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Dunne Dispatch (School Boundaries Edition, Part 3)
Dear Friends and Neighbors:
First, I am writing to invite you to participate in my Virtual Town Hall on November 11 @ 7:30-9:00 PM. Click here to register. I will present on academic outcomes, cell phones, and school boundaries.
Second, I am writing to publish a series of newsletters on school boundaries. This is the third in the series. FCPS is conducting a comprehensive reassessment of school boundaries for the first time in 40 years.
- Please see my October 16 newsletter, which identifies multiple opportunities for community engagement and explains how to ensure your voice is heard.
- Please see my October 30 newsletter, which explains how the School Board arrived at its decision to conduct a comprehensive reassessment of school boundaries.
Please do not hesitate to contact my office if I can be of assistance with any school-related issues. Please note that the School Board is a part-time position, so please excuse any delays in responding. Please include my staff aide Nelda Brown (nnbrown@fcps.edu) to ensure a faster response.
Very respectfully,
 Mateo Dunne, Mount Vernon District Representative
COMMUNITY MEETINGS
In my October 16 newsletter, I provided the current timeline for the school boundary review. FCPS has announced the schedule for the first round of community meetings. At each meeting, the Superintendent will present on the rationale and process for revising school boundaries. Her presentation will be followed by small-group breakout sessions (with 8-10 people in each small group) wherein a moderator will facilitate a conversation with scripted questions. The information collected and views expressed during these meetings will inform the development of potential scenarios for amending school boundaries.
- Glasgow MS - Monday, Nov. 18 @ 6:30 - 8 p.m. (Region 2) - Register
- Westfield HS - Monday, Dec. 2 @ 6:30 - 8 p.m. (Region 5) - Register
- Lake Braddock HS - Tuesday, Dec. 3 @ 6:30 - 8 p.m. (Region 4) - Register
- Mount Vernon HS - Monday, Dec. 9 @ 6:30 - 8 p.m. (Region 3) - Register
- Annandale HS - Thursday, Dec. 12 @ 6:45 - 8:15 p.m. (Region 6) - Register
- Madison HS - Wednesday, Dec. 18 @ 6:30 - 8 p.m. (Region 1) - Register
A second round of community meetings is expected to be held in June-September 2025. These meetings will occur after FCPS has developed potential scenarios for amending school boundaries. A meeting will be held at every high school. You will have the opportunity to review proposed changes and provide your feedback.
RATIONALE FOR BOUNDARY CHANGES:
I do not speak on behalf of the School Board, but I would like to share my thoughts on the rationale for boundary changes.
Fairfax County has delayed a comprehensive reassessment of school boundaries for 40 years, which has adversely impacted our schools, staff, and students. Piecemeal changes to school boundaries for 40 years has resulted in attendance islands, split feeders, overcrowding, an excessive number of trailers and modulars, excessive transportation costs, and excessive investment in capacity enhancements instead of school renovations and infrastructure modernization.
1. ATTENDANCE ISLANDS
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Primary Objective:
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- All attendance islands should be eliminated.
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Related Objectives:
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- All students should be allowed to attend their local schools.
- FCPS should not divide communities or student cohorts.
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Background
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- In Fairfax County, there are 16 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, and 3 high schools with attendance islands. (For a full list of attendance islands, see page 258 of the Capital Improvement Program.)
- An attendance island is a neighborhood that is assigned to attend a distant, under-enrolled school in order to increase student enrollment.
- Attendance islands divide communities by isolating certain neighborhoods and exporting their children to distant schools.
- Attendance islands necessitate long bus rides, which may deprive students of adequate sleep and equitable access to extracurricular activities.
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Examples
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- Whitman MS is located within the boundaries for Sandburg MS (and outside the boundaries of Whitman MS), so students living in the immediate vicinity of Whitman MS are assigned to attend Sandburg MS. All students attending Whitman arrive by bus, often enduring long bus rides.
- Over 100 students who live within walking distance of Mount Vernon Woods ES are assigned to attend Fort Hunt ES. They ride the bus every day past multiple elementary schools to arrive at Fort Hunt ES.
- Over 150 students who live within walking distance of Lorton Station ES are assigned to attend Halley ES. They ride the bus every day past multiple elementary schools to arrive at Halley ES.
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2. SPLIT FEEDERS
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Primary Objective:
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- All split feeders should be eliminated.
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Related Objectives:
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- All students should be allowed to attend their local schools.
- FCPS should not divide communities or student cohorts.
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Background
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- In Fairfax County, there are 31 elementary schools and 6 middle schools that are split feeders. (For a full list of split feeders, see pages 251-257 of the Capital Improvement Program.)
- A split feeder is (i) an elementary school where students attend different middle schools or (ii) a middle school where students attend different high schools.
- Split feeders divide communities and student cohorts.
- Split feeders may necessitate long bus rides, which may deprive students of adequate sleep and equitable access to extracurricular activities.
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Examples
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- Some students at Gunston ES are assigned to attend Hayfield SS while other students are assigned to attend South County MS/South County HS.
- Some students at Holmes MS are assigned to attend Edison HS while other students are assigned to attend Annandale HS.
- Some students at Carson MS are assigned to attend Oakton HS, some are assigned to attend South Lakes HS, and others are assigned to attend Westfield HS.
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3. OVERCROWDING
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Primary Objective:
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- FCPS should eliminate overcrowding in our public schools.
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Related Objectives:
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- FCPS should reduce class sizes.
