Anonymous wrote:It is closer for some, further for others...depends which side of Follin Lane one lives.

It is closer for most, but in either case it doesn't make sense to be at a school where 90% of the kids go to a different middle and high school, when a less crowded school is also nearby. Some current Freedom Hill parents just don't like the idea that others would voluntarily move to another school, regardless of the reasons.

It is closer for some, further for others...depends which side of Follin Lane one lives.

I think it's enough to want your kids to go to the school where they will form friendships with the kids who will be going to their high school. And it's closer than Freedom Hill.

I had kids at Freedom Hill for a few grades. It was neither great nor horrible.

So who lives in Vienna and can explain why OP really doesn't want to go to Freedom Hill?

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand why the transportation issue is such a huge disappointing factor for you. The homes that are affected are so close to the school. It would literally take a few minutes to do the car line (it's a small school and the car line is very short) and 10-15 minutes to walk.

There are a lot of walkers and bikers and many of them do prefer this even if they have bus service.

The decision seems like a win-win to me. Those that want to attend Vienna El can and aren't being forced to if they don't want to.

Wrong. It's hardly a win-win when there is no commitment to approve transfers after next year.

http://www.fcps.edu/FreedomHillES/docs/Index/FHVES%20Ltr%205-23-13.pdf

The fact that Vienna is so much closer is exactly why this should be easy for FCPS, particularly since Freedom Hill is overcrowded. Why make us jump through hoops, not knowing whether we'll have to reapply every year for a transfer? Yes, walking might be an option for many of us, most of the time, but we'd have to take the bus to Freedom Hill every day.

It's not racist to make it as easy as possible for the 10% of the school zoned for Thoreau and Madison to go to school with the rest of their future classmates sooner. I know I'm venting, but I have little confidence in the ability of FCPS to get the big things right when they get the easy things wrong.

This is so NOT where this conversation should go...

OP. Many of the people in the Town of Vienna at any Vienna school walk or bike. Most of us don't have transportation to the school because we live under 1 mile to the elementary schools. I don't get your argument.

Cause op is racist against freedom hills

I don't understand why the transportation issue is such a huge disappointing factor for you. The homes that are affected are so close to the school. It would literally take a few minutes to do the car line (it's a small school and the car line is very short) and 10-15 minutes to walk.

There are a lot of walkers and bikers and many of them do prefer this even if they have bus service.

The decision seems like a win-win to me. Those that want to attend Vienna El can and aren't being forced to if they don't want to.

Anonymous wrote:what's wrong with freedom hill, op?

It's not what's wrong with Freedom Hill, but why Vienna is better for our families. You can read the petition and comments.

http://www.change.org/petitions/please-rezone-freedom-hill-families-in-the-madison-hs-pyramid

This should have been a no-brainer for FCPS, but I guess some Freedom Hill families are holding us hostage.

They are trying to split the baby with the bath water. They have said they will approve transfer requests that normally would be denied, but refusing to make an official change. We'll put in a transfer request and provide our own transportation. We don't see any, much less a myriad of, benefits in sending our kids to Freedom Hill when they could go to Vienna and possibly Archer instead.

what's wrong with freedom hill, op?

I'm a town of Vienna resident, and I am THRILLED that the boundary didn't change. There are a myriad of pros for Town residents at Freedom Hill that are NOT availabe at Vienna ES. The answer Kacur gave you IS win-win... so the bus won't come down your street... walk over to the stop on Branch... or, you know, just ride his bike on the bike path to school.

Any other town of Vienna parents whose kids are slated for Freedom Hill disappointed that FCPS has refused to move us to Vienna ES in the TOWN OF VIENNA?

FCPS claims Freedom Hill is too crowded. We come up with a proposal that will relieve the overcrowding and send kids to a school in the town where they live, closer to their homes, rather than send them to a school further away where the rest of the kids go to Marshall, not Madison.

Win-win, right? No, they refuse to make the change. They will let us transfer, but not provide transportation to Vienna. Thanks a lot. Is this just Patty Reed sucking up to parents who don't want test scores at their school to go down?