FCPS is turning the new high school purchased to fix crowding into an Aviation magnet school instead of a high school??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They have so many things on their plate.

I feel like they need to come down clearly on KAA's future use, preferably as a neighborhood school, and figure out what it will cost and how it will affect nearby boundaries.

They also have to figure out whether this means scaling back the Centreville expansion and, if so, how much money that saves.

Once they've worked through that, sure, they can look at the updated facilities assessments they claim will be ready by mid-2026 and hopefully come up with a plan by the beginning of 2027 to help the older high schools like McLean that got short-changed in their prior "renovations."

They've shown no ability to juggle multiple things at once, but they ought to at least have a longer term vision that's not just neglect and chaos.

Has there been any update on Centreville construction?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm confident the naysayer in this current conversation is McLean Mom who is just devastated that her kid's school is falling apart with crumbling walls and ceilings, leaking toilets, and extremely dangerous facilities.

+1
It absolutely is. To be fair, McLean is a hellhole and should have been renovated and/or expanded. It's pretty appalling. But the KAA school is also serving a need in its area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm confident the naysayer in this current conversation is McLean Mom who is just devastated that her kid's school is falling apart with crumbling walls and ceilings, leaking toilets, and extremely dangerous facilities.

I saw a Great Falls/Langley poster asking on Next Door why McLean wasn't getting money for a renovation instead of FCPS buying KAA.

Of course, it doesn't have to be one or the other.

Of course, Great Falls wants McLean expanded.......

I assure you, Great Falls doesn't care if McLean is expanded or not. However, it definitely does need a renovation.
DP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm confident the naysayer in this current conversation is McLean Mom who is just devastated that her kid's school is falling apart with crumbling walls and ceilings, leaking toilets, and extremely dangerous facilities.

I saw a Great Falls/Langley poster asking on Next Door why McLean wasn't getting money for a renovation instead of FCPS buying KAA.

Of course, it doesn't have to be one or the other.

Of course, Great Falls wants McLean expanded.......

Grumble grumble, Langley, great falls, grumble grumble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm confident the naysayer in this current conversation is McLean Mom who is just devastated that her kid's school is falling apart with crumbling walls and ceilings, leaking toilets, and extremely dangerous facilities.

I saw a Great Falls/Langley poster asking on Next Door why McLean wasn't getting money for a renovation instead of FCPS buying KAA.

Of course, it doesn't have to be one or the other.

Of course, Great Falls wants McLean expanded.......

I assure you, Great Falls doesn't care if McLean is expanded or not. However, it definitely does need a renovation.
DP

I’ve also seen Great Falls posters asking on ND why McLean hasn’t been expanded.

It’s obvious why.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They have so many things on their plate.

I feel like they need to come down clearly on KAA's future use, preferably as a neighborhood school, and figure out what it will cost and how it will affect nearby boundaries.

They also have to figure out whether this means scaling back the Centreville expansion and, if so, how much money that saves.

Once they've worked through that, sure, they can look at the updated facilities assessments they claim will be ready by mid-2026 and hopefully come up with a plan by the beginning of 2027 to help the older high schools like McLean that got short-changed in their prior "renovations."

They've shown no ability to juggle multiple things at once, but they ought to at least have a longer term vision that's not just neglect and chaos.

Has there been any update on Centreville construction?

They said last month they’d been at an impasse with the county for at least a year over the plans for CVHS and unable to secure the necessary permits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They have so many things on their plate.

I feel like they need to come down clearly on KAA's future use, preferably as a neighborhood school, and figure out what it will cost and how it will affect nearby boundaries.

They also have to figure out whether this means scaling back the Centreville expansion and, if so, how much money that saves.

Once they've worked through that, sure, they can look at the updated facilities assessments they claim will be ready by mid-2026 and hopefully come up with a plan by the beginning of 2027 to help the older high schools like McLean that got short-changed in their prior "renovations."

They've shown no ability to juggle multiple things at once, but they ought to at least have a longer term vision that's not just neglect and chaos.

Someone said they were bargaining over Cub Run property that FCPS owns. Not sure I understand. Maybe, BOS wants to build more affordable housing there.

Has there been any update on Centreville construction?

They said last month they’d been at an impasse with the county for at least a year over the plans for CVHS and unable to secure the necessary permits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They have so many things on their plate.

