Coraggio Consulting
Loudoun County Public Schools, School Board Attendance Zone Public Hearing & Work Session: Dulles South Secondary School Attendance Zone Change, Monday, May 5, 2025

Date: Monday, May 5, 2025
Place: LCPS Administration Building / School Board Room, Ashburn, Virginia
Length: 1h 08m (video)
Official meeting video (Vimeo / LCPS-TV): https://player.vimeo.com/video/1080396181?rel=0

Machine transcript (speech-to-text) produced by Coraggio Consulting. Not an official county record. Names and numbers may be misspelled; check the video at the timestamp before quoting.
Speech-to-text: whisper.cpp, model large-v3-turbo. Produced 2026-10-13. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video.

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[00:04:42] good evening i called to order this may 5th 2025 loudon county school board attendance zone public hearing and work session de la salle secondary school attendance zone change process and i want to inform everyone that mr kevin lewis is dr spence's designee again for this public hearing and work session welcome dr mr lewis um so we will start with item two which is staff briefing of the de la salle secondary school attendance change processes process

[00:05:20] presented by uh miss beverly tate director of planning and gis services miss tate thank you and good evening happy monday um if you would indulge me as usual and we could quickly go through what we provided you in your meeting packet this evening we've got a copy of tonight's agenda we also have a list of the speakers who will be addressing you shortly we have a copy of tonight's presentation the map conditions without change so if no attendance zone changes were adopted and we continued on with our present

[00:05:57] attendance zones before the opening HS 14 we have that map I have a copy of the staff plan including the rationale as presented on April 22 and then as requested at your meeting last week we mapped we collectively those lovely people in the back, mapped all of the redistrict plans that had been proposed as of Thursday morning. I think we've got an additional one that's been created since then that we did not map, but we have a stapled set of those maps that I will speak to shortly. Then we

[00:06:36] have a copy of the planning zone map and folded within that are the planning zone projections for the next six years. Then many of you asked, but I'm going to associate with Mr. Estraffi, you had asked for us to map kind of the changes that had occurred to match the tracking chart that last Wednesday was uncolored but has since been colored to give you a more visual of how the changes have had.

[00:07:04] So what the map provides, and we've got a copy of the secondary map in the presentation tonight, but we've provided here the secondary and elementary. This reflects changes from the 2014-15 year to the 2015-2014-15 year to the 2024-25 school year.

[00:07:27] Yes, this one. Yeah, yeah, this one. It's towards the back. The many shades of yellow. Yes. So the pale yellow indicates the school that served the planning zone in the fall of 2014.

[00:07:58] If a school zone changed for that planning zone since then, and only once, then it's darker yellow. If it's changed twice since 2014, it's the cafe latte color.

[00:08:21] I mean, if it's the dark brown, which is DSO8 Heartland, then it's changed three times since 2014. But everybody's starting at the same year of 2014. And I say this because way back in time, 20, 25 years ago, we had one school serving the whole area, one middle, one high school.

[00:08:46] So when Mercer opened, then Freedom opened, and then we opened Lunsford, and then we opened Champ. At that point, we had two schools. And from the eastern boundary, everything shifted west.

[00:09:02] So everybody has made those changes. But this map reflects that and then folded within is my attempt because I'm not the mapmaker and I've just simply colored the cells of the spreadsheet so you can kind of see it visually. That's the elementary on the top and then stapled behind is the secondary and we probably should have stapled them the other way around, but in this instance, we only have two planning zones that have more moved two times or more since 2014 in the Secondary level so that isn't there and then as chairman's field requested

[00:09:40] We answered some additional questions last week We know we have more that have come in since Friday afternoon and we're working on them, but We will get those posted, but we've just provided a paper copy of the Q&A. That's up there as of now and then the final Actually, there's two more things we've got the clipped freedom high school Jim Michael Lunsford John champ Mercer middle school like Rich High School, Woodler Miller School, the planning zones showing their residential development and their walk zones.

[00:10:10] These are maps that you've had since the get-go, since April 22. And then finally, because we last were here together on Wednesday night, I was handed a petition from the Kirkpatrick Farms people, and I've not had a chance to get it to you otherwise, so I've included that in your packet as well.

[00:10:30] And now, start the briefing here. So again, this is the condition without change. And as I go through the slides tonight, I'm highlighting a couple things, but I'm going to specifically speak to the utilization of our middle schools for the 26, 27, and 27, 28 years.

[00:10:55] That's going to be my point of reference. So if you're looking at the map, and perhaps you're looking at them more closely, even though they're big maps, I'm going to be speaking to what's in those red boxes on the maps, and I will speak to the utilization. but this is the conditions without change again if nothing if no attendance zone changes were adopted in this process we would have in the 26 27 year for j michael lunsford they would be at 81 percent in the following year 27 28 they would be 83 percent mercer middle school would be 111

[00:11:29] and then they would be at 115 the 26 27 27 28 year and willard middle school would be at 110 percent and 113 percent respectively for the September 26 27 and that was the focus of staff with the plan that we presented again I referenced this although those in attendance and those who've been writing you are well aware of the policy and the various factors the board may consider as they adopt attendance and changes this again I'm just putting up this disclaimer so that everybody again understands we're not recommending changes in the feeder

[00:12:07] alignment we are not recommending changes the elementary school attendance zone and that any changes adopted in this process would take effect in the fall of 26 we can continue to post information on our web page so again providing that on the chance someone's just styling at this point and then I go to the staff plan so with the staff plan we recommended seven planning zones change with the staff plan J. Michael Lunsford in the fall of 26 would be at 96% utilization and in fall of '27 would be at 99% utilization.

