability, you want a different school.

This area is split into four different high schools. Hopefully, that will end. And, don't forget, both Chantilly and Westfield need relief. You seem to forget that. In fact, Chantilly kids are being proposed for a 40 minute plus bus ride. In addition, there is lots of new construction.

One can always come up with an "area" split into multiple high schools. Vienna splits to Madison, Marshall, Oakton, South Lakes, McLean, and Falls Church. Annandale splits to Annandale, Falls Church, Justice, and Woodson. Should we insist on a single high school for each of Vienna and Annandale?

Chantilly and Westfield are both projected by FCPS to have surplus capacity in the coming years. It's in the latest CIP.

And there is new construction in other parts of the county. Did they do any analysis before deciding this area in particular deserves more seats now? If so, they haven't shared it, and the last CIP didn't call for any significant investment in a new western HS for at least six more years. New construction doesn't necessarily translate into enrollment growth because the additional students from a new development can vary and be negated by declines in enrollment from a school's existing neighborhoods.

What you want - and are thrilled the SB is apparently willing to use our money to fund - is a new school that you think will be better than your current school. The schools you want to avoid may decline further if they send kids to KAA, and the families asked to backfill those schools won't be thrilled, either. They will drag this out, and likely refuse to provide details for as long as possible, but when the honeymoon is over it's going to get ugly.

DP. I think your premise that PP wants to get into a better school is flawed. We are currently zoned for Oakton but live in an area that could get rezoned to KAA if it were to become a regular high school. I am not seeing how KAA would be “better” than Oakton other than being smaller and a nicer building. The schools that would feed into KAA would likely be much more socioeconomically diverse than those that currently feed into Oakton. I think some people will be upset if they get moved from Oakton to KAA. I wouldn’t say KAA is likely to be better than Chantilly either. Maybe better than South Lakes or Westfield but probably not in any measurable way. I really think PP is someone who would just prefer their kids attend a HS closer to home and maybe sees a benefit to a smaller HS. That’s not the same as being moved out of a “bad” school.

SAME. We are zoned for Oakton. We bought our house because it was zoned to Oakton, which is one of the most highly rated, "desirable" high schools in FCPS. KAA is likely to have a much more diverse population (read: low income families) than Oakton. As a new high school, it won't get immediately get the best teachers, best coaches, best administrators, etc., and will probably be lacking in equipment for a few years, too. It won't be as good as Oakton but it will be 5 minutes from our home instead of 20+ and this makes it desirable to us. Anyone who thinks this is going to be somehow better than Oakton or Chantilly is thinking purely about building itself (oh and by the way, this school is unlikely to start with a football field or baseball diamond either) and not everything that actually makes a good school good.

There’s a very good chance no one from Oakton will end up at KAA but some might get moved to South Lakes since Floris will surely move unless KAA is a magnet.

That seems unlikely considering only a very small portion of Floris kids go to South Lakes.

But Crossfield is already a split feeder to SL and it would be an opportunity to give at least some more kids a shorter commute than their intolerably long commute to Oakton.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:[twitter]

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Anonymous wrote:Did the KAA sale go through? Wasn’t it supposed to close on 8/12?

The deal was supposed to have closed by 8/14, not 8/12. I would have thought there'd be a follow-up announcement if they were so sure this was actually a good deal.

Going to keep writhing until the bitter end I see. The deal closed, it's over. Might as well accept it.

No fanfare suggests there might be some buyer’s remorse. Will be interesting to see what comes next.

Or they're waiting until Monday because the Title IX email came out on Friday and they tend not to send out two emails about two different things on the same day.

The FCPS media department posted three different items on Friday, so that's probably not the issue. But if you're one of Reid's flunkies, maybe you can pull together an email this week (or not).

I don't work for FCPS but I do live in the area that is going to be served by this high school. I think mommies like you that seem to hate our school system so much really should move. You have plenty of options. I hear great thinks about Prince Wiliiam and Loudon. Maybe their values are more similar to yours, too. You would be happier there.

