McLean boundary changes address overcrowding

DRAWING THE LINE

School board reaches final decision on boundary adjustments

HANNA BOUGHANEM REPORTER sophomores, juniors and seniors in the “I can’t reconcile not finding ourselves area will be grandfathered in and remain here five years later in the same place because

After nearly two years of deliberation, the at McLean High School. The high school we didn‘t make the best adjustment we could Fairfax County School Board has finally determined how to proceed with boundary boundary change will begin with rising freshmen in the 2021-2022 school year.”NOVA High School have,” school board member-at-large Abrar Omeish said. “We know that Tysons is one adjustments and redistricting plans, hoping to alleviate overcrowding at McLean. Following the board’s final vote on the adjustment, Tholen urged the board to make Boundary Map of the fastest-growing development areas. If we look at the trends, I don’t feel that With McLean currently at 118% an exception for eighth graders, who she [Option B] is the most long-term solution.” capacity and Langley with room for nearly argued were hit especially hard this school Despite sharing similar concerns, many 400 additional students, the conversation year. In addition to coronavirus restrictions, parents agreed that Option B was the best surrounding boundary adjustments has been changing boundaries and virtual learning, Langly High School of the three proposed solutions. a priority in recent years. At a meeting on Feb. eighth grade students may be affected by “Option B would address the board’s 4, the FCPS school board voted 11 to one to the recent changes to the Thomas Jefferson priorities and reflect the preferences of several initiate the changes outlined in Option B. High School for Science and Technology families,” one parent said at a community “[Option B] would adjust the boundaries admissions process. meeting on Jan. 28. “It would [also] extend of McLean High School, Langley High “[In] a nod to the hardships our diversity, as about half of [the] homes in our School, Longfellow Middle School and Langly District Longfellow eighth graders are undergoing neighborhood are of international origin and Cooper Middle School,” Dranesville district this year, I would like to move that rising multilingual households.” representative Elaine Tholen said. “The McLean District ninth graders residing in the area of change Still, a group of students and parents change would adjust the feeder pattern of will have the option to attend Langley High disagree with the school board’s decision. the Colvin Run Elementary School split Reassigned District School or be grandfathered at McLean High They view redistricting as a temporary fix to feeder area, [and] portion[s] of the Spring Hill Elementary School and West Briar Elementary School split feeder area[s].” McLean High School *Reassigned District was previously apart of the McLean District School,” Tholen said. Both motions amassed widespread support, and the new adjustments are a much larger problem and, instead, advocate for a complete renovation of McLean. “McLean High School is one of the Tholen stressed that elementary school scheduled to take effect in the 2021-2022 smallest schools in the system, and we’re boundaries would not change as a result of school year. Even so, the decision sparked expected to support this development the adjustment. She explained the plan for controversy. coming out of Tysons,” one parent argued. affected students, referring to grandfathering, According to the boundary study data “[There is sufficient] data to support planning a method that would spare current middle collected by the county, Option B will for [a] permanent addition to McLean High and high school students from reassignment. reassign about 190 students to Langley and School.” “Rising seventh grade students will around 78 students to Cooper. The plan is Junior Atticus Gore agrees that a attend Cooper Middle School, [with] rising only expected to reduce capacity at McLean renovation is necessary. eighth graders grandfathered to remain at to 95% by the following school year, which “The board has taken a step in the right Longfellow Middle School in the 2021- prompted questions about its long-term direction,” Gore said. “[But] our hallways are 2022 school year,” Tholen said. “Rising effectiveness. still overcrowded, our building is not safe and the school board must continue working to resolve these issues [by] budgeting for an expansion at McLean.” Since the first boundary adjustments proposal in 2018, both the community and school board have been split on the matter. After two years of heated debate, school board members expressed their confidence in the decision. They also emphasized the need for the community to move on. “We listened very closely to what the community was saying along the way,” Tholen said. “No option is perfect, [but] we looked at a lot of things, we did a lot of analysis and we are moving forward.”

Langley High School

Langley District McLean District

Reassigned Area

*Reassigned area was previously part of the McLean district McLean High School