FCPS comprehensive boundary review

[Anonymous]

If this was the goal all along, they should have said that. Instead of all the other reasons they told the community in those many many meetings. She’s moving the goal posts because this is so unpopular and she’s trying to come up with another justification that won’t come under legal challenge for clearly being about equity and racial balancing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reid stated at a meeting tonight that rezoning is about manipulating space to move all the 6th grades to middle school.

That is a hill she isn't willing to give up.

She is using WSHS capacity as an excuse to move a WSHS feeder from Irving to Key so she can move 6th grade to middle school.

She was fairly emphatic at the meeting tonight that she will not budge on moving 6th to middle school.

What sense does this make?! If you look at the CIP, so many are already over capacity with no budget plans for expansion to accommodate entire new grades.

Hold on, hold on. Let’s give this a close look before we pass judgment. Dr. Reid brings her unique expertise, experience, and insight to this $4 billion organization. After spending her first year and a half getting to know the district and its many diverse pyramids she may have spotted a pattern with her fresh set of eyes that we may not have seen.

Hmmm…let’s see…make middle school grades 6-8…ah, there it is! Did you know that three middle schools are already 6-8 in FCPS:

Glasgow Middle School
Oliver Wendell Holmes Middle School
Edgar Allan Poe Middle School

There it is, you judgmental fools, she is simply trying to replicate the clear outcome success that students from these top middle schools in FCPS have shown at the top high schools these middle schools feed into, such as (checks notes):

Justice High School
Falls Church High School
Annandale High School

Wow. I bet you feel silly now. We should embrace the new slogan for FCPS:

FCPS, More Justice (High) for Everyone

Seriously, though, has it worked at those schools? More importantly, are [u]are the needs of the students at those schools the same as the needs of the students in other pyramids[u]?

We are an enormous and diverse community. More focus should be placed on the unique needs of each group, providing resources directly to schools and teachers to meet the student populations where they are. Simply mushing everyone together into a “One Fairfax” pot only ensures degraded services to each unique group.

Ask a teacher: does intentionally grouping students in a manner that will require additional in-class differentiation improve student learning?

But what would I know. I am just a teacher who has taught in one of the title one school ESs that feeds into one of the middle schools noted above.

Excellent post

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If this was the goal all along, they should have said that. Instead of all the other reasons they told the community in those many many meetings. She’s moving the goal posts because this is so unpopular and she’s trying to come up with another justification that won’t come under legal challenge for clearly being about equity and racial balancing.

Reid has been talking about her 6-8 middle school goal since the working sessions before the 8130 revisions passed. It’s just been lost in the noise because the goal seems outlandish for a 2026-27 implementation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If this was the goal all along, they should have said that. Instead of all the other reasons they told the community in those many many meetings. She’s moving the goal posts because this is so unpopular and she’s trying to come up with another justification that won’t come under legal challenge for clearly being about equity and racial balancing.

The political fallout will be the same. FCPS will hurt the dems on the state level. It’s how Youngkin won. You are being absurdly tone deaf. How did that work out for Biden?

Attempting to mask these changes as anything other than the One Fairfax by saying that educational outcomes are better w/6-8 middle schools is not credible. The lowest performing middle schools in the lowest performing pyramids in FCPS use the 6-8 middle school model.

Hey Gatehouse, you can use taxpayer money to pay lawyers to tell you that socioeconomic-based integration has been widely adopted nationwide as a viable alternative to race-based school integration, but that does not mean that it will withstand a legal challenge. Not now. Not with this Court. If you don’t believe me, talk to a woman who wants to get an abortion Texas. All you are doing is tossing the conservative legal corps a softball for a case that will definitely state that your socioeconomic boundary drawing is illegal.

[Anonymous]

I guess they’d just move all the trailers and modular classrooms from the elementary schools to the middle schools? Because otherwise I don’t know if there is a single middle school in FCPS that could absorb a whole additional grade. Key Middle has 700 students, Whitman has 825, and they are considered pretty small. That would be roughly 350 per grade level at Key, a little over 400 at Whitman, but 500-600 at the larger schools like Irving or Frost. And the mods and trailers add classroom space but not space in the hallways, cafeteria, the gym, restrooms … I understand the goal but more work has to be done first.

