Dear Superintendent Reid and Members of the School Board,
I’m writing to express my strong opposition to the proposed boundary change that would remove Timber Lane Elementary from the McLean High School pyramid. While this may appear to be a logistical decision about balancing enrollment or reducing bus times, the implications are far deeper. This change would eliminate a vital connection between socioeconomic diversity and academic opportunity—one of the few such bridges remaining in this part of Fairfax County.
Timber Lane is a Title I school that serves a diverse and economically disadvantaged student body. Its alignment with McLean High School provides students access to one of Virginia’s top-performing schools, along with its strong academics, extracurriculars, and college prep programs. To sever this alignment would be to close off opportunity and reinforce socioeconomic isolation in a system that should be striving for integration, not division.
McLean High School already serves a largely affluent population. Including Timber Lane brings much-needed diversity to the community and aligns with the values of equity and inclusion that FCPS claims to uphold. Reassigning these students to lower-performing schools not only reduces their access to opportunity but also accelerates a troubling shift toward a class-based school system.
This proposal has lacked transparency and fails to offer a clear, evidence-based rationale. If FCPS is serious about providing equitable access and inclusive environments, then Timber Lane must remain part of the McLean pyramid. This decision is about more than boundaries—it’s about living up to the values that should define our public schools.