Under Construction…
When will the boundary changes take effect?
Implementation will be no earlier than Fall 2026: The exact timeline for implementing new boundaries has not yet been determined, as it will depend on the outcomes of the boundary review process and the decisions made by the Fairfax County School Board. Similarly, any other related implementation decisions, including allowing current students to remain at their existing schools, have not yet been determined. These considerations will take into account operational feasibility and the district’s educational goals.
How did we get here? Timeline of the ‘Comprehensive Boundary Review’
2024
- Boundary policy updates
- February-June: The School Board’s Governance Committee studied and considered potential updates to the Boundary Policy at several public meetings.
- June 25: The School Board held a public work session to consider and discuss the Governance Committee’s draft Boundary Policy updates.
- June 27 and July 11: Draft boundary policy updates were twice posted as new business for an upcoming School Board vote at its July 18, 2024 regular meeting.
- July 18: The School Board approved updates to the Boundary Policy (Policy 8130) at its July 18 Regular Public Meeting, completing a years-long comprehensive review of the policy for the first time in nearly four decades. Read the news release.
- Phase One: In person Community Engagement Meetings to discuss:
- Which challenges should be the top priority when we create the boundary scenarios?
- What are some important data or insights we should consider?
- What do you hope the outcomes of this boundary review process will be? How could this review process positively impact our community?
- What questions do you have about the next steps in this boundary review process?
- November 18 – This is our region, outputs linked below:
- Region 2 Community Meeting Scanned Graphic Organizers 11-18-2024
- Region 2 Community Meeting Scanned Poster Boards 11-18-2024
- Priorities from our region:
- Transparent and Equitable Process: Ensuring the boundary review process is open, fair, and inclusive, fostering trust and collaboration throughout the community.
- Focus on Academic Programming and Student Well-Being: Prioritizing decisions that support strong academic programs, student mental health, and efforts to reduce transportation times for a better overall school experience.
- Consistency in Middle School Grade Structures: Addressing the need for uniformity in grade configurations, such as aligning schools with consistent 6-8 or 7-8 models, to enhance academic and social continuity for students.
- December 2:
- December 3
- December 9
- December 12:
- December 18:
- Superintendent’s Boundary Review Advisory Committee Meetings
- December 6:Superintendent’s Boundary Review Advisory Committee Meeting
- Focus: level setting on process, IDing working/social media norms, committee roles and responsibilities
- December 16:Superintendent’s Boundary Review Advisory Committee Meeting
- Focus: reviewed data feedback themes and focused on how to make decisions, demo of Frontline GIS tool
- December 6:Superintendent’s Boundary Review Advisory Committee Meeting
2025
- Phase One: Virtual Community Engagement Meetings to discuss:
- Which challenges should be the top priority when we create the boundary scenarios?
- What are some important data or insights we should consider?
- What do you hope the outcomes of this boundary review process will be? How could this review process positively impact our community?
- What questions do you have about the next steps in this boundary review process?
- January 10: Virtual Community Meeting Graphic Organizers 01-10-2025
- January 16: Virtual Community Meeting Graphic Organizers 01-16-2025
- January 25: Virtual Community Meeting Graphic Organizers 01-25-2025
- January 27: Virtual Community Meeting Graphic Organizers 01-27-2025
- January 28: Virtual Community Meeting Graphic Organizers 01-28-2025
- February 10: Virtual Community Meeting Graphic Organizers 02-10-2025
- Superintendent’s Boundary Review Advisory Committee Meetings
- January 22: Superintendent’s Boundary Review Advisory Committee Meeting
- Reviewed the policy and process used to revise it; Reviewed summaries from the community sessions
- February 3: Superintendent’s Boundary Review Advisory Committee Meeting
- Received resources doc and reviewed information available online around budget, facilities, school profiles; Reviewed themes from community meeting feedback
- February 21: Superintendent’s Boundary Review Advisory Committee Meeting
- The committee received presentations from FCPS staff related to school programs, the student transfer policy, and student membership projections. Thru Consulting shared that summaries from virtual community meetings are available and reviewed how the summaries are organized.
- March 26: Superintendent’s Boundary Review Advisory Committee Meeting
- Looked at underlying data on attendance islands, split feeders, and capacity
- April 11: Superintendent’s Boundary Review Advisory Committee Meeting
- Scenario 1: Attendance islands. Neighborhood clearly mapped to Longfellow and McLean, which can be seen on slides 30 and 31, respectively.
- April 25: Superintendent’s Boundary Review Advisory Committee Meeting
- Scenario 2: Split Feeders. No mention of Timber Lane or the neighborhood.
- May 5: Superintendent’s Boundary Review Advisory Committee Meeting
- Scenario 3: Overcrowding. The only mention of our pyramid was that overcrowding at McLean High was resolved during previous adjustments.
- January 22: Superintendent’s Boundary Review Advisory Committee Meeting
- Phase 2: Community Boundary Review Meetings – Phase 2 (Part 1)
- May 15, 6:30-8 p.m., at Oakton High School (Event Completed)
- May 16, 6:30-8 p.m., at Robinson Secondary School (Event Completed)
- May 19, 6:30-8 p.m., at Herndon High School (Event Completed)
WE ARE HERE:
- Phase 2: Community Boundary Review Meetings (Part 1) – links to register included:
- Phase 2: Community Boundary Review Meetings (Part 1) – links to register included:
- Friday, May 23, 7-8:30 p.m., at Lewis High School
- Wednesday, May 28, 7-8:30 p.m., at Annandale High School
- Thursday, May 29, 6:30-8 p.m., at Whitman Middle School
- Friday, May 30, 6:30-8 p.m., at Chantilly High School
- Friday, June 6, 6:30-8 p.m., at Glasgow Middle School
July – October 2025: Data Analysis and Scenario Updates
October – November 2025: Community Meetings (Part 2)
November – December 2025: Final Scenario Development
December 2025 – February 2026: Boundary Change Process. This will take place in public meetings by the School Board.
February 2026: Public notice of the changes will be sent out to families and the community.
Who is Thru Consulting?
Thru Consulting is a management consulting firm based in Connecticut (https://www.thru.co/). They were hired by the FCPS board in September 2024 to conduct the Boundary Review – the scope as outlined in the contract reads:
“Thru Consulting will facilitate the comprehensive school boundary review over a 16 month period, ending in January 2026. In accordance with Policy 8130, the scope of work includes eight key tasks: 1) project management plan development, 2) website development, 3) pre-analysis stakeholder engagement, 4) data collection, 5) data analysis and draft scenarios, 6) post-analysis stakeholder engagement, 7) final scenario development, and 8) boundary change approval.
The contract will begin as soon as possible through January 31, 2026 to coincide with the Boundary Review timeline and deliverables. The TIPS cooperative contract does not expire until August 31, 2027 with an option for one (1) one-year renewal option thereafter.” (https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/fairfax/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=D8YREH6CD30D)
More FAQs to come…