[Anonymous]

If we can’t have any outliers, but must have 6-8 middle schools, what happens with the secondary schools? Are we also sending 6th graders to Hayfield, Robinson, and Lake Braddock, or do we send the 6-8 graders in those pyramids to one of the elementary schools that will need to be converted to obviously inferior 6-8 middle schools?

This is such an unnecessary distraction. Reid and this School Board need to be removed from their positions immediately. They are such IDIOTS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If we can’t have any outliers, but must have 6-8 middle schools, what happens with the secondary schools? Are we also sending 6th graders to Hayfield, Robinson, and Lake Braddock, or do we send the 6-8 graders in those pyramids to one of the elementary schools that will need to be converted to obviously inferior 6-8 middle schools?

This is such an unnecessary distraction. Reid and this School Board need to be removed from their positions immediately. They are such IDIOTS.

This is Gatehouse. It has always been Gatehouse. Politicians come and go. The last group of politicians and Brayband kept Gatehouse under control enough for the SB reps to achieve higher office. This SB and Reid are being run by a core group of One Fairfax diehards in Gatehouse who DGAF about higher office or Virginia state politics. So, ironically, the SB is the only real check on this coming madness. But will they recognize it before the real political damage is done when these proposals come out (post-primary) in June.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reid stated at a meeting tonight that rezoning is about manipulating space to move all the 6th grades to middle school.

That is a hill she isn't willing to give up.

She is using WSHS capacity as an excuse to move a WSHS feeder from Irving to Key so she can move 6th grade to middle school.

She was fairly emphatic at the meeting tonight that she will not budge on moving 6th to middle school.

I've heard her say the same thing. Some of the reasons for moving 6th graders:

1. Families, students and staff do not feel as connected to their 7-8 middle schools as they do to the elementary and high schools. It is such a short period of time - the students come in one year and they're out the door the next. By moving 6th graders in, you now have students at a school for 3 years and have a chance to make more connections.

2. 6th grades are much closer emotionally/socially to 7th and 8th graders than they are to K - 4th graders. I sub in elementary school. I was in a school last week and a group of 6th grade girls walked by - I was shocked! If I had seen them outside of school, I would have thought they were around 16 years old.

3. Making room in all elementary schools for universal PreK.

She is going to fight for this.

There is a lot to say for starting accelerated math (and other academics) earlier. That doesn't happen as well in 6th grade when the classes are 35 minutes long and there's a lot of wasted minutes with morning meeting garbage and specials filling up the day. The 90-minute block in MS gets the advanced kids on that track earlier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Reid stated at a meeting tonight that rezoning is about manipulating space to move all the 6th grades to middle school.

That is a hill she isn't willing to give up.

She is using WSHS capacity as an excuse to move a WSHS feeder from Irving to Key so she can move 6th grade to middle school.

She was fairly emphatic at the meeting tonight that she will not budge on moving 6th to middle school.

What meeting? If I’m remembering correctly, the boundary policy the board approved last year lays out considerations for determining boundaries and making MS 6-8 is not one of them. Rickie Anderson has been the only one harping on the inconsistent MS years in FCPS because she’s always playing victim for Glasgow. I doubt this retelling of Reid’s statements is accurate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reid stated at a meeting tonight that rezoning is about manipulating space to move all the 6th grades to middle school.

That is a hill she isn't willing to give up.

She is using WSHS capacity as an excuse to move a WSHS feeder from Irving to Key so she can move 6th grade to middle school.

She was fairly emphatic at the meeting tonight that she will not budge on moving 6th to middle school.

I've heard her say the same thing. Some of the reasons for moving 6th graders:

1. Families, students and staff do not feel as connected to their 7-8 middle schools as they do to the elementary and high schools. It is such a short period of time - the students come in one year and they're out the door the next. By moving 6th graders in, you now have students at a school for 3 years and have a chance to make more connections.