I feel like they need to come down clearly on KAA's future use, preferably as a neighborhood school, and figure out what it will cost and how it will affect nearby boundaries.

They also have to figure out whether this means scaling back the Centreville expansion and, if so, how much money that saves.

Once they've worked through that, sure, they can look at the updated facilities assessments they claim will be ready by mid-2026 and hopefully come up with a plan by the beginning of 2027 to help the older high schools like McLean that got short-changed in their prior "renovations."

They've shown no ability to juggle multiple things at once, but they ought to at least have a longer term vision that's not just neglect and chaos.

Someone said they were bargaining over Cub Run property that FCPS owns. Not sure I understand. Maybe, BOS wants to build more affordable housing there.

Has there been any update on Centreville construction?

They said last month they’d been at an impasse with the county for at least a year over the plans for CVHS and unable to secure the necessary permits.

Luckily with the KAA acquisition it doesn't seem like an emergency if CVHS can't be expanded, and FCPS won't have to barter the Cub Run land away next to Westfield to the county just to get approval. The parks department has lost their leverage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They have so many things on their plate.

I feel like they need to come down clearly on KAA's future use, preferably as a neighborhood school, and figure out what it will cost and how it will affect nearby boundaries.

They also have to figure out whether this means scaling back the Centreville expansion and, if so, how much money that saves.

Once they've worked through that, sure, they can look at the updated facilities assessments they claim will be ready by mid-2026 and hopefully come up with a plan by the beginning of 2027 to help the older high schools like McLean that got short-changed in their prior "renovations."

They've shown no ability to juggle multiple things at once, but they ought to at least have a longer term vision that's not just neglect and chaos.

Someone said they were bargaining over Cub Run property that FCPS owns. Not sure I understand. Maybe, BOS wants to build more affordable housing there.

Has there been any update on Centreville construction?

They said last month they’d been at an impasse with the county for at least a year over the plans for CVHS and unable to secure the necessary permits.

Luckily with the KAA acquisition it doesn't seem like an emergency if CVHS can't be expanded, and FCPS won't have to barter the Cub Run land away next to Westfield to the county just to get approval. The parks department has lost their leverage.

What did they want to do with Cub Run property? Sell it to a data center?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What you call a quid pro quo others would consider equity.

If this property hadn’t become available the reality is that a new western high school likely never would have been built. No land, too expensive, and too many other schools like Oakton and Herndon had already been expanded (and eventually they would have found a way to expand Centreville as well).

However, it’s FCPS and School Board members who repeatedly have said the KAA purchase will save FCPS between $250-300 million that will benefit other communities. That is based on an assumption that they would have devoted their entire capital budget for several years to building a new western HS - which we all know probably would never have happened.

However, since that’s the party line, they should go ahead and start telling us what projects will benefit from thepurported savings. It could be McLean HS, which is certainly in poor condition, but it could be other schools like aging Annandale HS or Lewis HS, or overcrowded Kilmer MS.

Holding them accountable makes perfect sense. If they don’t do this, the purported benefits of the KAA acquisition for others in the county will clearly be a farce. It will just turn out to have been a windfall for those closest to KAA who otherwise would have attended other schools.

It's laughable that you only consider it equity if you are "getting yours." The need on the western end of the county has been there longer and is greater than whatever slight you feel has been thrown your way. Then you try to justify that it's okay do deny other people's kids because fixing it would be too expensive anyway, but it's still okay to spend that money on your kids instead.
You thought the opportunity that had been stolen from others when the Saudis got the land would benefit you. Now you are bitter that it didn't work out 100% that way. You should be grateful that at least we are getting a discount on the school so there will be more money in the future, and maybe you can make your case and actually get into the CIP before you whine about others getting what was planned.

[Anonymous]

Equity does in fact mean more than just spending money on KAA.

It means holding FCPS accountable for their statements and making sure the needs of schools that are in worse condition than the schools you don’t want your kids to attend are also addressed.

As for the relative needs in different parts of the county, those in the western part of the county aren’t really any more acute than the needs elsewhere. The only difference is that KAA presented itself as an opportunity they didn’t feel they could pass up. That hardly means it should be FCPS’s only priority.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What you call a quid pro quo others would consider equity.

