Over the next two weeks, the School Board and Facilities staff will wrap up the community meetings and start narrowing down the options for addressing AHS’s overcrowding. EACH ONE of these options would have some impact, possibly dramatic, on your community and its school children. Once the School Board eliminates a particular option, it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to resurrect that option. If you have strong feelings about one or more of the options currently on the table, NOW is the time let the School Board hear your voice. Your voice CAN make a difference, but, if you do not speak out, the School Board may not know the true state of public opinion in the Wakefield neighborhoods. Here is what you can do:
1. Fill out the personal “Community Feedback Form” on the FCPS Facilities webpage.
Even if you answered similar questions at a community meeting with your table, you should still fill out this form because the School Board has indicated that they are also interested in hearing people’s INDIVIDUAL views. Submitting this form on your own will ensure that the School Board hears YOUR thoughts and concerns, undiluted by members of a group. The more specific comments you leave, the more helpful it will be to the School Board.
2. Write a letter or an email to the School Board members and Facilities staff.
The School Board has indicated that it pays closer attention to specific, factually supported comments and suggested solutions than it does to emotional arguments, so try to support a particular solution and back it up with sound reasoning instead of just opposing any change. Many of the issues are discussed from our perspective on our web page. If you have already sent a letter or e-mail, please send another outlining your position and your support.
3. Take our online survey, which is SPECIFICALLY FOCUSED on ensuring the voices of the Wakefield Forest community are heard.
If you have already taken the survey but your spouse has not, please have them do so—you are both voters, and members of the community, and both your voices should be heard by our elected officials. This is very important, even if you have already signed our petition opposing Option 4 (formerly Option 1a).
4. If you are opposed to Option 4 (the non-boundary suggestion), please sign our “Opposed to Option 4” petition.
For all of those who have contributed to this effort so far, we thank you. At the same time, please keep in mind that this matter will not be resolved until late July. Between now and then, changes in the proposed solutions can occur, even after they have been narrowed down to one or two, so it is important to keep the School Board and staff aware of what you, as a voter and community member, want to see happen. LET THE SCHOOL BOARD KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Community Meetings Tonight
Please plan to attend one of the two community meetings tonight, 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., at either Falls Church High School, Cafeteria, 7521 Jaguar Trail, Falls Church, VA 22042 (Use Entrance 8), or Lake Braddock Secondary School, Large Cafeteria, 9200 Burke Lake Rd, Burke, VA 22015, (Use Entrance 15).
After tonight, there will be one other community meeting, on Monday, June 6, 2011, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., at Annandale Terrace Elementary School, 7604 Herald Street, Annandale, VA 22003 (Use Entrance 1 and proceed to the gymnasium, which is immediately adjacent to the Parent Resource Center), which is intended for English speakers of other languages. Interpreters will be provided.
Come and let your voice be heard!
After tonight, there will be one other community meeting, on Monday, June 6, 2011, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., at Annandale Terrace Elementary School, 7604 Herald Street, Annandale, VA 22003 (Use Entrance 1 and proceed to the gymnasium, which is immediately adjacent to the Parent Resource Center), which is intended for English speakers of other languages. Interpreters will be provided.
Come and let your voice be heard!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Frost Capacity
We've had many questions about the overcrowding at Frost MS. Specifically, we have been asked why we would advocate leaving an overcrowded school (Annandale HS) to go to an overcrowded school (Frost MS). The answer is that there is a difference in the type of overcrowding. There are two different types of capacity: program capacity and design capacity. Program capacity is dependent upon the programs that are offered by a school; design capacity is what the building is able to handle, programs or not. The program capacity of Frost MS is 864, but the design capacity of Frost is 1,062. Based upon the building capacity alone, Frost MS is not overcrowded and could easily accommodate the children who would be moved under Option 2. The children at Frost MS move around easily in the hallways and cafeteria and are able to get to their classrooms on time with minimal disruption. Contrast this with the current overcrowding at Annandale, where every ounce of space in the building itself and the modular is used every day. The classrooms at Annandale HS are used for every period, and teachers do not have their own classroom, but have to move around to use available space. This is why the school board is examining Annandale HS to reduce the overcrowding.