- Students should have equitable access to programming and extracurricular programs.
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Background
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- Elementary Schools:
- There are 15 elementary schools with significant overcrowding (at or above 115% of capacity), 6 with moderate overcrowding (105-114% of capacity), and 21 with slight overcrowding (95-104% of capacity). By comparison, only 6 elementary schools had significant overcrowding in 2019.
- There are 45 elementary schools that are under-enrolled (at or below 84% of capacity).
- Middle Schools:
- There is 1 middle school with significant overcrowding (at or above 115% of capacity), 1 with moderate overcrowding (105-114% of capacity), and 7 with slight overcrowding (95-104% of capacity).
- There are 12 middle schools that are under-enrolled (at or below 84% of capacity).
- High Schools:
- There are 4 high schools with significant overcrowding (at or above 115% of capacity), 4 with moderate overcrowding (105-114% of capacity), and 8 with slight overcrowding (95-104% of capacity). By comparison, only 3 high schools had significant overcrowding in 2019.
- There are 8 high schools that are under-enrolled (at or below 84% of capacity). (For a full list of capacity utilization ratios, see pages 120, 138, 156, 175, 193, and 210 of the Capital Improvement Program.)
- Class sizes may be larger in overcrowded schools.
- Students at overcrowded schools may have fewer opportunities to enroll in special programming and participate in extracurricular programs.
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4. TRAILERS AND MODULARS
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Primary Objective:
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- All trailers and modulars should be eliminated.
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Related Objectives:
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- To ensure the safety and security of our students, all students should learn inside school buildings.
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Background
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- In Fairfax County, there are 598 classrooms in trailers and 310 classrooms in modulars. (For a full list of trailers and modulars, see pages 120, 138, 156, 175, 193, and 210 of the Capital Improvement Program.)
- FCPS utilizes trailers (pre-fabricated classrooms without plumbing) and modulars (pre-fabricated classrooms with plumbing) at schools where student enrollment exceeds available capacity.
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Examples
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- The Edison HS pyramid has 14 classrooms in trailers and 36 classrooms in modulars.
- The Hayfield HS pyramid has 15 classrooms in trailers.
- The Lewis HS pyramid has 30 classrooms in trailers and 22 classrooms in modulars.
- The Mount Vernon HS pyramid has 8 classrooms in trailers and 10 classrooms in modulars.
- The South County HS pyramid has 2 classrooms in trailers.
- The West Potomac HS pyramid has 4 classrooms in trailers and 10 classrooms in modulars.
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5. CAPITAL SPENDING (FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY)
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Primary Objective:
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- Schools should be renovated every 20-25 years.
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Related Objectives:
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- Students should learn in modern classrooms with ready access to modern equipment and facilities.
- FCPS should ensure maximum return on investment for every taxpayer dollar.
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Background
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- Piecemeal changes to school boundaries has caused excessive investments in capacity enhancements instead of school renovations and infrastructure modernization.
- FCPS is renovating schools every 42 years instead of every 20-25 years. (For more information, see pages 47-73 of the Capital Improvement Program.)
- FCPS has a deferred maintenance backlog of $530 million and an infrastructure replacement backlog of $379 million. (For more information, see pages 215-226 of the Capital Improvement Program.)
- In Fairfax County, 55% of playgrounds, 54% of environmental systems, 46% of structural systems, and 44% of health/safety systems are past their life expectancy.
- I am committed to fiscal responsibility, which requires the efficient and effective use of school buildings. I am strongly opposed to imprudent expenditures that divert scarce dollars to wasteful projects that do not make sense from a system perspective.
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Examples
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- At Hayfield SS, 99% of mechanical systems, 96% of athletic facilities, and 58% of plumbing systems are past their life expectancy.
- At Lewis HS, 100% of asphalt, 98% of mechanical systems, and 65% of athletic facilities are past their life expectancy.
- At Mount Vernon HS, 92% of asphalt, 93% of mechanical systems, and 66% of structural systems are past their life expectancy.
- At West Potomac HS, 63% of electrical systems, 89% of structural systems, and 93% of mechanical systems are past their life expectancy.
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6. GEOGRAPHIC PROXIMITY/TRAVEL TIMES
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Primary Objective:
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- All students should be allowed to attend their local schools.
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Related Objectives:
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- School boundaries should not divide communities.
- School boundaries should minimize travel times and transportation costs.
- School boundaries should enable more students to bike and walk to school.
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Background
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- School boundaries should be consistent with contiguous geographic areas, but in Fairfax County, some pyramids are inconsistent with that principle.
- Elongated boundaries divide communities by isolating certain neighborhoods and exporting their children to distant schools.
- Elongated boundaries necessitate long bus rides, which may deprive students of adequate sleep and equitable access to extracurricular activities.
- On average, approximately 25% of students travel in excess of 30 minutes to school, and a significant percentage travel in excess of 45 minutes each way.
- Long bus rides are costly – FCPS spends millions of dollars on bus maintenance and fuel each year.
- Compact school boundaries will strengthen social connections and provide increased opportunities for biking and walking to school, which is associated with improved academic outcomes and health.
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Examples
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- Hayfield SS serves a narrow strip from the City of Alexandria to Mason Neck, connecting divided elements of disparate communities. During weekdays, this distance would require at least 45 minutes to traverse.
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The views contained within this newsletter reflect the views of the individual school board member who is the publisher of this newsletter and may not reflect the views of the Fairfax County School Board.
© Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax County, Virginia
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