Reply to Class sizes in FCPS- what is the real deal? (ES)

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Reply to "Class sizes in FCPS- what is the real deal? (ES)"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Yes, we have a new multifamily development going up near our SFH neighborhood.  Our community has been assured that this will not affect our already overcrowded school.[/quote]

No one tells people in SFH neighborhoods that new multifamily developments will have no effect on local schools.   FCPS does an analysis as to how many students are expected to come from the new developments, and the county then seeks a proffer/contribution from the developers to cover the anticipated expense.  The challenge is that the "yields" may be higher than the historical data might suggest, as more people with children live in multi-family housing.

Another challenge is when predictions about future school enrollments are based on the number of live births in various areas, when some neighborhoods get a lot of families who move in with older kids. [/quote]

This is hitting the nail on the head. When the county passes info on the expected number of children in particular new construction/renovations on to FCPS, the ratio is the same across the county (they obviously have different ratios for different types of housing). We have seen in certain parts of the county that these ratios are way off. For instance, in one apartment building, 300 units, everyone in the county is told that there will be 35 ES aged children (just an example - no idea what the actual number would be). For most of the county this holds true. But inside the beltway, out in Herndon area, and down the Rte 1 corridor, the number of children in this newly built/renovated apartment building is closer to 100. Since the county only does county wide averages, not magisterial district or anything small than county-wide predictions, FCPS does not receive accurate info, and no effort is made on their part to adjust this ratio because they are reliant on the data that Fairfax County provides to them (at least that's what I've been told). This leads to gross underestimates of children in areas where the schools themselves KNOW there will be more kids coming in. Understandably it's difficult to add this additional layer in of analysis, but if the information provided to FCPS IS more accurate, then their planning processes will be better able to keep up. [/quote]

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