FCPS Boundary Review Updates

[Anonymous]

I'm shocked by the amount of time and energy y'all have to know this much about school boundaries and their history.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm shocked by the amount of time and energy y'all have to know this much about school boundaries and their history.

It’s cause the same communities along boundary lines have been through this many times before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Emerald chase is not in fact taking over the comments!

Emerald Chase's current split feeder is one of many West County examples showing how bad FCPS is at capacity, boundaries, or caring at all about community.

From construction until the Coates RD, Emerald Chase was part of Floris that feeds Carson/Westfield. During the Coates RD, Floris was projected to become overcrowded in the future. To address that, Emerald Chase was redistricted from Floris to Oak Hill to reduce Floris' future population.

So... How would Floris become overcrowded? Well... You see... There's this empty field where Discovery Square is planned to be built and it's zoned to Floris. Ok... But, Lees Corners is under capacity, it's close to the empty fields planned to become Discovery Square. if we send the future denizens of Discovery Square to Lees Corner ES, we'll solve four problems... We won't force Emerald Chase out of the community they've been part of for a couple decades, we won't add to the West County split feeder problem, we'll address Floris' future capacity problem and we'll utilize Lees Corner excess capacity. Well... Lees Corner isn't in the Coates Boundary Study so that's impossible...

Thank you for that back story, didn’t realize that’s what happened. When I was growing up in Franklin Farm on the other side of the parkway in the 90s, Emerald Chase was Floris-Franklin-Oakton, I had a bunch of friends in that neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

What is interesting about Emerald Chase is that they are trying to use the process to move the boundary for the HS that they want, which isn't the move suggested or the current location. The problem is they want to move to one of the overcrowded HS and I don't see that happening. I think that bit of politicking is hurting them, but I get it. If FCPS is changing the boundaries, why not try and move to the HS that you are most interested in?

I think there are parents who have been fighting long before the boundary review process to have the high school changed to Chantilly. It's the closest to our neighborhood by far and that's where most of the kids from elementary school go. So it's my impression that it's not that this process came up and people saw an opportunity -- this has been an ongoing effort.

There’s a group of parents at Vienna ES doing something similar to try and get moved from Marshall to Madison. About 7% of Vienna ES feeds to Kilmer/Marshall and Thru is proposing to eliminate the split feeder and send them to Freedom Hill ES, which feeds 100% to Kilmer/Marshall. The parents are asking to stay at Vienna ES but get moved to Thoreau/Madison. It’s been on their radar for years and now they see an opportunity.

These families are trying to change two schools middle and high school but are upset at one change in elementary school. Why not be happy going to elementary school with the kids you do middle and high school with. The change in elementary school is easier to adjust to than a change in middle or high school. Do these families only have elementary school children ? Just transfer in for high school like everyone else does. Vienna elementary has areas that are walkable to it that it should be picking up in order to eliminate buses but that’s not even being proposed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm shocked by the amount of time and energy y'all have to know this much about school boundaries and their history.

These little details make a big difference. For example, the last time we had boundary changes for our local high school, a group of parents banded together to ensure a nicer townhome community got moved to School A from School B while almost all apartments went to School B. As you can imagine, school B is low income and undesirable. The residents of that same neighborhood have spent much of this thread hand wringing about the possibility of being redistricted back to School B as they were before. Nevermind the fact that the previous changes disproportionately burdened School B. Its kind of fascinating to watch again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm shocked by the amount of time and energy y'all have to know this much about school boundaries and their history.

Some of us are actually from here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

What is interesting about Emerald Chase is that they are trying to use the process to move the boundary for the HS that they want, which isn't the move suggested or the current location. The problem is they want to move to one of the overcrowded HS and I don't see that happening. I think that bit of politicking is hurting them, but I get it. If FCPS is changing the boundaries, why not try and move to the HS that you are most interested in?

I think there are parents who have been fighting long before the boundary review process to have the high school changed to Chantilly. It's the closest to our neighborhood by far and that's where most of the kids from elementary school go. So it's my impression that it's not that this process came up and people saw an opportunity -- this has been an ongoing effort.

