Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Boundary Motions and Votes

Author:
Western Elementary Schools
  • Godfrey moves Bergel/Godfrey Plan 2, Bergel 2nd
  • Godfrey moves amendment to pull part of one planning zone from Banneker ES into Middleburg ES (Godfrey Plan 3). Reed 2nd for discussion.
  • Godfrey amendment fails. Yes votes: Godfrey, Stevens, Marshall
  • Geurin moves modifications requested by parents in WL 53.1 and WL9.1. Stevens 2nd for discussion.
  • Geurin amdenment fails. Yes votes: Geurin.
  • Base motion (Bergel/Godfrey Plan 2) passes unanimously.

Leesburg area Elementary Schools

  • Bergel moves Staff Recommendation (no changes to boundaries). Stevens 2nd.
  • Marshall moves amendment moving CL05 (Beacon Hill, Old Waterford Road) from Frances Hazel Reid ES to Catoctin ES. Ohneiser 2nd.
  • Marshall amendment fails 4-5: Yes votes: Marshall, Geurin, Ohneiser, DuPree.
  • Reed moves Reed Plan #4 as amendment. Geurin 2nd. Moves CL11 from BBES to FHRES. Subdivides CL05, sends Beacon Hill residents from FHRES to Culbert ES.
  • Reed amendment fails 4-5. Yes votes: Reed, Marshall, Ohneiser & Geurin.
  • Staff recommendation passes 8-1 (Marshall, Geurin, DuPree vote No).

Southern Ashburn Elementary Schools

  • DuPree moves staff recommendation, Reed 2nd.
  • Ohneiser moves amendment keeping DN14 at Mill Run ES. Marshall 2nd.
  • Ohneiser amendment fails. 2-7 Yes votes: Ohneiser, Guzman.
  • Staff plan passes unanimously. 8-1 (Ohneiser opposed)

Northern Ashburn Elementary Schools

Ashburn & Leesburg Middle Schools

Mercer & Stone Hill Middle Schools

  • DuPree moves DuPree plan. Geurin 2nd.
  • DuPree plan passes 8-0-1 (Guzman absent).

Leesburg & Ashburn High Schools

  • Reed moves Marshall/Reed plan. DuPree 2nd.
  • Stevens moves staff plan as substitute amendment. Ohneiser 2nd.
  • Stevens motion (4-4-1). Yes votes: Stevens, Ohneiser, Bergel, Guzman. No votes: DuPree, Geurin, Reed, Godfrey. Marshall abstaining.
  • Reed motion fails 3-5-1. Yes votes: DuPree, Geurin, Godfrey. No votes: Stevens, Bergel, Ohneiser, Marshall, Reed. Guzman abstaining.
  • Ohneiser moves staff plan with DN-29 back to Stone Bridge. Stevens 2nd.
  • Ohneiser motion fails (3-5-1). Yes votes: Ohneiser, Stevens, Bergel. No votes: Godfrey, Geurin, DuPree, Reed, Marshall. Guzman abstaining.
  • Bergel moves Leesburg-area middle school boundaries as feeders to Leesburg High Schools (staff recommendation for CL planning zones). Marshall 2nd.
  • Bergel motion passes 8-1 (Geurin no).

Good night.

Labels:

56 comments:

  1. Sorry, but what does this translate to?? Your comment last night was that the board went home without a decision for the Ashburn high school students. Do we have any HS changes or not?
    ReplyDelete
  2. How tragic that Marshall didn't have the back bone to vote for the very plan he said he supported. Then again, he couldn't vote for the plan he supposedly authored. So what should we have expected. Frustrating night for all.
    ReplyDelete
  3. No High School determinations were made for Lansdowne or Ashburn Farm. Tom Reed expressed his desire to open Broad Run High School attendance boundaries as well, drawing that community into the mix. Now the focus moves to the joint subcommittee, and the School Board will revisit this matter in the fall once we have more information about the timing and locations of high schools in Dulles North.
    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow, this is crazy. I'd be very curious as to how much money was spent on this exercise in futility. The school board printed thousands of color copies of the boundary packages - held meeting after meeting and told us repeatedly that we had to make changes at all levels. Now from where I sit in Ashburn Farm - no changes were made at all.