[00:12:45] That would then provide some relief for Mercer Middle School. They would go to 105% utilization in the fall of '26 and then 108% in the fall of '27. Again, it's not a substantial change but we realize that we're coming back to this community and to you as a board in just two short years so that we can do the tenant zone for HS14 we have a more expansive and comprehensive process then Willard with this staff recommendation changes from 110 percent 26 to actually in this plan to 101 percent and in fall of 27 it reduces from originally 113 percent to

[00:13:24] 104 percent utilization and again this moves seven planning zones and I will now transition to redistrict so we shared redistrict as a tool for you for the community for anybody interested to create plans we have 11 that have been created since this process started we're speaking to the 10 that were active when we went to map them all on Friday or Thursday so the first one is redistrict

[00:13:55] plan 103 this moves an additional planning zone 13.8 or 13.9 I'm sorry from Mercer Middle School to J. Michael Lunsford and Freedom 13.9 is the South riding community as well this moves DS 08 which is the Heartland community from John Champ High School and Mercer Middle School to Light Ridge High School and Willard and then it moves it maintains the staff recommendation for DS 13 3 12 and 12 6 moving them from Light Ridge Willard to John Champ Mercer but also

[00:14:34] adds DS 7.5 which is part of the Lena Mill community. With this plan J. Michael Lunsford goes to 101% utilization in the fall of 26 to 103 in the fall of 27. Mercer Middle School drops to 97% in the fall of 26 and 100% in the fall of 27. Willard Middle School drops to 104% in the fall of 26 and 106 to the fall of 27. Redistrict plan 40. This keeps DS 13.8 at Mercer Middle School.

[00:15:13] It keeps the three planning zones 12.6, 13.3, and 13.12 at Willard Middle School. It moves DS 7.5 from Willard Middle School to Mercer Middle School. J. Michael Lunsford in the fall of 26 will be at 95% and 97% in the fall of 27. Mercer Middle School will be at 104% in the fall 26 and 108 percent in the fall of 27 and willard will be at 103 percent and 105 percent in the fall

[00:15:45] of 27. redistrict plan 289 also moves ds 13.9 from mercer to j michael lunsford it moves planning zone ds 17.6 from mercer to willard that is the stone ridge community planning zone it keeps the three planning zones 12-6, 13-3, and 13-12 at Willard Middle School and it moves GS 7.2 and 7.5

[00:16:18] which comprise the Lina Mill community and Dr. Rasheed's district. It moves them to Mercer and John Champ from Willard and Lightridge. So J. Michael Lunsford fall of 26 is 101 percent and 103% in the fall of 27. Mercer is 102% in the fall of 26 and 104% in the fall of 27. And Willard is at 100% and 103% in the fall of 26-27. District Plan 336. That keeps the three planning zones that

[00:16:58] you heard from at your last public hearing, 12.6, 13.3, and 13.12 at Willard Middle School and lightridge high school it moves in your southern area planning zone ds 12.1 and 12.7 so that's dawson's corner marwood or marbury i'm sorry and cedar crest in the southern part of the county that moves them from lightridge and willard to mercer and john champ lunsford goes to 108 percent in the fall of 26 and 111 percent in the fall of 27 mercer drops to 95 percent in the fall of 26

[00:17:36] and is 98 percent in the fall of 27 and willard is at 99 percent in the fall of 26 and 101 in the fall of 27 plan 388 388 also moves plating zone 13.9 again part of the south riding community in with the existing plating zone staff had recommended to move from john champ and mercer to Freedom in Lunsford. It keeps the 12.6 and 13.12 at Willard Middle School, but Planning Zone 13.3

[00:18:11] still moves to Mercer and John Champ. And then it also moves Planning Zone DS04, which is in the Aldi Attendant Zone, Watson Road area, DS6.6 and 6.9, both located on the north side of Route 50.

[00:18:31] So the Westbury Estates and also part of the Heartland community moves them to John Champ and Mercer and then DS 13.3 continues to also move. Plan 530, and if you haven't guessed, they're not numbered sequentially.

[00:18:51] They're randomly numbered. Plan 530 keeps DS 13.3 at Mercer Middle School. Or 13.8, I'm sorry. It keeps the three planning zones, 12.6, 13.3, and 13.12 all at Willard Middle School.

