Leave OAKTON students where they are. I didn't buy where I did to go to SLHS simple as that. If the county administrators could not plan accordingly back when, oh well. I hope they have a good attorney because it will be one heck of a fight that will drag on for years.

123 COURGAR PRIDE!

South Lakes Pyramid parent,

Thank you for your comments and I didn’t mean to offend your school in any way. I know South Lakes is not a failing school and all schools in Fairfax County are the best.

But, I don’t think it is right to move students/community from one school to another to help with the test scores or anything else. Why should a certain “type” of student be used this way to help the school(s). I think I read in a post above, Asians and White students are used by the public school systems to help boost the test scores and anything else, and this is why the School Board likes to relocate these students. The schools in Fairfax County are dropping in enrollment, so why should the students/community of Oakton be moved out? If they like the school the way it is, let them stay. I am not from the area, but as a parent with children in the public schools, I am concerned what the school board is capable of doing to the students/community.

as to the question... is it fair that Reston has so much affordable housing?

Not sure, but it is certainly what the Reston community wants - so live with the consequences of your actions, don't look to neighboring schoools to bail you out


From the Connection http://www.cpdc.org/downloadarticles.php?articlesKey=4

In the early 1990s Reston Interfaith engaged in a program where it bought townhouses with its own money, and with some money from Fairfax County, federal money granted to the county through the Housing Choice Voucher Program — formerly known as Section 8. The townhouses bought by Reston Interfaith would then be preserved as affordable housing and would be inhabited by persons with disabilities and low incomes.

A SUCCESS STORY in preserving affordable housing is the Island Walk Cooperative in Reston. Not only was Island Walk able to retain 102 units of affordable housing, but also it was able to finance a complete renovation of the property to better its residents' lives. Island Walk was able to retain its status as an affordable housing community by joining in a sales agreement with a nonprofit developer, Community Preservation Development Corporation (CPDC).

Mike Corrigan, the president of the Reston Citizens Association (RCA) Board of Directors, said there is a great deal of danger that Reston will lose more affordable housing. The RCA has decided to become active in the preservation of affordable housing and will look to partner up with Reston Interfaith to determine how to get involved. One of the ways to advocate for the issue is to discuss with Fairfax County the possibility of rezoning the commercial space to mixed use, adding a provision that affordable housing units be included.

Word,
The "Reston Community" is not monolithic. We don't all agree that Reston should continue to step up to the affordability plate while surrounding areas do nothing. This was evident in the South Reston Park and Ride debate.

The point is, this county does have a need for affordable housing, and that need is growing. Like it or not, it does. I don't think places in the county that have little or none can or should continue to escape this fact forever, on the backs of places like Reston.

The consequence of their inaction (or active politicking, I don't really know) is redistricting.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/04/2007 09:56AM by South Lakes Pyramid parent.

Is redistricting the right thing to do?

If students get redistricted to South Lakes how will that help the students of South Lakes? It seems like it will only make the school; principal, teachers, etc. look better. Students who need help may get lost and not get the help they need. Why not address the problem, help the students at South Lakes, who need help. Maybe I’m missing something, if you put students who have high test scores in a school with low test scores, this helps the students who don’t do well on the tests??? Please help me understand this better.

In 2008-09 FCPS should do a county wide boundary process at the middle and high school level. The reality would be most staying where they are but a lot of gerrymandering would be cleaned up.

What I would recommend for 2007-08 is cancelling all additions in progess at the secondary level [non are needed] and cancelling the West County Boundary Process as occurred in South County for an entire geographic area. The cancellations would be done because there is now a task force [Middle school GT centers] and transportation task force. Middle school GTC's should be moved to each base school.

Downsides to buying in a county-wide school division include boundaries can change and there is less community control at all levels. I can see where some areas might have grounds for suit since FCPS is not proceeding equitably. How can Gibson move the Madison Island when he doesn't move one of the 3C's which is sandwiched between the South Lakes and Madison areas off Hunter Mill?

The school board created the South Lakes Pariah. You have the Reston [oops I mean Hunter Mill]school board member along with the Dranesville rep historically sending northern borderlands to Langley until Domenech put a plug in the fun. Domenech administratively boundary changed a massive Toll Brothers development from Langley to South lakes.

.......................... Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Is redistricting the right thing to do?
>
> If students get redistricted to South Lakes how > will that help the students of South Lakes? It > seems like it will only make the school; > principal, teachers, etc. look better. Students > who need help may get lost and not get the help > they need. Why not address the problem, help the > students at South Lakes, who need help. Maybe I’m > missing something, if you put students who have
> high test scores in a school with low test scores,> this helps the students who don’t do well on the > tests??? Please help me understand this better.

It depends on whether you would agree to the concepts put forth in the book "The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference". The concept "The Law of the Few" describes the influence certain individuals have on others. Students who excel would no doubt have a postive influence on others (leadership, talent, good example, new ideas, etc.). You may buy into that, or you may just not care, but there is a case to say that there would be a postive effect.

Another example: someone above put down any positive impact of the school renovation. Again there is a concept in the book that would say that it may have a real impact. The concept of "the power of context" talks to how human behavior is strongly influenced by external variables of context. If things are run down, people don't care. If they are clean and modern, they do. This also goes to the concerns of security - let's ask the board what they are going to do instead of just accepting it as is.

Some people buy into the tipping point concepts, some don't. Regardless, the discussion needs to get beyond dragging South Lakes and Reston through the mud to justify no change. Hopefully someone will come up with a few creative ideas so we don't face this issue again in 5 - 10 years.

I think it’s odd how the school board seems to pick and choose what school(s) they want to work with. If the school board wants to help schools with low student population such as South Lakes, why don’t they fix all the school with low student population? Mt. Vernon is an excellent example, I know for a fact they will not change the boundary for that school. No community wants to go to that school and so the school board is letting that school sit there with low student population.

New Solution

let's send the kids from Thomas Jefferson High School to all the other county schools

this action will be positive and will raise the scores in ALL the schools
these students will be premier role models for the disadvantaged students

................... Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ...
> why don’t they fix all the school with low student
> population? Mt. Vernon is an excellent example...

That's why we need a county wide boundary process...I think one was done in the mid eighties and 20 years of poltics has gotten us into a muddle.

Another odd thing about the Mount Vernon is the kids who go there have Whitman Middle School which is smaller than Sandburg for West Potomac. One argument is Whitman doesn't hav enough space for everyone at Mount Vernon. [This is from the same school system that has approved boundaries with split feeders in the past decade.] Both Sandburg AND Whitman are in the West Potomac boundaries so adjust those plus some more. Sandburg used to be Fort Hunt HS so it even has a football stadium.

Another one projected to be fallow with 700 openings is Lake Braddock. Dale didn't even include that school in his BRAC letter.

Then we have Fall Church HS which is so underused they could have moved a lot of Luther Jackson into it and called it a secondary school [underused in range of about 700-900]. The administrators could have sat in Luther Jackson instead of their new snazzy building. They're across Gallows Rd from each other in the same 7-11/McDonald's service area of Merrifield. I'm sick of paying for this mess - Loudoun uses it's buildings.

I find it a little disturbing that “some kids” would be used this way. Am I the only one that feels this way?

No you are not! Who is to guarantee that a transfer fixes all these statistics--could make some of them worst. Transfer students can't participate in IB programs (or would not be adequately prepared for them since the prep starts in middle school). Rising 7th and 8th graders would not be prepared. This would play into all of the statistics.

It would be simpler to make the change between these two schools: the northern part of Westfield connects to the SL area.

Yeah, that would be so simple execpt that these kids would be riding school buses through Oakton neighborhoods to get to SL. All of these neighborhoods are closer to SL. Plus the northern part of WF has become the county's "baggage" that they seem to tote around every few years to a new school, in attempt to fix the county's problems.

Now after the thing is built the school board is saying Westfields is too big for student participation - well they did it so live with it.

Exactly moving, 300, 600, 900 kids out of Westfield is going to change this? The school was built big, even twiddling down the numbers doesn't mean little Timmy gets to be first string, show lead, varsity tight-end any sooner.

And the Madison island....should that really be the only proposed part of Madison transferred to SL? Take a look at some of the other Madison neighborhoods, they are w/in a mile or so of SL.

People can go on and on, one reason or another, but the bottom line...most noone from Chantilly, Oakton, Westfield, Madison, Herndon wants to move to SL...for a number of reasons. Who cares "why?"

