Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Tonight at the School Board meeting

Author:
  1. Color guard presentation by new NJROTC program at Loudoun County HS.
  2. Resolution recognizing American Education Week.
  3. Resolution honoring school psychologists.
  4. At least 62 speakers by my count, all but four regarding boundaries. One of those four was Delegate-Elect Tag Greason pledging a good working relationship.
  5. Report by Dr. Hatrick. County-wide attendance is back up to 96% after an H1N1 dip in October. Presentation of fiscal analysis of LCPS salaries and spending compared to other DC metro districts.
  6. 90+ minute debate on sending Lansdowne students to Tuscarora HS, ending in a vote of 6-3 in favor. Ms. Bergel, Dr. Guzman & I were opposed.
  7. Adoption of a policy regarding discipline on busses
  8. Tabled an item to pass budget priorities for the Superintendent
  9. Received the staff presentation of ES-20 (Dulles South) recommended boundary plan
  10. Received the Superintendents' recommended Capital Improvement Program and Capital Needs Assessment. The gap between what the Superintendent says we need and what the Board of Supervisors says we can afford in the next six years: Four elementary schools, two middle schools, one high school, an advanced technology academy, five land parcels, two computer labs and one major renovation.
  11. Received the Superintendent's recommended Capital Asset Preservation Program. Two previous years of dramatic underfunding are rolling into future years of dramatic underfunding.
  12. We briefly discussed proposed minor policy changes, plus a change to our policy on student use of electronic devices that would allow High School students to use them during lunch time in lunch areas. A vote on that policy will come at our next meeting.
  13. Meeting adjourned at 12:45 AM.
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41 comments:

  1. Did the board vote in favor of the phased move plan where incoming freshmen go to Tuscarora but currently-attending students continue to go to Stonebridge, as recommended back on October 20, or full move to Tuscarora? Thanks for staying up late.
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  2. Once some of the board members realized that transparency can be had via FOIA when not offered overtly, they seemed amenable to a phased transfer to THS as a carrot to Lansdowne, the "screwee" in this equation.

    Both options remain open and I'm sure if these guys that voted yes last night aren't watched like they plan to steal something, Lansdowne will be thrown under the Ashburn bus to a fuller extent.

    As usual, John Stevens and rep Bergel were the strong voices of reason with rep Guzman following their lead. They too seemed willing to hear arguments for moving Lansdowne to THS, they just wanted to apply reason and follow standard procedures in doing so. They also seem concerned about the temporary nature of this move and the exclusion of other communities for consideration.

    The only good news out of this for Lansdowne is that 1) now they know who their friends are and 2) all of the Lansdowne parents that sat back in the spring and watched and allowed this mess to happen will be out in force next time around.

    And, there will be a next time around 3 years from now when it's time for Ashburn to move over and shift southward to make room for...drum roll please...Lansdowne at SBHS. See ya there.
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  3. Ohneiser spoke at some length about phasing in. (If you already have a Stonebridge hat -- hold up hat here -- you'll keep your Stonebridge hat If you don't have a Stonebridge hat yet, you'll get a Tuskie hat.) But remember, what these folks say today may not be what they say tomorrow. Must say, their introduction to the FOIA was fun to watch.
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  4. John had to reign in Bob at one point as Bob headed off on a rant aimed at restoring his illusion of sincerity and support for the Lansdowne community. It was like watching a kid quiet a drunk parent embarrassing themselves...

    Bob ranted last year about the lunacy of sending a community several communities away with none of their neighbors and we see how much that counted for.

    Really disappointed in this process and the extent to which politics influence what should be logical decisions.

    Lansdowne has learned some valuable lessons: watch these guys and count your fingers after you shake their hands.
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  5. Why was Broad Run eliminated from re-boundary consideration before the option process began?
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  6. Bob argued that the Broad Run zone was a "stable community" and called in his marks from fellow board members saying (essentially) "...you guys said that your communities were "stable" in these past disputes and I supported you..."
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  7. It seems to me that Bob Ohneiser traded 130 8th grade Lansdowne children for his precious phasing without even a passing comment to anyone in the community.
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  8. I believe Mr. Ohneiser noted last night that his children attend Broad Run? That is probably what makes Broad Run a stable community.