Or maybe you're just the type of person who has nothing better to do than complain, complain, complain about everything. Do you have any friends? I'm guessing no.

Ooh, snap.

No, it’s just clear this is a muted roll-out from folks who apparently thought they were getting a bargain but then realized they were even sure what they were buying.

DP. What is it like to live in your own little world where you just make up your own reality? I see people (or maybe it’s just you) do this a lot when discussing FCPS decisions and actions. Trust me I am no fan of how the school board and Reid are going about things these days but it’s just bizarre to see people like you just fully make up intents and motives of people you have never met. The simplest explanation is usually the correct one. In this case they just don’t really have any new info to share so no point in sending an email.

When they voted to buy KAA, one of the conditions was to close by August 14th.

August 14th came and went, and they did not tell the public whether the purchase closed. Some people came on here and said they closed on August 15th, a day later, but still no confirmation by FCPS.

One way or the other, they ought to tell people whether they closed the deal. If they actually had clear plans for this building, they ought to share them, too, but that's probably asking for too much. It's not making up ANYTHING to point out key questions about this transaction still remain unanswered, whether it's because they are unwilling to share the information or because they don't know themselves.

Some would think our elected School Board ought to have a decent plan in mind before they drop over $150 million in taxpayer money on a buidling, but others are fine with their doing so as long as they think they might benefit personally.

Here’s what you need to know: the school board does not care about you or what you think or want. They will do whatever they think is best regardless of your opinion. They do not feel they owe you anything and any input they ask for is generally just for show. You will be happier i

My post got cut off. You will be happier if you accept this fact and focus on other things in your life. If you hate it so much you really are better off moving because life is short and you seem to be spending a lot of energy being mad about something over which you have no control.

Thanks, but some of us will continue to call out FCPS and its School Board for its incompetence and lack of transparency. If that bothers you, move on to other threads.

Agree that our School Board usually makes terrible decisions. However, this decision was a good on and rights a wrong from a few years ago when they let that property go. (Honestly, I'm sure they had great pressure from the BOS who likely had pressure from the federal government to save an embarrassing and sensitive situation.)
There is actually a need for this school.

It was more than a few years ago that they transferred that property to the Saudis. Since then they've expanded a number of other schools. Going by their own forecasts, adding another high school just creates more excess capacity by SY 2029-30. And there's no cost/benefit analysis to say KAA was the best use of supposedly limited FCPS funds.

Tell that to the kids in the area being split in different directions out of their area. Please remember, THRU plans to split additional neighborhoods and send kids on a 40 minute plus bus ride. This eliminates that plan.

And, which "expanded" schools are supposed to absorb these kids instead of putting them on long bus rides?

We'd already heard the sloppy Thru proposals are going to be substantially revised. You don't get to leverage that to justify a new school when the CIP shows substantial excess capacity in the aggregate by 2029 in the schools serving western Fairfax.

At a minimum, they should be committing now to scaling back the Centreville expansion substantially and canceling the Dunn Loring project entirely if they are spending over $150 M on this property. Otherwise other renovations just get delayed and other areas in need just continue to get screwed.

The area around KAA has been in need for a very long time. Centreville expansion may be scaled back. Changes and adjustments have been made many times through the years.
Get over it.

It's telling that they haven't identified the schools whose boundaries stand to be adjusted if this school becomes a typical HS rather than a specialized program, or it could delay the ongoing boundary review, yet they say it could open in the fall of 2026. Aim, ready, fire!

That new site better not become a magnet program.

It needs to be a real high school, attended by students within a maximum 15-20 minutes drive from the school. It also needs to contribute towards making as many middle schools as possible in that area into single feeder middle schools.

I get you have a vested interest, but dude, unless you inherited the house, you knew full and well the boundaries when you purchased it. Stop acting entitled.

My vested interest is that I am a taxpayer on the other side of the county who cares about schools, neighborhoods and stability.

