The Connection

Poised to observe its annual summer recess from July 19 to Aug. 19, 2024, during its meeting on the evening of July 18, the Fairfax School Board voted 9 to 2 on the main motion that the School Board amend Policy 8130 on Local School Boundaries, Program Assignments, and School Closings, as amended and detailed in the agenda item attachment. Dr. Ricardy J. Anderson, Mason District, and Melanie K Meren, Hunter Mill District, voted no. Their motions for middle and high school phase adjustments failed.

The change supports a focus on school capacity and overcrowding.

During community participation, the audience booed speaker Robert Rigby Jr. as he delivered his statement to the board via video. He discussed the issue of overcrowding in schools and expressed his support for the planned policy change. Chairman Karl Frisch demanded decorum from the crowd and warned them to do so, or security would ask them to leave. At other times, the crowd shouted over board members and speakers.

In a related action, the School Board approved two follow-on motions after approval of the amended policy: 1.That the School Board direct the Superintendent to adjust the boundaries/capacity at Glasgow Middle School during the implementation of the county-wide boundaries adjustment anticipated after the completion of the initial review of school boundaries to include a Regional community engagement in Region 2 and in the Justice HS pyramid. (Motion by Dr. Ricardy Anderson, Seconded by Sandy Anderson) 2. That the School Board direct the Superintendent to, in addition to the community engagement outlined in Policy 8130, Section VI, which includes engagement before the cyclical review begins and after changes are recommended, establish an advisory committee consisting of community members to provide feedback throughout the review process. (Motion by Kyle McDaniel | Seconded by Sandy Anderson).

Community Participation

Isabell Olverson, a rising 7th grader at Cooper Middle School, expressed concerns about removing policy language that considers the impact on students and critical 'grandfathering' for 6th–12th-grade students. "Stability is crucial, especially during these formative years. Constantly changing schools can disrupt not just my academic journey but also my social life and extracurricular activities … I hope we can find a solution that allows students like me to benefit from advanced academic programs without the constant disruption of changing schools," Isabella said. 

Ryan St. Pierre urged the board to pause the revision of policy 8130 until meaningful community engagement occurs. "Shifting districts should be based on clear data-driven criteria and be the last resort after exhausting other alternatives." 

Edward Phillips of the Great Falls Citizens Association again "respectfully ask[ed] the board to pause its action and create more opportunity to engage with the entire county on this critical policy."

John Smith explained that establishing local public schools was historically an exercise in community building, helping to forge "a powerful sense of community through common investment in the children."

FairFACTSMatters created a petition, garnering over 1,700 signatures. It asked the school board to clarify why they included the “equitable access” criterion in the policy language for boundary line redrawing yet failed to specify the implementation, prioritization and measurement of equitable access to programs. 

Speaker Robert Rigby Jr. commented, "I hope all speakers speak with charity and kindness toward all people, residents, and children of this county." Rigby said that, as a former FCPS teacher, he substituted in every district in the county and experienced overcrowding at each. He supported the revisions to Policy 8130 and the proposal from School Board member Dr. Ricardy Anderson because they increased transparency by bringing boundary changes to light. "We'll have them when they come up for the March public discussion ... These boundary changes are made by our elected school board members, who are accountable in the eyes of their constituents in Fairfax County," Rigby said.

The board should consider boundary changes every five years as circumstances change; spectators booed and made loud comments. Here, Frisch said, "Please stop the video.” Rigby was testifying via recorded video. “Observe decorum, or security will ask you to leave." 

Quiet returned, and Frisch requested that the interrupted video resume. Rigby concluded by saying that the piecemeal approach over the past five years has led them to "a truly dire situation."

FairFACTSMatters Virginia posted four concerns regarding the proposed policy amendments. According to the group: (1) Community Instability: It requires county-wide boundary evaluations at least every five years, introducing significant instability for families, neighborhoods, and businesses. (2) Short-Term Thinking: Boundary changes are a short-term tool not addressing underlying issues impacting Fairfax County Public Schools. The school board is reluctant to consider alternative approaches, such as overhauling the process for approving renovations and building new schools. (3) No Meaningful Community Input: The school board is rushing to adopt a policy that significantly broadens its authority, with no opportunity for meaningful community input. (4) Inconsistent Data: The school board cannot provide consistent data to support boundary policy change needs.

School Board Discussion and Action

During board discussions before the vote, school board member Sandy Anderson said 44 schools are over capacity or will be by 2029, 22 schools have attendance islands, and 44 schools are split feeders. 

School board member Mateo Dunne supported the boundary policy changes. Shifts would be infrequent and primarily used to alleviate students' long commutes to school.

Loud cheers erupted when school board member Dr. Ricardy Anderson proposed phasing guidance to protect students when switching schools. Despite Anderson’s and Meren's efforts to codify phasing protections for students, including preventing forced moves for high school sophomores and juniors, the school board voted down the amendments.

What is Policy 8130, Amended in 2024?

According to FCPS.edu/news, the approved Policy 8130 aims "to help ensure better student achievement through enhanced instructional quality, budget optimization, and strengthened student well-being." The policy is a "guide." It creates a "framework" with four unranked criteria the division superintendent uses when considering future adjustments.

The four unranked criteria are: (1) Equitable access division-wide to programs and facilities and how that affects school programs and populations. (2) Using student enrollment projections to ensure available capacity is balanced division-wide and that school facilities are used most efficiently and effectively while avoiding or getting rid of split feeders as much as possible. (3) Proximity is crucial in promoting contiguous attendance zones and maintaining neighborhood groupings, including condominiums and apartment complexes, to prevent or eliminate attendance islands. (These occur when a specific school boundary is not adjacent to the rest of the school's boundary.) (4) Transportation should be designed to ensure the safety of walking and busing, limit the duration of transportation, and ensure efficient routes connecting the attendance areas. [Source: https://www.fcps.edu/news/fairfax-county-school-board-updates-policy-guide-future-boundary-considerations]

The agenda item provides greater details concerning Policy 8130, as does Boarddocs.