[00:19:11] It does, however, move DS 08 out of John Champ and Mercer into Light Ridge and Willard. and it also moves DS 7.5 which is part of Lena Mill from Lightridge and Willard into Mercer and John Champ so it just flips them. In that instance Lunsford is at 95 percent and 97 percent in the fall of 26 and fall of 27. Mercer is at 103 and 106 percent in the fall of 26 27 and Willard is

[00:19:41] 104 and 107 in the fall of 26-27 554 554 also moves 13.9 into those with those other four planning zone staff had recommended to freedom and j michael lunsford from john champ and mercer it also keeps planning zones 12.6 and 13.12 which includes the kirkpatrick farms community that's it's north of Braddock Road, keeps them at Willard Middle School, but 13.3, I'm sorry, I misstated

[00:20:18] that, 13.3 still goes to Mercer and John Champ. They are also still part of Kirkpatrick Farm. But the projections for that would have J. Michael Lunsford at 96 percent and 99 percent in the fall of 26 and 27. Mercer would be at 100 and 103 percent in the same two years, and Willard would be at 106 and 109 percent. Plan 643 keeps DS 12.6 at Willard Middle School. That is the only change

[00:20:51] from the staff plan. 96 percent and 99 percent would be the utilization at J. Michael Lunsford those two years. 103 and 106 percent would be for Mercer for the fall of 26 and 27 and then 103 and 106 percent would be for Willard those same two years second to last one plan 719 this also moves 13.9 with the four other planning zones staff had recommended to go from one from champ

[00:21:23] and mercer to freedom and lunsford it does not move gs 12.6 and 13.3 but 13.12 still is moved as is in the staff plan and then it also moves to a 7.5 part of the Lena Mill community from Lightbridge and Willard to Champ and Mercer. This plan J. Michael Lunsford in the fall of 26 would be at 101 percent 103 percent in the fall of 27. Mercer would be at 101 percent and 105 percent

[00:21:57] in the fall of 26 and 27 respectively and Willard would be at 100 and 102 percent those two school years. Plan 935, the final one that we mapped. This keeps planning zones 13.8 and 16.1 at Champ and Mercer. So the only two planning zones from the staff plan that would remain moving to Freedom and Lunsford, to Freedom and Lunsford from Champ and Mercer would be the

[00:22:32] 9.1 and 9.2. It keeps 12.6, 13.3, and 13.12 at Willard Middle School, and it moves planning zone 12.1 from Willard to Mercer Middle School. This has a 98 and 100 percent utilization for Lunsford in the fall of 26 and 27. Mercer goes 101 in the fall of 26 and 105 in the fall of 27 and then Willard is 103 and 106 in the fall of 26 and 27. So I just I wanted to quickly go through

[00:23:08] those and this is here just to provide you that synopsis of what is in the Virginia Tech plans today and then this is Mr. Streffi's you we talked about this earlier so here we're showing that all of the ones in the lighter ugly yellow only moved once the slightly tanner one up there DSO eight has moved twice and then the very dark brown one which is kind of the Lambert area and I would say when both of these were moved multiple times, there were no major developments there. They were

[00:23:47] approved or they were pending applications, but with the exception of individuals who lived on those roads in single-family homes that were just a driveway, not a development, there were no substantial children living in those two darker planning zones when they were moved multiple times. We had in DS08, which is north of Route 50, and Route 50 is the line that runs, kind of bisects most of the color. The first homes that moved into Heartland were in the 2021 year, and it was that year that the board reassigned in advance of those students

[00:24:26] starting school, assigned them to John Champ and Mercer. Likewise, and I'm drawing a complete blank on the subdivision name now once was the Lambert property in this 12 area down below south riding that for many years was a side farm I mean there were some farms that were out there but it has changed over the years to that I'm wrapping up I promise Tuesday the 20th is the board meeting where as an information item any plans that you would like to move forward need to be

[00:25:04] part of the item and those are the plans that would need justification plans can be adopted by you the board on June 10 that have modified any of the plans offered on May 20 so I continue and not because I'm picking on them but DS 10 Lena run if no plan in the information items on May 20 moves DS 10 Lena run

[00:25:38] from Willard and Light Ridge as an example the plan that you adopt on the 10th should not either for true transparency we want people to be aware of plans that are being considered and that their neighborhood might move to all of the sudden say I'm going to move DS 10 Lena run from Light Ridge and Willard on the night of the 10th is not being very transparent so the intent on the 20th is to identify any plans that might include any planning zones that

[00:26:13] you would envision perhaps moving or not moving but just to put them out there so that everybody is aware of what's being considered. If you want all ten of these Virginia Tech plans part of the May 20th that's certainly fine and we can say one of these is going to be considered but we need to have rationale as to how it comports with the policy if it addresses multiple moves which has been cited by many of the emails or it addresses the feeder cluster advance the feeder or if it addresses community or continuity or demographics that's fine

[00:26:53] but we just are asking for the 20th to reflect any plans that might be adopted so that everybody is aware. So I think there's our email for any questions, any concerns, any comments people wish to forward to the board.

[00:27:13] I'm happy to go back to the calendar or we can talk about the May 20th at the work session, but I just wanted to highlight that. And then, as has been my ask the last time, if folks are willing to list their street or their planning zone, it's helpful for us as we track their comments.

[00:27:31] And with that, I will conclude Chair Mansfield. you miss tate um trying to decide if i should ask the question now i should wait to the work session i guess okay i'll wait till the work session so um okay so we will go ahead and start with our public hearing item three uh procedures for public comment thank you for engaging with the school board through the public comment process the school board welcomes comments from louden county residents and believes that strong community engagement and outreach are important components of a successful school system.

