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

 

Relief from over crowding at McLean needs to viewed from a three-dimensional time lens of short-term (1 to 3 years), intermediate term (3 to 5 years), and long term (5+ years). It also needs to viewed from a broader regional lens that covers the Langley and Marshall High School pyramids as well.

 

Short-term: While minor boundary changes and open-enrollment proposals from both sides of the political spectrum seem to be quick and relatively costless solutions, the practical implementation of these two are far more complex and time consuming and ultimately far more costly than is presently being assumed. They tend to overlook what can happen within the McLean High School pyramid/echo system which can be implemented far quicker and less costly and even with less involvement of the school board, such as;

 

• • More efficient utilization of space during the week (i.e. late pm-early evening courses) 

  • Greater collaboration with local colleges on students taking college equivalent courses. 

  • More online and summer class offerings.

  • More high school equivalent offerings to high achieving students at Longfellow Middle School.

Intermediate-term: McLean High School needs major renovations which will need to include additional space, more architecturally appropriate design (i.e. for the schools of the 21st century), and a more appropriate semi-urban campus. The present Capital Improvement Plan does not envision such actions anytime within what I consider long-term, let alone what should be considered intermediate-term. This is simply unacceptable to both McLean and other High Schools in the county that are facing such dire if not even more dire situations.

 

Long-term: Given the growth projections for Tysons in the coming decade and a half, and equally important, projections that are likely to be significantly lower in terms of demand for education from this expansion, the only long-term solutions for the school pyramids (Langley, Marshall, and McLean) that presently serve the area is a modern 21st century urban style (multi-story complex) High and Middle School in Tysons. Collaboration with business and financial institutions in the Tysons area will be needed to equip and partially finance this under taking, but let’s not kid ourselves into believing that we can continue to serve this increase with the three High Schools above. This effort needs to be socialized and discussed at the School Board and Board of Supervisors level as soon as possible. 

While I am very supportive of short-term solutions that can alleviate what is obviously unacceptable conditions for families, their children, teachers, and staff at McLean High School, I am concerned about the unintended consequences which may come about by concentrating only on short-term gains. 

Asking for short term assistance as part of a larger package of long-term goals is the most efficient route to take. What we should be doing right now is asking for McLean to move up in the queue for renovations in collaboration with other board members who are facing similar overcrowding conditions in their districts while beginning to socialize the idea of a new high school pyramid in Tyson's. 

However, by only asking for a minor boundary adjustment right now which a broad set of both Democrat and Republican endorsed members see as a gift/favor to a retiring representative without any long-term proposals will tie the hands of the next representative beginning in January. Neither side will be open to listening to even more requests for McLean after giving in to this amendment. 

What concerns me with the present course is that even with a minor boundary adjustment, which is likely to go into effect in either the 2020-21 or 2021-22 academic year, that brings McLean High School status to 100% of capacity or even slightly lower, we will find ourselves back to the 105% to 110% range of capacity within a few years and a school board which has fresh memories of this short term gift to Dranesville with little to no appetite to provide assistance on long-term solutions. 

Being tactical may "win us a battle" but failing to be strategic could ultimately "cost us the war".

 

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

Short-term solutions as mentioned in my response above that are well within the administrative abilities of McLean High School can be implemented relatively quickly and far quicker than minor boundary adjustments and/or open enrollment. 

 

Intermediate and long-term solutions as proposed above need to be taken up with the school board no later than the first year of the new representative. Time is of the essence here and my concern is the political gamesmanship and partisan bickering between the two political parties may prevent such solutions from being considered if not promptly brought to their attention. 

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

Safety and security have been and continue to be of paramount importance to parents who send their children to schools or colleges and should always be on the top of the priority list for any institution, in particular K-12 public education.

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

One Fairfax is about equality of opportunity. It is about nondiscrimination. It is about fairness. It is a 21st century rendition of the “Bill of Rights”. It is not about equality of outcome as the Democrats would like to make it into and it is not socialism as the Republicans claim it to be.

 

The 17 areas of focus for One Fairfax will guide me in proposing and promoting ideas that will allow a “level playing field” for all students in Fairfax County, not an “Equal Outcome” for all students. I will do my best to make sure, all students have equal access to resources that will allow them to succeed. What they choose to do with those resources and how it impacts their performance is then up to the students. My perspective has been and will be “Give everyone the same opportunity, and let the chips fall where they may.”

 

As such, I do not see One Fairfax impacting any of my decisions regarding over crowding at McLean or any other 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?

I generally do not support “band-aid” solutions which can be “feel good and primarily short-term” solutions to “long-term” structural problems in a vacuum. They must go hand in hand in order to be effective, otherwise the “band-aid” solutions are simply a kick the can down the road strategy of solving something quickly and at a low cost without consideration for the unintended consequences in the long-term”.  

 

I do support boundary changes between Langley and McLean High Schools only if accompanied by longer-term solutions such as bringing up McLean in the queue for renovations and building a new high school pyramid in Tysons. My fear is that we complete a minor boundary change and lose the political will to solve the structural problem which is the impact of population growth in Tysons on the demand for public education in the area.

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

Ladies & Gentlemen, when the Commonwealth of Virginia became the last state in the union to allow school boards to be elected in 1992, the vision was for a school board that would be nonpartisan with a membership that was independent. However, unlike many other jurisdictions, the independence was not defined and political parties were not prevented from getting involved. The result? Ever since the first elections, political parties have entered the equation and endorsed candidates in every election. The school board today is “Independent In Name Only”. Partisanship is alive and well barely minutes into each meeting. And it remains so meeting after meeting, year after year, and election after election. 

 

We have an opportunity in these elections to change all of that. We have an opportunity to elect an individual who chose not to seek nor accept the nomination or endorsement of a political party. A “True” independent. Political party endorsements do not come for free. They come with expectations, obligations, priorities, understandings and above all, they come with strict adherence to “ideology”, something that should be a million miles from our schools. 

 

"By all means, let's be for the right and the left in our beliefs. Let's be democrats and republicans. Let's be conservatives and liberals. This is America after all. But for this election, I ask of you to believe that the solutions to our challenges as it relates to our schools deserve "our solutions" and do not have "Democrat" or "Republican" solutions. Challenge me on this and permit me to challenge you. 

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After all, If not now then when? If not us then who?" 

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Ardavan Mobasheri