    I don't think there are stable boundaries in our forseeable future. Even when HS-6 at Loudoun Valley Estates comes online, that will be another huge boundary battle because, frankly, who wants to go there? Ashburn residents don't want to be moved to LVE. Leesburg residents certainly don't want their kids bussed that far. South Riding wants their own high school.
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  9. LVE is in Ashburn. It isn't a bad location for some Ashburn students to be shifted to at all and of course, it would (will) pull Lansdowne back into SBHS in a few years.

    Ashburn Farm wants to "help" us find a school north of the greenway so that Ashburn Farm isn't shifted south.

    The reality is that we have a school site ready to be built on in LVE (HS6) that we already own and it's a fine location. In these tough times, why would we not use it? I mean, we want to use all our capacity...right? Wouldn't the same conservation logic and capacity usage apply to land purchases we don't need?

    A HS north of the greenway is only "better" if the primary consideration is Ashburn Farm staying in SBHS. Isn't going to happen though, we have no money to buy land even if there were land to buy. We just need another school and while north of SBHS would be great, LVE is plenty good enough.

    rrrrgghh! rrrrrgggh! (bulldog noises)
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  10. Not all Lansdowne parents care to stay at SB and find Tuscarora a fine solution. Please don't group-think everyone together.
    Much appreciation for the work the board, staff, volunteers and residents put into this.
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  11. For the reasons that some mentioned, THS would be great. It's new, won't be crowded. As good a school as SBHS academically. All true.

    I don't think that Lansdowne cares about SBHS at all. They just want a local HS that isn't several communities away. SBHS just happens to be the obvious local school, that's all.

    THS is in a very bad location for Lansdowne residents. The commute will be awful in rush hour traffic and far worse than the commutes of any of the surrounding neighborhoods. Even though distance is the only thing wrong with THS, it's a big thing. Distance also brings with it the problems of distant friends, new drivers on dangerous roads, increased traffic for the community at large, longer bus rides for students and thus longer school day, difficulty scheduling after school activities as a result, leaving all their friends in Ashburn etc, etc.

    For the parents of younger children who think they don't care about the THS location, let's talk after you've had to fit your life around the commute to THS. Even if you don't work outside the home, you'll still be commuting with the rest of the world that does when your kid misses the bus etc. There are lots of sports and evening activities and performances, school events etc that will also require making the hike frequently.
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  12. What are the options for Lansdowne? Will the decision be challenged?
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  13. If all you want is a local high school, then why are you fighting against getting one built closer to Route 7? You are willing to spend money on HS6 and shift THOUSANDS of kids around, but are not willing to spend money on a school that is closer to you? I'm willing to bet that the new school would be closer than SBHS.

    Must be some other reason....
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  14. So Lansdowne is going to THS for sure.....
    What about the options? What do you want the outcome to be on Dec. 8th?
    I am for option 1-Phasing is not is the best interest of the school or the kids. I have a rising 9th grader and a rising 10 grader. I certainly can't be two places at once...band, sports, drama...where is that community BOB??
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  15. Landsdowne folks with kids in SBHS already should (of course) all have the right to choose to have them finish where they started (as Bob said).

    If you have two kids, one in SBHS already and a rising 9th-grader going to THS, you will have to A) deal with it or B) voluntarily move your older child to THS too with your rising 9th grader or C) carpool with others in the same position or D) figure out how to be in two places at once.

    This is the problem of being banished to a distant community's school. I don't see how a phasing vs no phasing plan changes your situation. And, there are lots of parents with a single child attending SBHS that will certainly want their child to finish there.
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  18. I just deleted two comments, something I've never done before. One was in favor of the Lansdowne-to-THS move, the other opposed. Each went for namecalling and I deleted them in an attempt to discourage further escalation.
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  19. The lack of compassion for the Lansdowne residents by Ashburn Farm residents is extremely frustrating and divisive. It's especially wrong since the kids that are being cast away are the friends of the Ashburn Farm parents leading the charge. But then, we don't care about the kid's community, it's all about the HOA. Kids have no political power. The school board should not be in this business.

    I'm sure this lack of compassion isn't universally true but the chairman of the school board himself even engaged in class-warfare rather than a reasonable and logical debate. And then, never even apologized for his outrageous comments. He just kept the fight going and offered nothing to bring the communities together at all, it was all about winning for Ashburn Farm at the expense of anything else. Nobody is waiting for an apology from Mr dupree, people should be true to their principles even if their principles are no principles at all. He has.