    So, if no changes were made at this time - when will the changes be made? Do we have to go through this all again next year for ES & MS?
    ReplyDelete
  5. WOW! That was a some great drama last night!!!

    I think we need to add a 3rd group that needs to be worried about this issue. In addition to Lansdowne and Ashburn Farm, the producers and/or writers of Survivor need to be very concerned about the safety of their jobs. What we saw last night couldn't have played out any better on Survivor.

    I mean, with all the backstabbing, alliances made, alliances broken, lying, blind sides, political moves - the next season of Survivor should be called: Survivor - LCPS.

    One thing I would like clarified: where does Mr Ohneiser stand with regards to not voting Ashburn Farm residents out of Stone Bridge. He talked during the ES portion saying he would never vote to remove a zone from their community school, he repeated it again during the high school portion. He said in the beginning of the high school portion that he would never vote Ashburn Farm out of Stone Bridge. Then he voted for the staff plan. Then he motioned to have one section of AF returned to Stone Bridge - the one section that is in his district. And then he closes by saying he would never vote to move any part of AF north of AF Parkway out of Stone Bridge.

    Which is it?

    I know one thing for sure, I'm not voting to approve any more schools when they come up in November elections. This board and the BOS have proven they don't know how to manage their schools.
    ReplyDelete
  6. lol.. Survivor LCPS! I can tell you this - many members of our school board will be in trouble come next election time. We've got elected leaders out there telling people what they want to hear and it's a different thing at every meeting.

    I would love to know if the board ever considered hiring an outside consulting - one with NO ties to this area to come in and review our boundary decision. What would a completely unbiased expert recommend, taking all the emotion and political play out of the decision?
    ReplyDelete
  7. I agree. However, that would show that Adamo and his staff are not needed.

    I would even go a little farther and have the communities involved from the beginning, instead of at the end. Henrico County does it. That way, all these issues can be talked through before the plans are submitted and we don't have to go through all this drama at the end.
    ReplyDelete
  8. The School Board developed a process that was certain to create the unpleasantness we've all experienced over the last few months. As a parent involved in the high school debate, I am wondering if there is a way for the parents to come together, outside of the process, to develop some solutions to present. I doubt any of us are eager to turn our attention to the joint subcommittee to experience the political chaos that process will certainly inspire.
    ReplyDelete
  9. Quite frankly, I don't care anymore. The one thing I have learned from this whole process, you need to be selfish and only worry about yourself and your own interests. Screw my community, everyone else's community, all the schools. I don't care about anything but my own kids.

    I will be completely involved in my kids activities, at whatever school it is, but other than that, I won't be doing fundraisers, I won't be buying items to support the schools, I won't be voting to approve bonds for new schools.

    First chance I get, I'm leaving this screwed up county!
    ReplyDelete
  10. This is all just crazy! So, now we have a few large communities who are tired and cranky, cause, we are all tired and run down. What I learned last night is, it is ok to overcrowd Ashburn, but not ok to utilize seats open Leesburg. It is ok to overcrowd Ashburn, but we can't consider anything that MAY OR MAY NOT someday overcrowd Leesburg. It is OK to move Ashburn Farm over and over, but it is NOT ok to move anyone else that has recently moved.
    ReplyDelete
  11. The point of overflow going to Leesburg is spot on. No matter what, kids will have to go to Leesburg. Anyone coming in new WILL be sent to Leesburg instead of attending their community school. Can you imagine, buying a home and realizing you won't be able to be part of your community school. Instead of a community as a whole going to leesburg, we will have houses throughout the greater Ashburn area overflow to Leesburg. Some from Brambleton, Broadlands, Ashburn Farm, BCC, Lansdowne, etc. What a transportation and logistical nightmare.
    ReplyDelete
  12. Dr. Adamo should be ashamed of his plan. As many school board members pointed out, it failed miserably based on what it was to accomplish. Biased or unbiased, no one will truly know. What we do know is, he didn't complete the assignment properly. Had our children turned in such rubbish, they would probably be sent to summer school. Looks like we are back to square one. I truly hope, a good solution is found by this joint sub-committe and that they make us proud to be part of this county again.
    ReplyDelete
  13. It seems the majority problem is with Dr. Adamo. He came up with a staff plan that did not follow the guidelines, let alone tears communities apart. The rest of the problem seems to be with Ohneiser who also doesn't get that the major issue is tearing communities apart. No one trust Ohneiser since he's contradicting himself in emails to his constiuents.
    ReplyDelete
  14. John, once again you're having problems with your math! Some of your vote counts and vote tallies of members' votes don't match.
    ReplyDelete
  15. Absolutely ridiculous. Now it goes to a joint sub-committee? Who's going to be on it? The usual players...because we all know what a BANG UP JOB they've been doing with all of this. At this point, I don't think they could run a lemonade stand efficiently.