[00:28:09] Please note that speakers of this school board public hearing shall limit their comments to the Dulles South Secondary School Attendance Zone public hearing. Speakers must limit their comments to the time allotted. Based on the number of speakers in the agenda, all speakers have been allotted two minutes each for public comment this evening.

[00:28:27] Speakers who miss their time slot will not be called at a later time. All audience members shall maintain civility, decorum, and respect for the functioning and the dignity of the school board at all times and abide by the public comment procedure set forth in school board policy 2520 entitled participation by the public and on this lcps citizen participation website these resources are also provide information on the distribution of materials to school board members given that under no circumstances may a speaker approach the dais in accordance with school board policy 2520 speakers should refrain from vulgarity obscenities defamation profanity and other like breaches of

[00:29:07] civility decorum and respect speakers also may not target criticize or attack individual students and or individual division employees during public comment or engage in conduct that otherwise disrupts or delays the meeting inappropriately loud conversations or outbursts from those in attendance will not be tolerated and security staff will be asked to restore order per school board policy 2520 when reasonable the chair will warn a speaker of breaches of decorum or these or these rules prior to the chair terminating speaking privileges or taking other action to preserve the civility decorum and orderly conduct of the meeting which could include but

[00:29:46] is not limited to the chair directing staff to remove the attendee from the remainder of the meeting and or the public comment being concluded for the evening the public is reminded that access to school board meetings is available through lcps tv on comcast channel 18 and verizon files channel 43. The live stream of the meeting may be viewed on the website. As a little reminder, Permas Tate, speakers are asked to, if they so desire, to begin comments by stating your name, street name, or planning zone designation and the grade level of your children. We look forward to

[00:30:21] hearing your comments. Now, if you could just wait a second while I dig out public comments. Here it is. We'll start with our virtual public comments, and the first speaker is Kristen Palmer, followed

[00:30:35] by Maria Soto. That mic is unmuted.

[00:31:11] Are we having some technical issues with Kirsten Palmer? Okay,

[00:31:46] we'll move on from Kirsten Palmer to Maria Soto, followed by Gali Aruna. Ready. Good evening. My name is Maria Soto. I live in the Braddock Corner community, number DS12.6. I have a ninth grader at Lightridge High School and a fifth grader at Pinebrook Elementary. The proposed attendance zone change would impact my daughters midway through their middle school and high school

[00:32:21] years. While we oppose the staff plan zone changes, if immediate adjustments are necessary, we strongly recommend the adoption of Plan 40 as a less disruptive alternative to the staff plan and a greater adherence to school board policy 6530.

[00:32:42] Please choose the path that best serves the long-term interest and well-being of kids that are already established with their teachers, school activities, and peers. We ask that you take the time to read through and consider the proposal that was submitted by Liz Cornetta from the Braddock Corner Community, number DS12.6.

[00:33:06] thank you very much for your consideration and time. Thank you. My understanding is that Gali Aruna Reddy is not available. So we will continue to move on to our in-person speakers.

[00:33:29] The first one is Liz Cornetta, followed by Neil Desai. Good evening, school board members. My name is Liz Cornetta. I have lived in DS 12.6 for 16 years, and I am the proud parent of an eighth grader at Willard. We have spent many, many hours reviewing many documents and the rationale for the changes that went into effect in 2020. We strongly oppose the staff plan, and we ask that

[00:34:04] you refrain from implementing any attendance zone changes at this time. If you decide that changes must be made, then please adopt Plan 40. After your analysis, we hope you will agree that the long-established communities of 12.6, 13.3, and 13.12 should not move. The much newer community in DS 7.5 is directly adjacent to CHAMP, so it would make much more sense to move that one now.

[00:34:31] Data projections indicate that Plan 40 achieves a similar level of enrollment balance for the affected schools as the staff plan, but with far smaller numbers of students and families undergoing a school reassignment. This demonstrates a more efficient and less disruptive pathway to addressing the immediate capacity concerns. In summary, please consider only these immediate changes.

[00:35:02] 7.5 to Mercer-Champ due to its adjacency, 9.1, 9.3, and 16.1 to Lunsford and Freedom as they are nearby and will make Cardinal Ridge a pure feed. Thank you so much. Thank you. Neil Desai followed by Alex Cornetta. Hello. Thank you for allowing me to speak. My name is Neil Desai, and I'm currently

[00:35:36] in the eighth grade at Willard. I live in Braddock Corner Community, which is DS 12.6. My request is for the school board not to rezone our community. By taking this action, the school board will be breaking my nine-year friendship that I've created since kindergarten at Pinebrook. High school itself is a big transition for any student and going to a different to two different high schools will affect mentally emotionally and academically as i am planning to play football at lightridge and i'm looking forward to creating a relationship with my coaches and teammates by the rezoning i

[00:36:15] have to recreate these things at another high school and same goes for academically as well as recreating a relationship with teachers and counselors i would ask the school board to reconsider and not make any changes. Thank you for your time. Thank you. We'll continue on by Alex Cornetta followed by Paul Cornetta. Good evening. My name is Alex Cornetta. I live in DS 12.6 and I'm an eighth grader at Willard Middle School. Please don't make any changes affecting DS 12.6, DS 13.3

[00:36:53] and DS 13.12. The staff proposes moving students out of CHAMP and proposes that another group of students move into CHAMP. Proposing double moves does not make sense and contradicts the consideration of stability in policy 6530. I don't want changes for any students, but I know there's a lot of growth in our area.

