Coraggio Consulting
Loudoun County School Board, School Board Attendance Zone Briefing & Public Hearing: Dulles South Secondary School Attendance Zone Change Process, Monday, June 2, 2025

Date: Monday, June 2, 2025
Place: Loudoun County Public Schools / School Board meeting (see BoardDocs / LCPS-TV)
Length: 1h 43m (video)
Official meeting video (Vimeo / LCPS-TV): https://player.vimeo.com/video/1086255564?rel=0
BoardDocs (School Board): https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/loudoun/Board.nsf/Public

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 2026-10-11. Timestamps are [HH:MM:SS] into the meeting video.

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[00:05:03] Good evening. I call to order this June 2nd, 2025, Loudoun County School Board Attendance Zone Public Hearing and Work Session, Dulles-South Secondary School Attendance Zone Change Process. I think we'll start with item two, Department of Support Services, Dulles-South Secondary School Attendance Zone, presented by Ms. Beverly Tate, Director of Planning and GIS Services, and I thank Mr. Kevin Lewis.

[00:05:39] Good evening. again tonight I have folders at your places at the dais quickly although it's all familiar information I will go over it the information is also posted on our planning webpage first you have a copy of tonight's presentation then you have the map of the conditions without change if no attendance and changes were adopted this would be what is reflected then we have a copy of the staff plan

[00:06:10] the redistrict plan 040 redistrict plan 289 redistrict plan 293 and redistrict plan 935 we have copies of those maps as well as the supporting rationale we also have a copy of the planning zone map which probably the map isn't as important but we have the planning zone data behind there so if you're interested in how many sixth graders live in a given planning zone during tonight's conversation that is there we've also provided tonight a copy of policy 8160 exception to school assignment due to a tenant zone change and I will speak to

[00:06:49] that later in the presentation and then finally the last two documents are just the compiled Q&A that we've received questions we've received from members of the public answers provided as of this morning at 7 o'clock and then the two questions we've had from board members chair Mansfield and dr. Rashid that were asked outside of the attendance zone process so as of now and following it's going to say the March 20 after the May 20 school board meeting the other week we

[00:07:27] have five plans that are under active consideration by the board these have moved forward for additional discussion and comment at tonight's public hearing it's a staff plan and then the four plans that were created by members of the community utilizing redistrict and then sponsored by all four were sponsored by Ms. Chernoff and plan 040 was also sponsored by chair Mansfield the staff plan looking for my little cheat sheet it's the staff plan reassigned seven planning zones with our plan and with it speaking only to the middle schools

[00:08:06] because the high school capacity with all five plans is stable for this duration of the 26 27 and 27 28 year but for the 26 27 and 27 28 year with the staff plan we would have j michael lunsford at 96 and 99 respectively for those years mercer middle school at 105 and 108 percent willard middle school at 101 and 104 percent the redistrict plan 040 reassigns for

[00:08:41] planning zones and with that J Michael Lunsford would be at 95 percent utilization in the 26 27 year and 97 in the 27 28 year Mercer would be at 104 and 108 percent and then Willard would be 103 and 105 percent redistrict plan 289 reassigns nine I'm counting one two that eight I'm sorry and that one has J. Michael Lunsford at 101 percent and 103 percent in the 26 and 27 school

[00:09:19] years and then Mercer is at 102 and 104 percent Willard is at 100 percent and 103 percent for district 293 reassigned six planning zones it has J. Michael Lunsford at 96 and 99 percent capacity in the 26 27 and 27 28 years Mercer is at 100 and 103 percent and Willard is at 105 and 108 percent Redistrict 935 has J Michael Lunsford in those same two years school years 98 percent and 100

[00:09:57] percent and then 101 and 105 percent for Mercer and 103 and 106 percent for Willard this is the final public hearing before next Tuesday's action by the school board to adopt changes to the Dulles South attendance in change on the I guess I should get back to that on the 10th the board members board members can make a recommendation to adopt any of those plans and then if amendments can

[00:10:32] be made to that any move to bring an additional new plan that's been created are offered by the community members or even board members up to that point would require the requisite three two-thirds percent of those on the dais at the time in order to move another plan forward but in your purview as a school board you can adopt any plan or any change to it following policy policy 8160 and this speaks to a question miss Chernoff had asked the other night policy 8160 offers

[00:11:08] survey at the time of an attendance zone change we've stated that rising seniors would not have to change they would remain at their current school year for the 26 27 school year their final year we also by policy will survey active high school siblings so students who are already enrolled in high school and have a sibling that will be a senior that year policy asks that we survey that interest for that child to remain at and graduate from their current high school they would remain with their older sibling policy also

[00:11:44] outlines surveying rising juniors those entering grade 11 at the time of attendance and change to determine their interest for remaining at their current high school assignment for two years through graduation and then it also identifies entering grade 8 those who will be finishing their final year of middle school to also survey for their interest to remain at their current middle school staff will be surveying based on whatever is adopted on June 10 staff will be surveying these families for interest for their students and report back to you as a school board for you to consider and vote on those

