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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote]Let’s assume this proposal was accepted in its entirety.

We hired a consultant and tasked the consultant to look at boundaries across the county with a primary goal of maximizing use of available facilities.

Let’s further assume that, when changing boundaries is required to achieve that goal, demographic balance should be a relevant consideration along with commuting times and trying to minimize split feeders.and, finally, let’s assume that, as a result, we still had concentrations of relatively high FARMS schools and low FARMS schools, reflecting the residential housing mix in different areas, but we had more schools closer to the county-wide average and fewer schools at either extreme.

Wouldn’t most people in the county see that as a good outcome, notwithstanding the hysteria of groups like One Great Falls?[/quote]

1. No.  Most people want their kids to stay where they are.  It doesn't matter which school they go to, most people want to stay put.  Go to some meetings about redrawing boundary lines and hear what the parents say.  You might be surprised.  I went to a meeting years ago for an anticipated redistricting for a new middle school.  No one wanted to switch.  
2. Have you any idea how disruptive this would be to families across the county?  A fruitbasket turnover?  
Think about the logistics  It would be a mess.
3. And, you still have the issue of schools like Langley and McLean which are so close together and no logical boundary that works for Langley.  You still have Oakton and Madison which are also so close together.  And, you have all the feeder schools which would also be affected.  I'm not as familiar with Springfield schools, but I'm pretty sure there are some there that also have close proximity.  
4. Just as an experiment, why don't you try posting your suggestions on here.  I'm sure that people could quickly point out the holes.

And, think about it.  The Herndon mom who wrote incessantly on these threads with all sorts of plans for Herndon had only one goal:  to get the poor kids sent out of Herndon and wealthier kids in.  She didn't care about the logistics at all.  But, she never suggested that her kid get sent out of Herndon.  She was all over the place.  She never saw why her favorite suggestion was so impractical--sending Hutchison kids to Langley and Great Falls to Langley.
[/quote]

People want to stay put until their schools turn into trailer parks.

Loudoun and Arlington have both redistricted in recent years.  Fairfax has actually become incredibly timid in comparison.  Larger boundary changes were far more frequent in the 70s and 80s.

They just need a strong leader at the county level who'll make clear that the changes are being driven in the first instance by the need to use existing facilities efficiently.  If people rebel at such a common-sense approach, tax the hell out of them and embark on a massive building spree to get the kids out of the trailers at the overcrowded schools.

The point about the SES is that the School Board needs to be more opportunistic when the opportunities exist, and stop nonsense such as moving upper-income neighborhoods out of schools like Annandale and Lee. It's not going to result in similar demographics at Langley and Mount Vernon, but it might mean that a West Springfield and a Lee both end up more like a South County. [/quote]

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