Tholen had 4 years to do at least one of the following:

* get the CIP adjusted to fund an addition to McLean outside the queue (as has happened before at each of South Lakes, West Potomac, Justice, and Madison);

* get an updated renovation queue prepared and released by now; or

* publicly call out her colleagues and/or FCPS staff for failure to do either of the above, to at least call attention to the situation.

Instead we got a one-sided boundary change w/Langley that cherry-picked single-family neighborhoods and left McLean and Marshall on the hook for all the upside growth associated with Tysons development, along with a second-hand modular relocated from another school. Oh, and a promise that the decrepit bathrooms would be upgraded this past summer, although that’s been delayed, too.

It’s hard to tell whether Tholen was just ineffective, or whether she deliberately let McLean crumble while tens of millions get spent elsewhere, but she won’t be missed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - I think it is terrible to paint teachers with a brush like you did. There are outstanding teachers and administrators at McLean High. Really, really great school. I feel like people are upping these threads to try and change the outcome of the school board election. McLean is consistently rated one of the best high schools in the state. The teachers are instrumental in achieving that. - Mom of 2 McLean High kids

Yep - the administrators and teachers at both McLean and Longfellow are top-notch. The facilities are not, and the neglect - when FCPS has built permanent additions to newer, less overcrowded schools like Justice and Madison outside the 2008 renovation queue - appears to be deliberate.

Elaine Tholen ran in 2019 promising to make an addition/future renovation a priority, and then did nothing but cherry-pick some McLean neighborhoods comprised entirely of single-family houses to move to Langley. Robyn Lady, the Democrat running to replace her, has made it clear she doesn’t give a crap about McLean.

The only hope is to elect Paul Bartkowski, who is running against Lady, to succeed Tholen or hope that Ilryong Moon will take up McLean’s needs if he’s elected as an at-large member. Otherwise the decline of the entire pyramid is guaranteed. It won’t make the schools in other parts of the county any better, but it will make some local Democrats happy.

+1000. The Mclean facilities are a complete embarrassment. Even students from other FCPS are shocked at how dilapidated the facilities are. The SB only pays attention to Mclean when they want to tout our test scores.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is it that the one of the most highly taxed school pyramids has such a dumpy middle and high school building. not to mention overcrowded elementary schools?

Should this be the priority over all else? I mean cooper and langley are / have gotten major renovations and expansions ?

Mclean high looks like a 3rd work slum school

Because McLean voters heavily lean to the left.

People should not be afraid to split their tickets. Even if you want to keep Trump out of the White House and to protect abortion rights and enact strong gun control laws at the state level, recognize that the local Democrats in Fairfax take our area for granted. They want our tax revenues but also to provide us with as few services as possible.

If you live in McLean and vote for any D candidate for the school board, you are literally voting against your children’s best interests.

No

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is it that the one of the most highly taxed school pyramids has such a dumpy middle and high school building. not to mention overcrowded elementary schools?

Should this be the priority over all else? I mean cooper and langley are / have gotten major renovations and expansions ?

Mclean high looks like a 3rd work slum school

Because McLean voters heavily lean to the left.

People should not be afraid to split their tickets. Even if you want to keep Trump out of the White House and to protect abortion rights and enact strong gun control laws at the state level, recognize that the local Democrats in Fairfax take our area for granted. They want our tax revenues but also to provide us with as few services as possible.

If you live in McLean and vote for any D candidate for the school board, you are literally voting against your children’s best interests.

Why would an R candidate be better for McLean any more than D? Aren't Republicans supposed to be all about being fiscally conservative, keeping a close watch on wasteful FCPS spending, and focusing on academics?

It sounds like they should be in favor of using available space at other facilities to handle any issues at McLean, not waste a hundred million to expand the HS when other options exist.