[00:12:21] requests if the exception is granted transportation may not be provided there will be transportation provided the first year the 26 27 year for those seniors because they will not be moving so if there's space available on the bus that would be an option for them. Miss Chernoff you had asked about the potential of also surveying rising sophomores because those will be students that start next fall as a freshman at either John Champ, Light Ridge or Freedom High School depending on what is adopted. So we could consider that at the direction of the board we would also survey those students for interest and

[00:13:00] we would report that back to you for your consideration as well. So Miss Tate we would make that as an amendment or Miss Chernoff would make that as an amendment yes ma'am okay again this is our web page our email any questions comments we receive we're posting answers to all questions we receive in writing so all can read them any comments we are getting forwarding them

[00:13:26] to you and dr. Spence and that concludes my presentation okay and it's not a work session I don't know that we have any wash if you have questions yes I'm happy I'm sorry I didn't state that as I closed.

[00:13:52] Okay. Yes, Ms. Chernoff. I have a couple questions. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you to the team. And I'm looking forward to hearing from all of you tonight as well. And I want to also thank all the many people that have reached out via email. I've had several phone in-person meetings, so really appreciate the context to help us make a good decision.

[00:14:11] I'm going to piggyback off of what you just said, Ms. Tate, about the survey, because last time it was a late hour. And if I am remembering correctly, I felt like there was a feeling of, like, we don't want to dangle a carrot and survey all these students and then be like, oh, there's too many, never mind, we can't do it.

[00:14:29] So can you speak to that? Because I know you went ahead and ran those numbers. And is it true that we feel confident that if we were to survey the rising, I think, 10th graders, right, the sophomores, that we feel that our high schools would be able to have that capacity and that that would allow for continuity for all high schoolers involved?

[00:14:48] Yes, ma'am. and there may be families who choose not to request that because they will have a rising freshman who would be attending a different school. This would only be applicable to those students who start grade nine, but the range, if we're just looking at the resident students in the planning zones that are recommended with each of the five plans, we are talking about at a maximum, and that's if everybody requested to remain at their high school, which in my knowledge, that's never happened.

[00:15:19] that we're talking about 201 resident students that would be with plan 289 and the lowest range would be 79 students with plan 935 the staff plan again just counting resident eighth graders this year we have the staff plan would involve 133 students the plan 040 would be 105 plan 289 be 201 plan 293 would be 120 and plan 935 would be 79.

[00:15:51] And I would offer that there should be capacity. But again, it depends, too, on the rising 11th graders and the seniors that stay. But I don't foresee that as being a problem. Okay. I think that's important.

[00:16:06] And if that is the sentiment, I really don't see a downside to doing that survey. So I'm definitely planning on moving forward with that amendment. And I will work with the team to have that posted in board docs on Friday when the agenda goes live. Another question I've had that's kind of risen out of this is surrounding DS 13.8.

[00:16:28] It's a pretty small amount of students from my understanding. And I was wondering if, is it, I guess the question I'm trying to get context on is, were they changed and are like to a different one the first time? And then now we're changing them back.

[00:16:44] Because I am considering, even if we were to adopt the staff plan, i am considering making an amendment to take out ds 13.8 just hearing from those families and thinking about that change and now changing them back just feels like something we would try to avoid i have on ds 13.8 and this one that she that she made that is that plan for d it's the It's the Dulles Area Attendance Zone changes that she color-coded.

[00:17:19] Yep. Reassigned, it looks like, DS 13.8, is that what you said? Yeah, it said zero times. It looks like reassigned zero times. So when John Champ opened, well, actually when Light Ridge opened, it was reassigned from Freedom High School to John Champ High School.

[00:17:37] And with the staff recommendation and a couple of the other plans that are before you, that we are recommending that they leave John Champ and go back to Freedom High School and J. Michael Lunsford. And when was that?

[00:17:53] That was when Light Ridge opened. So Light Ridge opened in 2020, so it was that year. We did, I mean, there were the Kirkpatrick Farms folks that are here. They also moved that year, so they too have moved. Okay. And we're recommending they move back.

[00:18:09] but specific to your question the DS 13.8 has right now 20 resident middle school students and 22 resident high school students so it is a small planning zone you are correct okay I may present that amendment as well just wanted to put that on the table and then I put forward four of the plans one is plan 40 in conjunction with Ms. Chair Mansfield do you I will speak only for myself. I really did that as a way to kind of look at various options and impact, especially kind of to prove the point with 289 that you really have to move a lot of people to get those

[00:18:48] numbers really low. 935 is a completely different look, but it really disrupts the feeders of the elementary. So that doesn't feel like a great option. So if I personally am not going to consider 289 293 and 935 do we still put those forward at this point because I put them forward or is there a process for that we just leave it as is that is totally at your discretion there may be other board members who like one of those and would like to keep them in discussion for next Tuesday but in making a motion

[00:19:25] whoever makes the motion on Tuesday they would make a motion to adopt a plan and And then if there were amendments to that plan, then that would be how it would proceed. We would not put forth all five plans for a vote. Okay. I would defer to my colleagues then on that.