[00:37:13] I've lived my whole life in DS 12.6 and our community has been around for longer than the 16 years my parents have lived here. There are fewer and fewer kids in our long-established neighborhood, so please don't make us switch high schools and let us finish our four years at Light Ridge together.

[00:37:28] The class of 2029 has always been connected and together, so please don't ruin that and split us up as it will have a huge effect on both as student of on us as both students and people. I really hope you take that into consideration.

[00:37:44] It's just four years until we graduate, so please keep us together. Thank you for your time. - Thank you. Paul Cornetta followed by Abby Conley. - Good evening, I'm Paul Cornetta.

[00:38:01] I live in DS 12.6 for 16 years and I'm a parent of an eighth grader at Willard. Just met him. We strongly oppose the staff plan and we ask that you refrain from implementing any attendance zone changes at this time. The opening of HS High School 14 will require significant rezoning of the Dulles District schools.

[00:38:22] Implementing changes now is counterproductive and contradicts the considerations in Policy 6330. If you have to make any changes, please adopt Plan 40 as it is less disruptive and much more in line with Policy 6530. Please don't make any changes to the long-established communities of 12.6, 13.3, and 13.12.

[00:38:44] It makes most sense to move 7.5 that is directly adjacent to the grounds of CHAMP. Please don't make any changes, but if you have to do, please adopt Plan 40. Thank you. Thank you. Abby Conley, followed by Anjali Mittal.

[00:39:06] My name is Abby Conley. I'm a resident in North Riding, which is DS 13.8, and my children will be in 7th and 9th grade in the fall of 2026. Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you this evening. As you have seen, community members have been using the redistrict to express their views on the staff plans and on plans submitted by the community.

[00:39:27] The community plan that has drawn the most attention with over 50 responses is Plan 40, as policy 6530 mandates does not move any of the four tenant zones moved in 2019. As of 2 p.m. today, the staff plan has received strongly disapproved ratings of 77% of community members.

[00:39:45] In contrast, Plan 40 has received strongly approved ratings from 92% of community members. Many of the comments on redistrict highlight the removal of previously rezoned plans, sorry, rezoned zones in Plan 40 as their reason for supporting that specific plan.

[00:40:01] Moreover, the capacity relief afforded to the middle schools is similar under Plan 40 as it is to the staff plans. I suggest that the board may want to consider addressing any short-term capacity issues with solutions not requiring attendance zone changes. Uprooting 940 secondary students seems like a leap to the most extreme solution when other less disruptive options such as the short-term use of modular classrooms could be used.

[00:40:26] Moving students with the accompanying disruption should be the option of last resort. In closing, the staff's plan disregards the mandate set forth by policy 6530 that an attendance rezone plan must endeavor to minimize multiple attendance zone changes for a given residence whenever possible. We respectfully suggest that the board should follow policy 6530, adopt plan 40, and reject any plan, including the staff's plan, that proposes to move any of the four attendance zones moved in 2019.

[00:40:54] Good public policy requires nothing less. Thank you very much. Thank you. Anjali Mithal, followed by Sunny Mithal. Hello, my name is Anjali, and I live in Braddock Corner, DS 12.6.

[00:41:12] I'm currently attending Willard Middle School and very excited to start 9th grade at Light Ridge High School. am not in favor of the rezoning plan that has been proposed. As a student of Willard Middle School, we recently visited Lightridge where we were welcomed with bags saying class of 29. I'm very excited to join Lightridge and do not wish to be rezoned. Rezoning might look good on paper but behind those numbers are real students. We're not just dots on a map. We are friends, teammates, and classmates. We have built friendships, found mentors in our teachers, and want

[00:41:47] to stick together i am also a member of willard orchestra and will continue with orchestra and lightridge i have met the orchestra teacher mr carroll throughout the years i have built a strong connection to lightridge and the change proposed disrupts the connections that i have built kindly reconsider delaying the rezoning of braddock corner ds 12.6 we are asking for academic stability and consistency thank you for your time thank you sunny mithal followed by anna chung hello my name is

[00:42:22] sonny and i live in ds 12.6 braddock corner i have two daughters one soon entering sixth grade at willard middle school and the other entering ninth grade at lightridge high school thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight i chose to speak tonight because i'm deeply concerned with the pace at which we're moving regarding these rezoning discussions and the decision timeline the proposed changes will have a significant impact on our children and our families and to the dedicated staff that support them every day and we really should take the time to get this right. I'd like to make two key points. Number one, rezoning now is premature. We know HS14 will

[00:42:58] require further zoning changes soon. Rezoning now does not reflect the full picture of our county's future needs, especially in areas expected to be served by HS14. Acting now creates unnecessary disruption and instability, potentially forcing families through multiple changes, something policy 6530 aims to avoid. So I ask respectfully, what's the rush? Number two, we need more data and community input. These are major decisions. Let's take the time to engage families, review alternate plans, and assess capacity models to make informed choices. These are big decisions with real

[00:43:34] consequences and are deserving of careful consideration. I respectfully ask the board to defer this decision until HS14 zoning is finalized and a more thorough analysis can be completed. We all want what's best for our students, but what's best isn't always what's fastest. Let's take the time to do this right. And if a change must happen now, I strongly ask you to please consider Plan 40 as a more responsible and less disruptive alternative. Thank you.

