Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate that they are bringing public into this. You are there to make the best decisions for the county schools; not listen to a bunch of self interest serving parents. Make the best choices and we will live with it.

Agreed. They should have drafted plans to explore as a school board based on a specific criteria and then made a decision. Very few people want to change schools, the vast majority of people are happy with their school. The ones who want to move are normally at high FARMs schools and would be happy to move to a less poor school or at an IB school and want an AP school.

The families that I know at impoverished schools seem to be happy there and are more miffed that people look down on their schools. They find it offensive that people are so loudly trying to avoid their kids school where their kids are having a great experience.

Making this process a public one was destined to lead to disaster. And guess what happened?

That said, some of the original goals of the redistricting needed to be changed. The focus should have been on relieving the over crowding at schools and ending split feeders where they could.

It’s funny, in your first paragraph you admit that no one wants to be moved and that the public is against it, and then ignore that to discuss mediocre reasons to move kids.

Frankly, there is only one area that should be moved, and it should have happened at the start of this school year. That area is Coates. Nothing else rises to the level of urgent need that overcomes the immense damage that unnecessary moves does to kids.

They need to revert back to the old 8130 policy of moving kids when it needs to be done, rather than implement a catastrophic solution every five years searching for a real problem.

Just because people don’t want them doesn’t mean they are not needed. Chantilly, Centerville, WSHS, Coates, Parklawn and other schools were overcrowded. That has to be addressed whether it upsets families or not.

People complain about overcrowding but don’t want to be the ones moved. The answer when there is space at nearby schools is to move kids even if it angers the families moving.

No, the answer is to look at why some schools are overcrowded and others are under-enrolled before moving anyone. It could be that one school got an addition it didn’t need, while another school’s facilities have been neglected and need to be renovation priorities. It could be that one school has an academic program that repels families or has safety issues that need to be addressed, while another one provides a solid learning environment.

A “comprehensive” boundary review would look at these root causes and plan accordingly. Instead, we got a debacle of a boundary review that started out from the incorrect assumption that all schools are the same, and they could just move kids around like widgets to cover over problems that largely were of their own making. And, then, when people complained, as was entirely predictable, they largely folded, leaving some random areas as the “soft targets” they’ll redistrict so they can pat themselves on the back and move on.

Stop pretending this boundary review has been anything other than an utter shit show.

Both can be true. A boundary review was very much needed, AND it has been an utter shit show.

It has turned into what group can scream the loudest to not be moved while hoping other people are moved so that your school is less crowded. That is not a surprise. The County should have put out maps that show what kids are being moved from overcrowded schools to less crowded schools. They should have looked at the reasons why people pupil place out in large numbers from schools and work to correct that. That would mean dropping IB or at least adding AP at all the IB schools so that was no longer an available reason for pupil placing out. They should address the issue of residency fraud to remove the kids that are at the wrong HS and adding to the overcrowding issue.

Chantilly and Centerville are both AP schools and I don't believe there has been any charge of residency fraud at those schools. They needed boundary adjustments. WSHS is one were they need to address pupil placement from the IB schools nearby and residency fraud. I am not convinced that those kids returning to their base school would address the issue of overcrowding but if it did, great.

The people screaming the loudest are the people moving or fear moving in the future. I would put good money on the fact that there are families at those schools who are happy to see the changes that are coming so that the school is less crowded. They are not going to tell you that because they don't want to deal with your anger but I would not be surprised to find out that they were sending emails and letters supporting the change.

Anonymous wrote:
Except split feeders were never an issue. The vast majority of families in split feeders want to stay as a split feeder. Split feeders can help achieve FCPS goals and geographically are necessary. Closing split feeders was listed at close to the bottom in the county wide survey.

That's definitely not true, if you listen to the feedback on split feeder schools. There are certainly some people that have wanted to remain in split feeders, but tons of people want their split feeders corrected.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate that they are bringing public into this. You are there to make the best decisions for the county schools; not listen to a bunch of self interest serving parents. Make the best choices and we will live with it.

Agreed. They should have drafted plans to explore as a school board based on a specific criteria and then made a decision. Very few people want to change schools, the vast majority of people are happy with their school. The ones who want to move are normally at high FARMs schools and would be happy to move to a less poor school or at an IB school and want an AP school.

The families that I know at impoverished schools seem to be happy there and are more miffed that people look down on their schools. They find it offensive that people are so loudly trying to avoid their kids school where their kids are having a great experience.

Making this process a public one was destined to lead to disaster. And guess what happened?