    And I'm sorry, the comparison of the past Ashburn moves from corner-A to corner-B in their own community to what is being proposed for Lansdowne is just silly. Adn the comparison of the staff plan move of some kids to Briar Woods to the Lansdowne move is also silly. There is no comparison between the two.
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  20. Let's talk about compassion. If you remember from the spring, the sections of Ashburn Farm that were proposed to move are the same sections that were moved 2 years ago from Belmont Ridge to Eagle Ridge.

    So, what that means is those kids were separated from their friends in middle school only to be reunited with them at the start of high school. Had the plan been approved, those same kids would have been separated from those same friends they started middle school with, again in high school - that makes 2 times in 3 years they were separated from their friends.

    Lansdowne residents were totally supportive of that plan.

    And if you want to talk about temporary moves, those same sections started at Eagle Ridge only to be moved to Belmont in 2004. And then they were moved out of Belmont back to Eagle in 2007. Had last spring's plan been approved, that would be 3 moves in 6 years for us. You were okay and VERY supportive of that.

    I understand your concerns about being separated from friends, temporary moves, etc. My kids have been through it. And Lansdowne supported moving us again last spring.

    And now you are fighting against getting a high school built closer to your home than any current high school. Doesn't make sense.

    The perception I have is that Lansdowne wants everyone in the DN to share in the burden of boundary changes, as long as they don't have to move. Like it or not, that's my perception.
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  21. We will continue to "agree to disagree" on this unfortunately. And as for your conclusions about Lansdowne fighting against a new school...don't know where you're getting this. Lansdowne, just like Ashburn, would love to have schools in the right locations. From what I hear though, this is not in the budget in the forseeable future. Didn't Dr Hatrick say this the other night? There's nothing to fight over here. The only school in our near future is Loudoun Valley Estates.
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  22. Who thinks that Lansdowne is against having a high school built closer to our area? The idea to have Belmont Ridge MS feed into a new high school north of SBHS came out a Lansdowne community meeting that Lori Waters attended. Since that meeting a lot of action has taken place with the apparent result that there is no parcel large enough for this to be accomplished. This is a perfect long term solution for all groups involved, it just isn't going to happen. The alleged HS 8 north of the Greenway has been referred to as the phantom scholl - it will never exist.

    Got 100 acres at One Loudoun you want to donate?
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  23. Does that mean, then, that you agree there needs to be another high school in the northern Ashburn area? Regardless of whether it's in the budget or not.

    If do agree, then why are you not fighting to get it put into the budget, talking with the school board, the board of supervisors to let them know it's needed?

    Just sitting back and saying the only school in our future is in LVE helps to drive the perception.

    I would think that if you were truly concerned about the amount of moves, putting schools where they are needed, proximity, feeder schools, etc, you'd be out there fighting for it.

    I would also think that if all the communities were telling the school board and the board of supervisors schools are needed in northern Ashburn, then they'd probably agree and work towards that goal. It may not happen as soon as we want, but at least we'd all have the long term vision for what we'd have and could really work towards making it happen.
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  24. Who said anything about Lansdowne (or anybody else) fighting against a new school? Everybody wants that. New schools should cause a redrawing of the attendance zones contiguous with the new school, not distant neighborhoods, that's all.

    THS is in a very bad location for Ashburn-area kids and should cause redrawing of the lines in the Leesburg area, not the Ashburn area. It might pull some Ashburn area kids towards it a bit as a result...that would be normal as boundaries adjusted (permanently) to accommodate the new school.

    LVE is a different situation though, it actually is in DN, in Ashburn and will cause a southward shift, like it or not. We must utilize that existing capacity before buying more land somewhere else.

    The next Ashburn area high school at LVE is the only option in this economy and the school board would be very irresponsible to pursue other more-expensive options before using this land we own even if we did have the money to do so. The school board is accountable to the taxpayers.
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  25. If we didn't already own land, looking for "new" land in northern Ashburn would make sense. It isn't there to buy but it would be worth trying to buy there "first" before moving on to purchase land where it is big enough and for sale.

    The fact is that we need a new high school in the Ashburn-area, it doesn't have to be in the northern-Ashburn area. We'll just need to adjust Ashburn-area boundaries to accommodate the new school and open seats, that's all. The good news is that after that, the Ashburn area should be done with temporary moves.