Everyone should support moving some type of magnet program or academy move to SL. Whatever draws the crowds...a TJ West, Chantilly academy, Foreign Immersion Academy, Sports Academy..the list goes on. This carries the same guarantee to fix the SL stats as a big transfer--none, but far less disruptive and far more appealing to voters.

I taught in the county for over 30 years. When I first started teaching here, the classes were basically tracked. A teacher knew for sure that at least three classes would be full of kids who were there to learn. Classroom disruptions were rare and discipline was pretty cut and dried. Over the years, the educational powers to be had all the schools mainstream kids who were formerly in special ed or in special schools. Now it's not unusual to have kids in a classroom with emotional problems, developmental problems (IQ's of 80 or less) various learning disabliites ( ex. ADD, or reading problems) or severe behavior problems ( Opposotional Defiance Disorder, anger management problems, criminal behavior, sociopaths, psychopaths etc) In former years, these kids were in special classes or special schools like Bryant. In addition, chronic bad kids were expelled. We can't expell kids any more: we just move them to another school.

Secondly, more and more kids in Fairfax County are coming to school with little or no language skills or they come from an impoverished home. More and more parents are lacking skills to control their kids or to teach them right from wrong. Drugs are more rampant as is alcohol abuse. So instead of the nice, well behaved kid in a classroom with other nice well behaved kids who want to learn and want to do well in school, that kid is going to be in a classroom with social deviants, kids with limited English skills that will dumb down the class, kids with no values who settle things by fighting or stealing, kids who sit there and do nothing but come only for the free lunch and the socializing. This atmosphere is bound to affect kids who were taught to come to school to learn.
Just because you moved to Fairfax after living in Desmoines Iowa and read the PR stuff about FCPS and then purchased a $700,000 home here does not mean your kid will be attending a safe or learning friendly environment.
I would urge all parents to come into the schools and look around. Don't be like the room mothers or PTO volunteers and just stock books in the media center or sort out gift wrap at home or in a small office out of the way of the students. Stand in the halls during class changes, use the student restrooms, go to an assembly, eat lunch in the cafeteria with the kids, walk into your own child's classes and quietly sit down. It will be an eye opener. Oh and before you leave, take a walk outside the building and see what's going on by the back of the cafeteria, parking lots, trailers etc. Teachers do this on a regular basis as part of our jobs and that's why many of us are not feeling too optimistic about the state of public education. And we teach in one of the better places!!!!

Couple this in with parents who blame the schools for everything - kids on drugs, kid not getting into UVA, kid not getting into GT, kid getting a D or F, kid bored with school, kid cuts school, kid gets picked on, kid did not make honor roll, ( Well you get my drift.)
So they can draw those school borders any way they want and the problems you guys all talk about will still be there. My recommendations are - start expelling kids once again, create more alternative schools, prosecute juveniles for offenses committed in our schools ( assault, drugs,stealing, vandalism), put special education kids in resource rooms not in regular classes unless they can handle the work, not allow illegal immigrants in schools without more command of our culture and language, stop asking schools to do social work, back up teachers and administrars on discipline issues, (no more appeals!). Okay, those are my ideas and I realize they aren't popular but unless you spent a lot of time in our schools, I don't think you have the true picture.

Trickie

Well said, Trickie. Reaffirms my reason for sending my kids to private school, which is an option for anyone in this area.

Even poor people can send their kids to a private school especially in the Catholic schools. Scholarships are readily available and they can also kick kids out. This makes a huge difference.

Trickie

Absolutely correct again, Trickie. Parochial schools in this area are very diverse and yet produce more disciplined and better prepared students. Like you said, scholarships are available to many. It amazes me what a better job they do than the county and with FAR fewer dollars.

> So, if your kid is in the regular classes
> currently at SL, they are at a disadvantage.
> However, the balance will change with
> redistricting that will add over 50% more students
> to SL.

Good luck to the average student, they will need it when they get redistricted to SL! I guess the parents will have to force their child to take advanced classes and hope they can handle it!

I grew up in Cleveland in the middle of the city. I attended catholic grade school and the population of that school was probably one third black. Also our class size was huge - over 40 kids per class. I do not remember discipline problems like we have today. We did have the occasional fight on the playground but the nuns took care of the ofenders swiftly and firmly without parents coming in screaming "racism" or anyone appealing a punishment. By the way, this was in the early 50's because I was born in 1947. Oh and most of the kids were from blue collar families. My dad was a pressman for the Plain Dealer. My mom cleaned diapers at a diaper factory. We alos had kids who were not as proficiant in English ( mostly Polish and latvians and some Mexicans who worked in the canning factories) . But they all learned English without ESL teachers. Oh and we had plenty of kids who weren't real smart too. There was no GT just reading groups and math groups. And we learned right from wrong even though our parents worked hard. Many women were working outside the home. My neighborhood was not the typical Ozzie and Harriet one. It was after WW2 and women had been working at low paying jobs while the men were away at war. My mom was not a soccer mom and my dad c ame home with newsprint all over him. Just so you know I wasn't raised in a middle class kinda home.

Trickie

trickie

TRICKIE Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I grew up in Cleveland in the middle of the city.
> I attended catholic grade school and the
> population of that school was probably one third
> black. Also our class size was huge - over 40
> kids per class. I do not remember discipline
> problems like we have today. We did have the
> occasional fight on the playground but the nuns
> took care of the ofenders swiftly and firmly
> without parents coming in screaming "racism" or
> anyone appealing a punishment. By the way, this
> was in the early 50's because I was born in 1947.
> Oh and most of the kids were from blue collar
> families. My dad was a pressman for the Plain
> Dealer. My mom cleaned diapers at a diaper
> factory. We alos had kids who were not as
> proficiant in English ( mostly Polish and latvians
> and some Mexicans who worked in the canning
> factories) . But they all learned English without
> ESL teachers. Oh and we had plenty of kids who
> weren't real smart too. There was no GT just
> reading groups and math groups. And we learned
> right from wrong even though our parents worked
> hard. Many women were working outside the home.
> My neighborhood was not the typical Ozzie and
> Harriet one. It was after WW2 and women had been
> working at low paying jobs while the men were away
> at war. My mom was not a soccer mom and my dad c
> ame home with newsprint all over him. Just so you
> know I wasn't raised in a middle class kinda
> home.
>
> Trickie
>
> trickie


this is relavent, why? think anyone can say whatever they want here without explaining their self. Although, your story does sound like a good start for another Frank McCourt novel.

I agree about GT centers being at the base schools. What is the cost of administering the GT program? What with administration, bussing, etc it must be huge. And it creates a matrix of elementary, middle, and high schools so that kids need to make a whole new set of friends every few years.

Indeed Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Absolutely correct again, Trickie. Parochial
> schools in this area are very diverse and yet
> produce more disciplined and better prepared
> students. Like you said, scholarships are
> available to many. It amazes me what a better job
> they do than the county and with FAR fewer
> dollars.


Have you looked at the cost for non-catholics at catholic schools? No way we can afford it. Private schools in this area are off the charts. My family makes a good living, probably middle income area. No way we could swing it. So it really is not a option for a lot of people.

I have looked, and I know for a fact that I was able to save money every month when I transitioned my kids from daycare to catholic grade school. For non-Catholics, tuition ranges from $3-6K/yr. Conversely, I was spending $12K/yr at a group daycare facility. We too, are by no means rich, and sacrifices need to be made, but it is worth it to not send the kids to public schools.

Indeed Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have looked, and I know for a fact that I was
> able to save money every month when I transitioned
> my kids from daycare to catholic grade school.
> For non-Catholics, tuition ranges from $3-6K/yr.
> Conversely, I was spending $12K/yr at a group
> daycare facility. We too, are by no means rich,
> and sacrifices need to be made, but it is worth it
> to not send the kids to public schools.

How would this help the students/community of Oakton?

It is about options. South Lakes is not the only alternative. Many of those complaining have alternatives. This is one of them.

GT centers at base schools? Please - the GT centers are the School System's best way of papering over problems, or put more charitably, providing an otherwise troubled school with an influx of well prepared students and participating parents. Let's be honest - think Crossfield really suffers from a sizable tranche of GT kids going to Hunters Woods? No. But you think Hunters Woods really enthusiastically wants the white and asian GT kids that attend there? You bet they do - and if they didn't come there, the school would have many more significant problems and attract much more negative attention - a death knell for administrators. These GT centers are the County's subtle way of doing what Louisville and Seattle did - but became frustrated in so doing - assigning students by race to parse out the valuable educational commodities known as white and asian students to "even up" the achievement levels and environments amongst all schools? Agree with it? Not really. In fact, I agree with you, Pyramid Parent - neighborhood schools generally work best. But will the schools let go of the GT center approach? Heck no - they desperately need it - and know that they are fortunate to live in one of the most educated areas in the country, wherein they can entice white and asian GT students to travel to GT centers. Again, I would love to see someone like Stu Gibson be open about this - but that will not happen.