I will be pissed if my taxpayer dollars go to create another magnet school for a handful of people to fight over, instead of a neighborhood high school for people who live within a reasonable distance, that can possibly streamline the disastrous, disruptive and wasteful middle school feeder patterns in that part of the county, and hopefully provide some long term stability in that part of county to minimize future rezoning that no one wants.

I think this purchase is a good use of taxpayer funds, but only if it is not used to create a magnet school but is instead used as a neighborhood high school to stabilize feeder patterns, help with overcrowding, and provides long term stability.

The point I'm trying to make is they didn't have to move there if they didn't like it. The existing boundaries have been in place for quite some time now. So all the bloaviating about the commute is obnoxious to me. I didn't like it either, so I am somewhat sympathetic, however I chose to move elsewhere.

So your argument is for no one to get zoned to the new high school, middle school feeder patterns stay the same, with some middle schools splitting 3-4 ways, and instead of fixing capacity issues with a more permanent solution of a new high school, you want a haphazard thrown together magnet program for a handful of kids while everyone else remains in overcrowded schools getting rezoned every couple of years.

Why any person would argue against filling the new high school with high school students who live in the surrounding neighborhoods is mind boggling.

No, I'm just tired of the woeful "but my kids are on a bus for 40 minutes!" complaint. As I said I agree it's not ideal, but you literally knew that was the deal when you bought the house! Now this school has been purchased and people are strangely territorial about it already, like it's a get out of jail card for their own stupid mistake.

[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:[twitter]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did the KAA sale go through? Wasn’t it supposed to close on 8/12?

The deal was supposed to have closed by 8/14, not 8/12. I would have thought there'd be a follow-up announcement if they were so sure this was actually a good deal.

Going to keep writhing until the bitter end I see. The deal closed, it's over. Might as well accept it.

No fanfare suggests there might be some buyer’s remorse. Will be interesting to see what comes next.

Or they're waiting until Monday because the Title IX email came out on Friday and they tend not to send out two emails about two different things on the same day.

The FCPS media department posted three different items on Friday, so that's probably not the issue. But if you're one of Reid's flunkies, maybe you can pull together an email this week (or not).

I don't work for FCPS but I do live in the area that is going to be served by this high school. I think mommies like you that seem to hate our school system so much really should move. You have plenty of options. I hear great thinks about Prince Wiliiam and Loudon. Maybe their values are more similar to yours, too. You would be happier there.

Or maybe you're just the type of person who has nothing better to do than complain, complain, complain about everything. Do you have any friends? I'm guessing no.

Ooh, snap.

No, it’s just clear this is a muted roll-out from folks who apparently thought they were getting a bargain but then realized they were even sure what they were buying.

DP. What is it like to live in your own little world where you just make up your own reality? I see people (or maybe it’s just you) do this a lot when discussing FCPS decisions and actions. Trust me I am no fan of how the school board and Reid are going about things these days but it’s just bizarre to see people like you just fully make up intents and motives of people you have never met. The simplest explanation is usually the correct one. In this case they just don’t really have any new info to share so no point in sending an email.

When they voted to buy KAA, one of the conditions was to close by August 14th.

August 14th came and went, and they did not tell the public whether the purchase closed. Some people came on here and said they closed on August 15th, a day later, but still no confirmation by FCPS.

One way or the other, they ought to tell people whether they closed the deal. If they actually had clear plans for this building, they ought to share them, too, but that's probably asking for too much. It's not making up ANYTHING to point out key questions about this transaction still remain unanswered, whether it's because they are unwilling to share the information or because they don't know themselves.

Some would think our elected School Board ought to have a decent plan in mind before they drop over $150 million in taxpayer money on a buidling, but others are fine with their doing so as long as they think they might benefit personally.

Here’s what you need to know: the school board does not care about you or what you think or want. They will do whatever they think is best regardless of your opinion. They do not feel they owe you anything and any input they ask for is generally just for show. You will be happier i

My post got cut off. You will be happier if you accept this fact and focus on other things in your life. If you hate it so much you really are better off moving because life is short and you seem to be spending a lot of energy being mad about something over which you have no control.

