Anonymous wrote:Personally I think the real problem is that the local community wants a traditional high school, but the school personnel that have evaluated Skyview know that the building and grounds are a long way away from being a traditional HS. The school board and gatehouse are trying to find ways to give the community what they want, but it is going to be costly and its boundary adjustments will have repercussions on a lot of people that they won’t like. It will come down to who FCPS wants to piss off less. The people living around Skyview, the people who are forced to move to Westfield, or the general taxpayer. Making Skyview a magnet only upsets one group. The traditional route will be a much larger group.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Personally I think the real problem is that the local community wants a traditional high school, but the school personnel that have evaluated Skyview know that the building and grounds are a long way away from being a traditional HS. The school board and gatehouse are trying to find ways to give the community what they want, but it is going to be costly and its boundary adjustments will have repercussions on a lot of people that they won’t like. It will come down to who FCPS wants to piss off less. The people living around Skyview, the people who are forced to move to Westfield, or the general taxpayer. Making Skyview a magnet only upsets one group. The traditional route will be a much larger group.

I know you refuse to give up on this, but all of it has already been discussed in public and voted on by the school board. The area desperately needs a traditional school, the community wants a traditional school, and the board (and CIP) identified the need for and voted for a traditional school. There is only a small group (you included) that wants something different.

Anonymous wrote:Personally I think the real problem is that the local community wants a traditional high school, but the school personnel that have evaluated Skyview know that the building and grounds are a long way away from being a traditional HS. The school board and gatehouse are trying to find ways to give the community what they want, but it is going to be costly and its boundary adjustments will have repercussions on a lot of people that they won’t like. It will come down to who FCPS wants to piss off less. The people living around Skyview, the people who are forced to move to Westfield, or the general taxpayer. Making Skyview a magnet only upsets one group. The traditional route will be a much larger group.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The new mascot is incredibly stupid.

Why bother making it a traditional high school when she clearly wants an aviation magnet.

Just prepare for the boundaries to be nullified at a programming re-vote.

Fortunately for us there already was a public review period and a school board vote making it a traditional school. No matter how much fear-mongering some people try to stir up on this board a magnet isn't happening. They are fully underway opening as a traditional school.

This is not quite true. The county’s recent approval to allow Skyview to open as a public school was based on its initial 1000-student enrollment. If FCPS wants Skyview to operate as a traditional school with a typical, larger enrollment, it will have to come back to the county within the next year. And if the county were to deny the follow-up application FCPS’s fall-back might be to cap enrollment and operate Skyview as a magnet or lottery school.

I know that’s not what the School board directed, and FCPS may be able to satisfy the county Skyview can accommodate more than 1000 students, but it’s somewhat misleading to claim there aren’t still uncertainties.

How does a school transition from traditional to magnet? Do the students who are already there have to make it through the application process or be sent back to their base school?

They won't be doing that.

Here is a quote from someone on the planning commission:

“This has really been a long road trying to find an adequate spot and the fact that this just materialized is pretty miraculous,” said Braddock District Commissioner Mary Cortina. “I just can’t envision a better scenario of being able to find a place for the school.”

Sounds to me like they will approve it in the future when the plans are set.
https://www.ffxnow.com/2026/05/20/reuse-of-private-academy-as-public-skyview-high-school-approved/#disqus_thread

Everyone agrees the site is a good site for a high school. But they don't have the approvals yet to serve more than 1000 kids.

The costs are a real issue. FCPS already lied when it put out multiple statements referring to an estimated $280 million in savings, based on the difference between the initial $150 million purchase price and estimates that building a new school from scratch would cost around $430 million. Within a few months, they were estimating it would cost over $50 million more to get Skyview ready, which means the prior statements were false and the purported savings would be $230 million, not $280 million.

The "plans" for the future are not "set" until they've done a LOT of additional work with the main Skyview building and the two shell buildings. If the costs are even higher, their prior misrepresentation becomes even more glaring. In addition, future county approvals are not guaranteed. That's why they probably do have a "Plan B" (i.e., some type of smaller magnet or lottery school) that would be an exit ramp if the costs spiral or future approvals hit an obstacle (as at Centreville).

You didn't read the new number? https://www.ffxnow.com/2026/05/20/reuse-of-private-academy-as-public-skyview-high-school-approved/

He noted that it could have cost $600 million to acquire land and build an entirely new facility.

So now it looks like we are $400 million ahead on this new school. It's practically free at this point. That should give them plenty of leeway for any cost overruns.

Anonymous wrote:The new mascot is incredibly stupid.

Why bother making it a traditional high school when she clearly wants an aviation magnet.

Just prepare for the boundaries to be nullified at a programming re-vote.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The new mascot is incredibly stupid.

Why bother making it a traditional high school when she clearly wants an aviation magnet.

Just prepare for the boundaries to be nullified at a programming re-vote.

My student (who lives within the eventual Skyview boundary) and his friends all agreed that the other option (Yeti) was even worse.

It will be a good school, but Reid et al have really rolled this out poorly.

It doesn't lend itself to a cheer for a football team. Did they do this like the name selection? Drop one of the most popular choices before the vote?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The new mascot is incredibly stupid.

Why bother making it a traditional high school when she clearly wants an aviation magnet.

Just prepare for the boundaries to be nullified at a programming re-vote.

Fortunately for us there already was a public review period and a school board vote making it a traditional school. No matter how much fear-mongering some people try to stir up on this board a magnet isn't happening. They are fully underway opening as a traditional school.

This is not quite true. The county’s recent approval to allow Skyview to open as a public school was based on its initial 1000-student enrollment. If FCPS wants Skyview to operate as a traditional school with a typical, larger enrollment, it will have to come back to the county within the next year. And if the county were to deny the follow-up application FCPS’s fall-back might be to cap enrollment and operate Skyview as a magnet or lottery school.

