Fairfax County ultimately wants to be the best county for it’s residents so it’s not surprising that the County worked out a compromise between the four options it previously presented for school redistricting. Fairfax County Public Schools didn’t want overcrowding, but in redistricting they also tried to move as little people as possible.
Last the South Lakes PTSA presented, a 5th option, which disrupts the least amount of students and meets all of FCPS’ requirements for redistricting. It unites Navy, reduces commute time for the Fox Mill students, and removes the Madison Island. It also lowers the free lunch subsidy for South Lakes, which is used to measure a school’s poverty level. While option number 5 isn’t a final recommendation it probably illustrates what the school board will be likely to approve.
More than 2000 people attended last night’s boundary meeting, again exceeding estimates. The county asked that some people only submit written comments because there weren’t enough small group leaders. Some parents have changed strategy from complaining about their kids going to South Lakes, to complaints that “Low income students will be affected.”
Ultimately it seems as though the county already had decided about the boundary changes, it just ran the meetings to offer a Democratic forum for constituents. The new changes will only affect students rising into the 9th grade.
December 7th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
You are gravely mis-informed regarding the SL PTSA’s proposed Option 5. This option impacts nearly 1100 students - more than Option 3 presented by FCPS. Additionally, the number of students moving into South Lakes under this option would put projected 2012 enrollment at 2215 - or 115 above capacity. This is not a viable option. It is merely an attempt for SLHS to “cherry pick” who they would like pulled into their school.
Once again, this remodel has been 8 years and ~$60M in the making and FCPS is scrambling to figure out how to put kids in seats, by hook or crook, in attempts to keep them selves from looking bad.
Too Late.