FCPS comprehensive boundary review

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand the community fears, but maybe trust that one community can be just as kind and welcoming as another. Otherwise, the message becomes, "We only want to be a part of this community. We don't want anything to do with those people." And that is not a good message to send -- not to the children or to the people who live in a different community.

Yes, of course. "Honey, we've enjoyed having you for a while, but now we are going to give you to another family. I'm sure you will like them."

Since 2008 kids have been redistricted out of Oakton, Madison, Westfield, Chantilly, Annandale, Lewis, Fairfax, and McLean to other high schools. And of course there were big boundary changes when South County opened in 2005.

If kids get redistricted out of Langley, they’ll do fine. Stop being such babies and model better behavior for your kids. You are no more “tight knit” than any other part of the county, except to the extent that you find common ground in fearing and disrespecting others.

The behaviors that I care to model is to stand up for what you believe in and don’t let others force their extreme ideology on you. I actually am a big believer in compassion, but you can’t bring compassion about by forcing somebody to do something against their will.

Another principle that I am instilling in my kids is to never let people consider you to just be an object to achieve their goals or desires. I understand that complicates your equity agenda, but sorry, not going let my kids be offered up on your altar.

There really isn’t anything extreme in what’s likely to emerge from this boundary review. Sending kids to schools closer to their homes where feasible is just common sense.

If they kowtow to the obvious segregationists in the county, they will fail to have acted in the best interests of all the kids.

Again, you turn a lot of people off from your political party when you pretend that there is some racist civil war-type activity happening here.

Did you happen to look at the Langley dashboard? It’s not quite as sterling white segregationist as you pretend it is.

Get yourself a more compelling argument.

Langley has a lot of wealthy Asian and Middle Eastern families (and a very small number of wealthy Black families) who are just as prejudiced towards kids from less affluent families, especially Hispanic kids, as their wealthy white neighbors.

The fact that they regularly make the same types of arguments as white segregationists made in the past doesn’t make them white (although notions of “whiteness” have certainly evolved over time) but it also doesn’t mean they aren’t segregationists.

DP. WTH did I just read? Do you even live in the Langley pyramid or know anyone who does? Rhetorical question because it’s clear you don’t. Wanting to remain at an excellent high school - that many sacrificed to send their children to - does not make one prejudiced. How completely absurd. Grow up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would argue that many many Forestville families are much more integrated with the Herndon community. They are going west on route 7 to grocery shop and kids activities. It’s so much closer to their homes than the areas that McLean families go.

Just because you argue it, doesn’t make it true.

I typically don’t share a close bond with other grocery shoppers. In fact, other than saying excuse me, I can’t remember the last time I spoke to another customer in a grocery store. Again, feels like you all are grasping at straws to justify the upcoming major upheaval.

Fwiw, I don’t know a single person who lives in that pyramid- not one. So weird to not know a single soul in my supposed community.

Also, you know what will not bring these communities together? One community being dragged to the other unwillingly while the other continues to call us elite racists. Just saying.

DP but you *never* have a brief chat with other grocery store customers?

That makes you odd in general .

You have totally missed the PP’s point.
DP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You people act like school districts never redistricting kids! It’s actually regular practice in most districts. FCPS has not done it in decades because they always caved to the loudest voices. At the expense of running an efficient school system and reducing costs. FCPS needs to do the comprehensive look now, make changes that might be temporarily painful, and then revisit every five years for much smaller changes. You will be fine, your kids will be fine. And the system will be better run.

We have lived all over the country, north, south, west coast, pacific northwest, midwest and mid atlantic, urban, small town and suburban.

The only rezoning we have ever seen anywhere is when a new school is built.

What FCPS is not comminplace as you claim, and hasn't been done widespread since the days of bussing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would argue that many many Forestville families are much more integrated with the Herndon community. They are going west on route 7 to grocery shop and kids activities. It’s so much closer to their homes than the areas that McLean families go.

Just because you argue it, doesn’t make it true.

I typically don’t share a close bond with other grocery shoppers. In fact, other than saying excuse me, I can’t remember the last time I spoke to another customer in a grocery store. Again, feels like you all are grasping at straws to justify the upcoming major upheaval.

Fwiw, I don’t know a single person who lives in that pyramid- not one. So weird to not know a single soul in my supposed community.

Also, you know what will not bring these communities together? One community being dragged to the other unwillingly while the other continues to call us elite racists. Just saying.