At its current program capacity, Frost MS does not have sufficient capacity to fill its high school completely, and there are no local middle schools available to supply additional capacity to Woodson HS. This is why there is a planned expansion of Frost MS, and why Frost MS has been identified by the CIP as “uniquely positioned” to be renovated. Again, contrast to Annandale HS, which has been configured to its optimal space and has been renovated. Modulars are in use, and there is no available way to create additional design capacity.
Option 2 includes sending AAP children from North Springfield ES (including children to be moved from Bren Mar Park ES) to Frost MS for the AAP Center, despite the fact that North Springfield ES feeds into Holmes MS, which is proposed to receive an AAP Center. These children could be reunited with the children from their base school and still receive AAP services by being sent to Holmes MS. We also question whether AAP children from Annandale Terrace ES and Braddock ES could be sent to the AAP Center at Holmes MS in that Holmes MS is closer to Annandale Terrace ES and Braddock ES. Also, we note that Ravensworth ES is currently an AAP split feeder, with some students attending Frost MS and some attending Lake Braddock SS, which also has an AAP Center. FCPS Staff has indicated that “[t]he final staff recommendation may include reassigning AAP students from a portion of Ravensworth Elementary School to [the] AAP Center at Lake Braddock Middle School, making the school a single feeder assignment for the AAP Center assignment at the middle school level." AAP reassignments to Holmes MS and Lake Braddock SS would serve three purposes: use capacity at those schools, reunite children with their base schools, and relieve some technical overcrowding in the AAP Center at Frost.
With regard to Woodson HS, program capacity utilization percentage at Woodson HS in the 2012-2013 school year is 100.3%, but drops to 95.3% by the 2016-2017 school year. Woodson HS program capacity is 2,339, and its design capacity is 2,356 (a difference of only 17 students). While we want to adjust schools for overcrowding, we can also object to schools being so severely under-crowded that they are negatively impacted. Option 3 would hurt Woodson HS by reducing its program capacity to 83.1% in the 2016-2017 school year. It does not provide adequate county-wide balance for the schools. Option 2 would serve to under-crowd Annandale HS while filling excess capacity at Woodson HS, providing better county-wide balance.
We are looking at long-term solutions to the overcrowding at Annandale HS rather than band-aids. In the long-term, Option 2, including the move of WFES to Frost MS and Woodson HS, is a more balanced solution to the overcrowding.
At its current program capacity, Frost MS does not have sufficient capacity to fill its high school completely, and there are no local middle schools available to supply additional capacity to Woodson HS. This is why there is a planned expansion of Frost MS, and why Frost MS has been identified by the CIP as “uniquely positioned” to be renovated. Again, contrast to Annandale HS, which has been configured to its optimal space and has been renovated. Modulars are in use, and there is no available way to create additional design capacity.
Option 2 includes sending AAP children from North Springfield ES (including children to be moved from Bren Mar Park ES) to Frost MS for the AAP Center, despite the fact that North Springfield ES feeds into Holmes MS, which is proposed to receive an AAP Center. These children could be reunited with the children from their base school and still receive AAP services by being sent to Holmes MS. We also question whether AAP children from Annandale Terrace ES and Braddock ES could be sent to the AAP Center at Holmes MS in that Holmes MS is closer to Annandale Terrace ES and Braddock ES. Also, we note that Ravensworth ES is currently an AAP split feeder, with some students attending Frost MS and some attending Lake Braddock SS, which also has an AAP Center. FCPS Staff has indicated that “[t]he final staff recommendation may include reassigning AAP students from a portion of Ravensworth Elementary School to [the] AAP Center at Lake Braddock Middle School, making the school a single feeder assignment for the AAP Center assignment at the middle school level." AAP reassignments to Holmes MS and Lake Braddock SS would serve three purposes: use capacity at those schools, reunite children with their base schools, and relieve some technical overcrowding in the AAP Center at Frost.
