The controversial school redistricting proposal had it’s first meeting, and the county estimates over 2000 people attended. Most who arrived at the meeting including county officials came with what seemed preconceived notions. As reported in the Reston Times:
The study will examine redistricting as a solution to under-enrollment at South Lakes and crowded conditions at Westfield and Chantilly, according to staff’s presentation. South Lakes has an enrollment of 1,450 students, and will have a capacity of more than 2,000 once renovations to the school are finished in fall 2008.
Westfield and Chantilly are slightly over capacity, although future enrollment projections show that they will not be seriously overcrowded until 2013. Future overcrowding, however, will limit student participation in extracurricular activities and electives, said Cluster 8 Superintendent Betsy Goodman.
The boundary changes would likely result in students moving to South Lakes. Many parents have voiced concerns over moving to South Lakes, concerns range from their children being separated from school friends, to academic concerns. One blogger believes a concern among some parents is the diversity of South Lakes, where white people are the minority at 49% of school population, with Blacks, Latinos, and Asians roughly splitting the remaining 51%.
Many groups have been established protesting the change, and one parent has even threatened to sue the county if the boundary changes are complete. It’s not known what applicable laws could prevent a change. South Lakes had the smallest turnout, but for the few who did show up they sought to dispel myths about South Lakes.
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