Thanks, but some of us will continue to call out FCPS and its School Board for its incompetence and lack of transparency. If that bothers you, move on to other threads.

Agree that our School Board usually makes terrible decisions. However, this decision was a good on and rights a wrong from a few years ago when they let that property go. (Honestly, I'm sure they had great pressure from the BOS who likely had pressure from the federal government to save an embarrassing and sensitive situation.)
There is actually a need for this school.

It was more than a few years ago that they transferred that property to the Saudis. Since then they've expanded a number of other schools. Going by their own forecasts, adding another high school just creates more excess capacity by SY 2029-30. And there's no cost/benefit analysis to say KAA was the best use of supposedly limited FCPS funds.

Tell that to the kids in the area being split in different directions out of their area. Please remember, THRU plans to split additional neighborhoods and send kids on a 40 minute plus bus ride. This eliminates that plan.

And, which "expanded" schools are supposed to absorb these kids instead of putting them on long bus rides?

We'd already heard the sloppy Thru proposals are going to be substantially revised. You don't get to leverage that to justify a new school when the CIP shows substantial excess capacity in the aggregate by 2029 in the schools serving western Fairfax.

At a minimum, they should be committing now to scaling back the Centreville expansion substantially and canceling the Dunn Loring project entirely if they are spending over $150 M on this property. Otherwise other renovations just get delayed and other areas in need just continue to get screwed.

The area around KAA has been in need for a very long time. Centreville expansion may be scaled back. Changes and adjustments have been made many times through the years.
Get over it.

It's telling that they haven't identified the schools whose boundaries stand to be adjusted if this school becomes a typical HS rather than a specialized program, or it could delay the ongoing boundary review, yet they say it could open in the fall of 2026. Aim, ready, fire!

That new site better not become a magnet program.

It needs to be a real high school, attended by students within a maximum 15-20 minutes drive from the school. It also needs to contribute towards making as many middle schools as possible in that area into single feeder middle schools.

I get you have a vested interest, but dude, unless you inherited the house, you knew full and well the boundaries when you purchased it. Stop acting entitled.

My vested interest is that I am a taxpayer on the other side of the county who cares about schools, neighborhoods and stability.

I will be pissed if my taxpayer dollars go to create another magnet school for a handful of people to fight over, instead of a neighborhood high school for people who live within a reasonable distance, that can possibly streamline the disastrous, disruptive and wasteful middle school feeder patterns in that part of the county, and hopefully provide some long term stability in that part of county to minimize future rezoning that no one wants.

I think this purchase is a good use of taxpayer funds, but only if it is not used to create a magnet school but is instead used as a neighborhood high school to stabilize feeder patterns, help with overcrowding, and provides long term stability.

The point I'm trying to make is they didn't have to move there if they didn't like it. The existing boundaries have been in place for quite some time now. So all the bloaviating about the commute is obnoxious to me. I didn't like it either, so I am somewhat sympathetic, however I chose to move elsewhere.

So your argument is for no one to get zoned to the new high school, middle school feeder patterns stay the same, with some middle schools splitting 3-4 ways, and instead of fixing capacity issues with a more permanent solution of a new high school, you want a haphazard thrown together magnet program for a handful of kids while everyone else remains in overcrowded schools getting rezoned every couple of years.

Why any person would argue against filling the new high school with high school students who live in the surrounding neighborhoods is mind boggling.

No, I'm just tired of the woeful "but my kids are on a bus for 40 minutes!" complaint. As I said I agree it's not ideal, but you literally knew that was the deal when you bought the house! Now this school has been purchased and people are strangely territorial about it already, like it's a get out of jail card for their own stupid mistake.

Territorial? Really? Why do you think FCPS purchased the school? To have a magnet school that does nothing to relieve the area?

And, no, everyone did not know their kids would be on a bus for 40plus minutes when they purchased their homes.

1. Some of the students THRU is projecting to move to Oakton currently attend Chantilly--a ten minute bus ride-less if you drive.
2. Some people purchased their homes before they had kids or their kids were quite young and high school was not an issue.

