Reply to Waste – FCPS School Facilities

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I just don't think it is sound fiscal policy to build additional capacity on the basis that it may be needed some day in the distant future. Especially when there is existing capacity to handle the growth.

Or to build additional capacity in a school to handle overcrowding and then immediately move students out (to the point there is a large surplus of space). This was the case with Lewis and Springfield Estates.

Nor is it okay to mislead on the size of expansions.

But hey, it is just taxpayer's money.[/quote]

This is all common sense, but clearly there are some beneficiaries of FCPS’s incompetent, discriminatory approach to planning who are prepared to support the blatant waste and harm to others as long as they personally made out OK. [/quote]

External, independent auditors who assess building plans for school systems across the country disagree with you.  Fairfax's buildings and operations plans consistently receive high marks.  Fairfax doesn't get to just decide these things on their own you know? There's a whole regulatory process which includes eliminating waste.  External auditors consistently recommend adding additional capacity at low cost during needed renovations because it tends on average to be worth it. [/quote]

This is absolutl2true.

Adding capacity during renovations is the right thing to do fiscally,  even if some are unhappy that they are zoned for a low performing high school..

Long term goal setting and sound fiscal and facility management should trump feelings every time.

Expanding capacity also helps minimize incredibly disruptive and expensive rezoning as attendance ebbs and flows.[/quote]

Adding additions that weren’t needed is how we end up with many high schools are at 85% capacity, while severe overcrowding at other high schools persists for years on end. [/quote]

You are arguing like fcps schools are on a 5 or 10 year renovation schedule.

As posted above by several posters, FCPS is on a [b]50 year[/b] renovation schedule.

It is the right thing to do with taxpayer money to expand capacity at a much cheaper cost while renovating, than to try to do it as a stand alone project at a much greater expense.

It also makes sense to have extra capacity built in rather than rezoning students back and forth as attendance rises and falls.  Changing schools is very negative and disruptive to students, especially teenagers.  It can result in a lot of unnecessary time and expense for a school district and lots of unnecessary conflicts.

Doing what you want is not fiscally sound and is not good policy.  It is akin to running a school district on panic mode as if every year is a new attendance crisis.

FCPS current policy of expanding during big renovations at a much lower cost is sound, long term, responsible facilities management.
[/quote]

Lee-Lewis was last renovated and expanded in 2005. It has been well under capacity ever since and is forecast to stay that way. How was this money well spent?

We could move some West Springfield kids back to use that space. How about that?[/quote]

The Lee-Lewis plan is related to the redevelopment of the mall and the expansion of businesses near there.  It hasn't really born out yet - can you promise that it won't in the next 35+ years?  And then that would justify not expanding WSHS during the renovation there?  That makes sense to you?

They are two separate schools and going by past data, the area will expand in the next 30-50 years.  Maybe with climate change it won't.  Maybe we will have catastrophic population collapse related to worldwide lack of water or WWIII.  But potential apocalypse is not a reason to forego expansion during a renovation.  [/quote]

I'm pretty sure no school district in the country executes facilities upgrades on what COULD happen in 30-50 years. They might go out 15-20. [/quote]

Lewis has a redevelopment plan.  Maybe it won't work, but the plan is there and it is happening.  PP seems to be arguing that there's no plan at all.  Or maybe something else, it's not clear.  [/quote]

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