The school board received a recommendation from their staff on June 23 for the regional boundary study for AHS. In the recommendation, Wakefield Chapel would move to Woodson HS, Bren Mar Park HS would move to Edison and Falls Church would move to Stuart HS. The changes would begin with 9th grade students of the 2012-2013 school year.
Boundary changes at the middle school and elementary school level were also included in the recommendation. Students who would have to change schools would be rising 9th high school students, 6th or 7th grade middle school students and 4th or 5th grade elementary school students. The difference in grades for some middle and elementary schools comes from the fact that FCPS has split feeder schools. This means some elementary schools are K-5, while others are K-6.
The recommendation also included keeping the AAP center at Glasgow Middle School and building a modular at Frost Middle School to deal with the “current and projected” capacity. This modular would remain intact until 2019 when the Frost renovation begins, which would provide a permanent capacity. According to their statement to the School Board, the staff favors a more gradual boundary change, which would include grandfathering any current student.
The staff noted that they took into account the original goals established in the study, which include eliminating split feeder schools and keeping free and reduced lunch levels equal in area schools. They also took into account the comments from the community during the recent dialogue meetings. Public hearings will be held on June 11 and 12, while the final vote will be made by the School Board on June 28.
PTSA President Emily Slough appreciates some of the aspects of the recommendation, but she still has her doubts.
“Although the offer of grandfathering is significant and I am grateful for it, I believe the recommendation goes too far (especially when considered in combination with the last boundary change), and still requires too much discussion to be considered final,” said Slough in an e-mail to The A-Blast.
She believes that there is still a variety of unanswered questions and does not feel that the School Board will have enough time to work through all of them. The School Board has one more work session before the voted. She also sees concerns in the rapidly growing population and how BRAC will impact the Northern Virginia area.
“Even Del. Vivian Watts has weighed in to express her concern about making too many changes now,” said Slough. “To cast any solution as ‘long-term’ would be a misnomer.”
If such changes were implemented, Laura Hackfield, a rising junior, would have her youngest sibling attending Woodson.
“It will be my senior year at school, and not being able to spend as much time with my younger brother is a very sad thought for my whole family,” said Hackfield. “My parents would have to split their time and resources between two high schools instead of being able to support one. If there are conflicts in activities, someone loses in terms of parental involvement.”