    I have a feeling this is all going to end with Ashburn Farm slowly being carved up and sent bit by bit to BW so Lansdowne can have Stone Bridge...all because some "officials" decided that this county needed more retail, townhouses and golf courses instead of a high school.

    Jackasses.

    Yeah. I said it.
    ReplyDelete
  16. Last night's meeting showed me that almost every school board member is hypocritical. This will be remembered in the elections.

    They all SAY they are against over crowding. But in the end, no one has the nerve to actually move kids. The staff's goal was to move 400-500 kids out of Stone Bridge. When Reed's plan suggested just that, everyone balked and said it moved too many kids.

    It appears that it's ok to move Ashburn Farm again and again, but it's not ok to move Lansdowne twice.

    The community input part of the whole process was a complete sham.
    ReplyDelete
  17. Someone asked where Mr. Onheiser stood on this issue. He sides with his constituents who have money. He represents part of Ashburn Farm and most of the Village. He figures that if he keeps Lansdowne and the Village happy, he'll be reelected.
    ReplyDelete
  18. Loved the Survivor comment!

    Adamo does not have kids. I believe he is an engineer (or something like that) by training. He does not see the planning zones as homes with kids and families -- he sees numbers. He wants his numbers to work and it doesn't matter if there are emotional consequences. He is ALWAYS annoyed at these meetings and has trouble giving yes/no answers. I do not see what Hatrick sees in him. Too bad he is not an elected official - I think Lansdowne and Ashburn Farm would agree that he needs a new job!
    ReplyDelete
  19. I'm so tired of the "money" and "rich kids" comments from Ashburn towards Lansdowne. Even member Dupree is bitter that he can't afford to play golf in Lansdowne (as he actually said outloud). Dufus. Rarely do you meet someone with so little to say that enjoys hearing themselves talk as much as member Dupree. How did this guy get this job? Although, It sounds like Dupree needs a new (better paying) job.

    Actually, if Ashburn had built a few golf courses instead of a sea of homes, we would have lots of empty seats in all 3 of the Ashburn high schools. Maybe they could have built another middle school as well so that they wouldn't be in the hypocritical position of simultaneously wanting to rid themselves of the "rich kids" in Lansdowne AND use Lansdowne's middle school.

    Nobody likes the thought of moving, I get that. That can't mean that we just punish the community with the fewest scars to avoid doing what makes sense and what is lowest impact and least risk for the entire DN district. No matter how powerful or angry the HOAs in the mix are, no matter the ancient history and yes, no matter how expensive the golf is.

    How about we hook member Dupree up with some reasonably priced tee times, share our middle school with you and you reciprocate with making a little space in Stone Bridge for us?

    BTW what does Belmont CC have to offer Ashburn? Do they share schools with Ashburn like Lansdowne does? They are similarly in size to Lansdowne and also on Rt 7... If memory serves me correctly, they havent been around as long as Lansdowne and they too have never moved in a boundary change. Has member Dupree looked into golf there?
    ReplyDelete
  20. I wondered about this too.

    You would think that the logistics of Ashburn and Lansdowne being linked by common schools as they are should have counted for more in this process.