I know that’s not what the School board directed, and FCPS may be able to satisfy the county Skyview can accommodate more than 1000 students, but it’s somewhat misleading to claim there aren’t still uncertainties.

How does a school transition from traditional to magnet? Do the students who are already there have to make it through the application process or be sent back to their base school?

They won't be doing that.

Here is a quote from someone on the planning commission:

“This has really been a long road trying to find an adequate spot and the fact that this just materialized is pretty miraculous,” said Braddock District Commissioner Mary Cortina. “I just can’t envision a better scenario of being able to find a place for the school.”

Sounds to me like they will approve it in the future when the plans are set.
https://www.ffxnow.com/2026/05/20/reuse-of-private-academy-as-public-skyview-high-school-approved/#disqus_thread

Everyone agrees the site is a good site for a high school. But they don't have the approvals yet to serve more than 1000 kids.

The costs are a real issue. FCPS already lied when it put out multiple statements referring to an estimated $280 million in savings, based on the difference between the initial $150 million purchase price and estimates that building a new school from scratch would cost around $430 million. Within a few months, they were estimating it would cost over $50 million more to get Skyview ready, which means the prior statements were false and the purported savings would be $230 million, not $280 million.

The "plans" for the future are not "set" until they've done a LOT of additional work with the main Skyview building and the two shell buildings. If the costs are even higher, their prior misrepresentation becomes even more glaring. In addition, future county approvals are not guaranteed. That's why they probably do have a "Plan B" (i.e., some type of smaller magnet or lottery school) that would be an exit ramp if the costs spiral or future approvals hit an obstacle (as at Centreville).

He noted that it could have cost $600 million to acquire land and build an entirely new facility.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The new mascot is incredibly stupid.

Why bother making it a traditional high school when she clearly wants an aviation magnet.

Just prepare for the boundaries to be nullified at a programming re-vote.

Fortunately for us there already was a public review period and a school board vote making it a traditional school. No matter how much fear-mongering some people try to stir up on this board a magnet isn't happening. They are fully underway opening as a traditional school.

This is not quite true. The county’s recent approval to allow Skyview to open as a public school was based on its initial 1000-student enrollment. If FCPS wants Skyview to operate as a traditional school with a typical, larger enrollment, it will have to come back to the county within the next year. And if the county were to deny the follow-up application FCPS’s fall-back might be to cap enrollment and operate Skyview as a magnet or lottery school.

I know that’s not what the School board directed, and FCPS may be able to satisfy the county Skyview can accommodate more than 1000 students, but it’s somewhat misleading to claim there aren’t still uncertainties.

How does a school transition from traditional to magnet? Do the students who are already there have to make it through the application process or be sent back to their base school?

They won't be doing that.

Here is a quote from someone on the planning commission:

“This has really been a long road trying to find an adequate spot and the fact that this just materialized is pretty miraculous,” said Braddock District Commissioner Mary Cortina. “I just can’t envision a better scenario of being able to find a place for the school.”

Sounds to me like they will approve it in the future when the plans are set.
https://www.ffxnow.com/2026/05/20/reuse-of-private-academy-as-public-skyview-high-school-approved/#disqus_thread

Everyone agrees the site is a good site for a high school. But they don't have the approvals yet to serve more than 1000 kids.

The costs are a real issue. FCPS already lied when it put out multiple statements referring to an estimated $280 million in savings, based on the difference between the initial $150 million purchase price and estimates that building a new school from scratch would cost around $430 million. Within a few months, they were estimating it would cost over $50 million more to get Skyview ready, which means the prior statements were false and the purported savings would be $230 million, not $280 million.

The "plans" for the future are not "set" until they've done a LOT of additional work with the main Skyview building and the two shell buildings. If the costs are even higher, their prior misrepresentation becomes even more glaring. In addition, future county approvals are not guaranteed. That's why they probably do have a "Plan B" (i.e., some type of smaller magnet or lottery school) that would be an exit ramp if the costs spiral or future approvals hit an obstacle (as at Centreville).

Anonymous wrote:The new mascot is incredibly stupid.

Why bother making it a traditional high school when she clearly wants an aviation magnet.

Just prepare for the boundaries to be nullified at a programming re-vote.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The new mascot is incredibly stupid.

Why bother making it a traditional high school when she clearly wants an aviation magnet.

Just prepare for the boundaries to be nullified at a programming re-vote.

Fortunately for us there already was a public review period and a school board vote making it a traditional school. No matter how much fear-mongering some people try to stir up on this board a magnet isn't happening. They are fully underway opening as a traditional school.

This is not quite true. The county’s recent approval to allow Skyview to open as a public school was based on its initial 1000-student enrollment. If FCPS wants Skyview to operate as a traditional school with a typical, larger enrollment, it will have to come back to the county within the next year. And if the county were to deny the follow-up application FCPS’s fall-back might be to cap enrollment and operate Skyview as a magnet or lottery school.

I know that’s not what the School board directed, and FCPS may be able to satisfy the county Skyview can accommodate more than 1000 students, but it’s somewhat misleading to claim there aren’t still uncertainties.

How does a school transition from traditional to magnet? Do the students who are already there have to make it through the application process or be sent back to their base school?

They won't be doing that.

Here is a quote from someone on the planning commission:

“This has really been a long road trying to find an adequate spot and the fact that this just materialized is pretty miraculous,” said Braddock District Commissioner Mary Cortina. “I just can’t envision a better scenario of being able to find a place for the school.”

Sounds to me like they will approve it in the future when the plans are set.
https://www.ffxnow.com/2026/05/20/reuse-of-private-academy-as-public-skyview-high-school-approved/#disqus_thread