Fairfax County School Board votes on boundary change tonight
By Paul Bello
Photo by Marny Malin
Fairfax County School Board will vote on boundary changes for Woodlawn Elementary School tonight.
A proposed boundary change that would see elementary school students switch schools next fall is up for vote at tonight’s Fairfax County Public School Board meeting.
Dan Stork, chairman of the school board, visited Fort Belvoir Thursday and met with concerned parents at Fort Belvoir Elementary School - the school they so desperately want their children to remain in next fall. As a representative of the Mount Vernon district, he assured residents that it’s far from a done deal.
If the change is enacted, most students living in Woodlawn Village would begin attending classes at nearby Woodlawn Elementary for the 2009-2010 school year.
A boundary study conducted in April indicated this will alleviate overcrowding at Fort Belvoir Elementary, which is shown to be over its capacity by about 200 students. The study also concluded that Woodlawn Elementary was the only school in the area capable of adding more students without any negative impact to its academic programs, Stork said.
“The current situation of overcrowding is not acceptable. While Army and school officials all agree that a new school is what’s best for the future, funding for that is a conundrum right now,“ Stork continued. “That’s why we have to examine what we can do in the short term. In the end, we have to make the best decision possible for our children.“
Stork admits it could mean approving the boundary change despite parents’ objections. He told parents he was leaning toward supporting the school’s recommendation simply because there weren’t many other options available.
In a meeting Friday, Belvoir officials met with Installation Commander Col. Jerry Blixt and Installation Command Sgt. Maj. Gabriel Berhane to discuss whether space on Fort Belvoir might be available for classes as an alternative to the boundary change.
Bill Sanders, director of Public Works, said evaluations were done on a handful of buildings around post to see if these facilities could be converted into an elementary school year-round.
This list includes the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency College, the Staff Judge Advocate Office, Markham School Age Services and Barden Education Center. According to Sanders, none are a practical option, primarily because military missions would have to be displaced.
Barden, which FCPS officials believe is the most “school ready” of all the buildings, is dedicated to individual learning and would need immediate parking modifications, a school nurse and a playground, said Bill Parsons, director of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation.
“Sharing space is a logistical nightmare. That’s certainly something we wouldn’t want to do,“ Parsons added. “That leaves us with the only other option of displacing services, which is very problematic. The likelihood of having one of these buildings ready by next fall is also challenging and not something we’ve planned for financially.“
At Thursday’s meeting with parents, Stork said if the north gate at Woodlawn Village remained closed, which is currently the case, he would then stipulate to the county that transportation be provided for students.
This has been a point of contention since news of the possible boundary change was announced. An overwhelming majority of parents have spoken out against the idea of having their children walk to school, which FCPS states is a standard rule for anyone living a mile or less away.
“I live near the gate they’re talking about. It’s much further a walk than people think,“ said Patricia Woods, whose son will be starting kindergarten next year. “Walking is definitely a factor for a lot of people. We want our kids to be safe.“
Jamie Marshall, another Woodlawn resident and current PTA president, said there’s also a concern about upcoming housing renovations that are planned throughout the village. While homes in Woodlawn are renovated to four and five bedrooms, Marshall said residents will be asked to move once renovations reach their street.
Residents may move elsewhere on post, or may opt to move off-post. Pinnacle will cover moving expenses on post, as well as off-post up to 50 miles away. The first group of families must move out by Aug. 1.
According to Marshall, that announcement came rather suddenly and caught many residents off-guard. She said parents were also never told about a possible switch in schools until after they moved in.
“My family chose to live at Belvoir because of this school. Now, we’re finding out that’s not the case. We’re really upset and we’re not even allowed to get out of our leases,“ Marshall said. “We’re talking about military dependent children and they need to have stability. All this moving around is not good for anyone.“
Berhane told residents any family interested in a home at Woodlawn Village will now be apprised of the matter concerning the schools.
Stork, who wasn’t aware of the housing matter until the meeting, said he would ask for a deferral at tonight’s school board meeting unless questions about its impact on families can be answered by the time members had to vote.
“In order for any vote to happen, everything has to be clear to myself and my fellow board members,“ Stork said. Right now, I have no clue as to what this means and I need more information.“
Casey Nolan, of Clark Pinnacle Realty, LLC and Brian Smith, of Fort Belvoir’s Residential Communities Liaison Office, both said housing renovations at Woodlawn Village would be done in phases and that the goal is to not impact any student during the first year after the boundary change.
Nolan said the first phase consists of approximately 26 families being moved onto main post by Aug. 1. Children on main post will remain at Fort Belvoir Elementary School.
Phase two consists of approximately 82 families whose move out of Woodlawn Village would occur between September and March 2010. Fort Belvoir leadership has asked that these students remain in Fort Belvoir Elementary School since they will move to main post.
Phase three, the largest group of families, will not move until after the 2009-2010 school year. Should the boundary change be adopted, they would attend Woodlawn Elementary beginning this year. They will remain enrolled there when it comes time for their moves, since, by then, they will be moved into a renovated home within Woodlawn Village.
The Fairfax County Public School Board meets at 7 p.m. at Luther Jackson Middle School. The meeting is also televised on channel 21 for Cox Television subscribers. Results of the board’s vote will be posted on its Web site, http://www.fcps.edu.
