Tholen is a nice person.

Tholen flip flopped on One Fairfax the same way the SB flip flopped on the McLean overcrowding issue.

Tholen clearly wants to go back to her old position.

Anonymous wrote:

Mobasheri entered the race after Tholen's weak performance at one of his gatherings.

Mobasheri entered the race after making several very public pleas on Nextdoor for someone to step up to run in the election in order to serve the interests of One Great Falls, of which he was a primary organizer. The sole goal was to prevent the “disastrous” potential move of Langley students to Herndon.

When nobody else stepped up, he entered the race himself.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kind of ballsy for someone who just moved down from Philly two years ago with her Trump Administration spouse to decide the School Board’s deliberations are all “nonsense.” Some might suggest she do a bit more listening before starting to talk so much.

But, again, her biggest supporters are people who took an interest in this election because they want to protect Langley’s boundaries. Otherwise the overcrowding at McLean and other SB issues would not be anywhere on their radar screen.

As for Tholen, she got involved after Plerhoples switched to the BOS race, but she’s been all-in ever since she decided to run. And she filed to run well before either Mobasheri or Karloutsos.

Mobasheri entered the race after Tholen's weak performance at one of his gatherings. The republicans were nowhere to be seen and likely brough in Karloutsos in the last minute because they felt in a three-person race they have a better shot. In a three-person race, anything can happen. Mobasheri is very confident about his independent message which makes perfect sense for the school board.

The three-person race only works to Tholen’s advantage when the other two candidates make allegiance to the One Great Falls agenda the centerpiece of their campaigns. It was Tholen’s refusal to pledge complete fealty to that agenda that you call a “weak performance,” but that only strengthens Tholen’s appeal in the Herndon, McLean and Marshall areas that don’t necessarily agree their SB member should just do the bidding of Great Falls parents.

As for Tholen, she got involved after Plerhoples switched to the BOS race, but she’s been all-in ever since she decided to run. And she filed to run well before either Mobasheri or Karloutsos.

And had a website all about "One Fairfax" until she realized her neighbors were upset.

Anonymous wrote:Kind of ballsy for someone who just moved down from Philly two years ago with her Trump Administration spouse to decide the School Board’s deliberations are all “nonsense.” Some might suggest she do a bit more listening before starting to talk so much.

But, again, her biggest supporters are people who took an interest in this election because they want to protect Langley’s boundaries. Otherwise the overcrowding at McLean and other SB issues would not be anywhere on their radar screen.

As for Tholen, she got involved after Plerhoples switched to the BOS race, but she’s been all-in ever since she decided to run. And she filed to run well before either Mobasheri or Karloutsos.

Mobasheri entered the race after Tholen's weak performance at one of his gatherings. The republicans were nowhere to be seen and likely brough in Karloutsos in the last minute because they felt in a three-person race they have a better shot. In a three-person race, anything can happen. Mobasheri is very confident about his independent message which makes perfect sense for the school board.

Kind of ballsy for someone who just moved down from Philly two years ago with her Trump Administration spouse to decide the School Board’s deliberations are all “nonsense.” Some might suggest she do a bit more listening before starting to talk so much.

But, again, her biggest supporters are people who took an interest in this election because they want to protect Langley’s boundaries. Otherwise the overcrowding at McLean and other SB issues would not be anywhere on their radar screen.

As for Tholen, she got involved after Plerhoples switched to the BOS race, but she’s been all-in ever since she decided to run. And she filed to run well before either Mobasheri or Karloutsos.

It's no issue if Karloutsos got into the race after she saw the school board's nonsense.

Isn't it true that Elaine wanted to stay in her old position but got roped into running for the board?

The school board COULD have timed a modest boundary with the completion of Langley's renovation.

Perhaps just enough to cut trailers in half if that would be more feasible than a complete balance, I don't think anyone wants to leave McLean for anything other than the crowding issue.

https://omny.fm/shows/the-larry-o-connor-show/priscilla-destefano-on-the-larry-oconnor-show-10-2

Finally: someone with common sense. She’s got my vote.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I find so off-putting about the current SB is that one school is overcrowded (McLean) and is three mil away from another that is not (Langley). Common sense would dictate that simple boundaries be changed in time for next school year, sending enough McLean students to Langley to get rid of all trailers at McLean. This is so obvious, I honestly cannot understand what is taking the SB so long to just make this simple change.