Yes, all of that is true. If the county would not cluster affordable housing in specific areas, they could avoid a lot of these problems and make school operations much simplified and cheaper. Maybe then we could have smaller class sizes, which is probably the most important component of a good school.

Why does the clustering occur in the first place? It is known to be a bad idea for these very reasons.

Why does the clustering occur in the first place?

I thought we went over this. It's because very vocal groups in Reston (reston interfaith, reston citizens assoc, island walk etc.) demand it. I know from your previous post you don't think it's a good idea, but a vocal majority in Reston does think it's a good idea.

There is a big cluster in Alexandria, and smaller clusters in Westfield and Chantilly. How did that happen?

Ladies and germs
Brevity is the soul to wit.

Indeed Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have looked, and I know for a fact that I was
> able to save money every month when I transitioned
> my kids from daycare to catholic grade school.
> For non-Catholics, tuition ranges from $3-6K/yr.
>

There is no place in No VA or DC for that matter that offers a HIGH SCHOOL education for $3-6K, what little world do you live in? We shouldn't be looking for options. The school board and county should be. They work for us. Why would we pay between $12K - $24K to send our kids to private school so that these county employees don't have to do their jobs?!

Amen!

I live in the world where people read posts before responding. I said GRADE SCHOOL. For High School, your numbers are still off. The prices range from $7800 to $13000 for the three catholic high schools that would service Fairfax County. Still less than what the average Fairfax citizen pays for daycare. Why would you pay? Simple, you give a damn about your kids. If you are going to relay on county employees doing their jobs, that is the true little dream world!

Indeed, why are you paying for day care for high schoolers, are they that stupid? If so maybe they would fit in at south lakes.

thinker,

what an ironic handle. I suggest you learn how to read. Nowhere in my post does it say that I pay daycare for HSers. My children are elementary aged. My point was that if most families can pay for daycare in the area, they can afford catholic HS. I really hope you were just making a feeble attempt at humor.

>>>>Domenech administratively boundary changed a massive Toll Brothers development from Langley to South lakes.<<<< REALLY??? Langley students, a massive number were quietly placed in South Lakes and no one objected???? That's hard to believe.

>>>>Now it's not unusual to have kids in a classroom with emotional problems, developmental problems (IQ's of 80 or less) various learning disabliites ( ex. ADD, or reading problems) or severe behavior problems ( Opposotional Defiance Disorder, anger management problems, criminal behavior, sociopaths, psychopaths etc) In former years, these kids were in special classes or special schools like Bryant. In addition, chronic bad kids were expelled. We can't expell kids any more: we just move them to another school.<<<<

Is there still ANYONE who doesn't get why parents want their children in GT centers, Honors classes, and AP classes? And why they don't want their children in South Lakes?

Children who want to learn should be in classes with other children who want to learn. They shouldn't lose out on an education because of another failed liberal experiment, throwing everyone in together. It's just not fair to those kids who actually want to learn something and hope to have a decent future.

If people in Reston didn't want more low incoming housing, they wouldn't continue to vote for Kathy Hudgins, the biggest supporter on the board of supervisors for more low income housing in Reston. They wouldn't vote for Connelly either who is more than happy to have the low income housing in Reston and not in his neighborhood.

Neen,
TRICKIE's description about kids with problems in the classroom wasn't referring to South Lakes, but FFX schools in general.

Please don't take it out of context and ascribe it to South Lakes.

I agree about Cathy Hudgins/Connolly and that's why I'm voting for Huhtala and Connolly's opponent.

Indeed Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> thinker,
>
> what an ironic handle. I suggest you learn how to
> read. Nowhere in my post does it say that I pay
> daycare for HSers. My children are elementary
> aged. My point was that if most families can pay
> for daycare in the area, they can afford catholic
> HS. I really hope you were just making a feeble
> attempt at humor.


No we are not attempting to be humorous, just pointing out how stupid your idea is. Not all of us are Catholic or want to attend Catholic HS. To truly consider your "option" it would be fair to list the price range for all private schools which is 13K-24K+. You make incredilby ignorant leaps to assume that all Fairfax County residents can afford daycare and therefore can afford private high school as an alternative.

Neen:

Your post underscores what frustrates me about many of these comments about SLHS. The overwhelming majority of parents and students at SLHS are smart, well-adjusted, and committed to learning. I see it every day.

I'd ask my eldest and his friends (white, asian, black and hispanic) -- all SLHS/Hughes grads and most successful at Honors, GT, and IB -- to respond to your comment about their apparent "[lost] education because of another failed liberal experiment, throwing everyone in together" and the supposed unfairness to "kids who actually want to learn something and hope to have a decent future." However, they're probably too busy learning and having fun at the various universities and service academies around the country where they attend and excel.

I "get" why all parents, including me, want an excellent learning environment for their kids. Your post implies that a parent who allows their child to attend SLHS is negligent, and that kids who go there are doomed to fail. That is simply and demonstrably ridiculous.

Padre,
I know what you mean about kids from other schools thinking my kids deserve a purple heart for going to SL schools. My kids laugh about it too--I think that it even gives them a kind of "dangerous" cache with their friends that they enjoy. :)

I hope that the candidates come out with thier view prior to the election so we can make proper decision by what they are saying in the press. Can anyone list the candidates and the views regarding this topic. I have put calls in to some of the candidates offices but have gotten the typical reply that they will get back to me or the issues are being discussed. If they are being discussed, with whom?

I for one want my children to finish HS where they are now and I also want my others (HS next year) to go where thier siblings go. I also don't want my home to be redistricted (sp) because it will hurt financially. That is reality people, home values are up for CHS/OHS/WHS not SLHS. I don't give a hoot about black/white/asian/etc... it is about the quality of education and value of my home and property.

GET OUT THE VOTE!!!! HELL NO WE WON'T GO!!! (to a different school that is)!!

As far as I know, no school board candidate is against redistricting altogether. And no candidate will say they favor Oakton vs. Madison to be redistricted or anything like that. I thought current students would be grandfathered, but don't know that for sure.

Neen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> >>>>Domenech administratively boundary changed a
> massive Toll Brothers development from Langley to
> South lakes.<<<< REALLY??? Langley students, a
> massive number were quietly placed in South Lakes
> and no one objected???? That's hard to believe.


It was Great Falls Crossing at the intersection of 7 and Baron Cameron. Domenech sent them from Forestville to Forest Edge [Reston but closer to Langley driving than are lots of the Langley area]. They did it while some houses had already been sold maybe in 1999 and others were being built. On the Hunter Mill side an older development [Colvin's Glen now is at Colvin Run] hooks into Hunter Mill and 7 sandwiched between what I guess will be the new South Lakes attendance area. Google map Cobble Pond Way Vienna Va...that general area goes to three high schools.

Reposting from an earlier post. Litzenberger faces incumbant Kathy Smith. Not a peep from Kathy.


John Litzenberer's position on redistricting...


Boundary Changes (from his web site [www.coachlitz.com])

Boundary changes are one of the most contentious and polarizing processes a school system has to go through. My position is that the parents who have their children in the school system, plus pay the taxes that help fund the school system, must have the largest say in how the boundaries are realigned. The whole process, from the compiling of statistics, to determining costs and to finally presenting a proposal MUST be totally transparent. This not only is the fairest way to approach this problem, but the only way.

When the current school board voted to delay any discussion or release of data until after the Fall 2007 election, it flunked the transparency test. This created distrust, anxiety and overall concern that the boundary process was rigged in advance. When I asked Mr. Jack Dale, School Superintendent, about the delay at a Strategic Governance forum, several incumbents jumped all over me for asking the question. They then cut me off before Mr. Dale had an opportunity to answer. Consequently, I feel the boundary process as it stands today appears to be unfair.

As a point of reference, when my second daughter was in school, she went to a different school every year for five years in a row between fourth and eight grades. It was during this period that I organized the parents, came up with our own plan, and went to the school board and then the county board of supervisors to present a more reasonable plan. The parents’ plan was the one ultimately adopted. I think this type of tried and proven technique is the best approach to a boundary issue.

Christine Arakelian, who is running against Stu Gibson for Hunter Mill, has a similar view on redistricting.

