Comments on Our Loudoun Schools: Lansdowne & Ashburn Farm: My Take

question-- the ONLY reason I hear as to WHY Lansdo...

2009-05-14T15:57:00.000-04:00

question-- the ONLY reason I hear as to WHY Lansdowne cannot go to Tuscarora is that is "breaks" the feeder system. So... since we have no real feeder system in Dulles North this arguement really can't hold water- what's fair is fair. So- what is the REAL reason that Lansdowne doesn't want to go to Tuscarora?? I really don't understand.

Right, all the planning commission cares about is ...

2009-05-14T09:42:00.000-04:00

Right, all the planning commission cares about is the feeder system. They don't care that DN35 has been moved 2 times since 2004. Evidence being the staff's proposal moving them again in high school to fit the feeder system. That would be 3 times in 5 years.

I just don't understand all the talk of feeder systems being so beneficial, yet at the elementary school level, it doesn't apply. You've got elem schools split between clusters. Kids that start school together will not see each other in school ever again, unless of course, they live in DN35. In which case they may get to see each other for a year, then get moved, then get moved again to see each other for another year, and then get moved again. All for the benefit of the entire DN!!!

The comment about Sanders Corner becoming a split...

2009-05-14T09:25:00.000-04:00

The comment about Sanders Corner becoming a split cluster was not the staff's proposal is wrong. When the staff recommendations came out 3 years ago it had DN35 moving back to Eagle Ridge. DN14 was added later.

It's disheartening what is being done to this school with it's small attendance area and it's tight knit community. Kids from DN35 and DN12 are both walkers and can be seen every afternoon playing together while their parents converse. To think after 5th grade these kids will never be in school together again is heartbreaking.

I have learned through this whole process that it ...

2009-05-14T09:21:00.000-04:00

I have learned through this whole process that it doesn't matter what is fair - nobody outside of Ashburn Farm cares that we have been split so many times. Just as long as it doesn't happen to them.

If you are not in Ashburn Farm, you care about 2 things: 1) the feeder system and 2) Lansdowne does not have to go through ANY school changes.

I am still struggling to understand why it's okay ...

2009-05-14T07:46:00.000-04:00

I am still struggling to understand why it's okay to pick apart bits and pieces of Ashburn Farm to send to random schools while keeping all other communities together. Why are the rules not applying to the Farm? If we're going to go down this road, we need to seriously consider the implications. All the communities in DN (and the rest of the county) are going to be at risk of being split up among different high schools.

If the faulty thinking continues, we're going to end up with some of Ashburn Farm at Briar Woods, some at Stone Bridge and some at Broad Run. How does that make sense and how is that fair to the residents of Ashburn Farm?

Had the opportunity to drive by the Tuscarora site...

2009-05-13T21:28:00.000-04:00

Had the opportunity to drive by the Tuscarora site today. What a beautiful location for a high school- take a look Lansdowne, you may just like it better! Distance wise, less than the distance from Stone Bridge to Briar Woods. Roads, safe. Just what is the problem? I really don't get it. Lansdowne is further away from Stone Bridge than the most distant home in Ashburn Farm. Really- feeder system? Can't work for Eagle Ridge or Stone Hill so why for Belmont? My only guess is one Leesburg doesn't want Lansdowne or 2- Lansdowne has a problem with going there.

Anybody happen to see Dr. Adamo's comments in the ...

2009-05-13T10:14:00.000-04:00

Anybody happen to see Dr. Adamo's comments in the Ashburn Connection newspaper?

I find his comments very disrespectful and offensive. He says some parents are acting like hobos on the road all the time.

He also says that the "modernization" of HS6 was delayed by the school board and that it is now slated to open in 2012 and not next year. What the heck does that mean? I've never heard of any of this.

And this guy is supposed to be leading the planning commission? He needs to take a step back and realize who these schools are really for, the kids. He treats this whole boundary process as just moving numbers around to fit the capacities of the schools.

DN35 was also moved in 2004, from Eagle Ridge to B...

2009-05-13T10:07:00.000-04:00

DN35 was also moved in 2004, from Eagle Ridge to Belmont Ridge. So in the span of 3 years, they were moved from Eagle Ridge to Belmont Ridge and back to Eagle Ridge.

Now this staff plan would move them again. If approved, this would be 3 times in 5-6 years.

Totally unacceptable!!!

Mr.Stevens, You said, "I created matrices of the m...

2009-05-13T08:11:00.000-04:00

Mr.Stevens,
You said, "I created matrices of the major proposals against all of the possible future homes, at the planning zone level. The staff plan was the only one that did not move any planning zones twice. I have no personal affinity or loyalty to any of the neighborhoods in question here."

Are you aware that DN35 was moved 3years ago during the middle school process, and the staff plan would move them again? The same students that were moved during their middle school years will be moved in the midst of their high school years as a result of this plan. When you analyze the newly revised staff plan, please consider the recent previous boundary changes as well as future ones. The current staff plan moves the SAME KIDS twice. I hope you will stay true to your statement and not vote for a plan that moves the same zone twice.

