Planning at it's best, or just politics?

Does this sound ridiculous to anyone else?

Quote from Leesburg2Day.com:

"The new Briar Woods band and the flag corp welcomed students to the new high school. Freshman Zack Bolen was the first student off the buses at Briar Woods, the member of the largest class at the new school where 459 students expected to show up this morning.

The Briar Woods with its green tin roof was mirrored this year by the opening of the blue-roofed Freedom High School in South Riding, which is the first time two high schools have opened simultaneously in Loudoun. Freedom opened with an estimated 542 students, which is more than Briar Woods, but only slightly more than one-third of both high schools’ 1,600-student capacities."

 

It doesn't just sound ridiculous, it IS RIDICULOUS!!

That's all I'm going to say so I don't get myself into trouble...

Danny

- - - - - - - - -
iPod 30GB
What are YOU listening to?

 

There is a long history behind the story of two schools opening at the same time.

South Riding residents were promised that they would get a high school in 2005 so their kids wouldn't have to be bussed to wherever it was they were going. The original plan had Freedom opening in 2005 and Briar Woods opening in either 2006 or 2007 (my memory is hazy here). So, that meant the Broadlands students would be bussed to South Riding, even though both Stone Bridge and Broad Run are closer.

Even stranger is that students in the class of 2008 would spend their freshman year at Stone Bridge, their sophomore year at Freedom, and senior year at Briar Woods! Their junior year would be either Freedom or Briar Woods, depending on when BW was built.

This caused a lot of uproar in Broadlands, and Broadlands residents petitioned the county to open up Briar Woods in 2005 to prevent these problems. So, for the first few years of each new school being open they'll be a less than capacity. However, given the projected rate of new residents flooding into this area, both schools are expected to be at capacity in 2008.

They probably should have built Briar Woods last year because Stone Bridge was over capacity then. Many students had to share lockers.

Win some, lose more.

--- John B.

 

This makes me laugh. We moved to Ashburn in 1988. The only school in the area was Broad Run High School. My son was in 2nd grade. He was bused to Arcola Elementary and attended there right up to 4th grade. In 5th grade - the first Ashburn Elementary school in Ashburn Village opened up. My son LOVED Arcola - I credit that school for wonderful teachers and a wonderful environment and they taught him great study habits. My son went on to Farmwell Middle school and then graduated from Broad Run, 5th in his class and graduated from UVA with honors. My point is - when we moved to Ashburn - I wasn't thrilled with our son having to go all the way to Arcola...on a bumpy road no less and attending school functions, etc. was not easy either with the distance, but we all accepted it and he had a wonderful experience. Sometimes - parents just need to roll with it. They can't make the world perfect for their kids all the time!

 

UVA? He could of chose a better school then that. Go Hokies

 

AFGM, again you are funny.

The history of HS-2 (now Freedom), was that it was originally projected to open in 2003, back in the 1998 CIP. HS-4 was simply designated as an Ashburn area HS then, and was not in the CIP at that time.

When the 1999 BoS came in, that year's CIP moved HS-2 back to 2004, and designated HS-4 at Brambleton. The 2000 CIP (adopted in 2001) moved HS-2 back to 05, and moved Brambleton a year closer. The 2001 CIP kept HS-2 at 05, but moved Brambleton up to 05 as well, with the rec to switch them. During these years Dominion (which was not in the CIP at all until the year it switched with HS-2) opened.

While this was going on, the service boundaries for the existing facilities kept changing to accomodate ongoing growth, with the result that more and more unbuilt land was moved into Stone Bridge, resulting in Brambleton site moving from the Broad Run projection area (where Freedom also was) in the year that it was proposed they switch.

When they both were placed on bond in 2002 (and anyone who thinks Mr. Burton cobbled that together to make anyone "feel better" is truly delusional), there were nearly 4000 occupied homes in SR, (one of 22 active subdivisions south of rte 50), and 0 occupied homes in Brambleton.

Let's see the Sept 30 enrollment figures. Freedom was hiring new teachers as recently as Friday because of the number of kids over projection, and more register every day. (Mercer, another "unneeded school", is near 900 if not over already, as is Little River). How many kids SHOULD we bus to Broad Run and Stone Bridge in perpetuity, with the price of gas going up and the roads improving at the pace of a glacier?

