FCPS is turning the new high school purchased to fix crowding into an Aviation magnet school instead of a high school??
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Anonymous
I don’t feel strongly about this school, but you mislead when you say they bought it with money allocated to overcrowding. They haven’t disclosed anything about where the money came from. You can argue why you think the school should be a traditional one, but you hurt your credibility with the argument above. |
Anonymous
I think the PP is implying that the Arlington STEM academy is an actual full-time magnet school. The APS STEM school campus itself is regional in that it serves both Arlington and Falls Church City. |
Anonymous
Money to buy land and build a western HS to address overcrowding has been in the CIP for over a decade. You keep arguing that only the land portion was "funded," but regardless all of it was planned to happen. There was never any such plan to spend money on a magnet. That never made it into any bond proposals. It was never voted on. |
Anonymous
I don’t “keep arguing” about anything, since I haven’t previously weighted in on this. The disclosure in the last bond was that they would spend money (13.5 million I believe) for acquisition of a school site. So, if you want to argue semantics, they were 136 million above what the bond discussed. However, they have wiggle room in how their bond funds are used. What I hear you arguing is that the CIP has contemplated a future western high school, but so what? That’s not a document that binds the school system in any way whatsoever. I also think you keep glossing over an inconvenient fact, which is that a magnet school would alleviate overcrowding in the area, just not the particular way that you want it alleviated. Again, I don’t feel strongly about how this school is used, and I think both the traditionalists and the magnets have compelling arguments, but your argument about disclosures in bond documents is not one. |
Anonymous
The school system exists to educate the students. I would assume this includes providing spaces for education to occur. Chantilly has 3000 students and new construction in its boundaries. Westfield has 2700 and lots of new construction in its boundaries. Centreville has around 2400 with modulars and trailers, I think? There are plans to expand Centreville to 3000. They do not even yet have the permits to build. The need is now. This new school can alleviate the overcrowding--and, hopefully, solve it. It may not be a large school, but it can be made to work. If not, you are going to have to bus a lot more kids cross county--and we need a lot more buses and bus drivers. We are already short on both. And, buses and bus drivers also cost money. And, you will be busing kids who likely will not be able to participate in extra-curricular activities because of the distance. More students spending an hour and a half or so on a school bus-rather than doing homework or participating in activities at their school. I just do not understand why people cannot understand the difference between want and need. |
Anonymous
But a “Governor’s Academy” is not a “Governor’s School”. The differences seem subtle, but both legally and in practice it is not the same category as TJ. VA DoEd web site has gory details on the differences if anyone wants to know more. |
Anonymous
Without commenting on Chantilly, Arlington Tech is indeed a full-time option (magnet) high school. It also is getting new physical infrastructure very soon. It serves a single county - Arlington. Falls Church City is a Class 2 city within Arlington County, just as Fairfax City is a class 2 city within Fairfax County. |
Anonymous
I just do not understand what makes your “wants” into the collective’s “needs”. Sure one way to alleviate overcrowding is with a traditional high school. Another way to alleviate overcrowding is with a magnet or a split magnet/traditional. You can’t just pretend that the traditional alleviates overcrowding in the area and that the other options would do nothing to alleviate crowding, though of course that depends on the actual details. The bus cost thing is a red herring. I’m just not seeing how adding a bus or two results in significant additional costs. It’s a drop in the bucket compared to some other costs for the school system. You seem to be fine with a rushed $150 million purchase then complain about how we can’t add a couple hundred thousand dollars in bus routes (if that even) to the budget. It’s like rushing to buy a Lamborghini and then complain about the cost of a gas change for it. |
Anonymous
You people sure do like getting worked up about things. You don’t need to go all the way to Seattle for an aviation academy. In fact there’s one in Maryland literally right across the street from NASA: https://www.pgcps.org/schools/duval-high/departments/aeat/aeat-academics It would be a magnet program to attract some additional kids to the school and give some kids an on ramp to interesting advanced stem classes. It’s not some destructive crazy idea. |
Anonymous
Bingo. PP is the one who cannot distinguish between want and need. |
Anonymous
How is a magnet going to guarantee alleviation of overcrowding? Please explain. Chantilly is 500 students (maybe more) over capacity. You think a magnet is going to solve that? Westfield is at 2700 and growing. A magnet is not going to solve that. Centreville is overcrowded--it's hard to determine how much as they have a modular and trailers.
We are talking way over 500 students--really much closer to 1000. You think a "bus or two" is going to solve that? And, yes, a "bus or two" might be a couple of hundred thousand dollars per year. But, we are talking about a lot more than a bus or two. I would guess that for more than 500 students that would mean 20 buses --at more than $100K/ bus. Add to that, the fuel costs and the need for more bus drivers and their pay (when we already are short bus driver). But, most important, you have no problem with having hundreds and hundreds of more students on buses for more than an hour and a half per day. Does that not fall into your considerations at all? How about you address all the money our School Board is spending on staff that could not even present a proposal for how to make this into a traditional school or a magnet? If FCPS can give up the amount of $$ spent on this school to fight a losing legal battle, they can make this into a traditional school |
Anonymous
A magnet would pull more from that area of the county in the same way that TJ is more appealing to families in the East. Having watched the work session, it feels like the most likely outcome is an academy and traditional school. If the traditional school is 1,000 kids, then your overcrowding issues can be solved, without having to move a bunch of those centreville kids to Westfield. Again, this depends on The details, but there is a split magnet/traditional solution that could work pretty easily. Desiring it to be exclusively traditional is a “want” not a “need”. Your concern for other’s kids being on the bus for too long has always been just a really absurd argument. Families would get to decide whether they want that bus ride or not. The kids on buses argument when families have decided on house and school has never been compelling. |
Anonymous
We're a Chantilly family, not Oak Hill area. We might be interested in a magnet depending on what exactly it entails. Something similar to TJ? Sure. An aviation academy? Probably not. I'm sure we're not the only ones. |
Anonymous
Tell us where you live without telling us where you live. How are families getting to decide? THRU is proposing sending more kids in the KAA area on long bus rides. They purchased their houses knowing they were very close to their school and now FCPS is suggesting very long bus rides. |
Anonymous
We’re Centreville. What’s your point? |