Anonymous
12/09/2020 17:50
Subject: Mclean boundary changes - can someone please update?
Anonymous wrote:It's also the case that the Langley HS area is the driving force for the potential 2024 push to incorporate McLean as a city... but that the McLean HS area is more likely to be supportive primarily driven by this single issue of the ongoing neglect of McLean's crowding situation. The sooner they redress it, the less supportive the McLean HS folks likely will be of the push for incorporation, and given it's a pretty big hill to climb already that likely would really take the wind out of this initiative's sails (sorry for mixing metaphors)... so I could see FCPS also recognizing the strategic importance of addressing this boundary issue sooner than later as a way of nipping the push for incorporation in the bud, because that's something they REALLY want to avoid.
Can you point to the background on this? I am a Langley parent and DCUM is the first I have heard about incorporating McLean; since Langley area is allegedly the driver of this, I'm curious to hear more information.
Anonymous
12/09/2020 15:39
Subject: Re:Mclean boundary changes - can someone please update?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:The new Arden development zoned to Cooper/Langley alone has over 100 homes and they are selling quickly. Between that development, the Langley neighborhoods from the 70s and 80s that are turning over now, and the kids who otherwise would have gone to TJ (if there is a switch to a lottery at TJ), I'd bet the FCPS forecasts significantly underestimate the future enrollment at those schools.
Where is this?
Off Towlston Road near Leesburg Pike. The development is on the site of a former animal testing site owned by Hazleton Labs/Covance.
Anonymous
12/09/2020 15:28
Subject: Re:Mclean boundary changes - can someone please update?
Anonymous wrote:The new Arden development zoned to Cooper/Langley alone has over 100 homes and they are selling quickly. Between that development, the Langley neighborhoods from the 70s and 80s that are turning over now, and the kids who otherwise would have gone to TJ (if there is a switch to a lottery at TJ), I'd bet the FCPS forecasts significantly underestimate the future enrollment at those schools.
Where is this?
Anonymous
12/09/2020 14:52
Subject: Re:Mclean boundary changes - can someone please update?
The new Arden development zoned to Cooper/Langley alone has over 100 homes and they are selling quickly. Between that development, the Langley neighborhoods from the 70s and 80s that are turning over now, and the kids who otherwise would have gone to TJ (if there is a switch to a lottery at TJ), I'd bet the FCPS forecasts significantly underestimate the future enrollment at those schools.
Anonymous
12/09/2020 14:31
Subject: Mclean boundary changes - can someone please update?
Anonymous wrote:It's also the case that the Langley HS area is the driving force for the potential 2024 push to incorporate McLean as a city... but that the McLean HS area is more likely to be supportive primarily driven by this single issue of the ongoing neglect of McLean's crowding situation. The sooner they redress it, the less supportive the McLean HS folks likely will be of the push for incorporation, and given it's a pretty big hill to climb already that likely would really take the wind out of this initiative's sails (sorry for mixing metaphors)... so I could see FCPS also recognizing the strategic importance of addressing this boundary issue sooner than later as a way of nipping the push for incorporation in the bud, because that's something they REALLY want to avoid.
If FCPS just moves kids (in particular, exclusively from single-family neighborhoods, as contemplated under Options 1 and 2) to Langley, and does nothing to commit to a permanent addition at McLean, there will be more support for separation by 2024 because the McLean families will have watched McLean HS decline over the next several years compared to Langley and a number of other NoVa high schools. You'll have some families in Vienna happy that they got the "upgrade" to Langley, and a bunch more pissed people in McLean when they realize that FCPS has let MHS deteriorate.
Anonymous
12/09/2020 14:26
Subject: Mclean boundary changes - can someone please update?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:When do they plan on making a decision? My child is on 6th so it would be nice to know!
No specific date mentioned - just planning to implement this fall if they decide to change boundaries.
They should leave things alone for now. McLean is getting the modular and Cooper will soon turn into a construction site.
The modular is simply a replacement for some of the 14 trailers on-site... not intended to be in addition to them. Some of the trailers had to be moved to the tennis courts to accommodate, and despite all this the school remains well over capacity (even taking those trailers into account). There's not an ideal situation here, but McLean has been the most over capacity for the longest period of time, so I think there's some urgency to mitigate the situation, even if it means Cooper is over capacity in 2022-23 school year (even that is a bit debatable, I know the project isn't scheduled to complete until summer 2023, but unclear if some/all of the additional classroom capacity might come online 2022-23 prior to the completion of the entire project). 2021-22 would only see a shift of 7th graders to Cooper, so only half the increase realized, and shouldn't create major crowding issues. Just because there's construction happening on one part of the site doesn't necessarily mean major impacts on the rest of the site.
The alternative of allowing McLean's current situation to persist/worsen and not regain access to some of their facilities sooner is the worse option... they've been dealing with more for longer, Cooper can better deal with a comparatively minor inconvenience in the interim IMO.
At McLean, with the modular, the trailers on the tennis court would be removed. There might still be a few trailers, but it would be less than a handful as opposed to 18.
Cooper would have been overcrowded by about the same amount as McLean in 2019-20, but for a modular already installed there. With the renovation, they will lose current classroom space throughout the renovation under any circumstances, and it will be worse if they start moving Longfellow kids there.