[00:44:01] Thank you. Anna Chung, followed by Kaylee Rosner. Good evening. My name is Anna Chung, and I live in the DS 13.8, no grinding community. My kids is a fourth grader at Liberty Elementary this year. I just wanted to express my appreciation for the proposal of re-zoning from Mercer Champ to Lunsford Freedom. Both Mercer Middle School and John Champ High School are further

[00:44:36] and distant than Lunsford and Freedom from our north riding community. One mile further for the middle school and two miles further for the high school. I believe the shorter commute will benefit the case in many ways. So again, thank you and I hope that the decision of rezoning DS 13.8 to lunch for and freedom will be approved. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Kelly Rosner followed

[00:45:05] by Kate Myers. Good evening. My name is Kelly Rosner and I'm an original owner of Braddock Corner DS 12.6 on Porchlight Drive since 2009. We are a very small community that is aging out and have very little impact to your overall numbers in the future. My son is an eighth grader at Willard Middle and my daughter is a fourth grader at Pinebrook Elementary. A big factor for our family to stay in Loudoun County is continuity of schools where our children are thriving. The proposed plan

[00:45:41] would uproot my son in his sophomore year of high school and separate him from his friends he's known since kindergarten. What happens when these new subdivisions surrounding us get built? Will Braddock corner ds12.6 remain at mercer champ or will we get rezoned back to willard and lightridge please consider delaying any school zone changes until hs14 is opened at that time more changes will have to be made and all communities will be impacted together if you must make changes please consider liz cornetta's plan 40 plan 40 only makes changes to four school zones versus seven school zones

[00:46:16] proposed in the staff plan i understand the middle schools are over capacity but as mr lewis said they are not at fire code capacity. Please do not rezone Brad at corner DS 12.6. Thank you for your time. Thank you and I think that will conclude our public comment for today. Wait Kate Myers sorry one more. Good evening I have three students one at Pinebrook one at Willard and one at Pinebrook at Lightridge and I strongly oppose the staff plan as it does not adequately address

[00:46:54] the factors identified in policy 6530. Our community, DS 12.6, firmly believes that a strategic and minimally disruptive approach is paramount. Therefore, I have two recommendations. One, deferral of attendance zone changes until the opening of high school 14 in the fall of 2028.

[00:47:11] In an email dated March 9, 2023, the school board at that time decided to, quote, move forward with a temporary non-traditional school plan when Watson Mountain Middle School opens rather than initiate a secondary school attendance zone change process for the Dulles North and Dulles South areas. As a parent and community member, I am trying to understand the rationale of bringing this forward again when the school board in 2023 already determined the best plan forward. Wait until high school 14 opens before making a change. There have been no community

[00:47:46] outreach meetings or town halls to suggest this is a necessary change as the communities just heard about this in February of this year. Please consider engaging the communities prior to your May 20th board meeting to get a pulse of the community. Several students, including one of my own, would like to speak, but have current commitments, including sports, music, and academic activities. I am here asking for your help instead of attending his soccer game. Recommendation two, adoption of Plan 40. If it is determined that attendance zone changes are necessary after community engagement our community strongly supports plan 40 which is a more responsible

[00:48:24] and less disruptive alternative to the staff plan again i implore the board that before making a decision go meet with your communities get a pulse on where the communities stand our children deserve it and i have the email if you wanted to see it from march 9th 2023 that i was referring to where the board had talked about the changes thank you thank you um okay now that concludes public comments sorry I sometimes get lose my place okay so we I'm assuming

[00:49:02] the board members don't want to have a recess of any sort so we'll move on to our work session 4.01 with Dilla South secondary school attendance change process presented by miss Tate our director of planning and GIS services mistake I'm here to answer any questions you may have but I presented all I was going to in the briefing. I have a question so if without any conditions without change it looks

[00:49:37] like Mercer which is now Gumspring will be 115 in 20 it will go from 111 to 115 and Willard will go from 110 to 113. When a school is years ago when my children went to Lunsford it was overcrowded then what was the overcrowding do you have any idea it would be around 2016 2017 I can get you I don't because it was really overcrowded and I can just I don't know if it was 115 percent crowded

[00:50:13] but it was pretty crowded and we didn't have modulars or anything I will get you that information I'm just trying to gauge how much that percentage really matters because we're hearing oh 115% we should just hold I don't know if that's reasonable or not from our conversations with principals and you're aware obviously we have 8 modulars at Willard they have relayed how difficult it is for their staff and their students it's just the class sizes are big