    Seems like if there was a community that was going to be booted out of DN (which I don't agree with), Belmont Country Club would have been a more likely target.
    ReplyDelete
  21. If you look at the projected numbers, Lansdowne will have just as many kids in the future needing a HS as Ashburn Farm. Lansdowne is growing at a rate of 30% while Ashburn Farm is stable. So, no need to say anything about the Farm having built golf courses. Mr. Dupree made some hard choices last night for some of his Broadlands constituents, some he won't be popular for. But, he did what was right. He was also right in stating, it is not correct to move Ashburn Farm out of an Ashburn Farm school. He was also right in saying, we can't ignore the 1000 open seats. Seats that need to be used as no other solution works. While he did make the golf statement, remember, Ohneiser made many nasty statements too - and was quite rude to some board members. Perhaps this is what got Dupree fired up. It was late and I think we owe it to ALL the School Board members to realize, they were stressed, they were tired, they were under pressure to make a horrible choice. I know they will work with the Board of Supervisors to find the best solution. I think it is time we stop pointing fingers and find a great solution. To me, that solution would be finding a location closer to Lansdowne for them, Lansdowne, to call their own. I am sure they don't like being bused into someone elses community and would prefer something they could call theirs. I think it is time to stop the community versus community and ALL WORK TOGETHER to get this land on route 7. Neither community wants over crowding, neither community wants to be split up, neither community needs the strife. Please lets move on and work TOGETHER!
    ReplyDelete
  22. Lansdowne will always be bused to another community for high school, like Stone Bridge, that isn't the problem. Ashburn will also always be bused to Lansdowne for middle school. The Ashburn/Lansdowne reciprocal connection between student communities and neighborhoods should be respected by all involved parties and the school board.

    We should either solve both issues of using each others schools by changing the feed or solve (change) neither. It's only unfair when we try to remove one of the connections of this relationship and turn symbiosis into parasitism.

    If Ashburn would have realized this in the beginning and worked with Lansdowne to share Belmont Ridge MS and Stone Bridge with each other, we wouldn't have had the ridiculous political show last night.

    And...the board would like a solution where communities shared resources and didn't point fingers at each other.

    This would still probably mean that somebody would have to move but it shouldn't be Lansdowne that is so connected with Ashburn. Talks like this couldn't hurt and might repair the damage done by this ridiculous process.
    ReplyDelete
  23. It's not about wanting to share Stone Bridge and Belmont Ridge - both Ashburn Farm AND Lansdowne won't fit at SBHS. If they both fit nicely, we wouldn't be having an issue. The valid complaint is that it is NOT okay to move some of Ashburn Farm out of SBHS just to accomodate all of Lansdowne.
    ReplyDelete
  24. They either share schools or they don't. There are non-Ashburn and non-Lansdowne students in the mix at Stone Bridge too. Perhaps those other students should move as a community as they don't share this connection/dependency between schools?

    I guess with this obvious connection between the communities, I don't see why Lansdowne has become the defacto step-child. The shared schools should have not only established the connection between Ashburn and Lansdowne but prevented their separation and brought Ashburn and Lansdowne together instead of apart.

    This selection process is going to be redone in the fall, maybe this is an opportunity to reposition?

    This is the only way to maintain the pure feed of Belmont Ridge MS to Stone Bridge which is a good thing for the students.
    ReplyDelete
  25. It was only Ashburn and Lansdowne in the school board meetings; imagine if we all showed up next time with a common message to share "our" schools?

    It would be a no-brainer politically for the school board and we would all fit.
    ReplyDelete
  26. Last time I checked these were COUNTY schools.
    ReplyDelete
  27. Ten middle schools and 13 high schools. There is no feeder system and there is no official policy for one.
    ReplyDelete
  28. "Last time I checked these were COUNTY schools."


