Summary of In-Person Community Boundary Review Meetings
Community input is vital to the boundary review process.
We have completed six in-person Community Boundary Review Meetings for all FCPS regions as part of the first phase of this work. These sessions provided an opportunity for parents and caregivers, staff, students, and community members to share their thoughts, ask questions, and learn more about the comprehensive boundary review. FCPS partner, Thru Consulting, facilitated each session.
Below is a summary of important information presented during each meeting, as well as key insights and priorities shared by the community.
Key Themes Presented
Thru discussed why a boundary review is essential to ensure equitable access to quality education for all FCPS students. Key challenges include:
- Overcrowding and lack of space for programs like pre-K.
- Long student travel times and program locations that are less than ideal.
- Split feeder schools and attendance islands.
- High renovation costs and extended timelines.
This review, which is required every five years by the recently approved Boundary Policy 8130, will help address these issues and align with FCPS’ 2023-30 Strategic Plan.
Thru outlined the timeline for this comprehensive boundary review process:
- Phase 1 (Fall 2024 - Spring 2025): Community engagement meetings, data collection, data analysis, and draft scenario development.
- Phase 2 (Summer 2025 - Winter 2026): Finalizing scenarios through additional community input and presenting the approved boundary changes to the School Board for review and approval.
What We Heard from You
During the meetings, participants emphasized several key priorities:
- 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.
- Student Mental Health: Ensuring student well-being by minimizing disruptions to their school environments, peer networks, and access to resources.
- Minimizing Disruption to Communities: Preserving neighborhood and school community connections to maintain stability and continuity.
- Process Transparency: Ensuring that the boundary review process remains open, clear, and accessible, with regular updates and opportunities for community input.
- Transportation and Proximity: Reducing travel times, prioritizing walkability, and ensuring equitable access to schools.
- Coordination with Developers and Local Government: Aligning boundary decisions with growth patterns and planning for sustainable enrollment solutions.
- Minimizing Community Disruption: Preserving neighborhood and school community connections to maintain stability and continuity.
- Inclusive Engagement: Ensuring all voices, especially from underrepresented groups, are heard throughout the process.
- Equitable Access to Programs: Promoting equal opportunities for students to access quality programming across all schools.
- Data-Driven Decisions: Using thorough data analysis to inform thoughtful and transparent boundary changes.
- Minimizing Student Disruption: Minimizing disruption for currently-enrolled students.
- Identifying Alternative Solutions: Identifying solutions to improve distribution of resources and educational programs as an alternative to simply adjusting boundaries.
- Transportation and Proximity: Minimizing travel times and promoting walkable communities.
- Minimizing Student Disruption: Minimizing disruption for currently-enrolled students.
- Identifying Alternative Solutions: Identifying solutions to improve distribution of resources and educational programs as an alternative to simply adjusting boundaries.
- Transportation and Proximity: Minimizing travel times and promoting walkable communities.
Your feedback highlights the need to balance data-driven decisions with community values, ensuring that the boundary review aligns with what matters most to families.
What’s Next?
Our next steps include:
- Preparing for virtual community engagement meetings.
- Analyzing the feedback and data gathered during this phase.
- Identifying key themes to guide the development of boundary scenarios.
These draft scenarios will be shared with the community during Phase 2 for further input.
We encourage you to stay involved! Visit the FCPS Comprehensive School Boundary Review webpage for updates and upcoming events. You may also sign up to receive our School Boundary Review newsletter.