[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:[twitter]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did the KAA sale go through? Wasn’t it supposed to close on 8/12?

The deal was supposed to have closed by 8/14, not 8/12. I would have thought there'd be a follow-up announcement if they were so sure this was actually a good deal.

Going to keep writhing until the bitter end I see. The deal closed, it's over. Might as well accept it.

No fanfare suggests there might be some buyer’s remorse. Will be interesting to see what comes next.

Or they're waiting until Monday because the Title IX email came out on Friday and they tend not to send out two emails about two different things on the same day. :roll:

The FCPS media department posted three different items on Friday, so that's probably not the issue. But if you're one of Reid's flunkies, maybe you can pull together an email this week (or not).

I don't work for FCPS but I do live in the area that is going to be served by this high school. I think mommies like you that seem to hate our school system so much really should move. You have plenty of options. I hear great thinks about Prince Wiliiam and Loudon. Maybe their values are more similar to yours, too. You would be happier there.

Or maybe you're just the type of person who has nothing better to do than complain, complain, complain about everything. Do you have any friends? I'm guessing no.

Ooh, snap.

No, it’s just clear this is a muted roll-out from folks who apparently thought they were getting a bargain but then realized they were even sure what they were buying.

DP. What is it like to live in your own little world where you just make up your own reality? I see people (or maybe it’s just you) do this a lot when discussing FCPS decisions and actions. Trust me I am no fan of how the school board and Reid are going about things these days but it’s just bizarre to see people like you just fully make up intents and motives of people you have never met. The simplest explanation is usually the correct one. In this case they just don’t really have any new info to share so no point in sending an email.

When they voted to buy KAA, one of the conditions was to close by August 14th.

August 14th came and went, and they did not tell the public whether the purchase closed. Some people came on here and said they closed on August 15th, a day later, but still no confirmation by FCPS.

One way or the other, they ought to tell people whether they closed the deal. If they actually had clear plans for this building, they ought to share them, too, but that's probably asking for too much. It's not making up ANYTHING to point out key questions about this transaction still remain unanswered, whether it's because they are unwilling to share the information or because they don't know themselves.

Some would think our elected School Board ought to have a decent plan in mind before they drop over $150 million in taxpayer money on a buidling, but others are fine with their doing so as long as they think they might benefit personally.

Here’s what you need to know: the school board does not care about you or what you think or want. They will do whatever they think is best regardless of your opinion. They do not feel they owe you anything and any input they ask for is generally just for show. You will be happier i

My post got cut off. You will be happier if you accept this fact and focus on other things in your life. If you hate it so much you really are better off moving because life is short and you seem to be spending a lot of energy being mad about something over which you have no control.

Thanks, but some of us will continue to call out FCPS and its School Board for its incompetence and lack of transparency. If that bothers you, move on to other threads.

Agree that our School Board usually makes terrible decisions. However, this decision was a good on and rights a wrong from a few years ago when they let that property go. (Honestly, I'm sure they had great pressure from the BOS who likely had pressure from the federal government to save an embarrassing and sensitive situation.)
There is actually a need for this school.

It was more than a few years ago that they transferred that property to the Saudis. Since then they've expanded a number of other schools. Going by their own forecasts, adding another high school just creates more excess capacity by SY 2029-30. And there's no cost/benefit analysis to say KAA was the best use of supposedly limited FCPS funds.

Tell that to the kids in the area being split in different directions out of their area. Please remember, THRU plans to split additional neighborhoods and send kids on a 40 minute plus bus ride. This eliminates that plan.

And, which "expanded" schools are supposed to absorb these kids instead of putting them on long bus rides?

We'd already heard the sloppy Thru proposals are going to be substantially revised. You don't get to leverage that to justify a new school when the CIP shows substantial excess capacity in the aggregate by 2029 in the schools serving western Fairfax.

