Anonymous
12/19/2025 12:17
Subject: Boundary Review Meetings
I remember Reid coming to a community meeting in the fall of 2024 and saying this boundary review would be “transformational” for FCPS.
It is only “transformational” in the sense that she’s now clearly demonstrated beyond all doubt that she’s unfit to run FCPS. Before then it was an open question.
It is only “transformational” in the sense that she’s now clearly demonstrated beyond all doubt that she’s unfit to run FCPS. Before then it was an open question.
Anonymous
12/19/2025 12:14
Subject: Boundary Review Meetings
As someone abruptly redistricted by FCPS years ago with a small group of kids (about 50% of our ES) into a different high school than we’d planned to attend, where we knew no one other than some other kids from our ES, I would still say it was highly disruptive and made for a sub-par HS experience in some respects, particularly for the first two years.
Did it work out over time? Yes. Were we resilient? Yes? Would I inflict that on other kids unless there were truly compelling reasons and not just because some School Board members want to flex? Absolutely not.
Did it work out over time? Yes. Were we resilient? Yes? Would I inflict that on other kids unless there were truly compelling reasons and not just because some School Board members want to flex? Absolutely not.
Anonymous
12/19/2025 12:14
Subject: Boundary Review Meetings
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:So, parents successfully bullied the SB into letting go of changing anything, right?
It was heroic parents standing up for kids in the face of bully Sandy and the rest of the school board goons.
These parents saved a lot of kids. I wish they could’ve protected them all, and my heart aches for the kids whose lives are about to be upended by boundary changes without any justification.
Some of our kids are so screwed if they ever face any real adversary. I swear, some of you are so over the top with your pronouncement of doom and gloom because people move schools. It is not ideal but it is not the end of the world.
DP. If you are going to defend this you at least ought to be able to demonstrate the necessity. Otherwise you’re just making excuses for people within FCPS and on the School Board who aren’t very good at their jobs.
How is saying that the kids are going to be fine if they move defending anything? You can dislike something and realize that the change still isn't going to have their "lives upended" by changing schools. I have written the school board, attended meetings, and posted on this site why I think this process is wrong. And I still think that the kids who change schools will be fine.
We're a Springfield family and we're still not sure if we're going to be moved. It's caused me a lot more anxiety than my daughter. Will my kid be okay if she gets moved? Probably? She's good at making friends and I think she'd be fine. But I know some of her more introverted friends would struggle with being moved. You can't make generalizations about this. Some will be fine, some won't. The broader issue here is that the school board shouldn't just be moving kids around like widgets without a really good reason. For schools that are incredibly overcrowded, yes, some kids should be moved. For schools that are in the 100% to 110ish% capacity bucket, is it worth it, given the demographics of this county, which shows there will be a slow decline of students? Less clear.
Unfortunately, Reid and this school board don't seem to care either way.
Ironically, the one school that needed urgent relief (Coates) didn’t get it this year because they wanted to wrap it into the broader comprehensive review.
You can’t make this stuff up.
Anonymous
12/19/2025 12:09
Subject: Boundary Review Meetings
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:So, parents successfully bullied the SB into letting go of changing anything, right?
It was heroic parents standing up for kids in the face of bully Sandy and the rest of the school board goons.
These parents saved a lot of kids. I wish they could’ve protected them all, and my heart aches for the kids whose lives are about to be upended by boundary changes without any justification.
Some of our kids are so screwed if they ever face any real adversary. I swear, some of you are so over the top with your pronouncement of doom and gloom because people move schools. It is not ideal but it is not the end of the world.
DP. If you are going to defend this you at least ought to be able to demonstrate the necessity. Otherwise you’re just making excuses for people within FCPS and on the School Board who aren’t very good at their jobs.
How is saying that the kids are going to be fine if they move defending anything? You can dislike something and realize that the change still isn't going to have their "lives upended" by changing schools. I have written the school board, attended meetings, and posted on this site why I think this process is wrong. And I still think that the kids who change schools will be fine.