There’s a group of parents at Vienna ES doing something similar to try and get moved from Marshall to Madison. About 7% of Vienna ES feeds to Kilmer/Marshall and Thru is proposing to eliminate the split feeder and send them to Freedom Hill ES, which feeds 100% to Kilmer/Marshall. The parents are asking to stay at Vienna ES but get moved to Thoreau/Madison. It’s been on their radar for years and now they see an opportunity.

These families are trying to change two schools middle and high school but are upset at one change in elementary school. Why not be happy going to elementary school with the kids you do middle and high school with. The change in elementary school is easier to adjust to than a change in middle or high school. Do these families only have elementary school children ? Just transfer in for high school like everyone else does. Vienna elementary has areas that are walkable to it that it should be picking up in order to eliminate buses but that’s not even being proposed.

They are actively looking for ways to move seats from Kilmer/Marshall to Thoreau/Madison and their current proposal is to cut into Westbriar to the point that only 267 and a walking trail would connect Wolftrap to the rest of Marshall. It’s a terrible proposal. If Vienna ES wants to advocate for filling those seats, let them. They’re closer to Thoreau and Madison than the area north of Old Courthouse that’s slated to move.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm shocked by the amount of time and energy y'all have to know this much about school boundaries and their history.

These little details make a big difference. For example, the last time we had boundary changes for our local high school, a group of parents banded together to ensure a nicer townhome community got moved to School A from School B while almost all apartments went to School B. As you can imagine, school B is low income and undesirable. The residents of that same neighborhood have spent much of this thread hand wringing about the possibility of being redistricted back to School B as they were before. Nevermind the fact that the previous changes disproportionately burdened School B. Its kind of fascinating to watch again.

They’re not going to rework the boundaries between Freedom Hill/Lemon Road/Shrevewood until Dunn Loring ES opens, since it’s going to pull from much of that area. Hopefully when that happens, Freedom Hill won’t cross I-495 through Tysons anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I was looking at the Mason Diestrict recommendations as well and saw all these proposed ES adjustments. Thru is proposing some big changes at some of those schools. For example, I was looking at Sleepy Hollow ES and thought at first that they were going to make it the most affluent feeder to Justice HS by reassigning a bunch of garden apartments near Seven Corners to Bailey's ES and Glen Forest ES and moving more of Lake Barcroft to Sleepy Hollow. But the small area north of Courtland Park that would move from Bailey's to Sleepy Hollow is part of Culmore, and would account for roughly 70% of Sleepy Hollow's adjusted enrollment under all three of Thru's proposals. When you have access to the SPA data, you can see how some large areas of single-family houses have relatively few students, whereas some garden apartment complexes can have hundreds of kids, and how some "tweaks" can result in major changes to a school's enrollment and demographics.

That little square moving to sleepy hollow is one of the silliest things I've seen. The apartments to the right, left, behind, and in front of all will go to Bailey's (the school across the street), but that one block of apartments will go 2 miles away?

I don't love anything about the proposals in the area. Bailey's Upper is such an anomaly that trying to pigeonhole it into the "fixes" is creating some weird(er) choices.

[Anonymous]

They need to look at the neighborhoods and just start from scratch

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I was looking at the Mason Diestrict recommendations as well and saw all these proposed ES adjustments. Thru is proposing some big changes at some of those schools. For example, I was looking at Sleepy Hollow ES and thought at first that they were going to make it the most affluent feeder to Justice HS by reassigning a bunch of garden apartments near Seven Corners to Bailey's ES and Glen Forest ES and moving more of Lake Barcroft to Sleepy Hollow. But the small area north of Courtland Park that would move from Bailey's to Sleepy Hollow is part of Culmore, and would account for roughly 70% of Sleepy Hollow's adjusted enrollment under all three of Thru's proposals. When you have access to the SPA data, you can see how some large areas of single-family houses have relatively few students, whereas some garden apartment complexes can have hundreds of kids, and how some "tweaks" can result in major changes to a school's enrollment and demographics.