At a minimum, they should be committing now to scaling back the Centreville expansion substantially and canceling the Dunn Loring project entirely if they are spending over $150 M on this property. Otherwise other renovations just get delayed and other areas in need just continue to get screwed.

The area around KAA has been in need for a very long time. Centreville expansion may be scaled back. Changes and adjustments have been made many times through the years.
Get over it.

It's telling that they haven't identified the schools whose boundaries stand to be adjusted if this school becomes a typical HS rather than a specialized program, or it could delay the ongoing boundary review, yet they say it could open in the fall of 2026. Aim, ready, fire!

That new site better not become a magnet program.

It needs to be a real high school, attended by students within a maximum 15-20 minutes drive from the school. It also needs to contribute towards making as many middle schools as possible in that area into single feeder middle schools.

I get you have a vested interest, but dude, unless you inherited the house, you knew full and well the boundaries when you purchased it. Stop acting entitled.

Ironic, since neighborhoods near KAA have been shifted several times since many purchased their houses. So, your premise is incorrect. The area would like some stability.

DP, but the high school boundaries near KAA were last changed over 15 years ago. You don't want stability, you want a different school.

This area is split into four different high schools. Hopefully, that will end. And, don't forget, both Chantilly and Westfield need relief. You seem to forget that. In fact, Chantilly kids are being proposed for a 40 minute plus bus ride. In addition, there is lots of new construction.

One can always come up with an "area" split into multiple high schools. Vienna splits to Madison, Marshall, Oakton, South Lakes, McLean, and Falls Church. Annandale splits to Annandale, Falls Church, Justice, and Woodson. Should we insist on a single high school for each of Vienna and Annandale?

Chantilly and Westfield are both projected by FCPS to have surplus capacity in the coming years. It's in the latest CIP.

And there is new construction in other parts of the county. Did they do any analysis before deciding this area in particular deserves more seats now? If so, they haven't shared it, and the last CIP didn't call for any significant investment in a new western HS for at least six more years. New construction doesn't necessarily translate into enrollment growth because the additional students from a new development can vary and be negated by declines in enrollment from a school's existing neighborhoods.

What you want - and are thrilled the SB is apparently willing to use our money to fund - is a new school that you think will be better than your current school. The schools you want to avoid may decline further if they send kids to KAA, and the families asked to backfill those schools won't be thrilled, either. They will drag this out, and likely refuse to provide details for as long as possible, but when the honeymoon is over it's going to get ugly.

Hm, sounds like jealousy to me.

I'm a DP from who you are responding to, and what I want (and likely PP, too) is for our kids not to be on a bus for 40 minutes to and from high school. That's literally it.

Not buying it. If you were happy with your current school you and your kids would happily tolerate that trip.

Methinks you are putting your attachment to your high school on to others. Not everyone thinks a long commute is a good thing.

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Anonymous wrote:Did the KAA sale go through? Wasn’t it supposed to close on 8/12?

The deal was supposed to have closed by 8/14, not 8/12. I would have thought there'd be a follow-up announcement if they were so sure this was actually a good deal.

Going to keep writhing until the bitter end I see. The deal closed, it's over. Might as well accept it.

No fanfare suggests there might be some buyer’s remorse. Will be interesting to see what comes next.

Or they're waiting until Monday because the Title IX email came out on Friday and they tend not to send out two emails about two different things on the same day.

The FCPS media department posted three different items on Friday, so that's probably not the issue. But if you're one of Reid's flunkies, maybe you can pull together an email this week (or not).

I don't work for FCPS but I do live in the area that is going to be served by this high school. I think mommies like you that seem to hate our school system so much really should move. You have plenty of options. I hear great thinks about Prince Wiliiam and Loudon. Maybe their values are more similar to yours, too. You would be happier there.

Or maybe you're just the type of person who has nothing better to do than complain, complain, complain about everything. Do you have any friends? I'm guessing no.

Ooh, snap.

No, it’s just clear this is a muted roll-out from folks who apparently thought they were getting a bargain but then realized they were even sure what they were buying.