South Lakes Pyramid parent Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Christine Arakelian, who is running against Stu
> Gibson for Hunter Mill, has a similar view on
> redistricting.


says who??

http://blogs.arakelian.com/christine/?p=3

Responses to “Vote for Christine Arakelian - School Board Hunter Mill District”

What is your position on the school board redistricting proposal currently underway for Fairfax county and the potential impacts to the Hunter Mill District?


Hi,

Thank you for your question. Obviously this is a key concern to many people in our District. There are valid points on all sides, so this doesn’t make things any easier.

Having said this, this is what I think at this point.

1. It seems apparent that there are indeed significant population differences between schools that are posing difficulties in terms of allowing all students in the Western portion of the County to receive the same level of curriculum, electives and extracurriculars. Westfields is overpopulated, for example, and common areas such as the cafeteria and gym were not build to accomodate the number of students currently there. South Lakes is underpopulated to the tune of approximately 700 students (i.e., the school has capacity for approximately 2000).

Please note that the South Lakes renovation is not adding seats. It simply is renovating the space.

2. In fairness to all the schools, these population differences need to be addressed.

3. There are different ways to solve the undercapacity in South Lakes, including magnet programs in liberal arts or science at the caliber of TJ, selective (i.e. competitive) IB programs etc… (in other schools, IB and AP are open enrollment). Many other school districts have something like this, and they receive wide parental support. I would support such an initiative, which would reduce the need for redistricting, but not eliminate it altogether. I am trying to bring parents together to support something such as this right now.

The major issue I have with the way Fairfax County redistricts is how little they listen to parents and the communities, and how they are not necessarily open to parent-generated solutions that may receive broader support in their communities. It is very important that all parents have a voice at the table this Fall.

4. Curriculum difference must be addressed — i.e. IB vs. AP programs. Though both IP and AB are excellent, there are differences, and I don’t believe IB or AP is necessarily suitable for every child. I believe both AP and IB should be on offer at South Lakes if there is not a magnet program at the school.

5. Some people have asked me if I support a morotorium. I am told that it is impossible to stop the process once it starts in November, so I don’t believe this is an option. I will tell you, however, that I am very data driven, so it is very very important to me that the data be solid and correct to ensure we are making the right decisions. I will not simply push ahead with a redistricting if the data or underlying analysis is incorrect.

Given how little information we have right now, it is difficult to say what staff will come back with after the election regarding options for redistricting.

6. Regardless of where any child attends school, if I am elected, each and every single one will be excellent. I am very detailed orientated and listen to parents, so I want to know what is going on and will actively seek out your input. I can guarantee you that each and every school in our District will be discussed with the Superintendent so that problems or issues are caught early on, and we can support the many positive things that are benefiting our kids in the schools.

I hope I answered your questions. Please post again if you’d like more detail on anything I said — sometimes it is difficult to address every possible question or concern that arises in a redistricting process.

Thanks,

Christine

Arakelian says she was told a process cannot stop? In 2006-07 FCPS stopped the boundary process moving kids from South County to the newly renovated with additions Lake Braddock. The severe overcrowding at South County is costing the taxpayers a lot of money while delaying filling South Lakes will not...those people expect an entire new school - akin to screaming for Baron Cameron secondary or West Oakton.

There should be a county wide boundary process in 2008-09 after the work is done by the GT Center Middle School and Transportation Committees. Most people will stay where they are anyway. There should be a work stop and no new commencing on any secondary additional capacity.

Good luck. They're impervious to logic and probably have an agenda that you are unaware of. Listen to my story and learn ...

I was a graduate of Fort Hunt HS, a very successful and close-knit school in the Mt. Vernon district. One of the things it was noted for was the ability for a very large percentage of the students to walk to school. It excelled in many areas and was the centerpiece of a rich neighborhood culture. (Maybe that was the real problem - it was considered a "rich" neighborhood. Although it was middle class by any standard, it didn't have a chance against the onslaught of political correctness, where an acceptable level of token diversity is mandatory. And, although it had a representative cross-section of community diversity, it probably wasn't diverse enough to satisfy the PC crowd.) Anyway, one day, the county decided that Fort Hunt HS needed to be "consolidated" with its arch rival, Groveton HS, because "enrollment was declining." Of course, this caused huge controversy. No one liked the idea including the Groveton community, which had a rich culture of their own. No matter, in 1985 it was done. No sooner had they built a new facility and consolidated than they had to add on to the new facility because, lo and behold, enrollment rose! (So much for the "declining enrollment" rationale given in the first place. But, in 1985, anyone with half a brain could've predicted that!)

So, bottom line take-away here is: don't bother with reason; find the PC angles and work them.

Oh, one more word of caution ... Oddly, nothing "soft" seemed to matter to the PC crowd, either. In 2007 I understand why this was so. But, in 1985 this baffled me. Those arguments that were less quantifiable than enrollments and dollars - community, excellence, culture, etc. - the things you would expect to register with the PC crowd, didn't faze them. This ran counter to my understanding of their inclinations until I realised that they only care about the soft things if the fundamental PC criteria have been met. I.e., "Meet your diversity quotas, then we can talk about community, excellence, and culture." So, if your culture doesn't happen to conform to their notion of what it should be you're out of luck. Another lesson learned.

I'm not sure what the agenda is in this day and age. But, I can assure you that there is one. And more than likely it has something to do with social engineering and political correctness. (After all, if these people really cared about kids they'd be teaching.)

Good luck!

FHHS Alum

What ever happened to that General's son?

Gerry

The School board will never do the necessary total boundary changes for the county. Mt Vernon will be 1,000 under enrolled within a few years. Marshall has been under enrolled for a least 20 years and nothing will be done.

The school board has decided that there will be NO discussions of boundaries before the election so that they can get their current school board members, Stu Gibson and Kathy Smith, re elected. Both would lose if the voters were aware of what they are going to do to their schools.

Let's face it, our children are used in FCPS for their political agendas. Nevermind that there is NO evidence that they have EVER worked, EVER improved the education of ANY child. No matter. They're liberals. Reality doesn't enter the picture. They FEEL their crazy experiments should work so our students keep paying for them.

Neen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> >
> Let's face it, our children are used in FCPS for
> their political agendas. Nevermind that there is
> NO evidence that they have EVER worked, EVER
> improved the education of ANY child. No matter.
> They're liberals. Reality doesn't enter the
> picture. They FEEL their crazy experiments should
> work so our students keep paying for them.

I agree with your comments. Unfortunately, the Board is not consistent with their agenda. They let some students and PARENTS bail to other pyramids.

hope that the candidates come out with thier view prior to the election so we can make proper decision by what they are saying in the press. Can anyone list the candidates and the views regarding this topic. I have put calls in to some of the candidates offices but have gotten the typical reply that they will get back to me or the issues are being discussed. If they are being discussed, with whom?
>>>

www.stopRD.org is a site where you can get some information. I believe a political action committee has been set up for the purpose of researching candidates views before the November election.

hmmm07 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> hope that the candidates come out with thier view
> prior to the election so we can make proper
> decision by what they are saying in the press. Can
> anyone list the candidates and the views regarding
> this topic. I have put calls in to some of the
> candidates offices but have gotten the typical
> reply that they will get back to me or the issues
> are being discussed. If they are being discussed,
> with whom?
> >>>
>
> www.stopRD.org is a site where you can get some
> information. I believe a political action
> committee has been set up for the purpose of
> researching candidates views before the November
> election.

I am contemplating voting NO on the bond referendum. Why? Read Tisdadt's document on what they have been doing not what the general public thinks they mean by renovations.

The public gets some numbers and they id schools or other locations but we have no idea exactly WHAT they are doing and if it is necessary. It has not been equitable whereby all schools are upgraded with mechanicals, facelifts/new bath fixtures, etc.

Some schools get modulars and the core facility is inadequate. Others get more than they need or additions to move people from where they live.

Gerrymandering said:
>>>I agree with your comments. Unfortunately, the Board is not consistent with their agenda. They let some students and PARENTS bail to other pyramids.<<<

Well, yes, they're liberals, so some people are more equal than others.

Now people who never signed on to the liberal experiment that is Reston, will have to pay the price of that failed experiment and send their kids to Reston schools. That just doesn't seem right.

Langley high school is getting a new addition "bricks and mortar" for 16 new classrooms. That came out of the bond in 2003. I think it was $60 million. No consideration was ever given to redistricting those 600 over flow students to schools that are closer to the homes of some students AND under enrolled, like South Lakes and Marshall.

