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McSPaCES Questionnaire 

09/15/2019 

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Firstly, I would like to thank this group for your initiative and work to improve the state of your community. I have been paying close attention to overcrowding issues and believe it will be critical to engage all stakeholders in open and honest conversations about what options exist. 

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

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    As an at-large member, it would be my duty to examine the county as a whole. As you all have come to experience firsthand, many schools have been facing overcrowding issues for a long time without a sustainable solution or path forward. This is the result of short-term solutions over time that have not involved a countywide examination of population trends and changes. 

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    Short-term, I hope to identify underutilized space options and evaluate options with nearby school communities and stakeholders to see what is feasible. As we know, neighboring schools are significantly under capacity and we see these “hot spots” all over the county. There is talk of building an additional high school as well. I plan to examine best practices of nearby and other excelling jurisdictions to learn from the best and be trendsetters where we can. 

Long-term, I would like to propose for stakeholder review a predictable overcrowding and boundary review process that requires citizen input and projects possible changes in advance (similar to the budget process). Trailers and similar short-term “band-aids” are not sustainable solutions and pose safety concerns for parents. Once such a process is in place, we can more responsibly address overcrowding countywide and plan for the future such that we anticipate and avoid these problems. 

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

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    This is certainly difficult to predict because it will depend on the willingness of future colleagues to address this. In my view, my hope is to have the long-term review process in place within two years, after which short-term solutions will only be necessary for another two years (the goal would be to have implementation accomplished in that time). Short-term can certainly be explored in the meantime. 

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    I emphasize, though, that I cannot in good faith make any commitments or informed projections here given that I have not yet experienced the cohort dynamics and do not even know who they will be. 

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

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   Absolutely-- students who do not feel safe in our buildings cannot properly focus on learning and growing. Still, it will be important to base our decisions on data and information that we know factually characterizes the situation.

 

 

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

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    One Fairfax is a welcome and overdue policy for our community-- we all agree that anyone in this county is entitled to achieve their full potential regardless of their background. I am proud of the fact that it was a unanimous, bi-partisan decision that is now the policy governing our county. 

Having said that, One Fairfax now shapes how we think about all county-wide decisions, and my role as an at-large member in particular is to promote excellence for every student in our county. I commit to being there for families of all backgrounds and affiliations. When I think about overcrowding, I see that McLean high school being at 114% capacity means that we are not providing the best to those students. It means that class sizes are too big and student:teacher ratios are too high. It also means we have trailers that put students in precarious or uncomfortable situations and students have even less access to the already-overworked counselors and support staff. One Fairfax directs us as a school system to ensure that children access the best regardless of where they happen to be. This means we must address overcrowding in a serious manner and plan for the future to ensure that such an outcome is not repeated. 

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     One Fairfax also brings more attention to issues like this enrollment imbalance and puts responsibility on School Board to work with The Board of Supervisors to take a more holistic view beyond school policy alone. This partnership must look into zoning, housing, and commercial development when thinking about planning so that we are able to support community schools that reverse the marginalization currently embedded in the system. 

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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?

 

    As I stated earlier, if this was to even be considered, it would be far from a sustainable solution but one that may be necessary pending a comprehensive understanding of the impacts it may have, including spillover effects. This would be consistent with current School Board procedure in many other areas. I personally support a longer-view approach that reviews the county’s condition and proposes a long-term plan that prevents this from happening anywhere in Fairfax. I would also want to solicit community input and engage proactively before deciding. 

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

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    I am committed to fighting for the leader in every child here in Fairfax County and I want to hear from you all about the ways you would like to engage with me. I plan to reach out to everyone regardless of party affiliation and hope to engage families in a way that is proactive, accessible, inclusive, and transparent. 

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