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AAP Center at Poe - Coming in Fall 2026
I am excited to announce that at the December 18, 2025 Regular Business Meeting, the School Board unanimously approved the opening of an AAP Center at Poe Middle School which will serve the Annandale Pyramid, beginning in the 2026-2027 school year.
In addition to providing Region 6 and the Annandale Pyramid with a much-anticipated middle school AAP Center, the vote also directed the Superintendent to begin the process of proposing a new full-time elementary AAP Center at North Springfield Elementary. The complete list of the staff recommendations, outlined in my newsletter earlier this week were all approved as part of the Board’s vote at the School Board meeting last night.
The new Full-Time AAP Center at Poe Middle School will begin with grade 6 in the 2026-27 school year and will include the following:
- A phasing option for impacted students currently attending Canterbury Woods Elementary in grades 3-6 (base school Annandale Terrace, Braddock, North Springfield) to allow them to complete elementary through grade 6 at Canterbury Woods; and
- A phasing option for the Falls Church pyramid-based Mason Crest students who are currently attending Belvedere Elementary for AAP Center services in grades 3-5. This action would allow impacted students to choose to attend either Glasgow Middle (the current AAP middle school center assignment) or Poe Middle School.
I must also acknowledge the community’s outreach and engagement which was instrumental in ensuring a thoughtful and comprehensive plan was developed to meet the needs of our students.
Transportation for Boundary Phasing
The issue of transportation for phasing of new boundaries was also discussed at last night’s meeting. The community has inquired about whether transportation will be provided for eligible students opting to remain at their current school.
Dr. Reid has recommended that transportation only be provided based on new boundaries. Her recommendation cited three primary operational constraints:
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Budget - An estimated cost of over $10 million to maintain bus routes for students staying at their original schools.
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Driver availability - A projected need for 57 additional bus drivers.
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Availability of parking for additional buses – Requirement for parking capacity for 57 additional buses.
Why I Opposed the Motion
I voted against Dr. Reid's recommendation to limit transportation only to students in the new boundaries due to concerns regarding Equity and Data Accuracy.
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Ensuring Equitable Access - Without transportation provided by the school division for students who opt to remain at their current schools, the phasing option ceases to be a meaningful choice for all families. This option will then only be available to students and families with the means for private transportation. To ensure true equity, we must not create a system where opportunities are dictated by a family's socioeconomic status.
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Premature Decision-Making - It is my position that this recommendation is prematurely presented because the new boundaries have not been finalized. It is yet unknown how many students will elect to remain at their current schools. Without accuracy of student ridership, it is difficult to appropriately estimate transportation costs.
- Furthermore, the $10M+ estimate provided by staff assumes the purchase of 57 electric buses for which FCPS lacks the infrastructure to support. During the Board’s inquiry, it was determined that opting for diesel buses would reduce the initial cost estimate by approximately $3 million.
Next Steps
The Board discussed the issue at length, asking many questions that remain unanswered. No decision was made by the Board at last night’s meeting and it is my hope that the Superintendent will return with a recommendation that is embedded in equity, driven by data of student ridership, and based on the actual boundary changes. While this motion did not pass, I expect this matter to return to the Board in early 2026.
I remain committed to seeking a resolution that balances fiduciary responsibility with our core mission of providing equitable access to education and will continue to present the difficult questions necessary to protect the interests of all families affected by these changes.
Be sure to share your comments and feedback on the transportation issue during Community Participation segments of the Regular School Board Business Meetings and/or the Boundary Review Public Hearing scheduled for January 10, 2026.
Register to speak at a meeting or public hearing.
Note: This newsletter contains links to translated versions of the content for your convenience. These translations are generated by Google Translate and are not intended to be a substitute for professional translation services.
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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