Again the question remains, why are Langley students ALWAYS immune from redistricting, no matter how much it cost taxpayers?

School board members who support the redistricting, without involving Langley, but including students from Madison, Oakton, Westfield, Chantilly and Herndon:
Stu Gibson
Kathy Smith
Ilrong Moon

Those who think that all the communities should be involved in the discussion and that there may be better alternatives to redistricting:
Christine Arakelian
John Litzenberger
Steve Hunt

Stu Gibson claims that there isn't time to consider other ways to increase enrollment at South Lakes, special magnet programs, etc. The man has had TWELVE YEARS in office to find another way!

Sign the petition to stop redistricting. Make them find a way to attract students to South Lakes. Don't make other kids pay the price of their failed experiments.

http://www.stoprd.org/

http://www.petitiononline.com/stopRD/petition.html

general musings as i play catch-up to the posts i've missed:

south lakes just got rid of sign language for this school year because no one took it because it didn't garner the interest that the new japanese class has.

there is one corner of vienna that borders reston near sunrise valley elem, where the students there attend. that neighborhood then feeds into langston hughes, and they are provided a south lakes/madison option for high school. former basketball star julian vaughn lives there and attended south lakes.

since when has greatschools.net been the benchmark for academic excellence? i went to nysmith school in herndon, ranked in the top 5 primary schools in the nation when i attended in the late nineties and it is rated a 3 out of 5 stars.

any school with more white and asian (we're talking chinese/japanese/korean, not thai and other less... you know... kind of asians [think: falls church high]) students will do better.
South Lakes: 60% white/asian
Herndon: 70%
Chantilly: 79%
Westfield: 79%
Oakton: 86%

it's a shame that an oakton student tried twice to spell "cougar" and failed

and really its not like anyone who is at oakton or westfield or wherever now is going to pack up and switch schools. it affects incoming freshman in 2008 - the class of 2012

and it hasnt been addressed but what about sports? why do you think south lakes (1460 in '06) and marshall (1370 in '06) lag in athletics?

it probably sucks more actually being catholic than paying extra to go to PVI or oconnell

great falls crossing is full of expensive houses, but it is about an 8-9 minute drive to south lakes. while i do support redistricting into south lakes, it is a pain in the ass to give rides out there when i live near hunters woods. their parents can buy them cars.

i should apologize that nothing is really organized. if you'll all excuse me, i have an ib history essay due in four and a half hours and should probably start writing.

it probably sucks more actually being catholic than paying extra to go to PVI or oconnell
--- says volumes about the value of your diverse environment at South Lakes

if you think Hunters Woods area to Great Falls Crossing is a pain for rides imagine Langley to Herndon by the bowling alley or those areas west of Rt 7 and Gtown Pike intersection [people from other parts of the county think they're in Sterling and some streets are].

South Lakes got what I consider a rebuild rather than a renovation - auditorium was gutted. How about added square footage while getting a capacity decrease- new art wing? Library altered? What was wrong with that? 2 seating area cafeteria made into one? I liked the old South Lakes cafeteria and so did others. Alot of money was spent and all along Gibson said he was going to fill it and Gibson/Strauss were not going to do any sort of Langley/Herndon/South Lakes boundary domino.

Good to bring up sports. South Lakes and Marshall have football schedules where they play much larger schools. If your kid plays football and pupil places at either one for IB the kid is not in a good situation on the field. Even though it might get more game time and have a highly funded academic program with decent/lower class sizes [IB upper level is good bang for the buck from FCPS], few pupil place. TJ - heard some larger schools run 5th and 6th string for significant parts of the game on the freshman level against the starters [or only players]. Should TJ even have a team?

Ever consider that TJ is do for a renovation and why put base school families through this boundary process? What about not renovating TJ and dividing the program up between the taxpayer funded/renovated South Lakes/Mount Vernon and the also perpetually undercapacity Falls Church? 2 have IB so the few IB pupil placements would also get a bus. The 3 nicely cover various geographic areas of the county and have over 2000 seats. Who would argue but the TJ people? It would be like the GT centers - many were placed strategically to fill up buildings without doing base school boundary changes.

Even though Marshall is small they ARE good in sports.

Marshall hoops is actually very good... two years ago the boys went to the state final, last year the girls were 23-5

Marshall football is 4-2 this year, last year 7-3.

in football you have to have numbers and youth league feeder organizations are helpful. Loudoun has youth leagues where big kids get to play so that experience can translate into a competitive edge for a Stonebridge.

Marshall has a good program and good coaches but does not have enough students to be consistent against larger schools where a high percentage of kids play [ie Madison, Stonebridge]. There is the monster Westfields - might as well have to play nationally ranked Dematha. I heard the prior westfields principal gave a mom a job so he could get a division 1 recruit on the roster without those pesky pupil placement/VHSL rules...and Westfields also got a kid that Butler expelled from South Lakes? Mclean is a small school and Fairfax is building a program:
http://community.digitalsports.com/scripts/p_tm_story.asp?t=411287

Close TJ and move it in to the newly renovated SLHS. Now move all the SLHS students to Herndon, Madison, Westfield and Oakton. All will be under capacity by 2011 (PER FCPD web site).

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fairfaxfocus/2007/10/enrollment_imbalance_textbooks.html

Here's a public forum to voice your opinion regarding the redistricting issue . It was quite effective with last two FCPS boundary studies. Be polite or the Post will shut it down.

Statesman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Even though Marshall is small they ARE good in
> sports.
>
> Marshall hoops is actually very good... two years
> ago the boys went to the state final, last year
> the girls were 23-5
>
> Marshall football is 4-2 this year, last year 7-3.


I'm with you all the way. Small school, Big Heart. Someday Marshall can be made whole again by bringing back the neighborhoods west of the toll road (i.e. Shouse Village). Go Statesmen!

Brian: "it probably sucks more actually being catholic than paying extra to go to PVI or oconnell"

Word: "-- says volumes about the value of your diverse environment at South Lakes"

me: what makes you think Brian isn't Catholic himself?

As a South Lakes graduate I have a few things to say to the parents who do not want to send their kids there.

Attending South Lakes was one of the best decisions of my life so far. I come from a fairly wealthy family and my parents looked into a number of schools for all of my siblings including Madison, PVI, OConnell, and some of the prep schools in DC/MD. Eventually, we found that South Lakes was the best choice due to proximity to our house, the IB Program, the smaller sports scene (gives everyone a chance to be a tri-sport athlete while still allowing serious players to shine), and a wonderful faculty. It is true that at one point the South Lakes faculty was not the best. But that has changed. I attended college at a school ranked in the top 30 in the nation and I had no difficulty whatsoever with the work and I credit that to my teachers at South Lakes. In some cases, classes that other students were struggling in, I was able to breeze through due to my SL education. The poor test scores come from students whose home lives do not enforce a good education. Of the students who are of the higher economic classes at south lakes, most obtained SOL and SAT scores just as high or higher than the scores at various other schools mentioned on this board. If your child is doing well at another school,I guarentee they will do as well or better at South Lakes.

South Lakes has an extremely unique culture that you can only truly understand the greatness of if you have gone to school there. And that culture comes from the social and economic diversity of the school. South Lakes does not have "cliques". No one can be labeled a "jock" or a "nerd" or any other stereotypes because the students at south lakes are so dynamic that it is possible that the jock and the nerd are the same person. Groups of friends hang out with other groups of friends and are not mutually exclusive like they are at so many other schools. Races hang out with other races, the wealthy hang out with the not as wealthy, and different class years hang out with each other. Everyone is better for it also. This is because the students have been exposed to other groups and I found that when I got to college, few people were as open and accepting as I was used to at South Lakes (this is also not because I came from a liberal family that taught me to accept others from the start, not that they didnt, but both parents were rebublicans until GWB and it is clear to my siblings and I that it was Reston schools that made us the way we are) The people I know who attended South Lakes are still incredibly close with each other even after having graduated from college. I found in college that I had an attachment to my high school and my hometown friends that I could never see in people who had gone to other schools. It is true that this is not the case for everyone who attends South Lakes but it is a very unique and positive aspect of the school that I hold dear.

With regard to violence, I was witness to a fight or two. But not being involved with the students in the fight, I never felt like I was in any danger. Their problems were with each other, not with me or other students and the fight was stopped by administrators before it had a chance to effect anyone around. The same is true with drugs. The only drug I witnessed in my high school years was marijuana (unlike at other schools where much harder drugs are not unheard of). Even with that, your student is not going to be effected by that anymore than they would at another school.