That said, some of the original goals of the redistricting needed to be changed. The focus should have been on relieving the over crowding at schools and ending split feeders where they could.

It’s funny, in your first paragraph you admit that no one wants to be moved and that the public is against it, and then ignore that to discuss mediocre reasons to move kids.

Frankly, there is only one area that should be moved, and it should have happened at the start of this school year. That area is Coates. Nothing else rises to the level of urgent need that overcomes the immense damage that unnecessary moves does to kids.

They need to revert back to the old 8130 policy of moving kids when it needs to be done, rather than implement a catastrophic solution every five years searching for a real problem.

Just because people don’t want them doesn’t mean they are not needed. Chantilly, Centerville, WSHS, Coates, Parklawn and other schools were overcrowded. That has to be addressed whether it upsets families or not.

People complain about overcrowding but don’t want to be the ones moved. The answer when there is space at nearby schools is to move kids even if it angers the families moving.

No, the answer is to look at why some schools are overcrowded and others are under-enrolled before moving anyone. It could be that one school got an addition it didn’t need, while another school’s facilities have been neglected and need to be renovation priorities. It could be that one school has an academic program that repels families or has safety issues that need to be addressed, while another one provides a solid learning environment.

A “comprehensive” boundary review would look at these root causes and plan accordingly. Instead, we got a debacle of a boundary review that started out from the incorrect assumption that all schools are the same, and they could just move kids around like widgets to cover over problems that largely were of their own making. And, then, when people complained, as was entirely predictable, they largely folded, leaving some random areas as the “soft targets” they’ll redistrict so they can pat themselves on the back and move on.

Stop pretending this boundary review has been anything other than an utter shit show.

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone else think they're going to drop the map on Friday at 5pm?

Friday, January 2?

There is still a “scenario 5” (Jan 8) and a “scenario 6” (for vote) to come and each scenario has brought surprises…that’s what people are concerned about

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate that they are bringing public into this. You are there to make the best decisions for the county schools; not listen to a bunch of self interest serving parents. Make the best choices and we will live with it.

Agreed. They should have drafted plans to explore as a school board based on a specific criteria and then made a decision. Very few people want to change schools, the vast majority of people are happy with their school. The ones who want to move are normally at high FARMs schools and would be happy to move to a less poor school or at an IB school and want an AP school.

The families that I know at impoverished schools seem to be happy there and are more miffed that people look down on their schools. They find it offensive that people are so loudly trying to avoid their kids school where their kids are having a great experience.

Making this process a public one was destined to lead to disaster. And guess what happened?

That said, some of the original goals of the redistricting needed to be changed. The focus should have been on relieving the over crowding at schools and ending split feeders where they could.

It’s funny, in your first paragraph you admit that no one wants to be moved and that the public is against it, and then ignore that to discuss mediocre reasons to move kids.

Frankly, there is only one area that should be moved, and it should have happened at the start of this school year. That area is Coates. Nothing else rises to the level of urgent need that overcomes the immense damage that unnecessary moves does to kids.

They need to revert back to the old 8130 policy of moving kids when it needs to be done, rather than implement a catastrophic solution every five years searching for a real problem.

Just because people don’t want them doesn’t mean they are not needed. Chantilly, Centerville, WSHS, Coates, Parklawn and other schools were overcrowded. That has to be addressed whether it upsets families or not.

People complain about overcrowding but don’t want to be the ones moved. The answer when there is space at nearby schools is to move kids even if it angers the families moving.

Don’t lie, the only people who care about overcrowding are the selfish lot that want to use it as a pretext to move other people’s kids. Coates is the one exception to this.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate that they are bringing public into this. You are there to make the best decisions for the county schools; not listen to a bunch of self interest serving parents. Make the best choices and we will live with it.

Agreed. They should have drafted plans to explore as a school board based on a specific criteria and then made a decision. Very few people want to change schools, the vast majority of people are happy with their school. The ones who want to move are normally at high FARMs schools and would be happy to move to a less poor school or at an IB school and want an AP school.

The families that I know at impoverished schools seem to be happy there and are more miffed that people look down on their schools. They find it offensive that people are so loudly trying to avoid their kids school where their kids are having a great experience.

Making this process a public one was destined to lead to disaster. And guess what happened?

That said, some of the original goals of the redistricting needed to be changed. The focus should have been on relieving the over crowding at schools and ending split feeders where they could.

