Anonymous
05/30/2026 10:18
Subject: FCPS Skyview Boundary Revised Scenario 1 / 2
We’ve seen this movie in FCPS before. Westfield is getting the message it’s been selected as the next Annandale or Lewis, two schools fundamentally reshaped by boundary changes. People will claim the future enrollment will be large enough to sustain courses and activities, and they’ll under-estimate how quickly the enrollment will drop and the FARMS rate will spike. The only difference is that it will happen in a newer, larger building designed for more kids.
What’s the line about how the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result? It is FCPS’s specialty.
What’s the line about how the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result? It is FCPS’s specialty.
Anonymous
05/30/2026 10:11
Subject: FCPS Skyview Boundary Revised Scenario 1 / 2
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Leaving Oakton and Chantilly over capacity with 800 empty seats at Westfield and 400 empty seats at South Lakes is appalling.
Aren't they building tons of housing near Westfield and South Lakes?
Yes, they are.
And the people complaining about losing kids from SLHS are probably more annoyed that the families/communities that they hand picked to move to SLHS are not all that interested in staying at SLHS. Most people don’t want IB. It is a fine program but I prefer AP because it allows my kid the flexibility to study what he wants instead of the highly structured IB program. Families were asking for AP when they were move to SLHS 20 years ago, is it any surprise that many people want to leave for AP?
The community wasn’t happy when they were moved. I know many families who moved between MS and HS because they did not want IB and they did not want to pupil place and drive themselves. Over a hundred kids a year pupil place out.
Maybe SLHS needs to realize that IB is a niche program that the other counties around us make opt in, they don’t force kids into it. The diploma is a lot of work but few kids at SLHS earn it, the career certificate is an attempt to make the program look more successful than it is. If the school was AP you wouldn’t have people wanting to move.
It’s not the kids or the community or the school. It’s IB.
+1 Except that I would change your statement here:
" Families were asking for AP when they were move to SLHS 20 years ago, is it any surprise that many people want to leave for AP? "
They weren't "asking," they were "begging."
If the videos of citizen participation are still available from the 2008 boundary study, people should look at them--especially School Board members.
Anonymous
05/30/2026 09:58
Subject: FCPS Skyview Boundary Revised Scenario 1 / 2
Anonymous wrote:The families zoned to South Lakes have no say in it being IB.
But Meren does, and she’s silent on the topic, which will make her crocodile tears when SL gets decimated completely worthless. Remember she’s also responsible for tearing Marshall apart as well. Terrible SB member.
Anonymous
05/30/2026 09:42
Subject: FCPS Skyview Boundary Revised Scenario 1 / 2
The families zoned to South Lakes have no say in it being IB.
Anonymous
05/30/2026 09:38
Subject: FCPS Skyview Boundary Revised Scenario 1 / 2
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Leaving Oakton and Chantilly over capacity with 800 empty seats at Westfield and 400 empty seats at South Lakes is appalling.
Aren't they building tons of housing near Westfield and South Lakes?
Yes, they are.
And the people complaining about losing kids from SLHS are probably more annoyed that the families/communities that they hand picked to move to SLHS are not all that interested in staying at SLHS. Most people don’t want IB. It is a fine program but I prefer AP because it allows my kid the flexibility to study what he wants instead of the highly structured IB program. Families were asking for AP when they were move to SLHS 20 years ago, is it any surprise that many people want to leave for AP?
The community wasn’t happy when they were moved. I know many families who moved between MS and HS because they did not want IB and they did not want to pupil place and drive themselves. Over a hundred kids a year pupil place out.
Maybe SLHS needs to realize that IB is a niche program that the other counties around us make opt in, they don’t force kids into it. The diploma is a lot of work but few kids at SLHS earn it, the career certificate is an attempt to make the program look more successful than it is. If the school was AP you wouldn’t have people wanting to move.
It’s not the kids or the community or the school. It’s IB.
Anonymous
05/30/2026 09:37
Subject: FCPS Skyview Boundary Revised Scenario 1 / 2
I was shocked to see they didn't fix the split feeder at Bull Run when the proposals came out. It seemed like a very obvious solution and those areas had been proposed to move in the comprehensive boundary and multiple rounds of "drafty drafts".
Hearing Seems Dixit lives in one of those areas made it make sense. That's some blatant self-dealing!
Hearing Seems Dixit lives in one of those areas made it make sense. That's some blatant self-dealing!
Anonymous
05/30/2026 09:34
Subject: FCPS Skyview Boundary Revised Scenario 1 / 2
Anonymous wrote:I still don't understand how they can say that travel time/distance is super important and then leave Crossfield at Oakton. What a joke! What's important is school board votes (we all know they have broader ambitions)
Agree. I think they are closer to six other high schools.
Anonymous
05/30/2026 09:34
Subject: FCPS Skyview Boundary Revised Scenario 1 / 2
Anonymous wrote:In this morning's meeting, the two BRAC reps in attendance are from Centreville. So that explains a lot.
I thought BRAC was disbanded after the comprehensive boundary. So they are involved in the Skyview boundaries as well?
