FCPS Boundary Review - New Maps

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS just posted the next school board meeting for 8/26 and accompanying agenda. Looks like about an hour to discuss the boundary update, and a full 3 hours dedicated to the "New Western High School". Hopefully some insight and clarity comes of it all.

https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/Public

That should be a spicy meeting. Stay tuned!

With three hours set aside, I hope they'll discuss how all the cost savings associated with buying KAA rather than building a new western HS from scratch can benefit other schools in FCPS. This should be of particular interest to Robyn Lady, given the shitty condition of some schools in Dranesville.

Do we have a discussion of how money spent on expansions of one school can benefit other schools? I've never heard them do that. At least this school can benefit overcrowding at Chantilly and Westfield. And, perhaps, eliminate the long bus ride to Oakton proposed for some current Chantilly kids.

The anticipated cost savings were very much part of the argument for why they should proceed with this acquisition now even though only $25 million of the $150 million purchase cost had previously been funded.

If you want them to just follow the same script they’ve used for other projects then we shouldn’t even be talking about this school for years since the latest CIP didn’t contemplate construction to begin before 2034.

Clearly this is an unusual if not unique situation and we ought to hear sooner rather than later how they think the cost savings can benefit more than just the small number of county residents likely to be rezoned to KAA.

Well, I guess it will benefit the students in Sully who attend a less crowded Chantilly and Westfield. It will likely also benefit the students at Centreville and, possibly, the students who live next to Centreville may hope to attend Centreville in the future rather than ride a bus to Fairfax. It will also benefit those kids proposed to go on a very, very long bus ride to Oakton.

You really think this "small number of county residents" who are finally getting a school don't deserve a school? I didn't bring up the four way split feeders at the two middle schools serving these kids.


Why do you want those kids to stay in overcrowded schools? Why do you want them to take long, long bus rides?
Oh, yes, and many of them live far, far from the other kids who go to their school.

Some communities do not think it good to have long, long bus rides.

What is your proposal? What do you want to hear?

[Anonymous]

When they voted in June to pursue the purchase they said it would save $281 million.

I'd like to hear how they might put some of those savings to use to benefit other communities besides the Floris/Oak Hill area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No transfer until 10th grade when AP classes start.

No more AAP in middle.

If you're stuck at an IB school, and you know you'll want to take AP courses, you should be allowed to transfer starting in 9th grade.

What you propose is punitive to a lot of kids.

Not every damn thing in the county has to be reverse-engineered to keep WS kids from ever getting moved to Lewis.

So presumably you'd then support the newly transferred WS kids immediately transferring back out to continue their AP classes somewhere else?

I'd rather we have AP county-wide than do what you're proposing, which would force kids to attend an IB school for their freshman year even if they want to take AP courses.

If we are going to continue to have AP and IB schools, and WS kids are moved to an IB school, they should be allowed to transfer to an AP school with capacity if they plan to take AP courses. So it might be Lake Braddock or South County rather than West Springfield, but they could attend those schools for all four years of HS.

IB to AP transfers are supposed to reapply for the transfer every year.

They are not guaranteed 4 years at the AP school, per FCPS policy.

If they drop out of AP classes, they are not supposed to be allowed to stay at the AP school.

If the AP school is closed to transfers, they are not supposed to be allowed to stay at the AP school.

So a Lewis zoned freshman should not be allowed to transfer into WSHS because WSHS has been closed to transfers for a decade or more even though FCPS allowed nearly 60 students to transfer into WSHS last year.

They might be able to transfer into SoCo or LB as a 9th grader, but if either of those schools close to transfers, or if the Lewis student doesn't continue taking AP classes, they are supposed to transfer either to a different AP high school or back to their base school if they are no longer taking AP classes.

If a single student currently attending WSHS has transferred into WSHS using AP, they need to be sent back because the school was closed to incoming transfers the entire time any current students were attending high school.

The nearly 60 transfers into WSHS is a huge issue, especially since the school is scheduled to be rezoned.

Start first with those out of boundary students before rezoning a single WSHS zoned student.

Fewer than 10 students transfer from Lewis to WSHS. Majority of WSHS transfers come from South County and Lake Braddock. Most Lewis transfers are to Edison, South County, and Lake Braddock.

There are approximately 60 students who transfer into WSHS using legitimate, recognized channels

If FCPS had enforced their policy on schools being closed to transfers, then WSHS would have had 2690 students last year instead of 2750 students.