That little square moving to sleepy hollow is one of the silliest things I've seen. The apartments to the right, left, behind, and in front of all will go to Bailey's (the school across the street), but that one block of apartments will go 2 miles away?

I don't love anything about the proposals in the area. Bailey's Upper is such an anomaly that trying to pigeonhole it into the "fixes" is creating some weird(er) choices.

Are they trying to see if they can close Bailey’s Upper? I’m trying to make sense of the changes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I was looking at the Mason Diestrict recommendations as well and saw all these proposed ES adjustments. Thru is proposing some big changes at some of those schools. For example, I was looking at Sleepy Hollow ES and thought at first that they were going to make it the most affluent feeder to Justice HS by reassigning a bunch of garden apartments near Seven Corners to Bailey's ES and Glen Forest ES and moving more of Lake Barcroft to Sleepy Hollow. But the small area north of Courtland Park that would move from Bailey's to Sleepy Hollow is part of Culmore, and would account for roughly 70% of Sleepy Hollow's adjusted enrollment under all three of Thru's proposals. When you have access to the SPA data, you can see how some large areas of single-family houses have relatively few students, whereas some garden apartment complexes can have hundreds of kids, and how some "tweaks" can result in major changes to a school's enrollment and demographics.

That little square moving to sleepy hollow is one of the silliest things I've seen. The apartments to the right, left, behind, and in front of all will go to Bailey's (the school across the street), but that one block of apartments will go 2 miles away?

I don't love anything about the proposals in the area. Bailey's Upper is such an anomaly that trying to pigeonhole it into the "fixes" is creating some weird(er) choices.

Are they trying to see if they can close Bailey’s Upper? I’m trying to make sense of the changes.

No, they are trying to make sure Bailey’s Upper lies within its attendance area and still has the same attendance area as Bailey’s. The “solution” does shrink the enrollment at Bailey’s Upper, though.

No one appears to have asked whether, if they are revising boundaries, they should just be separate K-5 schools now. They create upper schools when a school is overcrowded and they don't want to change boundaries.

Bailey’s is in Culmore and should serve as much of it as possible for as many grades as possible.

[Anonymous]

Has anyone tried emailing [e-mail]? My message was bounced back stating the address didn’t exist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm shocked by the amount of time and energy y'all have to know this much about school boundaries and their history.

These little details make a big difference. For example, the last time we had boundary changes for our local high school, a group of parents banded together to ensure a nicer townhome community got moved to School A from School B while almost all apartments went to School B. As you can imagine, school B is low income and undesirable. The residents of that same neighborhood have spent much of this thread hand wringing about the possibility of being redistricted back to School B as they were before. Nevermind the fact that the previous changes disproportionately burdened School B. Its kind of fascinating to watch again.

They’re not going to rework the boundaries between Freedom Hill/Lemon Road/Shrevewood until Dunn Loring ES opens, since it’s going to pull from much of that area. Hopefully when that happens, Freedom Hill won’t cross I-495 through Tysons anymore.

PP was referring to a high school boundary change, not an ES boundary change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm shocked by the amount of time and energy y'all have to know this much about school boundaries and their history.

These little details make a big difference. For example, the last time we had boundary changes for our local high school, a group of parents banded together to ensure a nicer townhome community got moved to School A from School B while almost all apartments went to School B. As you can imagine, school B is low income and undesirable. The residents of that same neighborhood have spent much of this thread hand wringing about the possibility of being redistricted back to School B as they were before. Nevermind the fact that the previous changes disproportionately burdened School B. Its kind of fascinating to watch again.

They’re not going to rework the boundaries between Freedom Hill/Lemon Road/Shrevewood until Dunn Loring ES opens, since it’s going to pull from much of that area. Hopefully when that happens, Freedom Hill won’t cross I-495 through Tysons anymore.

PP was referring to a high school boundary change, not an ES boundary change.

Correct. The tactic is common and used all over. This response can be applied to multiple school boundaries.