School Boundaries and "One Fairfax"

[Anonymous]

Take a look at who gets into TJ. Kids get in if they apply to go. Carson had 75+ kids admitted. But 292 applied. Schools that have fewer than 7 kids pass the test or get in unusually also have a low number of applications. For example, fewer than 7 passed the screen from Herndon or Hayfield— but only 24 applied. 24 applied vs. 292 applied. Maybe it’s not shocking Carson’s number are so high when you look at the number of applicants.

The seven schools with more than 100 applications are also the 7 schools with more than 20 admits. You can’t win if you don’t play.

[Anonymous]

TJ admissions this year: http://www.fcag.org/documents/TJHSST%20All%20Middle%20Schools%20Class%20of%202022.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:TJ admissions this year: http://www.fcag.org/documents/TJHSST%20All%20Middle%20Schools%20Class%20of%202022.pdf

Those were the admissions in the spring of 2018 for the Class of 2022. Not the admissions this spring. And Franklin is almost 10% under capacity.

Seems there are some people really anxious to maintain the Carson AAP mega-center at all costs, and are willing to sacrifice accuracy to do so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Consultant.

Must be the same one DC used. "One DC" is a slogan there too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not PP, but FCPS could have slots for each middle school, which at a minimum would create greater geographic diversity. A very large percentage of TJ kids now come from four pyramids: McLean, Oakton, Langley, and Chantilly.

So, you are suggesting geography rather than academic merit? You might as well close TJ or make it gened.

I think the idea of allocating seats per middle school or region would maintain support for TJ, but if your idea of academic merit is narrow enough to suggest it's primarily limited to the AAP programs at Carson, Longfellow, Rocky Run and Cooper, it might just be better to close TJ instead, following the precepts of One Fairfax.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:TJ is long overdue for the use of creative mechanisms other than quotas for bringing in a more diverse population. It has to happen. No reasonable person could support the status quo.

FCPS re-ups the designation of TJ as a Governor's School every year with the least amount of discussion possible. The last thing they want to do is get into a big debate over TJ admissions like happened recently in NYC over admissions to Stuyvesant.

Adjusting boundaries in the name of "equity" is for the little people. TJ is about excellence.

Hopefully adjusting boundaries will ultimately, indirectly lead to a more diverse and excellent TJ.

TJ is majority Minority now.

I guess you don't like the "type" of minority. Social engineering is kinda hard.

Underrepresented minorities. Diversity here obviously means African Americans, Latin Americans, and Native Americans. Sorry this touched a nerve.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone have actual information

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not PP, but FCPS could have slots for each middle school, which at a minimum would create greater geographic diversity. A very large percentage of TJ kids now come from four pyramids: McLean, Oakton, Langley, and Chantilly.

So, you are suggesting geography rather than academic merit? You might as well close TJ or make it gened.

I think the idea of allocating seats per middle school or region would maintain support for TJ, but if your idea of academic merit is narrow enough to suggest it's primarily limited to the AAP programs at Carson, Longfellow, Rocky Run and Cooper, it might just be better to close TJ instead, following the precepts of One Fairfax.

Why aren't these other kids qualifying?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not PP, but FCPS could have slots for each middle school, which at a minimum would create greater geographic diversity. A very large percentage of TJ kids now come from four pyramids: McLean, Oakton, Langley, and Chantilly.

So, you are suggesting geography rather than academic merit? You might as well close TJ or make it gened.

I think the idea of allocating seats per middle school or region would maintain support for TJ, but if your idea of academic merit is narrow enough to suggest it's primarily limited to the AAP programs at Carson, Longfellow, Rocky Run and Cooper, it might just be better to close TJ instead, following the precepts of One Fairfax.

Excuse me but why mention Cooper? That had 8-same number as Sandburg and Hughes had 7. Twain had 12. Why not complain about Sandburg, Hughes, and Twain? The "evil" Langley pyramid goes to Cooper not Longfellow. Included in that are Churchill and Spring Hill. The big mystery is why FCPS caps TJ and doesn't use full design and program capacity - maybe people like Smith and Platenburg need to tell TJHSST that they expect that building to operate at 100-105% utilization instead of 82 to a 83% [projected 2023]. Talk about a disconnect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not PP, but FCPS could have slots for each middle school, which at a minimum would create greater geographic diversity. A very large percentage of TJ kids now come from four pyramids: McLean, Oakton, Langley, and Chantilly.

So, you are suggesting geography rather than academic merit? You might as well close TJ or make it gened.

I think the idea of allocating seats per middle school or region would maintain support for TJ, but if your idea of academic merit is narrow enough to suggest it's primarily limited to the AAP programs at Carson, Longfellow, Rocky Run and Cooper, it might just be better to close TJ instead, following the precepts of One Fairfax.

Excuse me but why mention Cooper? That had 8-same number as Sandburg and Hughes had 7. Twain had 12. Why not complain about Sandburg, Hughes, and Twain? The "evil" Langley pyramid goes to Cooper not Longfellow. Included in that are Churchill and Spring Hill. The big mystery is why FCPS caps TJ and doesn't use full design and program capacity - maybe people like Smith and Platenburg need to tell TJHSST that they expect that building to operate at 100-105% utilization instead of 82 to a 83% [projected 2023]. Talk about a disconnect.