If FCPS had enforced their policy on transfers, then WSHS would only need 1 trailer, if that. The trailers that are being used by WSHS hold 2 classrooms of roughly 25 students per classroom. That is 50-60 students accomodated per trailer, nearly the exact number of student transfers into WSHS last year.

If FCPS enforced their policy on schools being closed to transfers, ALL of Rolling Valley could have attended WSHS instead of being a split feeder, and the school enrollment would be equal or less than it is currently with roughly 60 transfers of students from other high schools.

If FCPS enforced its policy on schools being closed to transfers, then the Sangster neighborhood and the Hunt Valley neighborhood down Gambril Rd could stay at WSHS and the enrollment would decrease next year.

If a school is closed to transfers, then the only transfers that should be allowed at that school are outbound transfers. The transfers into the school should not double over the course of 3 years, as it did at WSHS according yo FCPS own transfer dashboard records.

All out of bound students need to be removed before any in bound student is rezoned at any overcapacity school, not just WSHS but all of the overcapacity schools.

West Springfield has a capacity of 2493, so it's significantly overcrowded with either 2690 students or 2750 students. Last year it had almost 2800 students.

The 58 students transferring in last year, only 39 of whom were transferring pursuant to the student transfer regulations, just don't move the needle that much.

Exactly. They never should have moved Daventry into WSHS. Now Daventry will have to move as well as the Hunt Valley neighborhoods. Which will cause a cascade of moves at South County because they are unlikely to send those Gambrill neighborhoods to Lewis, which is twice as far away. It's an absolute mess. I don't believe the WS families who say that the population at WSHS will drop in coming years. It's probably only going to go up. 200 or 300 more kids? Who could know. Five years from now, which West Springfield neighborhood goes next? Orange Hunt? Rolling Valley?

Well, the 8th grade class at Irving right now is smaller than the class of 9th graders that matriculated to WSHS this year, so that's a small reason for hope. Unfortunately, the current 7th grade class is quite large.

Here's the data from 2024-2025:

https://schoolprofiles.fcps.edu/schlprfl/f?p=108:107:::::P0_CURRENT_SCHOOL_ID,P0_EDSL:151,0

https://schoolprofiles.fcps.edu/schlprfl/f?p=108:107:::::P0_CURRENT_SCHOOL_ID,P0_EDSL:151,0

If you assume grades 8-11 stayed roughly in tact as they moved up, 670 12th graders graduated and were replaced by 640 8th graders, reducing overcapacity by 30. Using the same approach, next year the 580 kids who were in 7th grade last year will replace the 720 kids who were in 11th grade last year, which if all else stays the same would reduce overcapacity by another 140.

You'll need to also consider the number of kids who go to LBSS for AAP in middle school, then transfer to WSHS.

Around w classes per grade, roughly 50-60 students depending on the year.

It is crazy that Irving kids are allowed to go to Lake Braddock for AAP when Irving has an equally strong level 4 AAP program that has been in place for over a decade.

(Shrug) I didn’t personally choose Lake Braddock for my AAP Irving kid, but I was grateful Irving wasn’t more crowded while he was there.

[Anonymous]

I am going to be upset if they don't address transfers for MS AAP. Our base school is Rocky Run and also my kid is in AAP. Looking at the transfer data, it looks like a significant portion of those in AAP at Rocky Run transfer there from out of pyramid, then go off to Westfield or Centreville HS. Sounds brutal as far as friendships go for everyone, especially once they reach HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am going to be upset if they don't address transfers for MS AAP. Our base school is Rocky Run and also my kid is in AAP. Looking at the transfer data, it looks like a significant portion of those in AAP at Rocky Run transfer there from out of pyramid, then go off to Westfield or Centreville HS. Sounds brutal as far as friendships go for everyone, especially once they reach HS.

Every middle school should have AAP and Carson and Rocky Run should stop serving so many kids who live outside their base boundaries.

But if you pull the AAP placements out of Rocky Run, you're left with a very small school unless they also expand the base boundaries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am going to be upset if they don't address transfers for MS AAP. Our base school is Rocky Run and also my kid is in AAP. Looking at the transfer data, it looks like a significant portion of those in AAP at Rocky Run transfer there from out of pyramid, then go off to Westfield or Centreville HS. Sounds brutal as far as friendships go for everyone, especially once they reach HS.