If this property hadn’t become available the reality is that a new western high school likely never would have been built. No land, too expensive, and too many other schools like Oakton and Herndon had already been expanded (and eventually they would have found a way to expand Centreville as well).

However, it’s FCPS and School Board members who repeatedly have said the KAA purchase will save FCPS between $250-300 million that will benefit other communities. That is based on an assumption that they would have devoted their entire capital budget for several years to building a new western HS - which we all know probably would never have happened.

However, since that’s the party line, they should go ahead and start telling us what projects will benefit from thepurported savings. It could be McLean HS, which is certainly in poor condition, but it could be other schools like aging Annandale HS or Lewis HS, or overcrowded Kilmer MS.

Holding them accountable makes perfect sense. If they don’t do this, the purported benefits of the KAA acquisition for others in the county will clearly be a farce. It will just turn out to have been a windfall for those closest to KAA who otherwise would have attended other schools.

It's laughable that you only consider it equity if you are "getting yours." The need on the western end of the county has been there longer and is greater than whatever slight you feel has been thrown your way. Then you try to justify that it's okay do deny other people's kids because fixing it would be too expensive anyway, but it's still okay to spend that money on your kids instead.
You thought the opportunity that had been stolen from others when the Saudis got the land would benefit you. Now you are bitter that it didn't work out 100% that way. You should be grateful that at least we are getting a discount on the school so there will be more money in the future, and maybe you can make your case and actually get into the CIP before you whine about others getting what was planned.

DP. What a weird weird post.

You’re going to absolutely flip your shit when this thing becomes an academy and your kid doesn’t benefit, given how much you feel entitled to the school. You’re flexing and dunking halfway through the game and you don’t even know what it’ll become.

[Anonymous]

Will be interesting to see if the next round of boundary maps expected by mid-October factor KAA into the equation. If they don’t, it’s hard to see how it could open as a neighborhood school in the fall of 2026. They might have to sit on it for at least another year.

Also, will be interesting to see if FCPS carves out certain schools for the upcoming boundary maps in anticipation of later changes, even if those changes aren’t yet being proposed.

It sure hasn’t been a smooth process, that’s for sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What you call a quid pro quo others would consider equity.

If this property hadn’t become available the reality is that a new western high school likely never would have been built. No land, too expensive, and too many other schools like Oakton and Herndon had already been expanded (and eventually they would have found a way to expand Centreville as well).

However, it’s FCPS and School Board members who repeatedly have said the KAA purchase will save FCPS between $250-300 million that will benefit other communities. That is based on an assumption that they would have devoted their entire capital budget for several years to building a new western HS - which we all know probably would never have happened.

However, since that’s the party line, they should go ahead and start telling us what projects will benefit from thepurported savings. It could be McLean HS, which is certainly in poor condition, but it could be other schools like aging Annandale HS or Lewis HS, or overcrowded Kilmer MS.

Holding them accountable makes perfect sense. If they don’t do this, the purported benefits of the KAA acquisition for others in the county will clearly be a farce. It will just turn out to have been a windfall for those closest to KAA who otherwise would have attended other schools.

It's laughable that you only consider it equity if you are "getting yours." The need on the western end of the county has been there longer and is greater than whatever slight you feel has been thrown your way. Then you try to justify that it's okay do deny other people's kids because fixing it would be too expensive anyway, but it's still okay to spend that money on your kids instead.
You thought the opportunity that had been stolen from others when the Saudis got the land would benefit you. Now you are bitter that it didn't work out 100% that way. You should be grateful that at least we are getting a discount on the school so there will be more money in the future, and maybe you can make your case and actually get into the CIP before you whine about others getting what was planned.

DP. What a weird weird post.

You’re going to absolutely flip your shit when this thing becomes an academy and your kid doesn’t benefit, given how much you feel entitled to the school. You’re flexing and dunking halfway through the game and you don’t even know what it’ll become.

I'm not flexing. My kids won't be affected by the KAA boundary at all, whatever it may be. I just happened to be house shopping in the area back when the 2008-ish rezoning happened to that area, and still following along when the KAA site vanished overnight with no input from the community. I'm happy to see some sort of justice returning, even though it doesn't affect me or my family personally.
Honestly, an academy/magnet is the only way my kids even could "benefit" but that's not what the school should be and it's not something I would want or support. McDaniel has it right, that type of programming should be spread across the entire school system so all can benefit from it - that's equity.