And btw, I’m a Langley parent and everyone I know from Langley has been wondering what the hold up is. I’ll be voting for whichever candidates have the common sense to address this issue.

I think they’ve heard that a lot of McLean families would like to get rid of the 18 trailers, install the planned 14-unit modular, move some kids to Langley, and start planning for an addition at McLean, which is closer than Langley to the areas with the most growth.

If they dramatically shrink the enrollment at McLean, MHS will just inherit Langley’s current problems (losing teachers and electives) and the likelihood that Langley neighborhoods further out may themselves need to be redistricted in a few years will increase. There needs to be a balanced approach that contemplates similar enrollments at both schools.

They don’t have to send a dramatic amount of kids to Langley - just enough to make trailers unnecessary right now at McLean. Who knows how long it will be before McLean is enlarged - the overcrowding needs to be dealt with immediately. This is really the crux of the matter. Everything else is just noise.

Anonymous wrote:What I find so off-putting about the current SB is that one school is overcrowded (McLean) and is three mil away from another that is not (Langley). Common sense would dictate that simple boundaries be changed in time for next school year, sending enough McLean students to Langley to get rid of all trailers at McLean. This is so obvious, I honestly cannot understand what is taking the SB so long to just make this simple change.

And btw, I’m a Langley parent and everyone I know from Langley has been wondering what the hold up is. I’ll be voting for whichever candidates have the common sense to address this issue.

I think they’ve heard that a lot of McLean families would like to get rid of the 18 trailers, install the planned 14-unit modular, move some kids to Langley, and start planning for an addition at McLean, which is closer than Langley to the areas with the most growth.

If they dramatically shrink the enrollment at McLean, MHS will just inherit Langley’s current problems (losing teachers and electives) and the likelihood that Langley neighborhoods further out may themselves need to be redistricted in a few years will increase. There needs to be a balanced approach that contemplates similar enrollments at both schools.

What I find so off-putting about the current SB is that one school is overcrowded (McLean) and is three mil away from another that is not (Langley). Common sense would dictate that simple boundaries be changed in time for next school year, sending enough McLean students to Langley to get rid of all trailers at McLean. This is so obvious, I honestly cannot understand what is taking the SB so long to just make this simple change.

And btw, I’m a Langley parent and everyone I know from Langley has been wondering what the hold up is. I’ll be voting for whichever candidates have the common sense to address this issue.

Anonymous wrote:

So given where we are now, the question remains who is the better choice for the Dranesville seat. It's abundantly clear that Mobasheri and Karloutsos entered the contest because they wanted to prevent any Langley students from ever getting redistricted out of Langley. They may have come up with more detailed positions on other issues in order to be presentable candidates, but fundamentally they are in it to serve the interests of the Langley pyramid, even though Dranesville also includes Herndon, McLean, and a piece of Marshall (plus one precinct that feeds to Westfield). While Tholen also lives in the Langley district, she seems to have the interests of the entire district in mind (while acknowledging that, with Langley under-enrolled, there's no compelling need to move anyone out of Langley any time soon).

And, just maybe, they saw what a circus is on our School Board. When the SB let Braband postpone doing anything in favor of a county wide redistricting, it is pretty obvious there are some terrific problems with our Board. I am unaffected by the Langley issue--but, it showed me just how messed up they are. (I already knew that, honestly, but this is the icing on the cake.)
To set up a trailer park outside a school when there is plenty of open space only 2 or 3 miles away is just nutty. Those trailers or "modulars" are not free. It is a poor use of resources. And, that does affect all FCPS schools. Funds could be better spent elsewhere.

I think the timing of their filings and their very close ties to the One Great Falls group (Mobasheri’s web page was set up by the same Langley parent who started a petition to preserve Langley’s current boundaries; Karloutsos eventually signed on to OGF’s vehement anti-One Fairfax agenda lock, stock and barrel and ultimately was rewarded with a OGF/VOF endorsement, along with some others who are all Republicans) suggests the exact opposite.