AFGM, if you're that angry I won't play with your HIV scare on the other thread, why don't you call me out openly here too? I realize that feigning ignorance so you can pick a fight by proxy is a fun game for you, but like your convenient anonymity, it has some holes in it.

Barbara Munsey, from South Riding.

 

I have have to agree with tyqer31 one needs to roll with it especially in a new area. lived here since 1988??? Good point almost 20 years later and this area is still a new dynamic area and constant change is and will be inevitable for some peoples lifetime if they live in Loudoun. Just around us growth is going to take many a dramatic twist and changes, there is still enough land left for development for the rest of some of our lives. Moorefield Station alone which could be the next Tysons corner and probably will be with rail coming there has hardly begun. The end is a longs way off if ever. Can't blame the school or area we all made choices to live here. My kids graduated from broadrun and it was excellent. Yet I have seen some kids around us that the experience was awful. Kids were bussed to boardrun from southriding for years and most of them turned out excellent. So my point is. It is what you make it one can always move.

Does not sound ridiculous in a high growth area to me we all made the choice to live here and the developers will rule no matter what, Just kidding well maybe not.

Lee J Buividas

 

P.S.--as of this weekend, there were closer to 600 at Freedom registered. Note the careful language in the article that does not give an exact verified figure. We'll see the exact figures for both published after 9/30.

Barbara Munsey, from South Riding.

 

I will add what do you want a overcrowded school or undercrowded school.

These schools will fill up like the speed of light over the next few years and then people will again be unhappy when over crowded. Just look at the amount of homes around here yet to be built and add condos and apartments which have yet to really get started. The roads especially since the airport is in the way are certainly going to fill to overcapacity and again with the airport blocking any possibility of anymore major east west cooridors. The nightmare has yet to begin. I am so glad I don't have to commute. The few times I have gone to Downtown dc during the rush hour I have no clue how people do this day after day, including the trip home.

That is another topic.

Lee J. Buividas

 

I don't know what the cost per year to run either new HS is, but imagine that building them both earlier has saved a good deal on the ever increasing construction costs. However, will the cost savings be more than the cost to run the schools for an extra year or two I don't know. I agree that it is better them both built early so the kids can stay in one school for their entire HS career if possible. Changing schools each year is tough enough, but doing so during HS is even tougher on the kids. Athletically as well it provides the schools with at least a peer school for a couple of years as they build up their enrollments.

 

It is true there was a significant savings--both went to bond at approx $54M, and came in at between $33M and $34M apiece. The $15M county staff "found" recently was actually turned back to the BoS by the school board some time ago as the amount not needed when the schools were realized.

For AFGM, I just pulled my adopted 02 CIP--the one that was used to set both on bond in 02. It shows 967 projected enrollment at Briar Woods, for a 60.4% utilization of opening capacity. Per Sam Adamo, less 22% for grandfathered seniors would bring it to 754 for three grades at opening. Freedom was listed at 625, or 39.1%--less 22% for seniors and that means we were to expect 487 on opening day. I have my other CIPs back to 98, both Nov projected and Jan adopted. If you like, I'll pull the numeric history of the entire projection process. Let me know, okay?

Barbara Munsey, from South Riding.

 

Bravo to you Barbara and others that are tired of the BS here from some of these people on the forum especially from some of those undercover.

Thanks
Lee J Buividas

AMIN. maybe you might think of requiring real names and address that can be checked it is required on some other forums I belong to. It certainly gets rid of a lot of BS and flame wars. Just a suggestion!!!!!

 

Lee-
The HOA has previously considered your suggestion and decided against it. The Board Admins. has complete freedom to delete/edit posts as they see fit.

 

Barbara, thanks for the offer. Please pull all the numeric numbers I think it would be interesting to the forum.

 

AFGM, I'll be delighted to pull up the numeric numbers for you (and the figgers and ciphers too!). Two boxes up from the basement, plus the file folders...in researching the issue, I had to go to North Street and make copies of some CIPs, because the Government Center had somehow lost their copies and the only ones (literally--ones) left were the North Street file copies. I wondered when they made the big move to Broadlands whether all the old books would make it!


Barbara Munsey, from South Riding.