When are Herndon Middle and Herndon High going to get a break?!??

[Anonymous]

The messaging could have been simpler and more factual:

* Right now our enrollment is relatively stable overall, and we do not anticipate major growth over the next five years.

* As a result, we have no need for county-wide boundary changes.

* However, in some areas, we have schools that are seriously overcrowded near schools that are significantly below capacity. We need to address those situations promptly, and the solution may require limited boundary changes.

* When considering boundary changes that are otherwise necessary, we intend to look at a number of factors, but a key consideration will be to avoid further concentrating poverty at certain schools, which in some cases has been the unintended consequence of past boundary adjustments. We are revising our policy on boundary adjustments to reflect this goal.

* We continue to consider whether a new high school should be built in western Fairfax. This would be very expensive; we have not yet acquired land for a new school; and we do not anticipate a new school would open any sooner than 2030. We may decide to defer such plans indefinitely. If we do open a new school, there will be significant boundary changes affecting numerous pyramids at that time, as there often is when a new high school opens its doors.

* Looking decades ahead, we expect significant growth in a number of parts of the county, including Tysons, Herndon (near the new Silver Line stations), and along the Route 1 corridor. We coordinate as closely as we can with county officials to anticipate and plan for such growth, which may also require new schools and boundary changes in the future.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is so much worry and fighting and really nothing material is going to happen until a new high school is built. People need to chill out and save their outrage for something else. I keep seeing dramatic threads on DCUM on this whole Herndon, Langley, One Fairfax drama, but really nothing is going to happen for like...15-18 years? So, well after kids who are learning how to poop and pee in the potty will be in high school? Possibly after a baby who is currently crowning in INOVA fairfax?

Let's give it a rest and complain about something else. ANYTHING.

Are you a Langley parent? Whenever a boundary change is discussed, it seems like a default answer is let's wait until the new school is built. Look, Langley has the capacity now. No need to wait. As for the new western fairfax high school, it may or may not affect the Langley boundary. Did building South County high school induce a countywide boundary changes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is so much worry and fighting and really nothing material is going to happen until a new high school is built. People need to chill out and save their outrage for something else. I keep seeing dramatic threads on DCUM on this whole Herndon, Langley, One Fairfax drama, but really nothing is going to happen for like...15-18 years? So, well after kids who are learning how to poop and pee in the potty will be in high school? Possibly after a baby who is currently crowning in INOVA fairfax?

Let's give it a rest and complain about something else. ANYTHING.

Are you a Langley parent? Whenever a boundary change is discussed, it seems like a default answer is let's wait until the new school is built. Look, Langley has the capacity now. No need to wait. As for the new western fairfax high school, it may or may not affect the Langley boundary. Did building South County high school induce a countywide boundary changes?

I took PP to mean moving 150-200 kids from McLean to Langley was not a big deal, as opposed to some of the county-wide changes some people keep suggesting must be in the works because of One Fairfax.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is so much worry and fighting and really nothing material is going to happen until a new high school is built. People need to chill out and save their outrage for something else. I keep seeing dramatic threads on DCUM on this whole Herndon, Langley, One Fairfax drama, but really nothing is going to happen for like...15-18 years? So, well after kids who are learning how to poop and pee in the potty will be in high school? Possibly after a baby who is currently crowning in INOVA fairfax?

Let's give it a rest and complain about something else. ANYTHING.

Are you a Langley parent? Whenever a boundary change is discussed, it seems like a default answer is let's wait until the new school is built. Look, Langley has the capacity now. No need to wait. As for the new western fairfax high school, it may or may not affect the Langley boundary. Did building South County high school induce a countywide boundary changes?

I took PP to mean moving 150-200 kids from McLean to Langley was not a big deal, as opposed to some of the county-wide changes some people keep suggesting must be in the works because of One Fairfax.

Agree. This should have been discussed and completed at least a year ago--certainly, when trailers started being added.

From what I see and read, it doesn't sound to me like McLean or Langley parents object. Braband said he had not done it because he was waiting for School Board to develop a FairfaxOne policy. So, it's pretty clear that is what is driving the delay. It is a simple and logical solution. Take 200 or so kids from McLean and send them to Langley. If I were decider, I would take those closest to Langley. But, if they want to send the minimal amount of FARMS at McLean, okay. It's not going to change anyone's scores.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is so much worry and fighting and really nothing material is going to happen until a new high school is built. People need to chill out and save their outrage for something else. I keep seeing dramatic threads on DCUM on this whole Herndon, Langley, One Fairfax drama, but really nothing is going to happen for like...15-18 years? So, well after kids who are learning how to poop and pee in the potty will be in high school? Possibly after a baby who is currently crowning in INOVA fairfax?

