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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]GFCA and MCA have both done and shared a lot of analysis with Tholen about future growth in the Langley pyramid and in Tysons (which feeds into McLean and Marshall).

FCPS admits its enrollment projections are based on a simplistic methodology that only takes into account new developments if the developer has broken ground, regardless of whether the county has approved the developments or paid the county proffer money.  The Tysons development in particular is going to add hundreds more kids to Marshall and McLean.

Tholen listens but is incredibly passive as if it’s all out of her hands. When an MCA member asked her point blank why FCPS isn’t planning now for an addition to McLean, she just smirked and talked about the 37-year renovation cycle, ignoring the other high schools like Justice or Madison where FCPS has built or is building additions outside the renovation cycle.

Great Falls and McLean and the Langley/McLean pyramids have a common interest in replacing Tholen with someone who will fight for fair funding and adequate seats at their pyramid schools, whether it’s Kent Gardens ES, Cooper MS, or McLean HS. Tholen doesn’t have it in her to challenge Jeff Platenberg or other School Board members.

[b]The main point of contention between them is that, when push comes to shove, Great Falls would rather see McLean remain overcrowded than risk overcrowding Cooper or Langley to the point where others would push to move Cooper/Langley kids into the Herndon pyramid.[/b]  But Herndon doesn’t have much excess capacity of its own and it’s only due to the negligence of FCPS and the School Board that the communities at times get pitted against each other.

If someone can get that message out, whether Republican, Democratic, or Independent, we can get rid of ineffective School Board members like Tholen and start to make some progress.[/quote]

I'm sorry - the bolded is just completely false.  Langley stepped up and urged McLean to send kids to Langley to help alleviate McLean's overcrowding.  What did we hear from many of the McLean parents?  Complaining and whining.  Many of YOU didn't want your kids to go to Langley.  Fine.  We offered.  Not sure what it is you want us to do for you.  We agree you need an addition.  Beyond that, we've offered space and many of you turned your noses up.  Maybe next time don't look a gift horse in the mouth?[/quote]

Please stop with the constant effort to spin. It’s both unnecessary and untrue.

I sat in FCPS work sessions in 2019 near Langley parents openly complaining that FCPS might send so many kids from McLean to Langley that the school board might bump Langley kids to Herndon, and then saw the GFCA lobby Elaine Tholen to make sure that only an area in Vienna that did not include parts of Tysons slated for future development got moved to Langley.  The GFCA then said publicly that it preferred that approach, which effectively capped the number of kids moved, to alternatives that would have required Langley to take on some of the growing areas in Tysons.

So here we are with the MHS enrollment again at an all-time high in 2021-22 and the School Board member from Langley/Great Falls doing absolutely nothing to get us slated for a permanent addition.

I know it’s important to you to suggest that Langley did nothing but extend open arms to McLean families, and that we should bow down in gratitude, but that is not exactly how it played out. It was more complicated, and you are really not credible pretending otherwise. [/quote]

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