DP. What is it like to live in your own little world where you just make up your own reality? I see people (or maybe it’s just you) do this a lot when discussing FCPS decisions and actions. Trust me I am no fan of how the school board and Reid are going about things these days but it’s just bizarre to see people like you just fully make up intents and motives of people you have never met. The simplest explanation is usually the correct one. In this case they just don’t really have any new info to share so no point in sending an email.

When they voted to buy KAA, one of the conditions was to close by August 14th.

August 14th came and went, and they did not tell the public whether the purchase closed. Some people came on here and said they closed on August 15th, a day later, but still no confirmation by FCPS.

One way or the other, they ought to tell people whether they closed the deal. If they actually had clear plans for this building, they ought to share them, too, but that's probably asking for too much. It's not making up ANYTHING to point out key questions about this transaction still remain unanswered, whether it's because they are unwilling to share the information or because they don't know themselves.

Some would think our elected School Board ought to have a decent plan in mind before they drop over $150 million in taxpayer money on a buidling, but others are fine with their doing so as long as they think they might benefit personally.

Here’s what you need to know: the school board does not care about you or what you think or want. They will do whatever they think is best regardless of your opinion. They do not feel they owe you anything and any input they ask for is generally just for show. You will be happier i

My post got cut off. You will be happier if you accept this fact and focus on other things in your life. If you hate it so much you really are better off moving because life is short and you seem to be spending a lot of energy being mad about something over which you have no control.

Thanks, but some of us will continue to call out FCPS and its School Board for its incompetence and lack of transparency. If that bothers you, move on to other threads.

Agree that our School Board usually makes terrible decisions. However, this decision was a good on and rights a wrong from a few years ago when they let that property go. (Honestly, I'm sure they had great pressure from the BOS who likely had pressure from the federal government to save an embarrassing and sensitive situation.)
There is actually a need for this school.

It was more than a few years ago that they transferred that property to the Saudis. Since then they've expanded a number of other schools. Going by their own forecasts, adding another high school just creates more excess capacity by SY 2029-30. And there's no cost/benefit analysis to say KAA was the best use of supposedly limited FCPS funds.

Tell that to the kids in the area being split in different directions out of their area. Please remember, THRU plans to split additional neighborhoods and send kids on a 40 minute plus bus ride. This eliminates that plan.

And, which "expanded" schools are supposed to absorb these kids instead of putting them on long bus rides?

We'd already heard the sloppy Thru proposals are going to be substantially revised. You don't get to leverage that to justify a new school when the CIP shows substantial excess capacity in the aggregate by 2029 in the schools serving western Fairfax.

At a minimum, they should be committing now to scaling back the Centreville expansion substantially and canceling the Dunn Loring project entirely if they are spending over $150 M on this property. Otherwise other renovations just get delayed and other areas in need just continue to get screwed.

The area around KAA has been in need for a very long time. Centreville expansion may be scaled back. Changes and adjustments have been made many times through the years.
Get over it.

It's telling that they haven't identified the schools whose boundaries stand to be adjusted if this school becomes a typical HS rather than a specialized program, or it could delay the ongoing boundary review, yet they say it could open in the fall of 2026. Aim, ready, fire!

That new site better not become a magnet program.

It needs to be a real high school, attended by students within a maximum 15-20 minutes drive from the school. It also needs to contribute towards making as many middle schools as possible in that area into single feeder middle schools.

I get you have a vested interest, but dude, unless you inherited the house, you knew full and well the boundaries when you purchased it. Stop acting entitled.

Ironic, since neighborhoods near KAA have been shifted several times since many purchased their houses. So, your premise is incorrect. The area would like some stability.

DP, but the high school boundaries near KAA were last changed over 15 years ago. You don't want stability, you want a different school.

This area is split into four different high schools. Hopefully, that will end. And, don't forget, both Chantilly and Westfield need relief. You seem to forget that. In fact, Chantilly kids are being proposed for a 40 minute plus bus ride. In addition, there is lots of new construction.