[00:50:51] so that was part of the reason we came to you, we too were hoping we could not do this until the fall when hs14 opens but hearing from them is what had us come to you originally i mean the spring to do this but i will get you the enrollment and capacity for lunsford at that time yes the other thing is um in talking with some of the principals and the overcrowding issue um some of

[00:51:29] them have had to have like another ap another so there's other fiscal issues that we're talking about here yes ma'am I can't I can't speak to instruction specifically but it is it's based on the number of students and the staffing standards what it adds to that I know lunch shifts are very difficult anyone any other questions yes

[00:51:59] dr. deans since we already have some schools who have modulus how many modulus would be and modulus are generally temporary how many modulus would be or could be installed to prevent any resembling until high school 14 opens dr. deans i'll take that one so the texas generally close to a year to get modulars approved and installed

[00:52:38] and by then we would be into the 27 28 school year and then so we would only have them for a year and so we would not be in time to solve the problem we're dealing with right now with the overcrowding the other issue is we already have a number of modulars out there the more folks that we pile into the school so to speak that affects the core of the building the cafeteria the gyms and all those types of things so we're not recommended to do that and we don't have time to get them in and time to assist us here if we were to put them in now we would have them there for one year

[00:53:10] before HS 14 open and then we'd be moving them back out again I would also add that part of the approach with the staff plan was to utilize available capacity at J. Michael Lunsford and Freedom, where we know their enrollments are declining, they're established, there's very little development within theirs, and so we wanted to utilize available physical space at those schools and provide some relief. With the staff plan, as I've

[00:53:42] shared, it would not be staff's intention to recommend changes for any of these planning zones that we're proposing change when the HS14 boundary process. Granted, I acknowledge there's no guarantee, but that would not be a recommendation of staff. We with intention looked at areas that we knew would remain stable at the proposed new school.

[00:54:11] Are you done, Dr. Deans? Did you want any more questions? Ms. Chernoff. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you again to the community members that are here, and Ms. Tate, you continue to impress me with your knowledge of the neighborhoods and the numbers and the schools. I spent the last week, like, unpacking all of this, and I don't live in the Dulles area, but drove out there, actually, to see Kirkpatrick Farms and look at where Braddock Road splits and just try to get a lay of the land with the schools. I've visited many of these schools, but

[00:54:48] understanding all of that, plus all the land that is going to be developed, so I don't envy the task here for any of us in this room. I will say for me personally, I hear you that you want us to delay this. I, from an instructional standpoint and a fiscal standpoint, I don't think that I could feel comfortable with that vote given the 115% numbers that we're seeing. Um, and having been in some of these schools and seeing the modulars and it sounds like, yeah, just put another one out there but that does create that creates stress too in terms of morale of who's going to be out

[00:55:26] there who how do you decide who's out there um students traveling in and out what what different if the whole department's going to go out or not i've had conversations with principals that that puts quite a strain on on buildings as well so i hear you i do i i just am going to defer to the latter part of that argument that is um looking deeply at plan 40 um and also i really plan 289 also caught my eye i know it's a lot more movement but it seemed a little bit it seemed like it got

[00:56:02] to some really good percentages i don't know what the impact would be to hs14 so i'm gonna meet with mr lewis and miss tate to dive deeper into that tomorrow actually but i um i my question to miss tate tonight is are there certain schools that can handle higher capacity than others because in plan 40 i believe that i was really looking at percentages here hold on i have my little chart

[00:56:32] In Plan 40, in the percentages that we saw, Mercer would go to 104% and then as high as 108% and Willard 103% and then 105% in the next years.

[00:56:48] And I'm just, for me, that marker of LCPS's staff plan being able to get us to 105% seemed like a good marker. But this does take us to Mercer at 108%. I just didn't know if you could speak to, are there certain schools that are equipped to already take on more?

[00:57:04] or is it sort of they're all over crowded so i don't know if that's a fair question to ask you but we can talk more about it but just in terms of some of these schools are already over capacity and like you said maybe moving them to where they would have space but is the reverse true as well are there certain schools that are just already over capacity that could continue to maintain that well both mercer and willard are currently over capacity in this school year yeah um and And the staff plan roughly moves about, and I've used just numbers.

[00:57:44] I realize that it's different students, different grades, about 100. Willard moves about 120 in that first year or so. The plan 040 is very close in percentage utilization at Mercer. And it is a little higher for Willard Middle School.

[00:58:09] As to if a school can handle it better or not, I think that gets back to what Mr. Lewis was saying where you have the core capacity. You can still only have so many lunch shifts between certain hours. You don't want students. There's still only so much physical education space for PE classes.

[00:58:29] I would say at the high school, which this is not, you know, high school and even perhaps some at the middle school, I mean, there's electives. And so what your course offerings can be based upon the number of classes. But I realize that's probably, again, more at the high school level where we're not feeling that pain at the moment.

[00:58:47] But I'll think, I promise to think on it and kind of, certainly I will share with you and the public anything that. Just trying to wrap my brain around what the capacity will be down the road. Because those initial numbers look pretty good in Plan 40, very similar.