The renovation has created a state of the art school with all new facilities and a ton of room to accomodate new students. I can already see a change in the demographics of the school and they are sure to continue to change due to the rise in home prices in the area in the past 15 years. The South Lakes Seahawks have a tremendous amount of pride in their school and their community that extends beyond the high school years. I would be a mistake to not send your children there. I can understand if your home school now is closer to your house and I understand that when older siblings have gone to the school and the younger ones want to follow, but if neither of those apply to you, don't write off South Lakes due to reputation. It is false and it is getting even more false everyday.

Also,

How dare grown adults on this board belittle the South Lakes and Reston community. Reston was an extreme liberal hotbed in the 70s and 80s. A lot of people move there now without even knowing its liberal history. Reston also happens to be home to wooded lots and lakes which are non-existant in the mcmansion communites that have popped up all over the county. Not everyone in reston is of a lower class than you. Many are probably more wealthy, more established, and obviously enlightened than some of you have indicated you are by your posts.

No one is moving your child because they are white. It just so happens that the areas around reston (and the majority of reston) have white people and few minorities. With regard to property value, who is to say it won't go back up once you and everyone else realize how ridiculous your stereotyping of South Lakes actually is.

Here is a new argument for you: South Lakes does not want your narrowminded, naive ideas ruining a good thing.

You're right, they won't move rich white kids into South Lakes. In the end, they'll cave and put in more low income kids.

People who didn't sign on to the great liberal experiment, now failed, should not have to pay the price for that failure and send their kids to South Lakes.

what price! i dont understand what your child is going to lose by going to south lakes. if they are getting good test scores now they arent going to all of the sudden become stupid when they get to sl. the only thing different is that they will be exposed to people who are lower income and a different race. are you really that scared of that? are you worried about disruptions? bad influences? you think white middle class kids arent disruptive in class or that they dont make bad decisions? oh but its on a different level when its poor black kids right? not really.

also what is all this about a failed experiment. youre blowing the whole planned community thing way out of proportion. its not like reston is some test lab that blew up and your kids are going to get radiation. most people in reston had nothing to do with it and think reston association is a joke. and guess what. their kids go to south lakes too. have fun shopping and eating at our towncenter while you cry about your kids learning to function productively in a diverse world.

also there is no such thing as a "reston school" all the schools in reston are part of ffx county, have a ffx county curriculum, and some are not even exclusively filled with people from reston (sunrise valley). reston is not some liberal conspiracy test zone anymore (and was it ever really) that is going to teach your kids to save the whales and give money to homeless people on the street. you should listen to the people who actually live there and go to school there instead of looking at numbers and telling each other horror stories about that terrible community down the street. how many of your kids need to get rejected from uva and wm with 1600 or 2400 SAT and a 4.0 gpa to show you that numbers are superficial and barely cover the surface of an issue.

get over yourselves. the fact that your address says you live in oakton is honestly not something that makes you special. plenty of people in reston come from the exact same background as you and their kids go to south lakes and they dont seem to have a problem with it. their kids arent becoming drug addicts or getting stabbed at lunch or failing school. stop slandering reston and south lakes with your narrowminded exagerations and listen to the truth for once.

also, rich white kids already go to south lakes. they come from the 2-3million dollar home neighborhoods down the street from the school. their home prices didnt go down because they live in reston. they went up because reston is an amazing place to live with more ammenities than the suburban sprall of oakton or chantilly could ever provide.

It's great all you South Lakes people like your school. Others like theirs too and want to continue there. In most cases people bought their homes where they did because of the schools their would children attend. People with children have avoided buying homes in the Reston/SL area for many years, hence the declining enrollment. No surrounding school exhibitted the dramatic decline in enrollment. This is also why real estate declines... because the demand goes down.

The primary reason people avoid South Lakes is the test scores, safety record and higher percentage of low income housing. Surrounding areas don't want to pay the price for the Reston community groups that insist on high concentrations of low income housing - contributing the the demise of the Reston schools (NCLB).

When South Lakes is compared to all other schools in the boundary study (Madison, Chantilly, Westfield, Oakton, Herndon):

1) South Lakes has a highest failure rate on SOL tests
2) South Lakes has highest security and safety violations
3) South Lakes has lowest SAT scores
4) South Lakes has lowest percentage students moving on to four year colleges

It's all on the FCPS web site. The facts are undeniable.

Those is South Lakes would be interested to know that surrounding schools are not seggregated - they have "diverse" populations as well,including blacks. (Most have high concentrations of asians but those in the diversity crowd don't like to count them for this purpose.) We don't live in a bubble.

And don't think anyone with an Oakton address living in million dollar homes are being targeted. It is the middle income areas closer to the Reston line that are potentially on the chopping block, as well as the Madison island and North Reston folks.

Whole schools and maps disappear in this county like Brigadoon.

I don't think this West County boundary process should continue since :
1. see school board work session budget for 10-15 07 and financial forecasts. I see no financial benefit to proceed with the study at this point...leaving the status quo costs nothing while they cancelled the major portion of the South County process which costs us millions.
2. middle school GT committee might send the expnsively bussed kids back to their base schools - - need to reallign middle school boundaries
3. transportation task force has not done it's work as of yet
4. Are people in this section of the county garbage? Note the candidates for office as well as incumbents in the general South County area. All they care about is getting a middle school built despite existing renovated capacity.
5. Gibson/Strauss did not attend the first Jackson/Kilmer/Frost/Glasgow boundary meeting last year. They built an addition at Jackson in Falls Church and decided to fill it up with kids from the town of Vienna who they designated GT center. Vienna went ballistic since Kilmer is in Vienna - they ship kids from Great Falls/Herndon/Reston to Kilmer. [Can't find Hughes on the map for some people in the Forestville boundaries.]
6. LAWSUITS - excluding the Langley Pyramid while including those less interrelated or geographically relevant is over the top. They could move the madison Island, Aldrin, Foxmill etc, for more efficiency/cost reductons etc. But they cannot arbitrarily exclude /protect a group based on location.

Get real Bush is not redistricting FCPS!! PERIOD, this is coming from your elected school board members trying to keep Langley and great falls people happy. As far as home value you are dam right that is what I am concerned about. I bought for the Oakton reason adn for the resale and that is priority number one. there are good kids at all schools and bad kids as well as bad teachers and good teachers. But lets look at the FCPS fact sheet the schools zones that they want to touch will all be under capacity by 2011 according to their study. get your member on the phone and get talking . get teh facts out..get the right person in office....

Word,

I think I already posted about your errors in the SAT stats. Please get your facts straight.

SL 2007 SAT scores are comparable to Westfield and Herndon, all of which are somewhat, but not dramatically, lower than Oakton, Madison, with Chantilly in the middle. Look at the SAT table yourself on the FCPS website. Don't post untruths--it undermines your credibility.

The percentages going onto to college will obviously be lower at SL, again, because of the current demographics. Not surprising, and again, will not affect your child if they are in college prep to begin with. How about the statistic that 65% of SL grads that applied to UVA got accepted, as opposed to 25% in surrounding schools. You conveniently ignore these facts to drive your point home again and again. Broken record.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/10/2007 02:21PM by South Lakes Pyramid parent.

All of you Oakton folks are also ignoring the fact that there are Oakton families that want to be redistricted to SL because of the distance they are from Oakton. I know several of them, and one has already pupil-placed to SL. This is and should be a real concern for Oakton--when you look at a map of the Oakton district and the location of the school in one corner, it becomes obvious that bussing must be very time consuming and expensive, especially considering that it is going in the direction of rush hour traffic. the school board will be considering bussing issues and traffic when looking at redistricting, as they should.

South Lakes Pyramid parent Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> All of you Oakton folks are also ignoring the fact
> that there are Oakton families that want to be
> redistricted to SL because of the distance they
> are from Oakton. I know several of them, and one
> has already pupil-placed to SL. This is and
> should be a real concern for Oakton--when you look
> at a map of the Oakton district and the location
> of the school in one corner, it becomes obvious
> that bussing must be very time consuming and
> expensive, especially considering that it is going
> in the direction of rush hour traffic. the school
> board will be considering bussing issues and
> traffic when looking at redistricting, as they
> should.



Good, then they (school board) should be happy to grandfather those attending their current schools and all their rising siblings, since commuting back and forth to 2 different schools is very time consuming and expensive. I know they care about that, right?