This. I live in western great falls. I literally NEVER shop or do anything in Herndon. All our sports are in great falls. Church McLean. We don’t know a single person in the Herndon pyramid. In fact i had no clue where HMS even was. Just googled mapped it and it’s 17 to HMS and 19 to copper. How is 2 minutes different worth uprooting kids just to cover up test scores. We all know it has nothing to do with proximity. If Herndon was as high performing as Langley the county/school board/everyone on this thread wouldn’t be trying to move GF into it.

And i agree with another previous poster. Yes there were previous boundary changes but with lengthy grandfathering. With this one you could have kids 2 years apart in different schools getting a wildly different education

You do realize the reason why Langley perfoms much better than Herndon, on average, is because of demographics. Your high performing student will find their high performing peer group at any school, and will take the higher lever classes. Instead of having 100 sections of Multivariable Calculus, they might have one, but it is still offered. Herndon may not send many kids to Ivies, but if your kid has Ivy stats, then they would have a better chance of getting an offer if they graduate from Herndon.

We are zoned for Herndon, and among our friend group we know UMC kids that have gone onto: GT, UGA, Florida, UVA, VT, Princeton, Georgtown, CMU. Some in Langley might say these schools are not cream of the crop, but I wouldn’t say they are terrible outcomes either. Add to this, there are far fewer Ivy+ grads in the Herndon district, so there is no leg up with legacy admissions either.

Oh, and from what I hear, these Herndon grads are doing well at their respective universities. Graduating from the “lower performing” high school was not detrimental to their college success.

Great. So happy to hear you like your school pyramid. Now imagine they took your kids away from that great situation so that they could make a number in one school closer to a number at another. Pretty ridiculous, right?

Bingo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would argue that many many Forestville families are much more integrated with the Herndon community. They are going west on route 7 to grocery shop and kids activities. It’s so much closer to their homes than the areas that McLean families go.

Just because you argue it, doesn’t make it true.

I typically don’t share a close bond with other grocery shoppers. In fact, other than saying excuse me, I can’t remember the last time I spoke to another customer in a grocery store. Again, feels like you all are grasping at straws to justify the upcoming major upheaval.

Fwiw, I don’t know a single person who lives in that pyramid- not one. So weird to not know a single soul in my supposed community.

Also, you know what will not bring these communities together? One community being dragged to the other unwillingly while the other continues to call us elite racists. Just saying.

This. I live in western great falls. I literally NEVER shop or do anything in Herndon. All our sports are in great falls. Church McLean. We don’t know a single person in the Herndon pyramid. In fact i had no clue where HMS even was. Just googled mapped it and it’s 17 to HMS and 19 to copper. How is 2 minutes different worth uprooting kids just to cover up test scores. We all know it has nothing to do with proximity. If Herndon was as high performing as Langley the county/school board/everyone on this thread wouldn’t be trying to move GF into it.

And i agree with another previous poster. Yes there were previous boundary changes but with lengthy grandfathering. With this one you could have kids 2 years apart in different schools getting a wildly different education

Relax! So you don’t anybody from the Herndon pyramid, therefore you have not heard any first hand experiences from Herndon families. If this is how you feel, please send your kids to private school if you get zoned for Herndon. You have too many pre-conceived ideas about Herndon, and most likely your kids do as well.

Why do you feel entitled to that poster’s tax revenue and expect her to send her kids to private school?

If anyone has “too many preconceived ideas” about a school pyramid, let’s talk about the poster calling the Langley school segregationist and racist…

+100

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You people act like school districts never redistricting kids! It’s actually regular practice in most districts. FCPS has not done it in decades because they always caved to the loudest voices. At the expense of running an efficient school system and reducing costs. FCPS needs to do the comprehensive look now, make changes that might be temporarily painful, and then revisit every five years for much smaller changes. You will be fine, your kids will be fine. And the system will be better run.

Sure thing - as long as ALL inefficiencies are taken into account before moving boundaries. Redundant AAP centers (and the additional busing associated with them), IB, etc. Those issues need to be addressed before any students are sent to different schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Moving HVES to Lewis would be farther from their homes. Also, HVES is only about 52.6% white; it is hardly a segregated school. The issue is between high- and low-performers, not race.

FCPS doesn't have segregated schools.