With regard to Woodson HS, program capacity utilization percentage at Woodson HS in the 2012-2013 school year is 100.3%, but drops to 95.3% by the 2016-2017 school year. Woodson HS program capacity is 2,339, and its design capacity is 2,356 (a difference of only 17 students). While we want to adjust schools for overcrowding, we can also object to schools being so severely under-crowded that they are negatively impacted. Option 3 would hurt Woodson HS by reducing its program capacity to 83.1% in the 2016-2017 school year. It does not provide adequate county-wide balance for the schools. Option 2 would serve to under-crowd Annandale HS while filling excess capacity at Woodson HS, providing better county-wide balance.
We are looking at long-term solutions to the overcrowding at Annandale HS rather than band-aids. In the long-term, Option 2, including the move of WFES to Frost MS and Woodson HS, is a more balanced solution to the overcrowding.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Thank you
A big thank you to all who attended the community meetings last night. Many opinions were expressed. Your voices were heard - exactly what we have been advocating.
For those who are planning to attend the community meetings at Lake Braddock SS and Falls Church HS on Monday, May 23 from 7-9 p.m., we wish to reiterate that:
1. Although Options 2 and 3 both remove sufficient children from Annandale HS to relieve the overcrowding, we prefer Option 2 because it is easier to implement administratively and does a better job of achieving regional balance.
2. We do not support Options 1 or 4. Option 1 does not move enough children from Annandale HS to relieve the overcrowding, even assuming the county's new capacity number of 2,350 for Annandale HS. If Option 1 is implemented, this area will be revisiting this issue again (for what will be the third time in 10 years). Option 4 does not allow FCPS the flexibility it needs to make boundary adjustments in the long term, will not relieve the overcrowding at AHS in the long term, and is disruptive to all of the children in the pyramid, but especially those at Wakefield Forest ES.
We will post detailed analysis of these options in the coming days.
For those who are planning to attend the community meetings at Lake Braddock SS and Falls Church HS on Monday, May 23 from 7-9 p.m., we wish to reiterate that:
1. Although Options 2 and 3 both remove sufficient children from Annandale HS to relieve the overcrowding, we prefer Option 2 because it is easier to implement administratively and does a better job of achieving regional balance.
2. We do not support Options 1 or 4. Option 1 does not move enough children from Annandale HS to relieve the overcrowding, even assuming the county's new capacity number of 2,350 for Annandale HS. If Option 1 is implemented, this area will be revisiting this issue again (for what will be the third time in 10 years). Option 4 does not allow FCPS the flexibility it needs to make boundary adjustments in the long term, will not relieve the overcrowding at AHS in the long term, and is disruptive to all of the children in the pyramid, but especially those at Wakefield Forest ES.
We will post detailed analysis of these options in the coming days.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Vote Option 2
Based upon our review of the boundary and non-boundary options proposed by FCPS to relieve the overcrowding at Annandale HS, we prefer Boundary Option 2 as the solution that makes long-term sense for FCPS because it provides the most enrollment balance for FCPS and it is easier to implement administratively. Option 2 eliminates some split feeders and attendance islands, both stated goals of School Board policy 8130, providing smooth transitions throughout their school years.
Boundary Option 1 does not remove enough students from AHS, and will more than likely require another boundary study soon to relieve additional overcrowding. Non-Boundary Option 4 will not give FCPS the flexibility it may need in future years to resolve other boundary adjustments, will not relieve the overcrowding at AHS in the long term, and will be disruptive to the lives of all AHS-bound students. Options 2 and 3 relieve the overcrowding at AHS, Option 2 is easier to administrate and does a better job of balancing enrollments across our region.
