1) What actions would you take to relieve overcrowding at McLean High School? 

2) What would you consider a realistic time-frame to provide overcrowding relief? 

3) Should the safety and security of students be a high priority when considering boundary adjustments? 

4) How do you see the county's One Fairfax policy affecting solutions to the overcrowding at McLean High School? 

5) Do you believe boundary adjustments between McLean High School and Langley High School should be undertaken before any comprehensive, county-wide boundary study is initiated and completed? 

6) Is there any further information would you like to share with the McSPaCES membership?

 

 

    On September 12th, Janie Strauss, the RETIRING Dranesville district school board member of over 25 years, is NOW in the final weeks of her tenure proposing an amendment to the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) to START the process to address the overcrowding at McLean High School.  The students at McLean High School have been subjected to an unsafe learning environment for many years with over 500 students in 18 trailers this year! The students, faculty, and parents of McLean High School deserve better!  Mrs. Strauss' effort is way overdue and McLean should already be in the CIP and not subjected to more years of severe overcrowding.  

 

    I had the pleasure of meeting with McLean High School Principal Ellen Reilly and walked the entire school with her. I commend her leadership and commitment to excellence despite the overcrowding issue that hinders the students' access to a safe learning environment. She had to use instructional funds to furnish the additional 4 trailers and the school lockers were removed over the summer to help with overcrowding in the hallways. Students tell me it's like a stampede between classes and worry about their safety.

 

   Overcrowding has been an issue for many years but unfortunately, McLean HS has been neglected.  A boundary study should have been conducted when the renovation of Langley High School was being considered. This would have allowed proper planning and expansion for both Langley and McLean High Schools accordingly. 

 

   FCPS runs on a 37-year renovation cycle and has over 800 trailers which is completely unacceptable! The entire CIP process needs to be revised to be more efficient and effective and offer expedited relief to overcrowded schools. We have to be innovative and think outside the box!  

 

   Currently, there are two split feeder elementary schools, Spring Hill and Colvin Run. An immediate solution would be to have all students in these two schools be a part of the Langley pyramid. Students have expressed to me how difficult it was for them to not continue to middle school with their friends. The school communities should be consulted and the transition should be made effect next academic year. 

 

   Additionally, the student transfer process should be amended to allow students zoned for McLean HS which is overcapacity the choice to transfer to Langley HS which is currently under capacity. 

 

   Lastly, Langley HS should explore creating programs such as cybersecurity, software engineering or a skilled trade to entice students to transfer in. This will allow Langley the flexibility to adjust their annual enrollment accordingly and immediate relief to McLean High School.

 

   The McLean High School community deserves real solutions to alleviate the overcrowding and provide all students with a safe learning environment. In addition to the short-term solutions outlined, McLean High School needs to be approved for an addition.   

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Additional comments 

   The short-term solutions outlined in my Facebook post need to be acted on now. We don’t need to waste time and resources researching possible solutions when we already have viable options to implement. The McLean High School community has been subjected to gross overcrowding for far too long and deserve relief now! Additionally, FCPS needs to supply additional security immediately to protect the students and teachers in the trailers. Students are telling me they don’t participate in safety drills when they are in the trailers which is completely unacceptable. There must be an actionable safety plan in place to protect all students and teachers. 

 

  Lastly, I vow to fight redistricting based on the One Fairfax lens focusing on socio-economics and race. Students should not be used as pawns and bused to schools in order to falsely inflate academic performance of schools on paper. We must focus the school district’s $3 billion annual budget on providing the necessary resources to meet the needs of students in their community schools. 

 

Thank you,

 

Anastasia S. Karloutsos

Dranesville District Candidate 

Fairfax County School Board