In the end, I am sure they don't care about saving time and money. If so, then explain today's boundaries. They just want to be re-elected so they can continue to smile down at the "process" and atone their prior mess-ups.

Pupil-placing is the answer! Let all those that wish to attend SL do so. This will increase enrollment at SL voluntarily. Someone should notify UVA to get ready for the stampede.

UVA is already prepared --- with barricades they borrowed from the Gifted Whites and Asians of Centerville RD. and Rte 50.

Re SLHS (or, as Word says, "It's all on the FCPS web site. The facts are undeniable.")

• South Lakes High School made large,
statistically significant gains on their
2007 SAT scores, according to figures
released August 2007 by FCPS
Superintendent Jack D. Dale. Mathematics
scores rose by 12 points, Critical Reading
scores improved by 15 points, and average
Writing scores improved by 19 points.

• The same report notes that the four FCPS
high schools achieving the largest
increases in SAT scores last year (South
Lakes, Mount Vernon, Marshall and
Stuart) all offer the IB program, and three
of the four schools offer the IBMY
program in conjunction with their feeder
middle school.

• Recently released SOL results for FCPS
indicate that South Lakes, in addition to
meeting AYP, improved scores* in all
tested subject areas over the previous year.
(* Chemistry stayed the same.)

• Renovations over the summer added a
new subschool, skylights, state-of-the-art
science labs, technology upgrades, and a
breathtaking new media center. The
majority of the renovation is scheduled to
be completed by Fall 2008.

• SLHS has two new assistant principals
this year:

• Douglas Tyson has 14 years of
classroom experience in mathematics
and science at Benjamin Banneker
Academic High School in Washington
DC, where he coached the teams
award-winning Science Bowl and “It’s
Academic” tams. More recently, Mr.
Tyson served as an advisory board
member to the Research Science
Institute (RSI) at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT), and
served as an assistance principal in
charge of the Science & Technology
Division at Thomas Jefferson High
School for Science and Technology.

• David Goldfarb, a graduate of the
Harvard Graduate School of Education,
has worked as a social studies teacher,
an Advanced Placement program
coordinator, and as an educational
consultant for the Institute for Student
Achievement. He is an avid soccer fan
and has coached a number of club and
high school soccer teams in Northern
Virginia.

• On September 29 the Seahawks Marching
Band will travel to Herndon High School
compete in the USSBA Northern Virginia
Regional competition, a major step in
defending the group’s 2006 AA USSBA
State Championship.

• SLHS homecoming week is October 9-13.
Events will include a Homecoming Parade
Friday, 12 Oct at 5:00 (parade will travel
from Hunters Woods Shopping Center to
SLHS) and the Homecoming football
game against Marshall at 7:30pm

• Over the summer 11 South Lakes student
participated in an exchange program to
Braunschweig, Germany, through a
program organized by the German
American Partnership Program

• SLHS contacts
o SLHS website,
www.fcps.k12.va.us/SouthLakesHS
o SLHS PTSA/Academic Boosters,
www.southlakesptsa.org
o SLHS Athletic Boosters,
www.seahawkboosters.com

Gee, kids from TJ, Madison, and Oakton seem to function just fine in the real world, despite going to high schools that lacked diversity. Their physics, chemistry and engineering classes at Princeton, MIT, and Stanford, also lacked diversity. YET, they get excellent jobs, get married, buy houses, and live just fine. Isn't that amazing? All that, without ever going to school with a bunch of thugs who don't want to learn a thing.

Surely no one needs a list of the students who excelled from Madison, Oakton, TJ and Herndon. It would occupy the entire forum.

I'm glad that Reston people like South Lakes. But that's not a reason to force anyone else to go there. Oakton people like Oakton. Madison kids like Madison. Why should any of them have to move because South Lakes can't attract enough students? Fix South Lakes, and perhaps it would naturally attract more students.

Pupil placement is allowed in FCPS. Students rarely place into South Lakes.

Pupil placement is what will save the redistricted kids. They'll pupil place at their current schools. Not a problem. They won't go to South Lakes. Only the poor kids who have to go there will go. That won't help South Lakes AT ALL. They need to improve South Lakes, with a real magnet program, or something, if they expect anyone to go there.

Taxpayer,
Great posts, on the money. But will anyone care about the financial issue? They haven't yet. There is NO reason for a boundary change, other than Stu Gibson wants one. He's had 12 years to make South Lakes an attractive school, and he hasn't done anything. NOTHING. His solution is to force other kids go there, rather than find a way to make South Lakes better. He couldn't care less about what boundary changes will do to families. He also couldn't care less about fixing the problems at South Lakes. If he cared, he would have done it in the last 12 years.

South Lakes Pyramid Parent,
Let them poll the Oakton parents and if most want to go to South Lakes, then move them to South Lakes. If it's two parents who pupil place into South Lakes, and 22 who pupil place OUT of South Lakes, then boundaries should not be changed for Oakton.

South Lakes Pyramid Parent,

I could not agree with you more about taking a poll. However, you would find almost all Oakton people would like to remain there. The school board knows this and will not conduct such a poll.

word Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> South Lakes Pyramid Parent,
>
> I could not agree with you more about taking a
> poll. However, you would find almost all Oakton
> people would like to remain there. The school
> board knows this and will not conduct such a poll.

Set up a poll on surveymonkey -- they should use South Lakes but for what? Other areas of the County have huge lobbying groups [South County Federation/Providence District Council] that even interface with the Board of Supervisors and state/federal politicians. What does everyone else have? Nada that is effective. Compared to those groups of citizens the rest of us barely exist on the political landscape.

Let them know what you want at the ballot box. People used to vote NO for BOND Referendums. TJ is on that -- last chance for those who want to fill South Lakes, Mount Vernon with a solid program.

Tisdadt wrote a document posted on the school board website under facilities for the 6-11-07 work session.

Note Stu Gibson has been around for 12 years. He has successfully gotten alot of extra programs and focus school money for his schools. Yes. Has he ever looked at basic core instruction in reading and math? No. Has he pushed the IB program too much when AP is more cost effective? Yes. Has he perpetuated political boundaries at the expense of the school division as a whole? Yes but on a minor scope compared to the rest of the school board.

After the board decided to scrap an entire major boundary move last year they should all be canned/recalled. It is ironic that the same individuals now come up with the South Lakes Plan concurrently commencing an addition at Langley. Most people would prefer that money be spent on some renovations of the existing Langley building...



Note he questionned the size of the Glasgow new building ... for a school with about 1000 kids there is no reason to build for 1500. Plus the capacity was figured based on the programs and staffing ratios for a school with a lot of ESL and Free and reduced priced meals. Change the demographics and it could hold even more kids.

For all the communties where kids got modulars without increasing the core of the building or renovating anything this is relevant. Plus they've been buying furniture on the 20 year debt financing plan. Dumb.

In the 1990's FCPS chnaged to rebuild rather than renovations. That meant a lot less schools got their mechanicals/HVAC/baths/flooring/windows/tile etc replaced. Other schools no longer resemble the original. The Bond referendum has additional money for South Lakes. What was done there? A rebuild not a renovation. New media center - new art wing [increased square footage], ripped out auditorium. Unless you read the boarddocs on the FCPS website who knows what is going on here? Who has time to go to School Board work sessions? They don't even post verbatum written minutes anymore for regualr meetings - nor have they ever posted work session minutes.

Go to the work session on 10-15-07 ---watch them scramble on the budget discussions --- my property taxes have gone up and for what???

South Lakes Pyramid parent wrote - not worth repeating...

Leave the district alone, if you wnat to go to SLHS go there, if not remain where you are and be able to sell your home in the future with the comfort of knowing that the buyers are looking at the elementary/middle and high schools for that home. If my home is rezoned to SL I would estimate I would lose 75K in resale value.

This has nothing to do with my kids going to school with whites/blacks/asians/hispanics it is about what is best for our area and that is to leave it alone. If we wanted to go to SLHS we would have bought there. I really don;t care about the space, labs, or theatre that was reconstructed at SL. If it is this good MOVE Thomas Jefferson HS to SL and pupil place all South Lakes to Madison/Herndon/Oakton/Chantilly and Westfield or wherever they want to go!

slgrad Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Also,
>
> How dare grown adults on this board belittle the
> South Lakes and Reston community. Reston was an
> extreme liberal hotbed in the 70s and 80s. A lot
> of people move there now without even knowing its
> liberal history. Reston also happens to be home to
> wooded lots and lakes which are non-existant in
> the mcmansion communites that have popped up all
> over the county. Not everyone in reston is of a
> lower class than you. Many are probably more
> wealthy, more established, and obviously
> enlightened than some of you have indicated you
> are by your posts.
>
> No one is moving your child because they are
> white. It just so happens that the areas around
> reston (and the majority of reston) have white
> people and few minorities. With regard to property
> value, who is to say it won't go back up once you
> and everyone else realize how ridiculous your
> stereotyping of South Lakes actually is.
>
> Here is a new argument for you: South Lakes does
> not want your narrowminded, naive ideas ruining a
> good thing.