Anymore

AAP schools are a form of segregation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You people act like school districts never redistricting kids! It’s actually regular practice in most districts. FCPS has not done it in decades because they always caved to the loudest voices. At the expense of running an efficient school system and reducing costs. FCPS needs to do the comprehensive look now, make changes that might be temporarily painful, and then revisit every five years for much smaller changes. You will be fine, your kids will be fine. And the system will be better run.

One can easily argue that the large over capacity school with some of the shortest commutes and tighest boundaries in the county and strong dedicated community involvement (WSHS) is one of the most effective models of taxpayer stewardship and should be duplicated wherever possible, instead of throwing money away and bussing kids all over for equity, lowering achievement and increasing taxpayer unhappiness.

If WSHS can successfully educate a larger number of students using fewer funds and maximizing space, and limiting commuting dollars spent bussing kids, then they are doing things right, being more efficient and effective, and should be left alone to do their thing.

WSHS was the beneficiary of a big expansion courtesy of taxpayers and a former Facilities head who was a WSHS graduate. If it got that expansion, still is above capacity, and borders a school with hundreds of available seats, it's hard to argue that it's poor stewardship to move some kids to the other school.

Otherwise you are basically arguing that there are good schools and bad schools, and that it's in the greater interests to triage and let the smaller schools decline with their students having access to fewer academic and extra-curricular opportunities. The "planned shrinkage" model was popular in the Reagan era among economists who argued that cities should deny basic services to areas like the South Bronx until they were totally depopulated and could then be redeveloped.

You argument holds no water

WSHS would be successful without the rezoning.

If WSHS was not renovated, not a single family would support rezoning to Lewis. They might be clamoring to get a renovation, but they wouldn't be asking to get rezoned.

WSHS is educating more kids effectively using fewer resources. They don't even have or need a single trailer, which is generally the first step to address overcrowding before rezoning is even mentioned.

Why do you want to target and punish WSHS kids for doing well in school, for having school admins and teachers who are successful at saving taxpayer money by successfully educating more kids for less money by having larger teacher/student ratios, and for having one the smallest boundary footprints in the entire FCPS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Moving HVES to Lewis would be farther from their homes. Also, HVES is only about 52.6% white; it is hardly a segregated school. The issue is between high- and low-performers, not race.

FCPS doesn't have segregated schools.

Anymore

AAP schools are a form of segregation.

No. It is not.

To trivialize segregation like this shows zero intellectual honesty, no understanding of history, and a disgusting use of political partisanship

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You people act like school districts never redistricting kids! It’s actually regular practice in most districts. FCPS has not done it in decades because they always caved to the loudest voices. At the expense of running an efficient school system and reducing costs. FCPS needs to do the comprehensive look now, make changes that might be temporarily painful, and then revisit every five years for much smaller changes. You will be fine, your kids will be fine. And the system will be better run.

Sure thing - as long as ALL inefficiencies are taken into account before moving boundaries. Redundant AAP centers (and the additional busing associated with them), IB, etc. Those issues need to be addressed before any students are sent to different schools.

100% this. The comprehensive review should be to review programs offered to minimize the flow of transfers to see what they can to do minimize disruptions to borders. It should also be used to highlight areas where boundary adjustments would be recommended. Much like CIP, they don’t do every project at once. They can offer more generous grandfathering if they only focus on a few pyramids at a time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand the community fears, but maybe trust that one community can be just as kind and welcoming as another. Otherwise, the message becomes, "We only want to be a part of this community. We don't want anything to do with those people." And that is not a good message to send -- not to the children or to the people who live in a different community.

Yes, of course. "Honey, we've enjoyed having you for a while, but now we are going to give you to another family. I'm sure you will like them."

Since 2008 kids have been redistricted out of Oakton, Madison, Westfield, Chantilly, Annandale, Lewis, Fairfax, and McLean to other high schools. And of course there were big boundary changes when South County opened in 2005.

If kids get redistricted out of Langley, they’ll do fine. Stop being such babies and model better behavior for your kids. You are no more “tight knit” than any other part of the county, except to the extent that you find common ground in fearing and disrespecting others.

The behaviors that I care to model is to stand up for what you believe in and don’t let others force their extreme ideology on you. I actually am a big believer in compassion, but you can’t bring compassion about by forcing somebody to do something against their will.

Another principle that I am instilling in my kids is to never let people consider you to just be an object to achieve their goals or desires. I understand that complicates your equity agenda, but sorry, not going let my kids be offered up on your altar.