One can always come up with an "area" split into multiple high schools. Vienna splits to Madison, Marshall, Oakton, South Lakes, McLean, and Falls Church. Annandale splits to Annandale, Falls Church, Justice, and Woodson. Should we insist on a single high school for each of Vienna and Annandale?

Chantilly and Westfield are both projected by FCPS to have surplus capacity in the coming years. It's in the latest CIP.

And there is new construction in other parts of the county. Did they do any analysis before deciding this area in particular deserves more seats now? If so, they haven't shared it, and the last CIP didn't call for any significant investment in a new western HS for at least six more years. New construction doesn't necessarily translate into enrollment growth because the additional students from a new development can vary and be negated by declines in enrollment from a school's existing neighborhoods.

What you want - and are thrilled the SB is apparently willing to use our money to fund - is a new school that you think will be better than your current school. The schools you want to avoid may decline further if they send kids to KAA, and the families asked to backfill those schools won't be thrilled, either. They will drag this out, and likely refuse to provide details for as long as possible, but when the honeymoon is over it's going to get ugly.

DP. I think your premise that PP wants to get into a better school is flawed. We are currently zoned for Oakton but live in an area that could get rezoned to KAA if it were to become a regular high school. I am not seeing how KAA would be “better” than Oakton other than being smaller and a nicer building. The schools that would feed into KAA would likely be much more socioeconomically diverse than those that currently feed into Oakton. I think some people will be upset if they get moved from Oakton to KAA. I wouldn’t say KAA is likely to be better than Chantilly either. Maybe better than South Lakes or Westfield but probably not in any measurable way. I really think PP is someone who would just prefer their kids attend a HS closer to home and maybe sees a benefit to a smaller HS. That’s not the same as being moved out of a “bad” school.

SAME. We are zoned for Oakton. We bought our house because it was zoned to Oakton, which is one of the most highly rated, "desirable" high schools in FCPS. KAA is likely to have a much more diverse population (read: low income families) than Oakton. As a new high school, it won't get immediately get the best teachers, best coaches, best administrators, etc., and will probably be lacking in equipment for a few years, too. It won't be as good as Oakton but it will be 5 minutes from our home instead of 20+ and this makes it desirable to us. Anyone who thinks this is going to be somehow better than Oakton or Chantilly is thinking purely about building itself (oh and by the way, this school is unlikely to start with a football field or baseball diamond either) and not everything that actually makes a good school good.

There’s a very good chance no one from Oakton will end up at KAA but some might get moved to South Lakes since Floris will surely move unless KAA is a magnet.

I would be surprised if Floris is not moved to KAA, it ends the ES split feeder. A good number of people think that Oak Hill will be placed at KAA, ending the long commute to Oakton. McNair and Coates are projected to move to KAA. The question most people have is will Crossfield, also sent to Oakton, or Fox Mill added to KAA.

1. Oak Hill kids do not currently go to Oakton. THRU has proposed sending a portion of Chantilly Highlands (where Oak Hill is located) to Oakton. Hopefully, that will not happen. It splits a neighborhood in addition to an elementary school.
2. I imagine the Crossfield/Fox Mill issue will be just whether or not to send Crossfield to KAA and reduce the trek to Oakton. I do not think that Fox Mill will be switched to KAA. I am guessing that this decision will be included in the process, but I don't think it will occur. I think Fox Mill is in Melanie Meren's district. Crossfield kids mostly live in Sully. I don't see Meren agreeing to that change.
Whether Crossfield kids are put into KAA will likely depend on numbers.

A portion of Coates is across the DTR and is assigned to Herndon High. So, that may reduce numbers somewhat. That area should be assigned to a different elementary school. I'm surprised they have not already done that considering the horrendous overcrowding at Coates.

A prior poster said that Chantilly and Westfield are projected to be reduced by 300 in the coming years. With all the new construction in the Chantilly/Westfield area, I'm not sure that will hold. However, even if Chantilly is reduced by 300, it will still be overcrowded and Westfield will still be around 2500. Oakton will also be full.

The school is needed for area relief.