We're a Springfield family and we're still not sure if we're going to be moved. It's caused me a lot more anxiety than my daughter. Will my kid be okay if she gets moved? Probably? She's good at making friends and I think she'd be fine. But I know some of her more introverted friends would struggle with being moved. You can't make generalizations about this. Some will be fine, some won't. The broader issue here is that the school board shouldn't just be moving kids around like widgets without a really good reason. For schools that are incredibly overcrowded, yes, some kids should be moved. For schools that are in the 100% to 110ish% capacity bucket, is it worth it, given the demographics of this county, which shows there will be a slow decline of students? Less clear.
Unfortunately, Reid and this school board don't seem to care either way.
Anonymous
12/19/2025 12:07
Subject: Boundary Review Meetings
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:So, parents successfully bullied the SB into letting go of changing anything, right?
It was heroic parents standing up for kids in the face of bully Sandy and the rest of the school board goons.
These parents saved a lot of kids. I wish they could’ve protected them all, and my heart aches for the kids whose lives are about to be upended by boundary changes without any justification.
Some of our kids are so screwed if they ever face any real adversary. I swear, some of you are so over the top with your pronouncement of doom and gloom because people move schools. It is not ideal but it is not the end of the world.
And yet, you and your ilk are desperately, oh so desperately, trying to move kids into your own kids’ schools.
Talk about not being able to handle adversity!
This is an anonymous board. I get that your MO is to smear anyone who doesn't agree with you as either a FCPS employee, someone who throws other kids under the bus, someone who wants other kids to improve their school, or someone who wants all kids to have mental health care crises, but it is really silly. Try having a grown-up conversation and not call other people names.
My kid is moving, and he will be fine. I have not suggested that other schools move because my kid moving makes sense. He is moving with a group of friends so he will know people. We are going to support him and make sure he feels comfortable at the school.
I get it, you don't want to move. You would sound like someone people should listen to if you didn't resort to name calling people who might disagree with you.
I feel for kids whose parents disregard their mental health because it’ll toughen them up. But whatever, you do you. Hope your kid has the best experience possible given the circumstances. Just don’t pretend that your poop doesn’t smell because your parenting philosophy is different than others. And don’t for one second believe that your neglect-approach works for everyone else’s kids.
Anonymous
12/19/2025 11:59
Subject: Boundary Review Meetings
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:So, parents successfully bullied the SB into letting go of changing anything, right?
It was heroic parents standing up for kids in the face of bully Sandy and the rest of the school board goons.
These parents saved a lot of kids. I wish they could’ve protected them all, and my heart aches for the kids whose lives are about to be upended by boundary changes without any justification.
Some of our kids are so screwed if they ever face any real adversary. I swear, some of you are so over the top with your pronouncement of doom and gloom because people move schools. It is not ideal but it is not the end of the world.
DP. If you are going to defend this you at least ought to be able to demonstrate the necessity. Otherwise you’re just making excuses for people within FCPS and on the School Board who aren’t very good at their jobs.
How is saying that the kids are going to be fine if they move defending anything? You can dislike something and realize that the change still isn't going to have their "lives upended" by changing schools. I have written the school board, attended meetings, and posted on this site why I think this process is wrong. And I still think that the kids who change schools will be fine.
Anonymous
12/19/2025 11:57
Subject: Boundary Review Meetings
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:So, parents successfully bullied the SB into letting go of changing anything, right?
It was heroic parents standing up for kids in the face of bully Sandy and the rest of the school board goons.
These parents saved a lot of kids. I wish they could’ve protected them all, and my heart aches for the kids whose lives are about to be upended by boundary changes without any justification.
Some of our kids are so screwed if they ever face any real adversary. I swear, some of you are so over the top with your pronouncement of doom and gloom because people move schools. It is not ideal but it is not the end of the world.
And yet, you and your ilk are desperately, oh so desperately, trying to move kids into your own kids’ schools.
Talk about not being able to handle adversity!
This is an anonymous board. I get that your MO is to smear anyone who doesn't agree with you as either a FCPS employee, someone who throws other kids under the bus, someone who wants other kids to improve their school, or someone who wants all kids to have mental health care crises, but it is really silly. Try having a grown-up conversation and not call other people names.
My kid is moving, and he will be fine. I have not suggested that other schools move because my kid moving makes sense. He is moving with a group of friends so he will know people. We are going to support him and make sure he feels comfortable at the school.