Anonymous
05/30/2026 09:32
Subject: FCPS Skyview Boundary Revised Scenario 1 / 2
I still don't understand how they can say that travel time/distance is super important and then leave Crossfield at Oakton. What a joke! What's important is school board votes (we all know they have broader ambitions)
Anonymous
05/30/2026 09:31
Subject: FCPS Skyview Boundary Revised Scenario 1 / 2
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Leaving Oakton and Chantilly over capacity with 800 empty seats at Westfield and 400 empty seats at South Lakes is appalling.
As has been noted, those who go to Chantilly live very close. Why should they get ripped from their beloved, close school to attend a school further away simply because FCPS needs to backfill a school that they put in this position because they decided to purchase KAA without community feedback prior? Maybe if they had the balls to put Crossfield plus Fox Mill at Skyview, then they could have left more kids at Westfield.
Its all one school system. Why should the kids at Westfield lose 1/3rd of their teachers and classmates and be reduced to very limited course options compared to all the surrounding schools?
With 2,000 kids their course options become “very limited”? 🤣🤣🤣
Yes, of course, if the school is 50% FARMs. You sound very ignorant as to how FCPS staffing formulas and course offerings work.
Anonymous
05/30/2026 09:30
Subject: FCPS Skyview Boundary Revised Scenario 1 / 2
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Leaving Oakton and Chantilly over capacity with 800 empty seats at Westfield and 400 empty seats at South Lakes is appalling.
As has been noted, those who go to Chantilly live very close. Why should they get ripped from their beloved, close school to attend a school further away simply because FCPS needs to backfill a school that they put in this position because they decided to purchase KAA without community feedback prior? Maybe if they had the balls to put Crossfield plus Fox Mill at Skyview, then they could have left more kids at Westfield.
There is really no reasonable scenario where they could have left more kids at Westfield. The Westfield kids going to Skyview are right next to Skyview, and far from Westfield. It would have made zero sense to leave them at Westfield.
It’s not anyone else’s responsibility to backfill Westfield. The decision to purchase KAA was not something the community got to discuss or give feedback prior.
Its the school board's responsibility to set reasonable boundaries.
Anonymous
05/30/2026 09:22
Subject: FCPS Skyview Boundary Revised Scenario 1 / 2
Anonymous wrote:Leaving Oakton and Chantilly over capacity with 800 empty seats at Westfield and 400 empty seats at South Lakes is appalling.
Aren't they building tons of housing near Westfield and South Lakes?
Anonymous
05/30/2026 09:10
Subject: FCPS Skyview Boundary Revised Scenario 1 / 2
In this morning's meeting, the two BRAC reps in attendance are from Centreville. So that explains a lot.
Anonymous
05/30/2026 09:10
Subject: FCPS Skyview Boundary Revised Scenario 1 / 2
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Leaving Oakton and Chantilly over capacity with 800 empty seats at Westfield and 400 empty seats at South Lakes is appalling.
As has been noted, those who go to Chantilly live very close. Why should they get ripped from their beloved, close school to attend a school further away simply because FCPS needs to backfill a school that they put in this position because they decided to purchase KAA without community feedback prior? Maybe if they had the balls to put Crossfield plus Fox Mill at Skyview, then they could have left more kids at Westfield.
There is really no reasonable scenario where they could have left more kids at Westfield. The Westfield kids going to Skyview are right next to Skyview, and far from Westfield. It would have made zero sense to leave them at Westfield.
It’s not anyone else’s responsibility to backfill Westfield. The decision to purchase KAA was not something the community got to discuss or give feedback prior.
You really need to move past that. People in the communities in the Skyview area understand how needed the school is. FCPS is a mess in general and Reid’s incompetence is inflicting unnecessary pain during the boundary process, but purchasing the school was absolutely the right thing. I don’t know what discussions or feedback could have happened that would have changed anything.
Anonymous
05/30/2026 09:03
Subject: FCPS Skyview Boundary Revised Scenario 1 / 2
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Leaving Oakton and Chantilly over capacity with 800 empty seats at Westfield and 400 empty seats at South Lakes is appalling.
As has been noted, those who go to Chantilly live very close. Why should they get ripped from their beloved, close school to attend a school further away simply because FCPS needs to backfill a school that they put in this position because they decided to purchase KAA without community feedback prior? Maybe if they had the balls to put Crossfield plus Fox Mill at Skyview, then they could have left more kids at Westfield.
Its all one school system. Why should the kids at Westfield lose 1/3rd of their teachers and classmates and be reduced to very limited course options compared to all the surrounding schools?
2000 students is plenty. Your child will receive a fine education. It will be all right.
Remember, this is not happening tomorrow, it will be over a couple of years and kids and schools will adjust. No need to catastrophize.
FWIW, we moved to this area 12 years ago for a job that paid my husband 62k. We had two young children and it took a couple of years before I could find employment that would cover the cost of daycare and eventually we were able to buy a house. Needless to say, we did not end up buying a house in Great Falls, McLean, Oakton, or Vienna, where all the “good” schools are. We bought where we could afford, in an area with a high school DCUM looks down upon.
And it is totally fine. My DS is graduating now and heading to a SLAC, younger kid is doing great in school and taking honors and advanced classes. It has helped us that our ES has a great community, kids have solid peer groups, DC and friends go back and volunteer at their ES even while in HS.
Being at a smaller HS with high FARMS and fewer advanced class options just hasn’t been the disaster some people would assume.