    Yes, please remember that when Belmont Ridge becomes overcrowded and it's proposed that some Lansdowne kids be moved out to make room for others.
    ReplyDelete
  29. Ok, lets go back three / four years when we were doing MS boundaries. Mr. Dupree made a plan to have Ashburn Farm and Lansdowne together and the only ones to attend BRMS. This way, they would share a HS and MS. It took everyone in the middle out. This would have avoided the mess we are in now. HOWEVER, this plan got shot down by other school board members! I think we could all guess who shot it down. It was a brilliant plan then. It would have fed BCC into Farmwell and then onto Broad Run. It didn't fly. My recollection is that the only ones for it was the Ashburn Farm community. Everyone else was against it. To bad.
    ReplyDelete
  30. so we have no decision on the Ashburn High schools, now what? go back to the table and fight again. While waiting for the BOS to come up with land and money for a rt 7 school, I will be waiting in line at Stone Bridge in 3 years to get my kid a seat so I am not over-flowed out!
    Meanwhile-- Leesburg sits happily in under capacity schools.
    Seems that the board also contradicts itself all the time, Why is it ok for a community(DN24) to be bussed past 2 elementary schools as a TEMPORARY solution (4 years max) and it is NOT ok to apply the same logic to the High school?
    Something is very, very wrong....again.
    Using the Ashburn Farm kids as pawns in the big game of chess with the BOS is just plain wrong!
    If the school board doesn't want to deal with the hard decisions, stick some trailers at Stone Bridge and move on. We will just have to deal with it.
    ReplyDelete
  31. The problem here isn't whether your community has a golf course or not. The problem isn't because the developers of your community built houses instead of golf courses.

    The problem is the fact that previous Boards of Supervisors did NOT get the proper amount and type of schools in the locations they were needed, when these developments were approved and subsequently built. That is the problem that we all are being "punished" for now. Actually, it's our kids that are being "punished".

    Somebody commented about Dupree's actions. Well, it wasn't the smartest thing to say, but at least he said what he meant. With Ohneiser, Marshall and Reed, they say something one time and then turn around and say something else 5 minutes later. Marshall and Reed came up with the alternate plan and then both voted against it! I don't get that.

    Mr Ohneiser commented about AF Parkway being a 4 lane highway. I don't see that road being any different than say Claiborne Pkwy, Ashburn Village Blvd, Cascades Blvd, Riverside Pkwy. I could go on - there are roads similar to AF Pkwy all over the county. By his definition, does that mean the Dulles Greenway, Route 7 and Route 28 are "Super" highways? Comments like that from him are unacceptable and really are a distraction to the true problem.

    Another big problem that was demonstrated the other night is the fact that ALL the School Board members are not truly looking out for all of Loudoun County schools. Since they represent certain areas, of course their priorities are going to be on them first. What I find very disturbing is some SB members represent multiple communities, but not the entire communities, just sections within communities.

    While it is true that the staff's plan does move the fewest kids now, the continuation of the staff's plan in 2-3 years (AF south of Hay Rd going to Eagle Ridge out of Belmont Ridge) actually affects more kids in the long run. And this has happened before.

    I've heard the Lansdowne residents say they are offended by the "rich kids" comments coming from AF residents. Well, your "ancient history" comments are just as bad. It's funny how "ancient history" can be classified as 2 years ago. And 3 years before that. Those are the times I've had 2 kids moved from Eagle to Belmont and then back to Eagle. And now some are calling for Belmont CC to be moved out.

    I just don't get it.

    Lastly, while Mr Stevens comments about split feeds working as long as they are in large numbers is accurate. It doesn't tell the whole story of what has happened to Eagle Ridge's split feed over the last couple years. Yes, their split feed may be 50-50, but the student's communities that make up the 50-50 split change every couple of years. For example, DN12 will be going to Belmont Ridge next year and then in 2 years will be switched to Eagle Ridge. It's happened before. DN35 started at Eagle, got switch to Belmont and then back to Eagle. All within about a 5-6 year period.

    I don't question that a feeder system can work, it looks like it does in Sterling and Leesburg, but they've got an equal number of MS and HS in their areas. Dulles North does not. Until the SB and the BOS get their act together and start planning properly, we are always going to be in these battles.

    One more thing I'm curious about: why is Tuscarora HS on 132 acres and it's only a 1600 seat school? All the other newer high schools are in the 50-60 acre range with the same seating capacity.
    ReplyDelete
  32. The feeder system will not and cannot work in a stable fashion until the area served is built out.

    As long as growth remains dynamic in some areas of the county, moves will occur.

    A great deal of the problem of sites occurred during the boom because of our pendulum no-growth hysteria (while more and more people moved in and then became no-more-growthers) that encouraged a flood of by right.

    Impact without any mitigation.