Let's give it a rest and complain about something else. ANYTHING.

Are you a Langley parent? Whenever a boundary change is discussed, it seems like a default answer is let's wait until the new school is built. Look, Langley has the capacity now. No need to wait. As for the new western fairfax high school, it may or may not affect the Langley boundary. Did building South County high school induce a countywide boundary changes?

I took PP to mean moving 150-200 kids from McLean to Langley was not a big deal, as opposed to some of the county-wide changes some people keep suggesting must be in the works because of One Fairfax.

Agree. This should have been discussed and completed at least a year ago--certainly, when trailers started being added.

From what I see and read, it doesn't sound to me like McLean or Langley parents object. Braband said he had not done it because he was waiting for School Board to develop a FairfaxOne policy. So, it's pretty clear that is what is driving the delay. It is a simple and logical solution. Take 200 or so kids from McLean and send them to Langley. If I were decider, I would take those closest to Langley. But, if they want to send the minimal amount of FARMS at McLean, okay. It's not going to change anyone's scores.

They should definitely take some of the parts closest to Langley.

[Anonymous]

No. Better to move some Tysons apartments to Langley and increase the economic diversity there.

If they move the richest parts of McLean to Langley, they should take every reference to “One Fairfax” off the county’s web sites, because it will have been shown to be meaningless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The messaging could have been simpler and more factual:

* Right now our enrollment is relatively stable overall, and we do not anticipate major growth over the next five years.

* As a result, we have no need for county-wide boundary changes.

* However, in some areas, we have schools that are seriously overcrowded near schools that are significantly below capacity. We need to address those situations promptly, and the solution may require limited boundary changes.

* When considering boundary changes that are otherwise necessary, we intend to look at a number of factors, but a key consideration will be to avoid further concentrating poverty at certain schools, which in some cases has been the unintended consequence of past boundary adjustments. We are revising our policy on boundary adjustments to reflect this goal.

* We continue to consider whether a new high school should be built in western Fairfax. This would be very expensive; we have not yet acquired land for a new school; and we do not anticipate a new school would open any sooner than 2030. We may decide to defer such plans indefinitely. If we do open a new school, there will be significant boundary changes affecting numerous pyramids at that time, as there often is when a new high school opens its doors.

* Looking decades ahead, we expect significant growth in a number of parts of the county, including Tysons, Herndon (near the new Silver Line stations), and along the Route 1 corridor. We coordinate as closely as we can with county officials to anticipate and plan for such growth, which may also require new schools and boundary changes in the future.

Well said.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. Better to move some Tysons apartments to Langley and increase the economic diversity there.

If they move the richest parts of McLean to Langley, they should take every reference to “One Fairfax” off the county’s web sites, because it will have been shown to be meaningless.

One Fairfax never said that "equity" means "distribution of county population evenly by race and socioeconomic status"

It aims to consider how varying communities and populations are affected by various aspects of life.

It makes practical sense to continue a continuous boundary and include McLean neighborhoods that are currently next to the Langley boundary.

No one's going to kick up a fuss if some apartments are also zoned to Langley.

I think alot will depend on available bus drivers and how best to configure the routes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. Better to move some Tysons apartments to Langley and increase the economic diversity there.

If they move the richest parts of McLean to Langley, they should take every reference to “One Fairfax” off the county’s web sites, because it will have been shown to be meaningless.

LOL! So, each school would have @4 or 5% FARMS instead of 8% at McLean? Sure, that will really help the kids. Here "poors," we're moving you a little further away so that you can fulfill the "poor" category at Langley.

How are you even going to decide which kids those are? Is there even any low income housing around there?

This is just silly. Kids should go to the closest school that has capacity for them.

[Anonymous]

We can debate One Fairfax all you want, but the one thing it most certainly means when it comes to FCPS is that they should not move one school’s wealthiest neighborhoods to a wealthier school when, as here, there are alternatives. There is absolutely nothing sacrosanct about contiguous boundaries, and every area currently zoned to McLean is closer to Langley than some of the areas way out towards Loudoun that are currently in the Langley district.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. Better to move some Tysons apartments to Langley and increase the economic diversity there.