    We can't ignore the existing-and-owned land capacity any more than we ignored the existing seats capacity, right?
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  26. I think people are forgetting. LVE land will be needed to provide a HS to the growing populating there. It will be fed by Stone Hill MS which currently feeds I believe two other local HS. They will not have room for the rest of Ashburn to come to that school becuase that area will fill it. Even with the LVE property, we will ne ANOTHER HS school.
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  27. This is a terrible situation. One that could have been planned for. When Lansdowne was built, there had to be a place for them to attend school. That was never considered. Now there is no place to go. Ashburn Farm will crowd out Broadlands in Briar Woods and Brableton too. While this is all "Ashburn" they are separate communities too. Lansdowne has been given an opportunity to stay together as a community, no one is splitting them into pieces. Ashburn Farm would be diced up and sent to three different schools. Would you want that for your neighborhood? Some could go to Heritage, some to Tuscarora and a few could stay at StoneBridge. No one wants to see their kids hurt or moved from their friends, but there is no place to go. If you think Briar Woods is any closer to Ashburn Farm than Tuscarora is to Lansdowne, take the drive down Belmont Ridge Road. Or if that is too dangerous, due to no lights in the dark, take the long way there. It is about 20 minutes if you go on roads that are actually finished. I wouldn't even mind driving there if it meant my child could be in a less crowded school and smaller classes. Or could walk from class to class with out having to shove their way through the halls.

    The real issue is that is not going to happen. Briar Woods is over crowded, Stone Bridge is over crowded, Broad Run is over crowded. HS-6 does not exist and when it does it will be filled with people that live there. Right now, Tuscarora is empty and seems to be the only option. Is it ideal, heck no, but does it mean that our children get to be in smaller classes, have more opportunities for smaller classes, more one on one attention, more opportunities for sports, library passes etc. Yes, that is what is actually important here, Our children, not who their friends are because they make friends all the time, every year someone new is in a class. It is how they spend their time learning and what opportunities are available as they go through school.
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  28. Given the projected growth in the Ashburn area I don't know how Ashburn can avoid future boundary changes. From today's Leesburg Today:

    "To highlight the level of growth expected in the near future throughout Loudoun, Sam Adamo, director of planning and legislative services, presented statistics on the number of approved homes that have yet to be constructed in the county, the number of new students they will generate, and the number of schools needed to accommodate said new students. Adamo's presentation also showed there were 1,258 building permits issued between January and July 2009. Over the course of 2008, 2,391 building permits were issued.

    East of Rt. 28, only six new single-family detached homes have been approved for construction to date, along with 221 single-family attached homes and 116 multi family units. In all, these new homes will generate 148 new students, requiring just one-tenth of a new elementary school.

    The Ashburn area has significantly more growth in its future, with 724 single-family detached homes yet to be built, as well as 312 townhouses and 2,271 multi-family units. Once constructed, Adamo said the already approved development would produce 1,379 students requiring .8 new elementary schools, .2 new middle schools and .2 new high schools.

    Even more growth is expected in the Broadlands and Brambleton areas, with 3,936 single-family homes, 5,562 townhouses and 6,389 multi-family units that will generate 7,921 new students overall, according to Adamo's presentation. That construction would require 4.6 new elementary schools, 1.3 new middle schools and 1.2 new high schools."
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  29. Please, Adamo's planning "expertise" is what got us into this mess to begin with!
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  30. Adamo can't plan what he doesn't have. He's only the messenger. And when you have an entire puzzle to solve optimally BUT only one piece is allowed to be moved, you can't really get to the optimal solution. This isn't Adamo's fault. Adamo as we saw in the spring would have approached this problem differently.

    Thank the BOS and the school board politics for this mess.
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  31. I must add that Dr Adamo presented attendance projections for Lansdowne that have turned out to be correct. That school board chose to use the projections provided by the developer, causing much of the problem that we face today.
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  32. Even a blind squirrel gets lucky sometimes and finds an acorn.
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  33. One of the difficult side effects of living in a rapidly growing community is FREQUENT school boundary changes and lack of permanence in those changes.

    This is not an issue unique to Lansdowne. Ashburn has felt these growing pains for the past 20 years.