If either were able to demonstrate that he or she had a deeper appreciation of FCPS and its strengths and weaknesses than Tholen, or brought better governance skills to the table that would improve FCPS’s ability to make decisions efficiently, they might warrant a second look. But neither has done so, and Tholen’s greater familiarity with the county, FCPS, and the neighborhoods where Dranesville residents live give her the decided edge.

So given where we are now, the question remains who is the better choice for the Dranesville seat. It's abundantly clear that Mobasheri and Karloutsos entered the contest because they wanted to prevent any Langley students from ever getting redistricted out of Langley. They may have come up with more detailed positions on other issues in order to be presentable candidates, but fundamentally they are in it to serve the interests of the Langley pyramid, even though Dranesville also includes Herndon, McLean, and a piece of Marshall (plus one precinct that feeds to Westfield). While Tholen also lives in the Langley district, she seems to have the interests of the entire district in mind (while acknowledging that, with Langley under-enrolled, there's no compelling need to move anyone out of Langley any time soon).

And, just maybe, they saw what a circus is on our School Board. When the SB let Braband postpone doing anything in favor of a county wide redistricting, it is pretty obvious there are some terrific problems with our Board. I am unaffected by the Langley issue--but, it showed me just how messed up they are. (I already knew that, honestly, but this is the icing on the cake.)
To set up a trailer park outside a school when there is plenty of open space only 2 or 3 miles away is just nutty. Those trailers or "modulars" are not free. It is a poor use of resources. And, that does affect all FCPS schools. Funds could be better spent elsewhere.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FCPS has now posted the amended CIP, which specifically incorporates the Langley/McLean boundary study as a priority recommended boundary adjustment, to be decided in the spring of 2020 and take effect in the 2020-21 school year.

https://www.fcps.edu/about-fcps/facilities-planning-future/capital-improvement-program

https://www.fcps.edu/sites/default/files/media/pdf/amended-FY2020-24-CIP.pdf

McLean and Langley now have their definite "maybe"

"Note: Recommended boundary adjustment options and program changes are included in the CIP for future consideration only"--p. 46

Watch this comment on what it means to be on the CIP, and note the number of objections/corrections to this statement you (do not) hear:
https://youtu.be/v4pXN-z3mRo?t=7214

I'm OK with that.

For most of the period that the two schools co-existed, Langley had more kids than McLean. It's only relatively recently that McLean has had more students than Langley.

I can understand wanting to confirm this was going to the case for an extended period and not wanting to move kids to Langley while it was being renovated. I also appreciate the sensitivities around providing relief to McLean while other schools like Chantilly aren't getting relief - although the obvious - and important - difference is that Langley provides an obvious solution to the overcrowding at McLean, whereas there's no easy fix to the overcrowding at a Chantilly.

Had the Board been able to quickly decide upon an updated boundary policy, it would have been fine to wait until that was in place and then apply its principles to a Langley/McLean study. But that proved to be a challenge, and the Board - rightly, in my view - decided to go ahead and add McLean/Langley to the current CIP, which as a practical matter means they may be able to implement a boundary change by the fall of 2020. And longer term they need to plan for an addition at McLean, because there may be continued growth around Tysons and West Falls Church.

So given where we are now, the question remains who is the better choice for the Dranesville seat. It's abundantly clear that Mobasheri and Karloutsos entered the contest because they wanted to prevent any Langley students from ever getting redistricted out of Langley. They may have come up with more detailed positions on other issues in order to be presentable candidates, but fundamentally they are in it to serve the interests of the Langley pyramid, even though Dranesville also includes Herndon, McLean, and a piece of Marshall (plus one precinct that feeds to Westfield). While Tholen also lives in the Langley district, she seems to have the interests of the entire district in mind (while acknowledging that, with Langley under-enrolled, there's no compelling need to move anyone out of Langley any time soon).

It's a relatively easy decision, all things considered.