There really isn’t anything extreme in what’s likely to emerge from this boundary review. Sending kids to schools closer to their homes where feasible is just common sense.

If they kowtow to the obvious segregationists in the county, they will fail to have acted in the best interests of all the kids.

Again, you turn a lot of people off from your political party when you pretend that there is some racist civil war-type activity happening here.

Did you happen to look at the Langley dashboard? It’s not quite as sterling white segregationist as you pretend it is.

Get yourself a more compelling argument.

Langley has a lot of wealthy Asian and Middle Eastern families (and a very small number of wealthy Black families) who are just as prejudiced towards kids from less affluent families, especially Hispanic kids, as their wealthy white neighbors.

The fact that they regularly make the same types of arguments as white segregationists made in the past doesn’t make them white (although notions of “whiteness” have certainly evolved over time) but it also doesn’t mean they aren’t segregationists.

DP. WTH did I just read? Do you even live in the Langley pyramid or know anyone who does? Rhetorical question because it’s clear you don’t. Wanting to remain at an excellent high school - that many sacrificed to send their children to - does not make one prejudiced. How completely absurd. Grow up.

Other high schools are excellent as well and probably even better than Langley in some respects.

You think Langley is better because it has wealthier demographics. That's your problem, but FCPS has no obligation to keep catering to your prejudices. Deal with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand the community fears, but maybe trust that one community can be just as kind and welcoming as another. Otherwise, the message becomes, "We only want to be a part of this community. We don't want anything to do with those people." And that is not a good message to send -- not to the children or to the people who live in a different community.

Yes, of course. "Honey, we've enjoyed having you for a while, but now we are going to give you to another family. I'm sure you will like them."

Since 2008 kids have been redistricted out of Oakton, Madison, Westfield, Chantilly, Annandale, Lewis, Fairfax, and McLean to other high schools. And of course there were big boundary changes when South County opened in 2005.

If kids get redistricted out of Langley, they’ll do fine. Stop being such babies and model better behavior for your kids. You are no more “tight knit” than any other part of the county, except to the extent that you find common ground in fearing and disrespecting others.

The behaviors that I care to model is to stand up for what you believe in and don’t let others force their extreme ideology on you. I actually am a big believer in compassion, but you can’t bring compassion about by forcing somebody to do something against their will.

Another principle that I am instilling in my kids is to never let people consider you to just be an object to achieve their goals or desires. I understand that complicates your equity agenda, but sorry, not going let my kids be offered up on your altar.

There really isn’t anything extreme in what’s likely to emerge from this boundary review. Sending kids to schools closer to their homes where feasible is just common sense.

If they kowtow to the obvious segregationists in the county, they will fail to have acted in the best interests of all the kids.

Again, you turn a lot of people off from your political party when you pretend that there is some racist civil war-type activity happening here.

Did you happen to look at the Langley dashboard? It’s not quite as sterling white segregationist as you pretend it is.

Get yourself a more compelling argument.

Langley has a lot of wealthy Asian and Middle Eastern families (and a very small number of wealthy Black families) who are just as prejudiced towards kids from less affluent families, especially Hispanic kids, as their wealthy white neighbors.

The fact that they regularly make the same types of arguments as white segregationists made in the past doesn’t make them white (although notions of “whiteness” have certainly evolved over time) but it also doesn’t mean they aren’t segregationists.

DP. WTH did I just read? Do you even live in the Langley pyramid or know anyone who does? Rhetorical question because it’s clear you don’t. Wanting to remain at an excellent high school - that many sacrificed to send their children to - does not make one prejudiced. How completely absurd. Grow up.

Other high schools are excellent as well and probably even better than Langley in some respects.

You think Langley is better because it has wealthier demographics. That's your problem, but FCPS has no obligation to keep catering to your prejudices. Deal with it.

No.

She thinks Langley is better because that is her neighborhood school.

Her kids are not your or any other equity warrior's political pawns.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You people act like school districts never redistricting kids! It’s actually regular practice in most districts. FCPS has not done it in decades because they always caved to the loudest voices. At the expense of running an efficient school system and reducing costs. FCPS needs to do the comprehensive look now, make changes that might be temporarily painful, and then revisit every five years for much smaller changes. You will be fine, your kids will be fine. And the system will be better run.