A Republican like Paul Bartkowski would shine a light on the fact that FCPS should be expanding overcrowded schools like McLean to meet the needs of kids who already live in the area near the school, as opposed to some of the capital projects the current, all-Democratic School Board has approved, such as expanding one elementary school to 1000 seats when its current enrollment is only 600, or planning to spend over $60M on a new ES in Dunn Loring for which there currently is no need.

The issue isn’t whether you spend money on facilities - FCPS built and opened new schools, and renovated others. when the Board of Supervisors and School Board were controlled by Republicans - but whether capital resources are being spent wisely.

I wonder why you are so committed to the idea that FCPS should just continue to redistrict the hell out of McLean (the boundary was just changed in 2021) and leave it with the fewest permanent seats of any HS in the county, when the Board of Supervisors has prioritized growth in areas (Tysons, West Falls Church, and downtown McLean) that feed into the school. Virtually all of that growth is multi-family housing, and the current Democrat on the School Board (Elaine Tholen) has made sure none of it will get assigned to Langley, so it’s really McLean and Marshall that will face the continued enrollment pressure.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is it that the one of the most highly taxed school pyramids has such a dumpy middle and high school building. not to mention overcrowded elementary schools?

Should this be the priority over all else? I mean cooper and langley are / have gotten major renovations and expansions ?

Mclean high looks like a 3rd work slum school

Because McLean voters heavily lean to the left.

People should not be afraid to split their tickets. Even if you want to keep Trump out of the White House and to protect abortion rights and enact strong gun control laws at the state level, recognize that the local Democrats in Fairfax take our area for granted. They want our tax revenues but also to provide us with as few services as possible.

If you live in McLean and vote for any D candidate for the school board, you are literally voting against your children’s best interests.

Why would an R candidate be better for McLean any more than D? Aren't Republicans supposed to be all about being fiscally conservative, keeping a close watch on wasteful FCPS spending, and focusing on academics?

It sounds like they should be in favor of using available space at other facilities to handle any issues at McLean, not waste a hundred million to expand the HS when other options exist.

Your opinion and analysis. Many believe the Republicans woud bring chaos and partisan politics to the school board. See: Hanover County, Spotsylvania County and ask yourself if Republicans have improved the learning envirnonment.

Anonymous wrote:OP - I think it is terrible to paint teachers with a brush like you did. There are outstanding teachers and administrators at McLean High. Really, really great school. I feel like people are upping these threads to try and change the outcome of the school board election. McLean is consistently rated one of the best high schools in the state. The teachers are instrumental in achieving that. - Mom of 2 McLean High kids

Yep - the administrators and teachers at both McLean and Longfellow are top-notch. The facilities are not, and the neglect - when FCPS has built permanent additions to newer, less overcrowded schools like Justice and Madison outside the 2008 renovation queue - appears to be deliberate.

Elaine Tholen ran in 2019 promising to make an addition/future renovation a priority, and then did nothing but cherry-pick some McLean neighborhoods comprised entirely of single-family houses to move to Langley. Robyn Lady, the Democrat running to replace her, has made it clear she doesn’t give a crap about McLean.

The only hope is to elect Paul Bartkowski, who is running against Lady, to succeed Tholen or hope that Ilryong Moon will take up McLean’s needs if he’s elected as an at-large member. Otherwise the decline of the entire pyramid is guaranteed. It won’t make the schools in other parts of the county any better, but it will make some local Democrats happy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is it that the one of the most highly taxed school pyramids has such a dumpy middle and high school building. not to mention overcrowded elementary schools?

Should this be the priority over all else? I mean cooper and langley are / have gotten major renovations and expansions ?

Mclean high looks like a 3rd work slum school

Because McLean voters heavily lean to the left.

People should not be afraid to split their tickets. Even if you want to keep Trump out of the White House and to protect abortion rights and enact strong gun control laws at the state level, recognize that the local Democrats in Fairfax take our area for granted. They want our tax revenues but also to provide us with as few services as possible.

If you live in McLean and vote for any D candidate for the school board, you are literally voting against your children’s best interests.