After all of this back and forth, I guess I have to agree with SLgrad on this one. Facts such as SAT scores and other postings by SL people on their experiences obviously have no effect on the narrow-minded, ill-informed views posted here. Hopefully, others in surrounding communities have different views than the ones posted here and are open-minded enough to listen to people who have actual experience with SL.

I would think all you SLHS parents would not want this redistricting either. It seems like you are happy with the way things are today. Considering all of the happy statistics you present, why would you want an onslaught of unhappy kids and parents sent to your school? Do you think doubling the numbers of students, automatically doubles the bliss and laurels? I don't think that is what happens.

And South Lakes Pyramid Parent you have become one of the narrow-minded, ill-informed views by going here with your comment. If you choose to read through what most people write, the bulk of us just don't support a change. It is not complicated or filled with hidden meaning.

please go to teh meetings and voice that opinion and make it happen I will be your best friend out side of SLHS. I don't want my kids going there. PERIOD!

Unfortunately, no one on the school board cares if you don't want your child to go there. Certainly Stu Gibson doesn't care. He wants to keep principals happy, not students and parents. Moving in more high income kids makes the SL principal happy because his scores will rise. Or so he imagines. I suspect very few of those redistricted will ever set foot in South Lakes. They will pupil place in other schools, or go to private schools. Except for the poor kids from McNair. They'll be stuck with South Lakes, with no more help than they gotten from the school board over the last 12 years.

How inconvenient that they schedule this change immediately AFTER a school board election so that they will never be accountable to the voters. Disgusting.

If you don't like what Stu and the others are proposing, I suggest that you throw the bums out on November 6th.

And vote NO on school bonds!!

i like that one idea of TJ moving to South Lakes, anyone got any insight to that. Move all the brainiacs in and send all SL to the other schools. Or close the middle school there and make it a school for 7-12. Now that school will be filled and all the others can stay where they are and the kids going to that middle school need not worry because they were going to SL anyway. Let the county sell the closed middle school and now we can vote no for the bond. And don't reelect these idiots that are in there, we need new blood.

If you are against redistricting then stop by the URL below and put your money and time where your mouth is...

http://www.stoprd-pac.org/

I too like the idea of sending TJ kids to South Lakes and distributing the South Lakes kids to other schools. That's exactly what they did when they made TJ the Governor's school for science and tech. They sent the kids there to other area schools. I bet not many TJ parents will complain about their kids being sent to Oakton, Madison, Herndon, Chantilly and Langley.

But Mt Vernon might wonder why South Lakes get the smart kids and not them since Mt Vernon is even more under enrolled than South Lakes. It will be 1,000 students under enrolled, with no mention of every redistricting. With the new high school in South County, several schools are now under enrolled in that area and it will only get worse.

Why not make a magnet school within a school at South Lakes and at Mt.Vermon? That worked at Montgomery Blair in Montgomery county. They could do the same at those two schools, but they won't. They'd rather force people to go to South Lakes and lower their property values. They don't care. They don't have to. They will all have been re elected.

I know that the enrollment projections show that many schools will not be past capacity in a couple of years, but I think they are including the trailers in the capacity numbers at these schools. Trailers don't make up for lack of library, cafeteria, etc. space. And they are hot in summer, cold in winter--not good for learning.

If trailers are eliminated from the equation, would schools still be projected to be under capacity?

From www.StopRD-PAC.org....

Friends and Neighbors:

An article was published yesterday in a local paper regarding redistricting. It described a meeting which I attended in the Chantilly Highlands neighborhood. People in Chantilly Highlands attend Chantilly High School and want to stay there. The article can be read at http://www.connectionnewspapers.com/article.asp?article=88637&paper=62&cat=104

The article is useful to show the general sense of unrest in the community, however, in my opinion, it demonstrates the folly of each individual neighborhood claiming they should not be redistricted because of Reason X!!! You see, Reason X can then be used to force another, perhaps smaller, less organized, or less influential neighborhood to BE redistricted. For example, let's say proximity to the school is your Reason X. Well, some Poor Slob who lives closer to a high school he does not want to attend is then told "Proximity is The Reason we used to move you!" Never mind the fact that Poor Slob was perfectly happy with his child attending a school further away than other people may like. Heck, he knew that when he bought his house! (By the way, proximity certainly was not the reason the County used when it decided to build three high schools - Oakton, Fairfax, and Madison - within a few miles of each other. Of course the school districts are going to be elongated!) And proximity is only one of a long list of Reasons X which may be used to rationalize the school board's post-election redistricting. How about IB vs. AP?.. language immersion programs?... extracurricular activities?... volunteer relationships?... siblings who attended the school?... I can go on and on, and so can you.

I can just envision the Town Hall Meetings the School Board is saying we should all be prepared to participate in! What fun! They create a big mess, then throw it in our lap and say, you fix it?!? And by the way, fix it by attacking your neighbor and his Reason X. That is real political leadership, eh? The meetings will be an exercise in "which neighborhood can muster the most people to attend and argue THEIR Reason is Reason X!" Such preparations are already underway. Some of the larger neighborhoods are emboldened by their numbers and the passions of their residents, and are preparing to do exactly what I have described. Good luck. The process will only give political cover to the School Board members... and of course there will be winners and losers. Personally, I think a complete boycott of the meetings would make the most compelling statement of all.

As I have tried to emphasize from the outset, we all have our reasons for living where we do. The School Board is forcing people to squabble among themselves to defend their individual turf. We must stay unified to succeed. Such unity is the premise behind StopRD.org and the call for a moratorium on redistricting. We simply do not trust this existing School Board and the process they have delayed until after the election. We must elect candidates who most closely represent StopRD's positions as described at www.StopRD.org.

Please volunteer through our political action committee, www.StopRD-PAC.org, to distribute our candidate endorsements one or more of the following weekends: October 19/20, October 26/27, and November 2/3. If you cannot do so, please consider sending a contribution of as little as $25 to help fund our activities aimed at stopping this redistricting process.

Some other notes.... our volunteer coordinator is Matt Lupone.. please contact him at lupone_2@hotmail.com... I will sign Letters of Community Service for all students who volunteer their time to help distribute our election material. For details, see www.StopRD-PAC.org... candidate endorsements will be released by October 18th... We are forming a Legal Committee to explore a lawsuit against any action the School Board may take. If you are a lawyer and would like to participate, please let me know.

School Board member Kathy Smith was quoted recently as making the general statement that StopRD.org's website contains "faulty information." She did not specify what she was referring to. The only thing I am aware of which might be described as "faulty" was our attack on the previously proposed (by School Board member Stu Gibson) "Boundary Planning Committee." It was only "faulty" because it remained on our website for a few days after it had been quielty dropped by the Board. When we were able to confirm it had been dropped by the School Board, we dropped it from the website, however our information was quite accurate when we launched our attack. I like to think that the substance of our attack was the reason it was dropped in the first place. It was ridiculous for the School Board to suggest an unelected body of citizen representatives should be appointed to do the job of the elected School Board.

Make sure you mark November 6th on your calendar to vote, and volunteer if you can.

All Organize behind ONE winning solution ... NO Redistricting or MAGNETIZE SLHS

don't get pitted against your neighbor or friends

Neen,
I don't think the parents of SL would like to see their community dispersed to other schools any more than you. How presumptuous of you.

And Cricket, we welcome kids from other communities because this will allow us to offer more electives,etc. But we also have concerns about a big influx and how that will affect our small community. However, SL does have the capacity, and like the Westfield redistricting, this works itself out over time.

One of our issues with becoming a magnet would be getting kids from all over the county. We have this now at Hunters Woods, and it has downsides, because my kids become friends with kids who live far away, it's hard to maintain friendships. Speaking for myself, I would rather have a community school.

Just a suggestion...

move the Chantilly Acadamy http://www.fcps.edu/ChantillyAcademy/ to South Lakes
allow Westfield students in areas close to Chantilly HS to opt-in to Chantilly HS

--- fills up capacity at SL, relieves capacity at Westfield and Chantilly