It’s funny, in your first paragraph you admit that no one wants to be moved and that the public is against it, and then ignore that to discuss mediocre reasons to move kids.

Frankly, there is only one area that should be moved, and it should have happened at the start of this school year. That area is Coates. Nothing else rises to the level of urgent need that overcomes the immense damage that unnecessary moves does to kids.

They need to revert back to the old 8130 policy of moving kids when it needs to be done, rather than implement a catastrophic solution every five years searching for a real problem.

Just because people don’t want them doesn’t mean they are not needed. Chantilly, Centerville, WSHS, Coates, Parklawn and other schools were overcrowded. That has to be addressed whether it upsets families or not.

People complain about overcrowding but don’t want to be the ones moved. The answer when there is space at nearby schools is to move kids even if it angers the families moving.

Does anyone else think they're going to drop the map on Friday at 5pm?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate that they are bringing public into this. You are there to make the best decisions for the county schools; not listen to a bunch of self interest serving parents. Make the best choices and we will live with it.

Agreed. They should have drafted plans to explore as a school board based on a specific criteria and then made a decision. Very few people want to change schools, the vast majority of people are happy with their school. The ones who want to move are normally at high FARMs schools and would be happy to move to a less poor school or at an IB school and want an AP school.

The families that I know at impoverished schools seem to be happy there and are more miffed that people look down on their schools. They find it offensive that people are so loudly trying to avoid their kids school where their kids are having a great experience.

Making this process a public one was destined to lead to disaster. And guess what happened?

That said, some of the original goals of the redistricting needed to be changed. The focus should have been on relieving the over crowding at schools and ending split feeders where they could.

Except split feeders were never an issue. The vast majority of families in split feeders want to stay as a split feeder. Split feeders can help achieve FCPS goals and geographically are necessary. Closing split feeders was listed at close to the bottom in the county wide survey.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hate that they are bringing public into this. You are there to make the best decisions for the county schools; not listen to a bunch of self interest serving parents. Make the best choices and we will live with it.

Agreed. They should have drafted plans to explore as a school board based on a specific criteria and then made a decision. Very few people want to change schools, the vast majority of people are happy with their school. The ones who want to move are normally at high FARMs schools and would be happy to move to a less poor school or at an IB school and want an AP school.

The families that I know at impoverished schools seem to be happy there and are more miffed that people look down on their schools. They find it offensive that people are so loudly trying to avoid their kids school where their kids are having a great experience.

Making this process a public one was destined to lead to disaster. And guess what happened?

That said, some of the original goals of the redistricting needed to be changed. The focus should have been on relieving the over crowding at schools and ending split feeders where they could.

It’s funny, in your first paragraph you admit that no one wants to be moved and that the public is against it, and then ignore that to discuss mediocre reasons to move kids.

Frankly, there is only one area that should be moved, and it should have happened at the start of this school year. That area is Coates. Nothing else rises to the level of urgent need that overcomes the immense damage that unnecessary moves does to kids.

They need to revert back to the old 8130 policy of moving kids when it needs to be done, rather than implement a catastrophic solution every five years searching for a real problem.

Anonymous wrote:I hate that they are bringing public into this. You are there to make the best decisions for the county schools; not listen to a bunch of self interest serving parents. Make the best choices and we will live with it.

Agreed. They should have drafted plans to explore as a school board based on a specific criteria and then made a decision. Very few people want to change schools, the vast majority of people are happy with their school. The ones who want to move are normally at high FARMs schools and would be happy to move to a less poor school or at an IB school and want an AP school.

The families that I know at impoverished schools seem to be happy there and are more miffed that people look down on their schools. They find it offensive that people are so loudly trying to avoid their kids school where their kids are having a great experience.

Making this process a public one was destined to lead to disaster. And guess what happened?

That said, some of the original goals of the redistricting needed to be changed. The focus should have been on relieving the over crowding at schools and ending split feeders where they could.

That’s the thing we will have 48 hours from map to public comment

Anonymous wrote:So scenario 4 is basically what we’re going with to try to get approved and finalized, right?

There are obviously revisions to Scenario 4. They are just keeping them under wraps so they can meet their timetable of a January 2026 board meeting to approve the final changes.

So scenario 4 is basically what we’re going with to try to get approved and finalized, right?

It makes no sense to give all these different proposals, put them out for response and then to present something different with no response.

They should have presented proposals and asked for response--and made decisions based on the validity of the justification of the responses. I do think it reasonable to give liberal pupil placement to siblings.
Complaining about the demographics of another school is not a good justification.