One can easily argue that the large over capacity school with some of the shortest commutes and tighest boundaries in the county and strong dedicated community involvement (WSHS) is one of the most effective models of taxpayer stewardship and should be duplicated wherever possible, instead of throwing money away and bussing kids all over for equity, lowering achievement and increasing taxpayer unhappiness.

If WSHS can successfully educate a larger number of students using fewer funds and maximizing space, and limiting commuting dollars spent bussing kids, then they are doing things right, being more efficient and effective, and should be left alone to do their thing.

WSHS was the beneficiary of a big expansion courtesy of taxpayers and a former Facilities head who was a WSHS graduate. If it got that expansion, still is above capacity, and borders a school with hundreds of available seats, it's hard to argue that it's poor stewardship to move some kids to the other school.

Otherwise you are basically arguing that there are good schools and bad schools, and that it's in the greater interests to triage and let the smaller schools decline with their students having access to fewer academic and extra-curricular opportunities. The "planned shrinkage" model was popular in the Reagan era among economists who argued that cities should deny basic services to areas like the South Bronx until they were totally depopulated and could then be redeveloped.

You argument holds no water

WSHS would be successful without the rezoning.

If WSHS was not renovated, not a single family would support rezoning to Lewis. They might be clamoring to get a renovation, but they wouldn't be asking to get rezoned.

WSHS is educating more kids effectively using fewer resources. They don't even have or need a single trailer, which is generally the first step to address overcrowding before rezoning is even mentioned.

Why do you want to target and punish WSHS kids for doing well in school, for having school admins and teachers who are successful at saving taxpayer money by successfully educating more kids for less money by having larger teacher/student ratios, and for having one the smallest boundary footprints in the entire FCPS?

I don't equate doing what's right by Lewis as "punishing" anyone. Your argument starts and ends with a flawed premise.

Also, if having compact boundaries ("smallest boundary footprints") is one of the top one or two considerations, then clearly revising the expansive Langley boundaries should be a top priority.

[Anonymous]

I bet the new WSHS principal will deny every transfer request. That will be the start to help with capacity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You people act like school districts never redistricting kids! It’s actually regular practice in most districts. FCPS has not done it in decades because they always caved to the loudest voices. At the expense of running an efficient school system and reducing costs. FCPS needs to do the comprehensive look now, make changes that might be temporarily painful, and then revisit every five years for much smaller changes. You will be fine, your kids will be fine. And the system will be better run.

One can easily argue that the large over capacity school with some of the shortest commutes and tighest boundaries in the county and strong dedicated community involvement (WSHS) is one of the most effective models of taxpayer stewardship and should be duplicated wherever possible, instead of throwing money away and bussing kids all over for equity, lowering achievement and increasing taxpayer unhappiness.

If WSHS can successfully educate a larger number of students using fewer funds and maximizing space, and limiting commuting dollars spent bussing kids, then they are doing things right, being more efficient and effective, and should be left alone to do their thing.

WSHS was the beneficiary of a big expansion courtesy of taxpayers and a former Facilities head who was a WSHS graduate. If it got that expansion, still is above capacity, and borders a school with hundreds of available seats, it's hard to argue that it's poor stewardship to move some kids to the other school.

Otherwise you are basically arguing that there are good schools and bad schools, and that it's in the greater interests to triage and let the smaller schools decline with their students having access to fewer academic and extra-curricular opportunities. The "planned shrinkage" model was popular in the Reagan era among economists who argued that cities should deny basic services to areas like the South Bronx until they were totally depopulated and could then be redeveloped.

You argument holds no water

WSHS would be successful without the rezoning.

If WSHS was not renovated, not a single family would support rezoning to Lewis. They might be clamoring to get a renovation, but they wouldn't be asking to get rezoned.

WSHS is educating more kids effectively using fewer resources. They don't even have or need a single trailer, which is generally the first step to address overcrowding before rezoning is even mentioned.

Why do you want to target and punish WSHS kids for doing well in school, for having school admins and teachers who are successful at saving taxpayer money by successfully educating more kids for less money by having larger teacher/student ratios, and for having one the smallest boundary footprints in the entire FCPS?

I don't equate doing what's right by Lewis as "punishing" anyone. Your argument starts and ends with a flawed premise.

Also, if having compact boundaries ("smallest boundary footprints") is one of the top one or two considerations, then clearly revising the expansive Langley boundaries should be a top priority.

Why should Lewis take priority over the families of WSHS?

Equity rezoning is wildly unpopular.


Other people's kids are not your political pawns.