"Please tell me that the School Board is not serio...

2009-05-12T13:13:00.000-04:00

"Please tell me that the School Board is not seriously considering sending DN 26 to Broad Run????"

Take a look at Adamo's future plan 1. It is on the Board Docs web-site- now this may change if a different plan is produced by staff for the HS boundaries. but... the intent is to send those 2 DNs to Broad Run.

I'd like to know why Sanders Corner elementary is ...

2009-05-12T13:11:00.000-04:00

I'd like to know why Sanders Corner elementary is in the Stone Bridge cluster, yet some kids that go there will go to Eagle Ridge, which is in the Briar Woods cluster.

Why WOULDN'T Sanders Corner Elementary be in the Stone Bridge Cluster??? Students who live across the street from Stone Bridge go to Sanders Corner!!! 3 years ago some students were sent from Sanders to Eagle Ridge MS to alleviate over crowding at Belmont Ridge MS. Although Sanders Corner students did not like this, Ashburn Farm doesn't have a middle school in their community and Landsdowne did, so that is what was done.
Now, those Sanders Corner kids who live closest to Stone Bridge should obviously go to Stone Bridge since it is within their community. Unfortunately, Lansdowne does not have a high school within their community so they should be the ones to alleviate the overcrowding of Stone Bridge.

I'd like to know why Sanders Corner elementary is ...

2009-05-12T11:57:00.000-04:00

I'd like to know why Sanders Corner elementary is in the Stone Bridge cluster, yet some kids that go there will go to Eagle Ridge, which is in the Briar Woods cluster.This was a compromise passed before I joined the School Board. It was not the staff's proposal. I can not speculate about the prior Board's intentions.

Please tell me that the School Board is not seriou...

2009-05-12T11:55:00.000-04:00

Please tell me that the School Board is not seriously considering sending DN 26 to Broad Run????The School Board is not currently considering any boundary plans. We are waiting for the results of discussions with the Board of Supervisors about school locations in the Dulles North area before proceeding. The boundary process will begin again in the fall, and will likely include the Broad Run HS attendance area.

Mr. Stevens, I'd like to know why Sanders Corner ...

2009-05-12T11:21:00.000-04:00

Mr. Stevens,

I'd like to know why Sanders Corner elementary is in the Stone Bridge cluster, yet some kids that go there will go to Eagle Ridge, which is in the Briar Woods cluster. It seems very inconsistent to have kids go to ES in one cluster, have some of those same kids go to MS in two different clusters and then some of those same kids go to HS in two different clusters. Seems very inconsistent from a planning perspective.

Mr. Stevens, Could you please explain about how...

2009-05-12T10:30:00.000-04:00

Mr. Stevens,
Could you please explain about how the boundaries for the High Schools now will include Broad Run?
I have a son that went to Elementary school at Cedar Lane, and this was a split feed to Farmwell and Eagle. He is now at Eagle Ridge. I am hearing that DN 26 might now be sent to Broad Run. Is there truth to this? Is Eagle Ridge going to become a triple split feed school? If there is truth to this, how is this at all fair? What about everyone's talk of one middle school feeding one high school? Now Eagle will feed 3 high schools???
One example of how the Farm kids really don't know the Village kids is their basketball league. My son plays in Two Ridges Basketball league, which is Belmont Ridge and Eagle Ridge. The kids in the Village play in the Farmwell basketball league. So there really is no interaction between the kids in the village and the kids in the Farm. So sending 1 DN out of the Farm to go to Broad Run would not at all be in the best interest of the students affected.

He would be sent to a school where he does not know anyone, except for a handful of kids that live in DN 26, and 1 DN from the Farm would not be with anyone else from the Farm.

Please tell me that the School Board is not seriously considering sending DN 26 to Broad Run????

the only constant in the lives of the kids of Ashb...

2009-05-11T21:40:00.000-04:00

the only constant in the lives of the kids of Ashburn Farm has been the neighborhood they live in. Their "school community" keeps changing! So how can "school community" be a viewed as something beneficial for the children and their families of the Farm?

"I agree about the Eagle Ridge situation. They sho...

2009-05-11T18:06:00.000-04:00

"I agree about the Eagle Ridge situation. They should not be split 3 ways, they should all attend Briar Woods. And ER 9th graders should start moving this fall to avoid transitions later."
And where do you propose that the Stone Hill kids go? They attend Briar Woods too-- should they move to Eagle Ridge too? This boundary situation has the potential to move THOUSANDS of kids all over if this "feeder system" is what is really wanted! I am not so sure that this arguement is not just for the benefit of keeping LD at Stone Bridge. Wonder if the same arguement will apply when Stone Bridge remains over-crowded and then someone else needs to go-- will LD still be crying feeders when it is THEIR neighborhood being split?

"If Lansdowne is "Leesburg" because of zip code; t...