[00:59:06] But then that next year is when Mercer gets that bump to 108. And just trying to understand what the impact of that would be within HS14 opening further. So that's kind of where my thinking is. So those are the ones that I'm currently looking at is 40.

[00:59:23] I am looking at 289. I thought there was a lot of thought put into that plan and, of course, the staff plan. But I will likely not be siding on doing nothing and waiting. So I just wanted to put that out there. I think the other thing that we have to think about is self-contained classes and how this affects special education, self-contained, as well as our special education program and where we can take kids and put kids for specialized instruction.

[00:59:53] So when you get bigger numbers, you get what happened to my kids and put them in the closet. So we have to be really careful about that, literally in the closet. So I'm with you, Ms. Chernoff.

[01:00:10] I agree. I don't think you should keep, I don't, 115% is too much, 111 is too much, those were the two other ones that I was looking at as well, so anyway, is anybody else, yes, Dr. Deans.

[01:00:32] Are there any special programs in either of those buildings that can be relocated, are any special programs are you speaking like dual language or ham sci or we do not have any specialized programs at our middle schools presently and none of the three high schools are currently hosting a specialized program okay thank you

[01:01:07] mr. and there thank you madam chair I can't say that I've gotten to a point where I've made a decision a couple things really are standing out to me I I noticed in the Cornetta's suggestion in Plan 40, the comment that our neighborhood schools really are the heart of our community, and I believe that to be true.

[01:01:31] I understand I may not be as familiar with your neighborhood as I am with my own neighborhood in Algonquian, but I can imagine what it will be like when the time comes for us to redraw boundaries in Algonquian, too. There are such deep relationships and deep commitments, and that is important.

[01:01:55] It also, I find myself being very uncomfortable looking at the 115%, 113%, even at middle school. I think one of the things that I've learned in this process of serving on the school board, as we've talked about special permission and some other relative policies, is really that it's not just that the building is crowded.

[01:02:19] It means sometimes your students miss out on opportunities. And my kids go to Potomac Falls. I have a senior who's graduating in a few weeks. She had planned on a class for her entire, it was in her plan the entire time.

[01:02:35] She was going to take it as a senior. They didn't have space for it this year because the school is too full. And I can see there are probably electives and other courses that could be problematic even in middle school. It's hard to know, we haven't asked that specific question to anyone who could answer academically, but it is something to think about, right?

[01:02:56] It could impact the opportunities that your kids have being that full. But we certainly have a lot to think about and I do appreciate that there seems to be some community support coalescing and we'll continue to look at it and try to make the best decision, so thank you.

[01:03:16] Thank you for coming out to speak for your community. the other one that's interesting to me was the 935 because I think that we're gonna have to relook at all of these boundaries I think in H and I I would suggest to the board that when they do HS 14 that you just do everything I'm just making that suggestion so that you don't have to redo it again yeah whoever

[01:03:53] is going to be here so because I do think DS 12.1 makes more sense to go to Lunsford and everything and and that was initially what I was thinking was those areas DS 12 DS 12.7 DS 12.1 but the fact is that they're just a lot of kids there and it would beef it up too much so any other questions in the other yes vice-chair Donahue thank you very much madam chair thank you madam chair thank you miss Tate for your presentation and

[01:04:29] information I had a couple of questions one I suspect is probably premature at this point but I was curious if there has been consideration of the impact on our buses and bus scheduling with the proposed changes we have reviewed the staff plan we have not reviewed all 10 now 11 of the Virginia Tech there are certainly some efficiencies but I mean they're compact areas and so it's

[01:05:01] probably buses they were very supportive of the planning zones that are Cardinal Ridge going to Freedom and J Michael Lunsford instead of traveling along but with respect to the others they're close to Mercer and Champ and Willard thank you for that and my other question was have we ever when faced with a situation where we may need to do a rezoning have we ever surveyed the community to see

[01:05:36] if there are any families who want to voluntarily make a change rather than rezone just asking folks if they wish to so those opportunities for family typically had been through the special permission process if one wanted their child or their children to go to a different school no one is typically happy with attendance zone changes and often understandably will offer other

[01:06:12] communities to go rather than themselves and I and I get it I mean I I do we do survey the rising juniors and the rising seniors eighth grade so there are that opportunity but when attendance zone changes are recommended it is because at least at the staff level we've determined a need for it we're not just changing them to do it and unfortunately in areas of growth that may involve students that went to a school to go students that lived at a house that went

[01:06:50] to one school younger students may be living in the same house same family going to another school or going back to their former school not really sure I'm answering your question if I may chair Mansfield you were speaking about DS 12 one we had as the staff looked at that but at that point that was taking a planning zone out of the Buffalo Trail attendance zone and changing it back and

[01:07:26] I know the prior board had worked hard on that we acknowledge the three planning zones in the Kirkpatrick area that are a Pinebrook and it's a split fee that was I mean that is a split fee but this was actually with intention breaking up a pure feed that was kind of what did in the back of our mind just a little boss

[01:07:51] any other questions discussion homework okay seeing I guess that's it for today we have a lot more to look through so I guess seeing as there's no more business the May 5th 2025 Loudoun County School Board public hearing work session for the Della South secondary school attendance zone change process is now adjourned please drive safely home

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