So the first three options just mitigate an overcrowding situation at McLean and aggravate an overcrowding situation at Cooper. They really should wait until the Cooper renovation is finished and/or bite the bullet and fund the permanent addition that McLean has needed. It's unfortunate that it's taken them so long to share the information that makes clear that they don't have any great alternatives, but that's on Jeff Platenberg. They need to go back and take a harder look at their capital budget and other available funding sources, and stop offering "options" that are just three varieties of bad.
Anonymous
12/09/2020 14:12
Subject: Mclean boundary changes - can someone please update?
It's also the case that the Langley HS area is the driving force for the potential 2024 push to incorporate McLean as a city... but that the McLean HS area is more likely to be supportive primarily driven by this single issue of the ongoing neglect of McLean's crowding situation. The sooner they redress it, the less supportive the McLean HS folks likely will be of the push for incorporation, and given it's a pretty big hill to climb already that likely would really take the wind out of this initiative's sails (sorry for mixing metaphors)... so I could see FCPS also recognizing the strategic importance of addressing this boundary issue sooner than later as a way of nipping the push for incorporation in the bud, because that's something they REALLY want to avoid.
Anonymous
12/09/2020 14:07
Subject: Mclean boundary changes - can someone please update?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:When do they plan on making a decision? My child is on 6th so it would be nice to know!
No specific date mentioned - just planning to implement this fall if they decide to change boundaries.
They should leave things alone for now. McLean is getting the modular and Cooper will soon turn into a construction site.
The modular is simply a replacement for some of the 14 trailers on-site... not intended to be in addition to them. Some of the trailers had to be moved to the tennis courts to accommodate, and despite all this the school remains well over capacity (even taking those trailers into account). There's not an ideal situation here, but McLean has been the most over capacity for the longest period of time, so I think there's some urgency to mitigate the situation, even if it means Cooper is over capacity in 2022-23 school year (even that is a bit debatable, I know the project isn't scheduled to complete until summer 2023, but unclear if some/all of the additional classroom capacity might come online 2022-23 prior to the completion of the entire project). 2021-22 would only see a shift of 7th graders to Cooper, so only half the increase realized, and shouldn't create major crowding issues. Just because there's construction happening on one part of the site doesn't necessarily mean major impacts on the rest of the site.
The alternative of allowing McLean's current situation to persist/worsen and not regain access to some of their facilities sooner is the worse option... they've been dealing with more for longer, Cooper can better deal with a comparatively minor inconvenience in the interim IMO.
Anonymous
12/09/2020 09:33
Subject: Mclean boundary changes - can someone please update?
Anonymous wrote:It would be preferable not to allow apartments into McLean or Langley.
You're grotesque. Can we zone you out?
Anonymous
12/09/2020 08:44
Subject: Mclean boundary changes - can someone please update?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:When do they plan on making a decision? My child is on 6th so it would be nice to know!
No specific date mentioned - just planning to implement this fall if they decide to change boundaries.
They should leave things alone for now. McLean is getting the modular and Cooper will soon turn into a construction site.
I don't know about leaving it alone - there is another very long, very emotional thread with MHS parents wanting to leave FCPS over the overcrowding/modular issue - seems like some immediate relief in the form of boundary changes, followed by a reno/addition, is in order.
The MCA proposal to study separating from the county is being led by people who live north of 123 in the Langley district.
Anonymous
12/09/2020 08:40
Subject: Mclean boundary changes - can someone please update?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:When do they plan on making a decision? My child is on 6th so it would be nice to know!
No specific date mentioned - just planning to implement this fall if they decide to change boundaries.
They should leave things alone for now. McLean is getting the modular and Cooper will soon turn into a construction site.
I don't know about leaving it alone - there is another very long, very emotional thread with MHS parents wanting to leave FCPS over the overcrowding/modular issue - seems like some immediate relief in the form of boundary changes, followed by a reno/addition, is in order.
They could weaken McLean by sending only SFHs and none of the MFH at McLean to Langley, leave the modular in place, declare their work is done, and shrug as McLean loses teachers and electives and sees its reputation decline. Crazy that FCPS cares so much about changing TJ but may just increase the gap between Langley and all the other base schools.
Anonymous
12/09/2020 08:33
Subject: Re:Mclean boundary changes - can someone please update?
Anonymous wrote:I'm sure Langley families would be fine with a modular being a solution to overcrowding there....🙄🙄🙄. McLean should never have agreed to it
What makes you think they were asked for their permission? The only thing they have asked for is a permanent addition. But FCPS does what it wants and the modular is going up now.
Anonymous
12/09/2020 08:21
Subject: Re:Mclean boundary changes - can someone please update?
I'm sure Langley families would be fine with a modular being a solution to overcrowding there....🙄🙄🙄. McLean should never have agreed to it
Anonymous
12/09/2020 08:17
Subject: Mclean boundary changes - can someone please update?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:When do they plan on making a decision? My child is on 6th so it would be nice to know!
No specific date mentioned - just planning to implement this fall if they decide to change boundaries.
They should leave things alone for now. McLean is getting the modular and Cooper will soon turn into a construction site.
I don't know about leaving it alone - there is another very long, very emotional thread with MHS parents wanting to leave FCPS over the overcrowding/modular issue - seems like some immediate relief in the form of boundary changes, followed by a reno/addition, is in order.
Anonymous
12/09/2020 08:14
Subject: Mclean boundary changes - can someone please update?
Anonymous wrote:When do they plan on making a decision? My child is on 6th so it would be nice to know!
No specific date mentioned - just planning to implement this fall if they decide to change boundaries.
They should leave things alone for now. McLean is getting the modular and Cooper will soon turn into a construction site.