Why would an R candidate be better for McLean any more than D? Aren't Republicans supposed to be all about being fiscally conservative, keeping a close watch on wasteful FCPS spending, and focusing on academics?

It sounds like they should be in favor of using available space at other facilities to handle any issues at McLean, not waste a hundred million to expand the HS when other options exist.

OP - I think it is terrible to paint teachers with a brush like you did. There are outstanding teachers and administrators at McLean High. Really, really great school. I feel like people are upping these threads to try and change the outcome of the school board election. McLean is consistently rated one of the best high schools in the state. The teachers are instrumental in achieving that. - Mom of 2 McLean High kids

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is it that the one of the most highly taxed school pyramids has such a dumpy middle and high school building. not to mention overcrowded elementary schools?

Should this be the priority over all else? I mean cooper and langley are / have gotten major renovations and expansions ?

Mclean high looks like a 3rd work slum school

Because McLean voters heavily lean to the left.

People should not be afraid to split their tickets. Even if you want to keep Trump out of the White House and to protect abortion rights and enact strong gun control laws at the state level, recognize that the local Democrats in Fairfax take our area for granted. They want our tax revenues but also to provide us with as few services as possible.

If you live in McLean and vote for any D candidate for the school board, you are literally voting against your children’s best interests.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is it that the one of the most highly taxed school pyramids has such a dumpy middle and high school building. not to mention overcrowded elementary schools?

Should this be the priority over all else? I mean cooper and langley are / have gotten major renovations and expansions ?

Mclean high looks like a 3rd work slum school

Because McLean voters heavily lean to the left.

People should not be afraid to split their tickets. Even if you want to keep Trump out of the White House and to protect abortion rights and enact strong gun control laws at the state level, recognize that the local Democrats in Fairfax take our area for granted. They want our tax revenues but also to provide us with as few services as possible.

+1

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is it that the one of the most highly taxed school pyramids has such a dumpy middle and high school building. not to mention overcrowded elementary schools?

Should this be the priority over all else? I mean cooper and langley are / have gotten major renovations and expansions ?

Mclean high looks like a 3rd work slum school

Because McLean voters heavily lean to the left.

People should not be afraid to split their tickets. Even if you want to keep Trump out of the White House and to protect abortion rights and enact strong gun control laws at the state level, recognize that the local Democrats in Fairfax take our area for granted. They want our tax revenues but also to provide us with as few services as possible.

Anonymous wrote:Why is it that the one of the most highly taxed school pyramids has such a dumpy middle and high school building. not to mention overcrowded elementary schools?

Should this be the priority over all else? I mean cooper and langley are / have gotten major renovations and expansions ?

Mclean high looks like a 3rd work slum school

Because McLean voters heavily lean to the left.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:McLean pays the same tax as everyone else in the county.

Wrong , the values in McLean are much higher so they pay more taxes

Regardless of tax rate or tax bills the point is that the last few Democratic School Boards have neglected McLean HS and both of the last two board members - Janie Strauss and Elaine Tholen - flat-out lied to parents about either FCPS’s plans (Strauss) or their own intentions (Tholen).

That’s unsettling to many, including those of us who mostly vote Democratic. Robyn Lady is different from Strauss and Tholen in that she isn’t lying - she’s just making it clear from the outset that she doesn’t give a crap about McLean.

If you’d like to see that change, vote for Paul Bartkowski. Otherwise, buckle in and get ready for four more years of neglect and overcrowding.

Anonymous wrote:McLean pays the same tax as everyone else in the county.

Wrong , the values in McLean are much higher so they pay more taxes

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you’re at McLean and you’re dissatisfied with the state of the facilities vote for Paul Bartkowski for School Board. The other candidate, Robyn Lady, does not care and will do nothing for you.

err, right, don't ask your current supervisor who might actually know something about renovation rotation . . .

I think you are not even from around here, because anyone who is knows the Board of Supervisors duck just about all questions relating to FCPS.