    So far, Lansdowne has lucked out and not felt the impact of school boundary changes. Now - it seems the growing pains must begin.

    Asking for a permanent boundary to be established in these circumstances is nearly impossible. It is like asking for a set of clothing for young child that will permanently fit until they are fully grown.

    Living in a new community has many advantages. There are also some disadvantages - like the growing pains caused by increased populations in the schools.
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  34. Hey John Stevens,

    If you are so concerned about name-calling why not delete the entry that calls your colleague, Robert DuPree "unprincipled". Nothing could be further from the truth.
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  35. I am open to suggestions....what would you like to label an elected official (chairman, no less) that publicly disparages a community the way he did during the April 28 boundary meeting? And, along with the responsibilities of his position, he should be setting a respectful example for the entire community. He did not do this. And to make matters worse, he hasn't apologized or shown any degree of remorse. As a taxpayer, I find this extremely disappointing. In case you weren't there, go back and listen to his comment.

    And by the way, his comments, while inappropriate, are inaccurate as well. The Lansdowne residents didn't take a vote to not build a school, and we all know that the Resort's golf courses have nothing to do with the matter at hand.

    What happened to "treat the communities equally"? Does this code of conduct not apply to simple common decency and courtesy?
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  36. What does happen to "Treat communities equally?" From John Stevens web site April 30, 2009.
    "There are many other factors that many people are debating: Past Ashburn Farm moves, contiguous communities, travel distance, walkability, dangerous roads, overcrowding, fairness, the feeder system. These are all legitimate concerns. In my mind though, the question of Lansdowne's permanent home overrides all of them." Is this comment being fair to all? He is obviously only concerned with what happens to Lansdowne.

    Although he has left this on his blog, he did cross it out realizing how biased towards Lansdowne Mr. Stevens is.

    Thanks you Mr. Dupree for all that you have done.
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  37. I've been away - Wow, you guys have been busy.
    Back to business.

    To the post starting "This is a terrible situation" which states "It is about 20 minutes if you go on roads that are actually finished.".

    Three words, "take a car". If you do that, you'll see that it's only a few minutes, similar in fact to the shorter distance that Lansdowne currently commutes to SBHS. (although I must applaud the poster's initial compassion, courtesy and commitment to a healthy lifestyle no matter how far the walk)

    To the "Let's talk about compassion." post:

    The poster complains about the ERMS kids being separated 2 years ago from their friends that remained at BRMS. And they go on to complain about how they would be separated from those same kids again if they were to not go to SBHS to rejoin them.

    It seems odd to me that the friends from two or three years ago (when the kids were 10 to 13) are more important than the current (high school age) friends that they have been with the last three years at ERMS that will be moving on to BWHS. Why wouldn't the current friends have priority? Doesn't make any logical sense.

    Also, it seems ironic that the BRMS kids that the ERMS poster wants so desperately to
    rejoin (as a basis for not moving to BWMS) are the very kids that the same Ashburn parents are pushing to have shipped away to THS. Anybody find this ironic?
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  38. To the 9:26am poster - go back and read the post again.

    The kids that were proposed to move last spring were separated from their friends at BRMS starting in 8th grade. THEY WENT TO ERMS FOR 1 YEAR (8th grade)! THEY WENT TO BRMS FOR 2 YEARS (6th & 7th grade). NOW, THEY HAVE BEEN GOING TO SBHS FOR 2 YEARS.

    Thus, they were reunited with the friends they started at BRMS with in 6th grade as freshman at SBHS.

    Don't know what is so hard to understand about that!

    Oh yeah, go back and read the post again. I never said anything about shipping your students to Tuscarora. I simply said my perception is that you don't feel you ever have to move.
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  39. Here's a question I haven't seen addressed. Currently, some students in Lansdowne (the town center and the Camdem apartments) attend Belmont Station Elementary in Ashburn and Belmont Ridge Middle. Will these kids also be moved to Tuscarora or will they stay in the Stonebridge feed? What about other kids who get overflowed from Seldens to other elementary schools (as is likely to happen in the next few years)? How does the county handle these situations?

    (Sorry I posted this under the wrong thread initially.)
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  41. Some may feel squeamish about eating it, but rabbit has a fan base that grows as cooks discover how easy they are to raise — and how good the meat tastes.
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