2009-05-11T17:59:00.000-04:00

"If Lansdowne is "Leesburg" because of zip code; then Brambleton is "Ashburn" for the same reason. And in the Ashburn case, the neighborhoods are adjacent to one another."
haha, we dont' even SHARE a zip code with Brambleton!! It is not a neighborhood close to us! THEY go to Stone Hill Middle school. I have no reason to go there! I know only 1 person there and my kids know NO ONE! SO how exactly is this better?? Lansdowne is not next to Potomac Station?? Can you not walk to that neighborhood? I can't walk to Brambleton!

I wish all this were over. My kids have friends th...

2009-05-11T07:27:00.000-04:00

I wish all this were over. My kids have friends that will attend both SB and BW in a couple of years. I never liked this.

My kids could probably walk to SB. It's a long walk though and much safer if they ride the bus.

SB or BW; Either way is fine with me and with my kids. I have neighbors that feel the same way. And I have other neighbors who oppose the staff plan.

The loudest voices for all of these communites involved don't represent everybody. Often, they are just the ones with the most time on their hands. I'll be glad when it's over.

If Lansdowne is "Leesburg" because of zip code; th...

2009-05-11T07:11:00.000-04:00

If Lansdowne is "Leesburg" because of zip code; then Brambleton is "Ashburn" for the same reason. And in the Ashburn case, the neighborhoods are adjacent to one another.

Ashburn doesn't mind a Leesburg zipcode for their middle school, but even an Ashburn zipcode isn't good enough for their high school?

I agree about the Eagle Ridge situation. They should not be split 3 ways, they should all attend Briar Woods. And ER 9th graders should start moving this fall to avoid transitions later.

"Unable to open schools as quickly as planned, off...

2009-05-10T18:39:00.000-04:00

"Unable to open schools as quickly as planned, officials said their only option to alleviate crowding is to shift boundaries. "That's going to require us to begin utilizing existing facilities much more efficiently," Adamo said"

This was quoted from the Washington Post extra, December 11, 2008, story titled: "Construction Cuts Prompt Changes"
Hummmm.... wonder what happened between Dec 11 and March 10?

"Only instead of moving to another neighborhood sc...

2009-05-08T16:59:00.000-04:00

"Only instead of moving to another neighborhood school like Ashburn"

Why does everyone seem to think that Brambleton is Ashburn?Briar Woods is 6+ miles from my home. Yes, it has the zip code of Ashburn but is really is not Ashburn, kind of like Lansdowne is not really Leesburg.

"From what I hear about the 2 DNs that are separat...

2009-05-08T15:53:00.000-04:00

"From what I hear about the 2 DNs that are separated off in the staff plan from the contiguous blob of Stone Bridge attendance; those zones are next to be moved in order to resolve the slight split-feed that would result if they stayed at Stone Bridge. Whether you like it or not; at least it makes sense in the context of a pure feed of Eagle Ridge to Briar Woods."

The 2 "blobs" you speak of will go to BROAD RUN!
Ok, then explain DN 14- goes to Eagle and Stone Bridge, if you look at FUTURE plans that are posted in the School Board Docs site, they are to be moved but so does DN 12- they go to BELMONT, and they need to be moved because Stone Bridge will STILL be over-crowed.(Both of these DNs by the way are DIRECTLY across the street from Stone Bridge.) So NOW you will have only one small section of kids going to Belmont and then Briar Woods. Who gets the short end of the stick in all of this Ashburn Farm- and oh-- we will end up being in 3- yes THREE different high schools.(DN-13 remains at SB, guess because the school is in that DN) WHAT OTHER NEIGHBORHOOD IN LOUDOUN HAS A SPLIT, LET ALONE A 3 WAY ONE!!!
Is everyone aware that Eagle Ridge is a 3 way split between SB, BR and BW high schools? How does anyone plan to FIX that? Funny how the "feeder system" should only apply to Belmont- Stone Bridge. And over the course of all this juggling, my kid will be affected TWICE!

If the Reed plan had passed, the school board coul...

2009-05-08T14:58:00.000-04:00

If the Reed plan had passed, the school board could have allowed ALL the kids from Lansdowne that had already started at Stone Bridge to finish at Stone Bridge. Under the staff, the AF kids can't because there is no room. Little different.

If the Reed plan had been passed, everybody in Lan...

2009-05-08T14:27:00.000-04:00

If the Reed plan had been passed, everybody in Lansdowne with kids in the 8th grade at Belmont or 9th at SB now would have had their kids moved from Stone Bridge as Sophomores/Juniors to Tuscorora. Only instead of moving to another neighborhood school like Ashburn, they would have moved with only a few other kids to a new school where they didn't know anybody.

In the Ashburn case, the one-time move of the kids would have been to setup a feeder for all future kids, in the Lansdowne case, it would have been to forever destroy a feeder. Little different.

Ashburn better hope there is no karma, otherwise, they will be moved "together" to Tuscorora.