I get it, you don't want to move. You would sound like someone people should listen to if you didn't resort to name calling people who might disagree with you.
Anonymous
12/19/2025 11:53
Subject: Boundary Review Meetings
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:So, parents successfully bullied the SB into letting go of changing anything, right?
It was heroic parents standing up for kids in the face of bully Sandy and the rest of the school board goons.
These parents saved a lot of kids. I wish they could’ve protected them all, and my heart aches for the kids whose lives are about to be upended by boundary changes without any justification.
Some of our kids are so screwed if they ever face any real adversary. I swear, some of you are so over the top with your pronouncement of doom and gloom because people move schools. It is not ideal but it is not the end of the world.
DP. If you are going to defend this you at least ought to be able to demonstrate the necessity. Otherwise you’re just making excuses for people within FCPS and on the School Board who aren’t very good at their jobs.
Anonymous
12/19/2025 11:52
Subject: Boundary Review Meetings
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:So, parents successfully bullied the SB into letting go of changing anything, right?
It was heroic parents standing up for kids in the face of bully Sandy and the rest of the school board goons.
These parents saved a lot of kids. I wish they could’ve protected them all, and my heart aches for the kids whose lives are about to be upended by boundary changes without any justification.
Some of our kids are so screwed if they ever face any real adversary. I swear, some of you are so over the top with your pronouncement of doom and gloom because people move schools. It is not ideal but it is not the end of the world.
And yet, you and your ilk are desperately, oh so desperately, trying to move kids into your own kids’ schools.
Talk about not being able to handle adversity!
Anonymous
12/19/2025 11:49
Subject: Boundary Review Meetings
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:So, parents successfully bullied the SB into letting go of changing anything, right?
It was heroic parents standing up for kids in the face of bully Sandy and the rest of the school board goons.
These parents saved a lot of kids. I wish they could’ve protected them all, and my heart aches for the kids whose lives are about to be upended by boundary changes without any justification.
Some of our kids are so screwed if they ever face any real adversary. I swear, some of you are so over the top with your pronouncement of doom and gloom because people move schools. It is not ideal but it is not the end of the world.
Anonymous
12/19/2025 11:45
Subject: Re:Boundary Review Meetings
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Meren’s end of the year email said that she was recommending moving FMES to Hughes and staying at SLHS. Never mind that moving anyone to Hughes wasn’t in any of the plans.
I suspect that the school board's final map is going to be very different than the maps the parents have been commenting on from BRAC.
We have no idea what the map looks like now. They never updated it after Version 4 even though they showed a new version to parents at that Lewis meeting. Reid refuses to release any new maps until she gives her version to the school board. It's anyone's guess what's been proposed now.
When does she present her version to the board? Early January?
She delivers it Jan. 8. Two days later, Jan. 10, there will be the final opportunity for families and students to weigh in at a school board meeting on this. It's not much time for the community to really digest the changes on the next map. Board votes to approve a week later.
They really screwed this up completely. It took far too long yet will still be way too rushed at the end.
There needs to be a complete revamp of the School Board and senior leadership in FCPS. These people should be utterly ashamed of themselves.
Anonymous
12/19/2025 11:34
Subject: Re:Boundary Review Meetings
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Meren’s end of the year email said that she was recommending moving FMES to Hughes and staying at SLHS. Never mind that moving anyone to Hughes wasn’t in any of the plans.
I suspect that the school board's final map is going to be very different than the maps the parents have been commenting on from BRAC.
We have no idea what the map looks like now. They never updated it after Version 4 even though they showed a new version to parents at that Lewis meeting. Reid refuses to release any new maps until she gives her version to the school board. It's anyone's guess what's been proposed now.
When does she present her version to the board? Early January?
She delivers it Jan. 8. Two days later, Jan. 10, there will be the final opportunity for families and students to weigh in at a school board meeting on this. It's not much time for the community to really digest the changes on the next map. Board votes to approve a week later.
Anonymous
12/19/2025 11:30
Subject: Re:Boundary Review Meetings
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Meren’s end of the year email said that she was recommending moving FMES to Hughes and staying at SLHS. Never mind that moving anyone to Hughes wasn’t in any of the plans.
