I am sure that many have read this article, but there are a couple of quotes the are very interesting to read. This quote be SL VP Maria Allen is simply an untrue statement. For any of you who were living in the Floris area when Westfield was built, you will clearly remember the public out cry when many families were told that they would be leaving Oakton HS, and that the future of Floris was in the west.
STILL, SEVERAL PARENTS have concerns about moving their child from the school they thought they would be attending next year. In particular, parents currently in other districts have complained that South Lakes academic program is not equal to their home schools.
But some South Lakes parents said opposition to moving schools is more sinister than that.
"I don't think there has ever been a situation where people wanted to move to the school that is more diverse and poorer. ... No one objected to the process when they were trying to fill Westfield," said Maria Allen, a member of the South Lakes Parent Teacher Association.
I like this one too,I know a kid who wanted to be a lion tamer, but that class was not offered at Westfield, so he had to drop out of school, and join the circus.:
"I know a kid who was unable to take public speaking because there weren't enough people. He wants to be an actor," said Susan Sather, who has a freshman at South Lakes.
And then there is this one, where Mr. Gibson is again showing his support for South Lakes:
"We are not doing the boundary study because we need to 'fix' South Lakes," said Gibson, whose daughter attended the school.
The International Baccalaureate diploma provides a comprehensive and rigorous program and South Lakes sends as large a percentage if not a larger percentage of students to top notch universities and colleges than surrounding schools, said Gibson.
I wonder what Stu was thinking back in 2003, when he and the SB had a wonderful opportunity to save the tax payers millions of dollars by not building the Langley and Westfield additions, when there was an "underenrolled South lakes.
IN OTHER CAPITAL improvement program (CIP) news, schools staff stressed that the proposed addition at Langley High School is a permanent addition and that there are no plans to change the school's boundaries.
In addition, Brady said that staff will soon be recommending a firm to perform a real-estate assessment that includes a plan for the sale, trade or swap of school system property for existing space that can be leased or purchased to be used as classroom space or administrative centers. The consultant would also be asked to supply alternative funding methods, outside of bonding, for the renovation or construction of school property. One possibility is the purchase or lease of vacant commercial space for an adult education center.
"The hope is by next year's CIP we have a CIP based on the facts as we know them and an alternative [based on the consultant's recommendations]," Brady said.
SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS Rita Thompson and Mychele Brickner, both at-large members, without mentioning the words “boundary change,” suggested the School Board should be looking at reapportioning the attendance areas to address the overcrowding of some schools, while others are underenrolled. The pair did not find support among their fellow members.
"We have overcapacity at Westfield and overcapacity at Langley, and we're under capacity at South Lakes. I understand the political ramifications, but we are responsible to all the taxpayers to show we are being responsible with their money, and we aren't trying to address this," Brickner said.
"A lot of people choose where to live based on the high schools where they live. It has been suggested before that all of Reston should go to South Lakes. North Point Village doesn't want to go to South Lakes. I love South Lakes. I have a daughter who went there and another that is going to graduate from there, but North Point Village doesn't want to go there," said Stuart Gibson (Hunter Mill). "If someone wants to go out in the community and float the idea of a boundary change, go ahead, but I for one will not be supporting that measure."
http://springfieldconnection.com/article.asp?archive=true&article=14732&paper=72&cat=106
And I also find it interesting that Dean Tisdant of the FCPS Staff, states that it would be overwheliming for the staff to conduct a County Wide Boundary Study. In other words, even though there are many other imbalances in enrollments, as well as schools that face the same S'socio-economic balances that challange South Lakes, the Staff feels that they cannot deal ith helping these other schools.
This whole boundary issue cries out for a countywide look and a countywide decision," said Raney, who has also said he would favor a moratorium until a countywide boundary study was conducted.
Many of the School Board members who have served for two or three terms said they are opposed to a countywide boundary study. The school system's chief operating officer Dean Tistadt has also expressed reservations about a countywide study, saying it would overwhelm staff.
"I am not in favor of a countywide boundary study. Changes in my area from the last countywide boundary study in the early 1980s all ended up being undone," said Strauss.
The school system initiated the western county boundary study last summer at the recommendation of staff who said that Westfield and Chantilly high school students would be better served by a smaller school and South Lakes students would be better served by a larger school.
http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?paper=62&cat=104&article=92560