36 kids got into TJ from Cooper this year. You must be citing statistics from a prior year when most of the Cooper AAP kids were still at Kilmer and Longfellow.

https://annandaleva.blogspot.com/2019/06/few-mason-district-students-get-into-tj.html?m=1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have actual information

Actual downloadable and sortable via excel info is on VDOE not FCPS. That is also the source for IB utilization and can be analyzed in conjunction with program and detail budgets. Actual informaton combined shows an astronomical IB cost per senior in IB. http://www.doe.virginia.gov/statistics_reports/index.shtml

enrollment reported to state can vary from the dashboard:

http://schoolprofiles.fcps.edu/schlprfl/f?p=108:42:13789698018908::NO:42_SCHOOL_YEAR,P42_CLUSTER_ID,P42_DIVISION_ID,P42_SCHOOL_ID:201819,1,DIVISION,

TJ sept =1781 v program capacity 2164=383. Utilization 82%
TJ june =1766 v program capacity 2164=398. Utilzation


So why isn't that site used? Buses are running.

[Anonymous]

Why does every thread in this forum turn into a thread about TJ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My priority is my kids going to school in the community they live in which they do. If boundaries were redrawn and they went somewhere else it would not feel like our community anymore (would be across a major highway). I'm not really worried about because it would be completely nonsensical.

I don't think they'll really shake things up, but if they do, they better do it to every school, not just a few that don't have as vocal parents as others.

Also, the "under-enrolled" schools like Mt. Vernon and Lee are underenrolled for a reason. Many of the more wealthy families that are zoned for those schools just do private. Fairfax will lose the students it wants to keep to private schools if they shake things up too much.

Private schooling and homeschooling co-ops will go through the roof if too many parents think they are over reaching. There are parents who were happy with public who are now researching the local privates so that they will be ready to hit the ground running if they don't like the new boundaries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:TJ admissions this year: http://www.fcag.org/documents/TJHSST%20All%20Middle%20Schools%20Class%20of%202022.pdf

Those were the admissions in the spring of 2018 for the Class of 2022. Not the admissions this spring. And Franklin is almost 10% under capacity.

Seems there are some people really anxious to maintain the Carson AAP mega-center at all costs, and are willing to sacrifice accuracy to do so.

First— FCAG compiles and released the numbers, so this is the most recent that has been released by FCPS. I assumed by now it would be 2023. My bad. But the numbers are consistent year over year.

Second. This has been explained to Carson/ Franklin AAP parents. Franklin had about 900 kids. 10% under enrollment is has capacity for 90. 120% over is has capacity for 270.

Carson has 1000 kids in LLIV alone. Half are Franklin based. That’s 500 kids. Even pushing the boundaries on size, Franklin can only take back half their kids without going more than 120%. So no, Franklin can’t take back their AAP kids. Because there isn’t a mechanism to just take back some. Plus, it leaves Carson very under-enrolled.

They have the Franklin based AAP kids where they have room for them. They made Franklin an AAP center for the purpose of enticing enough kids back to Franklin without taking all the kids back, with nowhere to put them.

And I have no vested interest in this. My kids are in HS. But if I did, I would say the same thing. The Oakton and Chantilly based Carson kids go to TJ in large numbers now, and they would go in large numbers from Franklin, with by all accounts a great school. And Franklin would be better for the kids because it’s a cleaner feeder pattern, and they go to school with more of their Oakton and Chantilly peers. The first year Franklin dealt with mass TJ applications would be messy getting recommendations and transcripts done. After that it would be fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone have actual information

Actual downloadable and sortable via excel info is on VDOE not FCPS. That is also the source for IB utilization and can be analyzed in conjunction with program and detail budgets. Actual informaton combined shows an astronomical IB cost per senior in IB. http://www.doe.virginia.gov/statistics_reports/index.shtml

enrollment reported to state can vary from the dashboard:

http://schoolprofiles.fcps.edu/schlprfl/f?p=108:42:13789698018908::NO:42_SCHOOL_YEAR,P42_CLUSTER_ID,P42_DIVISION_ID,P42_SCHOOL_ID:201819,1,DIVISION,

TJ sept =1781 v program capacity 2164=383. Utilization 82%
TJ june =1766 v program capacity 2164=398. Utilzation


So why isn't that site used? Buses are running.

Because kids drop out of TJ. They start with a class of 480 and 420 make it to graduation. And that includes the 10-12 kids they pick up as froshmores and juniors.

Could TJ start with a class of 500-520? Probably. But the state caps reimbursement for the number of governors school kids. And FCPS will not spend more per pupil than for other schools. Because people like you would gripe. But the nature of the science research impart of the curriculum is that it costs more.

Now, if you want to bus 50 random kids there per grade, I can’t imagine how that works, because TJ works differently than a normal high school, on a different schedule. It doesn’t even have a real lunchroom.

If you really care, put pressure on the state to shell out the governors school supplement for more kids.