I suspect that the school board's final map is going to be very different than the maps the parents have been commenting on from BRAC.
We have no idea what the map looks like now. They never updated it after Version 4 even though they showed a new version to parents at that Lewis meeting. Reid refuses to release any new maps until she gives her version to the school board. It's anyone's guess what's been proposed now.
Agreed. The fact that a School Board member sent out an update that included recommendations that we have never seen is problematic.
They should dial this back to 1) Address the Western HS boundaries 2) Dealt with any school that is overcrowded.
Stop there. They could have reasonable solutions that some people would not love, because no one wants to move, but would make sense because they address an identified need.
OK, but in that case they need to have a clear metric for overcrowding.
Changing boundaries based on being over 105% overcrowding in the fall of 2024 doesn't necessarily make sense. Some enrollments have come down this year.
We were specifically told by a School Board member in the past that FCPS only cared about schools over 110%.
Don't use 2025-26 enrollment. The year is almost over and class of 2026 is abnormally huge.
At many of the schools, class of 2026 is 100 to 150 students larger than the 8th grade classes replacing them. I think Chantilly class of 2026 is over 200 students larger than the 8th grade class replacing them.
Use the current 8th through 11th grade numbers to determin overcrowding.
It will paint a very different picture than the 2024 enrollment projections that FCPS is using to justify rezoining.
Looking forward is smarter than looking backwards but a lot of high schools pick up kids from K-8 private and parochial schools so a comparison of 11th and 8th grade enrollments could be misleading.
We’ve listened to people at one crowded high school say year after year that the enrollment will come down “next year” and it stays overcrowded. They just don’t want to move.
That sounds like West Springfield. I feel like the issue there is the military moves. A lot of military families end up buying or renting in West Springfield. Fort Belvoir attracts older and more established officers, who are more likely to have older kids in middle or HS vs. younger ones. You do see a big jump in enrollment from the various WS elementaries to Irving and WSHS. There are also a higher number of Catholic school parents in this area as well who leave Catholic school after 6th or 8th.
Anonymous
12/19/2025 11:23
Subject: Re:Boundary Review Meetings
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Meren’s end of the year email said that she was recommending moving FMES to Hughes and staying at SLHS. Never mind that moving anyone to Hughes wasn’t in any of the plans.
I suspect that the school board's final map is going to be very different than the maps the parents have been commenting on from BRAC.
We have no idea what the map looks like now. They never updated it after Version 4 even though they showed a new version to parents at that Lewis meeting. Reid refuses to release any new maps until she gives her version to the school board. It's anyone's guess what's been proposed now.
Agreed. The fact that a School Board member sent out an update that included recommendations that we have never seen is problematic.
They should dial this back to 1) Address the Western HS boundaries 2) Dealt with any school that is overcrowded.
Stop there. They could have reasonable solutions that some people would not love, because no one wants to move, but would make sense because they address an identified need.
OK, but in that case they need to have a clear metric for overcrowding.
Changing boundaries based on being over 105% overcrowding in the fall of 2024 doesn't necessarily make sense. Some enrollments have come down this year.
We were specifically told by a School Board member in the past that FCPS only cared about schools over 110%.
Don't use 2025-26 enrollment. The year is almost over and class of 2026 is abnormally huge.
At many of the schools, class of 2026 is 100 to 150 students larger than the 8th grade classes replacing them. I think Chantilly class of 2026 is over 200 students larger than the 8th grade class replacing them.
Use the current 8th through 11th grade numbers to determin overcrowding.
It will paint a very different picture than the 2024 enrollment projections that FCPS is using to justify rezoining.
Looking forward is smarter than looking backwards but a lot of high schools pick up kids from K-8 private and parochial schools so a comparison of 11th and 8th grade enrollments could be misleading.
We’ve listened to people at one crowded high school say year after year that the enrollment will come down “next year” and it stays overcrowded. They just don’t want to move.
Now re read your last sentence.
Parents don’t want their kids moved. Almost universal!
Anonymous
12/19/2025 11:21
Subject: Re:Boundary Review Meetings
I think that there are plenty of parents that have moved kids into private for K-8 or MS and then rejoin public in HS because the cost of tuition for HS is so much more expensive.