Every middle school should have AAP and Carson and Rocky Run should stop serving so many kids who live outside their base boundaries.

But if you pull the AAP placements out of Rocky Run, you're left with a very small school unless they also expand the base boundaries.

I”m confused what the AAP middle school thing solves. Let’s say the board says: Great idea! Let’s try again! No AAP centers in middle schools.

Won’t that just draw out the process and make it even MORE impactful for MORE kids and pyramids?

This idea doesn’t seem viable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am going to be upset if they don't address transfers for MS AAP. Our base school is Rocky Run and also my kid is in AAP. Looking at the transfer data, it looks like a significant portion of those in AAP at Rocky Run transfer there from out of pyramid, then go off to Westfield or Centreville HS. Sounds brutal as far as friendships go for everyone, especially once they reach HS.

They don't transfer there. That's their assigned by FcPS AAP middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am going to be upset if they don't address transfers for MS AAP. Our base school is Rocky Run and also my kid is in AAP. Looking at the transfer data, it looks like a significant portion of those in AAP at Rocky Run transfer there from out of pyramid, then go off to Westfield or Centreville HS. Sounds brutal as far as friendships go for everyone, especially once they reach HS.

Every middle school should have AAP and Carson and Rocky Run should stop serving so many kids who live outside their base boundaries.

But if you pull the AAP placements out of Rocky Run, you're left with a very small school unless they also expand the base boundaries.

I”m confused what the AAP middle school thing solves. Let’s say the board says: Great idea! Let’s try again! No AAP centers in middle schools.

Won’t that just draw out the process and make it even MORE impactful for MORE kids and pyramids?

This idea doesn’t seem viable.

It is absolutely viable, and certainly more disruptive in some areas than what they've proposed so far.

But it's inconsistent to pretend that attendance islands and split feeders are so terrible because they don't create enough of a sense of community or send kids to multiple schools, and then maintain MS AAP centers where the kids can go on to 3 or more high schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am going to be upset if they don't address transfers for MS AAP. Our base school is Rocky Run and also my kid is in AAP. Looking at the transfer data, it looks like a significant portion of those in AAP at Rocky Run transfer there from out of pyramid, then go off to Westfield or Centreville HS. Sounds brutal as far as friendships go for everyone, especially once they reach HS.

They don't transfer there. That's their assigned by FcPS AAP middle school.

FCPS reports out-of-boundary kids attending an AAP center other than the elementary or middle school they'd otherwise attend as a "transfer."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am going to be upset if they don't address transfers for MS AAP. Our base school is Rocky Run and also my kid is in AAP. Looking at the transfer data, it looks like a significant portion of those in AAP at Rocky Run transfer there from out of pyramid, then go off to Westfield or Centreville HS. Sounds brutal as far as friendships go for everyone, especially once they reach HS.

Every middle school should have AAP and Carson and Rocky Run should stop serving so many kids who live outside their base boundaries.

But if you pull the AAP placements out of Rocky Run, you're left with a very small school unless they also expand the base boundaries.

I”m confused what the AAP middle school thing solves. Let’s say the board says: Great idea! Let’s try again! No AAP centers in middle schools.

Won’t that just draw out the process and make it even MORE impactful for MORE kids and pyramids?

This idea doesn’t seem viable.

It is absolutely viable, and certainly more disruptive in some areas than what they've proposed so far.

But it's inconsistent to pretend that attendance islands and split feeders are so terrible because they don't create enough of a sense of community or send kids to multiple schools, and then maintain MS AAP centers where the kids can go on to 3 or more high schools.

+1000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am going to be upset if they don't address transfers for MS AAP. Our base school is Rocky Run and also my kid is in AAP. Looking at the transfer data, it looks like a significant portion of those in AAP at Rocky Run transfer there from out of pyramid, then go off to Westfield or Centreville HS. Sounds brutal as far as friendships go for everyone, especially once they reach HS.

Every middle school should have AAP and Carson and Rocky Run should stop serving so many kids who live outside their base boundaries.

But if you pull the AAP placements out of Rocky Run, you're left with a very small school unless they also expand the base boundaries.

I”m confused what the AAP middle school thing solves. Let’s say the board says: Great idea! Let’s try again! No AAP centers in middle schools.

Won’t that just draw out the process and make it even MORE impactful for MORE kids and pyramids?

This idea doesn’t seem viable.

It is absolutely viable, and certainly more disruptive in some areas than what they've proposed so far.