2. 6th grades are much closer emotionally/socially to 7th and 8th graders than they are to K - 4th graders. I sub in elementary school. I was in a school last week and a group of 6th grade girls walked by - I was shocked! If I had seen them outside of school, I would have thought they were around 16 years old.

3. Making room in all elementary schools for universal PreK.

She is going to fight for this.

There is a lot to say for starting accelerated math (and other academics) earlier. That doesn't happen as well in 6th grade when the classes are 35 minutes long and there's a lot of wasted minutes with morning meeting garbage and specials filling up the day. The 90-minute block in MS gets the advanced kids on that track earlier.

As PP pointed out the current 6-8 middle schools are among the worst in the county. So much for results.

This also poses an huge facilities challenge given the assumptions made when the schools were built. And we really don’t need more tiger parents pushing for ways to accelerate their 6th grade kids in any event.

No one elected this SB to make such widespread changes and Reid needs to get the boot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reid stated at a meeting tonight that rezoning is about manipulating space to move all the 6th grades to middle school.

That is a hill she isn't willing to give up.

She is using WSHS capacity as an excuse to move a WSHS feeder from Irving to Key so she can move 6th grade to middle school.

She was fairly emphatic at the meeting tonight that she will not budge on moving 6th to middle school.

Can someone put this incredibly stupid woman on a plane back to the Pacific Northwest?

+1
Please refer to the last work session meeting where Reid said she already had the models for moving 6th to middle school. I would love to know how closely her models align with the maps by Thru.

As an Irving parent each class is 680-700+ and it is very close to capacity. How can they add an entire grade level even if they remove an elementary?

As an Irving parent, you should realize that moving 6th to middle school means moving hundreds of kids to Key/Lewis.

Get ready, Irving/WSHS parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reid stated at a meeting tonight that rezoning is about manipulating space to move all the 6th grades to middle school.

That is a hill she isn't willing to give up.

She is using WSHS capacity as an excuse to move a WSHS feeder from Irving to Key so she can move 6th grade to middle school.

She was fairly emphatic at the meeting tonight that she will not budge on moving 6th to middle school.

I've heard her say the same thing. Some of the reasons for moving 6th graders:

1. Families, students and staff do not feel as connected to their 7-8 middle schools as they do to the elementary and high schools. It is such a short period of time - the students come in one year and they're out the door the next. By moving 6th graders in, you now have students at a school for 3 years and have a chance to make more connections.

2. 6th grades are much closer emotionally/socially to 7th and 8th graders than they are to K - 4th graders. I sub in elementary school. I was in a school last week and a group of 6th grade girls walked by - I was shocked! If I had seen them outside of school, I would have thought they were around 16 years old.

3. Making room in all elementary schools for universal PreK.

She is going to fight for this.

There is a lot to say for starting accelerated math (and other academics) earlier. That doesn't happen as well in 6th grade when the classes are 35 minutes long and there's a lot of wasted minutes with morning meeting garbage and specials filling up the day. The 90-minute block in MS gets the advanced kids on that track earlier.

As PP pointed out the current 6-8 middle schools are among the worst in the county. So much for results.

This also poses an huge facilities challenge given the assumptions made when the schools were built. And we really don’t need more tiger parents pushing for ways to accelerate their 6th grade kids in any event.

No one elected this SB to make such widespread changes and Reid needs to get the boot.

Well of course those schools wouldn't be top performers - there's no strategy in place for the incorporation of 6 into MS. Next steps are putting a plan in place to make it happen, then executing. This isn't a novel concept, the rest of the country is doing it and doing it well. And you're an idiot if you think any board is only elected to do exactly what YOU want. Think a little bigger. Your average student will be okay, and all the better for the accelerated kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When is a map of proposed boundary changes expected?

I think March.