    Of course Mr. Ohneiser doesn't want to go anywhere near the BRHS boundaries! lol

    Putting a decision off until fall just means the opportunity to leverage the school CIP through the County CIP and the boundary process has been deferred, and when the school system takes up its own process again with the 9/30 enrollment figures, schools will start to shuffle and move.

    Meanwhile, schools are protested countywide.

    How productive!

    Barbara Munsey
    ReplyDelete
  33. Belmont CC should be considered for moving out of Stone Bridge IF somebody must move; Belmont CC is similar in size to Lansdowne and it doesn't have a school in it's community that it shares with Ashburn either.

    This would maintain the feeder of Belmont Ridge MS to Stone Bridge in the only way possible, would affect less kids than Lansdowne moving and would continue the community connection (like it or not) between Ashburn and Lansdowne by virtue of the fact that they share the two schools. Why would we break the feed, move more kids etc when changing the community to the north being moved is more attractive (should it come to that).

    This solution should be considered.

    Neither community where the schools are located should be forced to move out of their local school feeds.

    Lansdowne is not the obvious choice here for a community to move.
    ReplyDelete
  34. neither is Ashburn Farm.
    ReplyDelete
  35. There is NO obvious choice for a move. However, have you even looked at the projected HS numbers for the Lansdowne community? Unless you want to push the rest of the neighboring ASHBURN communities out of SBHS this just won't work. It's a capacity issue and has been from the start. Ashburn Farm should be left alone for once, in my opinion. It is unfortunate that the county planners did not do a better job with the schools.
    ReplyDelete
  36. Whew. I think we got lucky on Tuesday night. If you take all emotion out of the argument, we really should have gone to Tuscarora. I almost feel guilty about trying to push Ashburn Farm out of their neighborhood. We ought to try harder to work WITH them during this next round of boundary discussions -- and yes, even if it means moving to Tuscarora. It IS the right thing, even if it's hard to admit it.

    Lansdowne is just so big - and we are still growing. We can fill up our own school and make it our own!
    ReplyDelete
  37. Ok member Dupree, get off this blog and quit pretending to be a Lansdowne resident!
    ReplyDelete
  38. ...or we'll never let you play golf here...
    ReplyDelete
  39. Blog somewhere else shankapotamus...
    ReplyDelete
  40. that could've been ohneiser - we all know how he likes to flip flop
    ReplyDelete
  41. Oh - the Dupree and Onheiser comments!! You insult me.. hahah
    ReplyDelete
  42. Wow, can we all take a step back and remember what we need here. A good solution. This will not happen with the bickering and name calling. How motivated will our school board and BOS be to fix the problem when people are acting like children. There was no good solution, so they took a step back. Probably the best decision. Lets HELP get to the correct solution and work together. Isn't a HS along 7 the best answer? One community gets to stay in their community school. The other gets a new school closer to their community. What am I missing here. If we come together we can make the right thing happen! There IS land to be found for this better placed HS.
    ReplyDelete
  43. Why wasn't land for a high school secured in the big One Loudoun development? There will be residential in that development -- where will those kids go to school? (I know, I'm being way premature in asking that question lol.) And there's talk of approving a baseball stadium on Rt 7? County officials are the ones who approve golf courses, empty office buildings, and cookie cutter strip malls instead of schools -- not residents. There needs to be a high school near Rt 7 -- not just for Lansdowne but also for the other residential development in the pipeline in this area.

    And Chairman Dupree -- I live in Lansdowne and I can't afford to join the Lansdowne Resort either. Lansdowne residents did not "choose" to build golf courses instead of a school. The golf courses belong to the Resort, a private business whose members come from all over the county. Maybe the county should have made the resort build a school instead of approving a new course.
    ReplyDelete
  44. So can anybody answer the question of why it is that Lansdowne and Ashburn should break their feeder forever by moving Lansdowne out of SBHS rather than moving BCC?