There will be calls to retain the status quo. However, if you do not want to revisit this situation and are a part of WFES that currently feeds to Frost MS and Woodson HS, OR if you believe that Frost MS or Woodson HS should not lose additional students, we believe that your best course of action is to tell the school board members that you are in support of Boundary Option 2.
Please write the school board members (schoolboardmembers@fcps.edu) and Denise James and Ajay Rawat of FCPS Facilities staff (djames@fcps.edu; ajay.rawat@fcps.edu) and tell them that you support Boundary Option 2 and that additional WFES students will be welcomed at Frost MS and Woodson HS. Backing Boundary Option 1 will not help in this situation as it will merely put us all in the same position again in a few years. Let's fix this situation now.
Look for more detailed analysis of these options on this site in the days to come. In the meantime, please take our survey indicating which option you prefer! See "Take Our WFES Boundary Survey" adjacent to this post.
Boundary Option 1 does not remove enough students from AHS, and will more than likely require another boundary study soon to relieve additional overcrowding. Non-Boundary Option 4 will not give FCPS the flexibility it may need in future years to resolve other boundary adjustments, will not relieve the overcrowding at AHS in the long term, and will be disruptive to the lives of all AHS-bound students. Options 2 and 3 relieve the overcrowding at AHS, Option 2 is easier to administrate and does a better job of balancing enrollments across our region.
There will be calls to retain the status quo. However, if you do not want to revisit this situation and are a part of WFES that currently feeds to Frost MS and Woodson HS, OR if you believe that Frost MS or Woodson HS should not lose additional students, we believe that your best course of action is to tell the school board members that you are in support of Boundary Option 2.
Please write the school board members (schoolboardmembers@fcps.edu) and Denise James and Ajay Rawat of FCPS Facilities staff (djames@fcps.edu; ajay.rawat@fcps.edu) and tell them that you support Boundary Option 2 and that additional WFES students will be welcomed at Frost MS and Woodson HS. Backing Boundary Option 1 will not help in this situation as it will merely put us all in the same position again in a few years. Let's fix this situation now.
Look for more detailed analysis of these options on this site in the days to come. In the meantime, please take our survey indicating which option you prefer! See "Take Our WFES Boundary Survey" adjacent to this post.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Boundary Options Are Up!
The options being considered by the FCPS School Board are available. There are three boundary changes (Options 1-3) and one non-boundary (Option 4, previously referred to as Option 1a). Details are available on the FCPS site (http://www.fcps.edu/fts/planning/annandalestudy/regional/communitymeetings.htm).
Five community meetings are scheduled to answer your questions and collect your input are scheduled. Each of these meetings will follow the same format and we encourage you to attend one of these sessions:
Monday, May 16, 2011, 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
1. Annandale High School, Cafeteria, 4700 Medford Dr, Annandale, VA 22003, (Use Entrance 7)
2. Edison High School, Cafeteria, 5801 Franconia Rd, Alexandria, VA 22310, (Use Entrance 1)
Monday, May 23, 2011, 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
3. Falls Church High School, Cafeteria, 7521 Jaguar Trail, Falls Church, VA 22042, (Use Entrance 8)
4. Lake Braddock Secondary School, Large Cafeteria, 9200 Burke Lake Rd, Burke, VA 22015, (Use Entrance 15)
Monday, June 6, 2011, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
5. Annandale Terrace Elementary School*, 7604 Herald Street, Annandale, VA 22003
(Use Entrance 1 and proceed to the gymnasium, which is immediately adjacent to the Parent Resource Center)
*This meeting is intended for English speakers of other languages, interpreters will be provided.
You will need to register for the session you plan to attend so Facilities staff will have sufficient material on hand. To register please visit the FCPS Annandale Regional Study page (http://www.fcps.edu/fts/planning/annandalestudy/regional/).