If they move the richest parts of McLean to Langley, they should take every reference to “One Fairfax” off the county’s web sites, because it will have been shown to be meaningless.

LOL! So, each school would have @4 or 5% FARMS instead of 8% at McLean? Sure, that will really help the kids. Here "poors," we're moving you a little further away so that you can fulfill the "poor" category at Langley.

How are you even going to decide which kids those are? Is there even any low income housing around there?

This is just silly. Kids should go to the closest school that has capacity for them.

Maybe you can start another petition on your One Great Falls site to cap Langley’s FARMS rate at 2%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. Better to move some Tysons apartments to Langley and increase the economic diversity there.

If they move the richest parts of McLean to Langley, they should take every reference to “One Fairfax” off the county’s web sites, because it will have been shown to be meaningless.

What apartments in Tyson's are actually poor?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. Better to move some Tysons apartments to Langley and increase the economic diversity there.

If they move the richest parts of McLean to Langley, they should take every reference to “One Fairfax” off the county’s web sites, because it will have been shown to be meaningless.

LOL! So, each school would have @4 or 5% FARMS instead of 8% at McLean? Sure, that will really help the kids. Here "poors," we're moving you a little further away so that you can fulfill the "poor" category at Langley.

How are you even going to decide which kids those are? Is there even any low income housing around there?

This is just silly. Kids should go to the closest school that has capacity for them.

Maybe you can start another petition on your One Great Falls site to cap Langley’s FARMS rate at 2%.

Dp here. I live by Langley and there just isn’t any low income housing in the area. There are a few 800k townhouses and some 900k tear downs but pretty much all the housing is $1m+. The houses surrounding Langley are more in the $2-5m range.

Where do you think these FARMs kids should come from?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most people don’t care how poor or rich are the kids sitting next to their kid, nor what race they are, but people do care very much about the quality of education their kids are receiving. If you try to put my kid in a bad school, I’ll switch him to private school and will vote “no” on every school bond vote to come, since you literally forced my hand. How would that help a school with poor performance? If you are so interested in improving a school by rezoning other people’s kids, put your own kid in a bad school and then discuss how the quality of his education is unchanged.

Then you will pay for private while subsidizing the public education of children other than your own, and the bond referenda will still pass.

And if too many of the parents of the children with the high scores simply pull them out of public school and put them elsewhere, scores go down.

So the county would get the taxes but not the children that help scores. FARMs percentage would substantially increase.

People have gotten tired of the obnoxious, entitled Langley families constantly claiming that, if they don’t get their way, they will take all their marbles and go home. Time to call their bluff. Let them move to Ashburn if they can’t handle being part of the same county as Herndon.

Entitled because we like our school and want our children to attend with their community?

Entitled because we dare to express an opinion about policies?

Ashburn is a lovely area but I prefer Great Falls. If I wanted to live in Ashburn, I would.

We have no problem being in the same county as Herndon.

It seems like you want us to BE Herndon, and not because you think Herndon is great and you want to spread the joy.

You think Herndon bites and you want us to feel the pain.

Your “community” is mostly a string of subdivisions that attend middle and high schools in McLean, not Great Falls.

When you get reassigned to schools in Herndon, rather than McLean, the world will not come to an end.

No one cares that you don't see GF as community.

We don't need your permission to be a community and we don't need your approval to have our children attend Langley.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. Better to move some Tysons apartments to Langley and increase the economic diversity there.

If they move the richest parts of McLean to Langley, they should take every reference to “One Fairfax” off the county’s web sites, because it will have been shown to be meaningless.

LOL! So, each school would have @4 or 5% FARMS instead of 8% at McLean? Sure, that will really help the kids. Here "poors," we're moving you a little further away so that you can fulfill the "poor" category at Langley.

How are you even going to decide which kids those are? Is there even any low income housing around there?

This is just silly. Kids should go to the closest school that has capacity for them.

Maybe you can start another petition on your One Great Falls site to cap Langley’s FARMS rate at 2%.

Dp here. I live by Langley and there just isn’t any low income housing in the area. There are a few 800k townhouses and some 900k tear downs but pretty much all the housing is $1m+. The houses surrounding Langley are more in the $2-5m range.

Where do you think these FARMs kids should come from?

The housing right around Langley already goes to Langley.

McLean and Marshall have more diversity and, as those schools are overcrowded while Langley is chronically under-enrolled, some of their more diverse neighborhoods can be reassigned to Langley.