    If BCC moves out, Ashburn and Lansdowne get to stay in their shared neighborhood middle and high schools and we keep the feeder intact. This moves less kids out of the area than a Lansdowne solution as well. (if some students do need to move).
    ReplyDelete
  45. that would be a question for Dr. Adamo. He and his team are the ones that decide where the middle to high school feeds are located.
    ReplyDelete
  46. I am not sure there is enough room at one HS or one MS for both of these communities to always remain together - less BCC. Considering Lansdowne's growth rate, they both need their own schools. So, the best option still is to find Lansdowne a new HS closer to their community.
    ReplyDelete
  47. John,

    Is there any reason we wouldn't keep Ashburn and Lansdowne together at Stone Bridge because of their shared schools in each other's neighborhoods? How can we acknowledge the virtues of the feeder system and also support dismantling it when other options exist?

    I would hope that no community would have to leave SBHS but it seems like if a community has to move to a new school, you wouldn't want it to be the one that breaks the feeder system and houses a middle school used by Ashburn.

    What are your thoughts?
    ReplyDelete
  48. Funny, Dupree tried to get this to pass four years ago and no one wanted it except Ashburn Farm. Now you would disrupt MANY students to make this happen at the MS level. You would move all of BCC, and the portion of Ashburn Farm that got moved to Eagle Ridge. It seems to me, Belmont would feed into a new HS on Rt 7.
    ReplyDelete
  49. Well then it sounds like Dupree would have a great "I told you so" story to tell his new golf buddies in Lansdowne if he and Lansdowne could work together to make this happen.
    ReplyDelete
  50. what so now, lets just move BCC, how stupid! Lansdowne needs to go to Tuscarora. It is not in a foreign land. It is Leesburg- which is in LOUDOUN county. Even my 5th grader can figure this one out. Ashburn Farm pkwy as a boundary? NO, children on the other side of that road WALK to Sanders Corner. Hummmm, if a 5 year old can walk across(or rather, under) that street, then surely a high school student can. There is a tunnel there. Seems to me that the county can save lots of money by increasing the walk zones- but they would rather bus ALL students to "regional" schools. Lansdowne is the same distance or less to Tuscarora as Stone Bridge is to Briar Woods. This process has proven to me that no one actually CARES about the kids, only themselves. Maybe an outside group needs to come in and take a look at this. And by the way, I went to a split feeder school. Didn't do me any harm, I somehow managed to go to college, get a job, vote and pay taxes. School decisions probably should not be made by people who are VOTED into a position. I wonder what Adamo would have done if there were NO politics involved.
    ReplyDelete
  51. So moving Belmont CC to Tuscorora is "stupid" but moving Lansdowne there makes perfect sense? Why is that?

    Lansdowne and Ashburn share middle and high schools and Lansdowne and Belmont CC are about the same size, Belmont CC is a bit smaller. Don't get the "stupid" part.

    Adamo doesn't have kids affected by this process, neither did Ohneiser or Stevens so their arguments should have been the most objective, don't you think? (I think some other members did have kids in the mix)
    ReplyDelete
  52. I wasn't going to bring this up, but full disclosure since someone has commented on it... I have a son and daughter who live in Ashburn Farm, DN12. Please do not make them or my colleagues' children a part of this debate.
    ReplyDelete
  53. Wow John, you are in favor of SPLITTING up a neighborhood that your family actually lives in. Sad, really, really sad. How can you explain to your family that the kids they befriended in elementary school are not important friendships and after 5th grade they just go away. My kids are closer to the kids they grew up with from Kindergarten on than the kids they met in middle or high school.AND do you really want them in an over crowded high school? and another thing, the staff plan keeps 3 DNs in a split feed. I am quite sure that the long range plan is to ship them over to Broad Run.(nevermind that DN 14 can and does walk to Stone Bridge) I know one thing, depending on how this goes, I most likely will NEVER vote in favor of another school bond- not when we allow empty seats in one school while over-crowding another. Think stability John, Ashburn Farm deserves it! The KIDS deserve it.
    ReplyDelete
  54. John,

    I appreciate your objective, even-handed insight regarding this difficult issue. The fact that you have kids involved makes this even more impressive.

    Thanks for all the hard work.
    ReplyDelete
  55. His kids aren't being forced out of Stone Bridge to have to go to school in another community!
    ReplyDelete
  56. You're right, his kids wouldn't be going to Tuscorara. Even so, I think his comments are commendable.
    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)