But it's inconsistent to pretend that attendance islands and split feeders are so terrible because they don't create enough of a sense of community or send kids to multiple schools, and then maintain MS AAP centers where the kids can go on to 3 or more high schools.

So you are arguing the board should dismantle and disrupt even MORE kids lives to win a point?

“Be careful what you wish for”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am going to be upset if they don't address transfers for MS AAP. Our base school is Rocky Run and also my kid is in AAP. Looking at the transfer data, it looks like a significant portion of those in AAP at Rocky Run transfer there from out of pyramid, then go off to Westfield or Centreville HS. Sounds brutal as far as friendships go for everyone, especially once they reach HS.

Every middle school should have AAP and Carson and Rocky Run should stop serving so many kids who live outside their base boundaries.

But if you pull the AAP placements out of Rocky Run, you're left with a very small school unless they also expand the base boundaries.

I”m confused what the AAP middle school thing solves. Let’s say the board says: Great idea! Let’s try again! No AAP centers in middle schools.

Won’t that just draw out the process and make it even MORE impactful for MORE kids and pyramids?

This idea doesn’t seem viable.

It would make the process easier.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am going to be upset if they don't address transfers for MS AAP. Our base school is Rocky Run and also my kid is in AAP. Looking at the transfer data, it looks like a significant portion of those in AAP at Rocky Run transfer there from out of pyramid, then go off to Westfield or Centreville HS. Sounds brutal as far as friendships go for everyone, especially once they reach HS.

Every middle school should have AAP and Carson and Rocky Run should stop serving so many kids who live outside their base boundaries.

But if you pull the AAP placements out of Rocky Run, you're left with a very small school unless they also expand the base boundaries.

I”m confused what the AAP middle school thing solves. Let’s say the board says: Great idea! Let’s try again! No AAP centers in middle schools.

Won’t that just draw out the process and make it even MORE impactful for MORE kids and pyramids?

This idea doesn’t seem viable.

It would make the process easier.

No. It would make the process more impactful especially as the timeline is shrinking and they still have to account for KAA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am going to be upset if they don't address transfers for MS AAP. Our base school is Rocky Run and also my kid is in AAP. Looking at the transfer data, it looks like a significant portion of those in AAP at Rocky Run transfer there from out of pyramid, then go off to Westfield or Centreville HS. Sounds brutal as far as friendships go for everyone, especially once they reach HS.

Every middle school should have AAP and Carson and Rocky Run should stop serving so many kids who live outside their base boundaries.

But if you pull the AAP placements out of Rocky Run, you're left with a very small school unless they also expand the base boundaries.

I”m confused what the AAP middle school thing solves. Let’s say the board says: Great idea! Let’s try again! No AAP centers in middle schools.

Won’t that just draw out the process and make it even MORE impactful for MORE kids and pyramids?

This idea doesn’t seem viable.

It is absolutely viable, and certainly more disruptive in some areas than what they've proposed so far.

But it's inconsistent to pretend that attendance islands and split feeders are so terrible because they don't create enough of a sense of community or send kids to multiple schools, and then maintain MS AAP centers where the kids can go on to 3 or more high schools.

So you are arguing the board should dismantle and disrupt even MORE kids lives to win a point?

“Be careful what you wish for”

How would it disrupt? Rising 8th graders would stay where they are - no disruption. Rising 7th graders would go to their home MS for both years. No disruption that doesn’t already exist when a student goes from ES to MS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am going to be upset if they don't address transfers for MS AAP. Our base school is Rocky Run and also my kid is in AAP. Looking at the transfer data, it looks like a significant portion of those in AAP at Rocky Run transfer there from out of pyramid, then go off to Westfield or Centreville HS. Sounds brutal as far as friendships go for everyone, especially once they reach HS.

Every middle school should have AAP and Carson and Rocky Run should stop serving so many kids who live outside their base boundaries.

But if you pull the AAP placements out of Rocky Run, you're left with a very small school unless they also expand the base boundaries.

I”m confused what the AAP middle school thing solves. Let’s say the board says: Great idea! Let’s try again! No AAP centers in middle schools.

Won’t that just draw out the process and make it even MORE impactful for MORE kids and pyramids?

This idea doesn’t seem viable.

It would make the process easier.

No. It would make the process more impactful especially as the timeline is shrinking and they still have to account for KAA.

KAA should not be that hard. But, I agree. They should stop this mess of a county wide boundary study.