Five community meetings are scheduled to answer your questions and collect your input are scheduled. Each of these meetings will follow the same format and we encourage you to attend one of these sessions:
Monday, May 16, 2011, 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
1. Annandale High School, Cafeteria, 4700 Medford Dr, Annandale, VA 22003, (Use Entrance 7)
2. Edison High School, Cafeteria, 5801 Franconia Rd, Alexandria, VA 22310, (Use Entrance 1)
Monday, May 23, 2011, 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
3. Falls Church High School, Cafeteria, 7521 Jaguar Trail, Falls Church, VA 22042, (Use Entrance 8)
4. Lake Braddock Secondary School, Large Cafeteria, 9200 Burke Lake Rd, Burke, VA 22015, (Use Entrance 15)
Monday, June 6, 2011, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
5. Annandale Terrace Elementary School*, 7604 Herald Street, Annandale, VA 22003
(Use Entrance 1 and proceed to the gymnasium, which is immediately adjacent to the Parent Resource Center)
*This meeting is intended for English speakers of other languages, interpreters will be provided.
You will need to register for the session you plan to attend so Facilities staff will have sufficient material on hand. To register please visit the FCPS Annandale Regional Study page (http://www.fcps.edu/fts/planning/annandalestudy/regional/).
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Long-Term Solutions!
We believe that long-term solutions to the overcrowding in Fairfax County Public Schools are the only ways to end school congestion effectively. The School Board recently established FPAC, the Facilities Planning Advisory Council (http://www.fcps.edu/fts/planning/fpac/appointees.htm), to look at the county with an overall approach to resolve boundary issues.
In the boundary study addressing the overcrowding at Annandale High School, we encourage the School Board to view any of the boundary and non-boundary options with this same long-term view. This is one of the many reasons that we oppose Non-Boundary Option 1a; instead of relieving the overcrowding at AHS by removing the population, it reshuffles the population to different schools, and prohibits flexibility to relieve further overcrowding. We believe that any boundary options should be examined from this perspective as well.
In the boundary study addressing the overcrowding at Annandale High School, we encourage the School Board to view any of the boundary and non-boundary options with this same long-term view. This is one of the many reasons that we oppose Non-Boundary Option 1a; instead of relieving the overcrowding at AHS by removing the population, it reshuffles the population to different schools, and prohibits flexibility to relieve further overcrowding. We believe that any boundary options should be examined from this perspective as well.
Boundary Options To Be Announced Thursday, May 12
It is our understanding that suggested boundary options will be released by FCPS Facilities Staff on Thursday, May 12. The boundary options will be released at the following website: http://www.fcps.edu/fts/planning/annandalestudy/regional/index.htm. These boundary options are in addition to Non-Boundary Option 1a, which the School Board previously included in the scope of the boundary study.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Welcome to VOICE!
VOICE is a group of parents and residents who live in and near the Annandale High School Wakefield Forest Elementary School
We are aware that there are some who oppose “Option 1a” but who also oppose boundary changes that would remove WFES from the AHS pyramid. For this reason, our advocacy will proceed on separate but simultaneous tracks, much as the school board is simultaneously considering both nonboundary ("1a") and boundary options. We will not represent to the School Board or any other party that petition signers support BOTH our positions unless we have received approval from the petition signer. If you would like to sign our petition opposing "1a", but are not in favor of WFES boundary changes, we still welcome you, encourage you to sign our "1a" petition, and will advocate strongly for rejection of “1a” regardless of the outcome of the boundary deliberations.
We welcome all voices to our site. Our vision is that the Annandale High School crowding can be solved without resorting to "Option 1a", while all of the children in our community that graduate from WFES can transition together to Frost Middle School and Woodson High School. Please be aware that there are some in our community who do not share our vision-- the possibility of changing schools is highly emotional. Therefore, we ask that you please respect other people's opinions, that you abide by the site's "terms of service", and that you actively participate in the formal process the county is facilitating to help our children! In the end it will be the 12 School Board members that vote and make the decisions on these issues. In the meantime, we welcome the discussion!
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