Seeing that the Brac is still sifting through the negative feedback overwhelmingly opposing boundary changes, and hasn't even started discussing maps, the timeline proves that FCPS already has maps created

The boundary rebiew committee is just for show.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reid stated at a meeting tonight that rezoning is about manipulating space to move all the 6th grades to middle school.

That is a hill she isn't willing to give up.

She is using WSHS capacity as an excuse to move a WSHS feeder from Irving to Key so she can move 6th grade to middle school.

She was fairly emphatic at the meeting tonight that she will not budge on moving 6th to middle school.

“And you get a split feeder, and you get a split feeder…”

If she is so committed to this, I wish she’d layout how it could be accomplished. There are not enough middle school seats to add an extra grade. Many middle schools aren’t even designed to meet half of their expanded high school’s capacity. There’s no way this can be done without splitting pockets of schools every which way across the county to fill an empty seat.

If they’re going to convert elementary schools say it. And please, change Dunn Loring ES to Dunn Loring MS before it’s too late.

I have no issue with 6-8 middle school. This goal seems so short sighted though. It’s an enormous school district that has been designed and built around the 7-8 concept and recent middle school renovations have done nothing to work toward this goal.

I think that she plans to blow up the boundaries, bussing hundreds or thousands of kids out of their neighborhood schools to schools with capacity, not just to underperforming under enrolled schools like Lewis/Key but also making the secondary schools with space like SoCo, LB and Robinson into mega schools.

Using Irving as an example, the only way to accomkdate 6th grade in the school is to transfer out almost 600 students.

That is 2 elementary schools being affected by rezoning.

Does that mean West Springfield Elementary or keene Mill Elementary to Lewis/Key AND Hunt Valley to SoCo?

That might give enough space for 6th in middle school.

But then, the receiving schools will now be over capacity.

Does she only move one elementary school out of Irving/WSHS to Key/Lewis?

That means that Irving would have to rely heavily on trailers to accomodate 6th grade, as would every other middle school in the county.

What a mess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reid stated at a meeting tonight that rezoning is about manipulating space to move all the 6th grades to middle school.

That is a hill she isn't willing to give up.

She is using WSHS capacity as an excuse to move a WSHS feeder from Irving to Key so she can move 6th grade to middle school.

She was fairly emphatic at the meeting tonight that she will not budge on moving 6th to middle school.

I've heard her say the same thing. Some of the reasons for moving 6th graders:

1. Families, students and staff do not feel as connected to their 7-8 middle schools as they do to the elementary and high schools. It is such a short period of time - the students come in one year and they're out the door the next. By moving 6th graders in, you now have students at a school for 3 years and have a chance to make more connections.

2. 6th grades are much closer emotionally/socially to 7th and 8th graders than they are to K - 4th graders. I sub in elementary school. I was in a school last week and a group of 6th grade girls walked by - I was shocked! If I had seen them outside of school, I would have thought they were around 16 years old.

3. Making room in all elementary schools for universal PreK.

She is going to fight for this.

There is a lot to say for starting accelerated math (and other academics) earlier. That doesn't happen as well in 6th grade when the classes are 35 minutes long and there's a lot of wasted minutes with morning meeting garbage and specials filling up the day. The 90-minute block in MS gets the advanced kids on that track earlier.

As PP pointed out the current 6-8 middle schools are among the worst in the county. So much for results.

This also poses an huge facilities challenge given the assumptions made when the schools were built. And we really don’t need more tiger parents pushing for ways to accelerate their 6th grade kids in any event.

No one elected this SB to make such widespread changes and Reid needs to get the boot.

Well of course those schools wouldn't be top performers - there's no strategy in place for the incorporation of 6 into MS. Next steps are putting a plan in place to make it happen, then executing. This isn't a novel concept, the rest of the country is doing it and doing it well. And you're an idiot if you think any board is only elected to do exactly what YOU want. Think a little bigger. Your average student will be okay, and all the better for the accelerated kids.

We don’t have the facilities to implement this without massive redistricting and massive expenditures. The juice here is not worth the squeeze.