[00:19:42] I thank you so much. That's all I have. So I have a question about 289. I mean, I have to say the numbers are a little better as far as I'm concerned. But also, I am wondering about going to Champ and Mercer.

[00:20:07] Are we thinking that DSO 7. 2 and DSO 7. 5, are we looking that when HS14 comes out, that they will be moving somewhere else other than CHAMP and Mercer, or do we know?

[00:20:29] So, presently, they are at Willard Middle School and Light Ridge High School, the Lena Middle Community, and are answering some of the questions that are posted with the Q&A that's in your folder. We have talked about the option that perhaps that community would be reassigned potentially to Mercer and John Champ High School.

[00:20:53] But from a staff perspective, we did not make that recommendation because we knew we had planning zones that were located north of Route 50 that were specifically the Heartland community that's so close to either HS14 or Independence. we wanted to make sure that there was still capacity at the high school level until that time and so we did not make that recommendation and we did not want to split the community at the time I will offer though at least my concern on 289 and I know you have been an advocate for cleaning up the feed with

[00:21:30] elementary 289 does not keep all of Pinebrook together at Willard and Light Ridge the one planning zone 12.8 is the only planning zone in the Pine Brook attendance zone that would not go to Willard and Light Ridge and so you would have a split feed and as some have asked you know what a splinter feed is a splinter is but a really small percentage of student and that would be a splinter feed in my opinion. And so also Ms. Chernoff's it was 13.8 that you were

[00:22:06] thinking about taking out of the staff plan so would they so they would stay at Mercer and Mercer and Champ don't you think that they would come back to freedom eventually freedom and Lunsford eventually mean because we're thinking all this down here is probably going to stay right they may and it may be that if that were action that the board took where it would remain at Mercer and John Champ, it may be that when we do the boundaries for HS14 that it would be a recommendation

[00:22:46] for them or other adjacent planning zones to go to freedom, but that will be part of that boundary process, the same as it will be for DS 7.2 and 7.5. Yes, Dr. Rasheed.

[00:23:09] Thank you, Chair. Thanks so much for putting this together. This is quite cumbersome. Of all the data that was put together, was there any, when it came to the staff plan, was there any data regarding those that walked to school in regards to vicinity? Because I know I see a lot of information regarding the busing, but I know that especially in Lena Mill, there's like a portion of Lena Mill that is like literally walking distance to John Champ, but yet some of them bus to Light Ridge. So I was just curious, was there any data regarding walking? I do not have a walk zone for what John Champ would be with Lena Mill. When Lena Mill was assigned to

[00:23:49] John Champ, it was that portion of the community that was developing at the time, and so the path that connects Lena Mill through kind of behind the stadium of John Champ existed, but very few students did, and we weren't walking them because it was active construction all around. But it is certainly, there would be students in 7.5 that would probably be in the walk zone for John Champ High School if it were assigned there but there are also students in DS 1312 I'm speaking correctly that we're recommending be assigned to Mercer and

[00:24:28] John Champ High School that could walk to Mercer Middle School there are new there's a new development that's coming there in a path being constructed by the developer that will have access to Mercer likewise one might say that that liberty elementary school there's a planning zone that's adjacent to freedom high school that some of those students could walk to freedom high school but they're presently at mercer and john champ and we have not recommended that they be reassigned with this but the entire planning zone of ds 7.5 would not be in a walk zone for john champ is there any choices to create walk zones

[00:25:05] for for some of these plans just to make it more easier for the students to get to school so that that we can perhaps decrease on the busing and have the students walk to the schools, if that's a choice? - Certainly if transportation reviews walk zones every spring.

[00:25:21] And so if there are opportunities similar to, I think, J. Michael Lunsford this spring that was board considered at F&O. You know, whether some of those students live on the other side of Braddock would walk to J. Michael Lunsford. That's certainly something our transportation staff does each spring.

[00:25:38] And so they would look at that, depending upon what is adopted. - Thanks so much. - Anyone else?

[00:25:54] I'm wondering a little bit, I know we discussed these things with principals too. Is there any principals when people are discussing these things with them? What are some of their, generally, some of their feelings about overcrowdedness or the percentage?

[00:26:21] - Thank you, Ms. Mansfield. So we generally will talk, and we did talk to Ms. Mitchell in the department of school leadership. As you know, we have general conversations with the principals, but we don't bring them into the fold of this personally because there's so many different families involved.

[00:26:39] But what we did talk with the folks in the department of school leadership, Ms. Mitchell in particular, you know, they talked about the benefits of reducing that overcrowding, especially at these middle schools, where it would help with the increased access to different services like social emotional support, the mental health access, the community events.

[00:26:57] Some of the events at these middle schools are so large with different programs, they have to go to a high school to do that because their school is not big enough to manage the folks that come to that. So those are a couple of things that we heard in particular. In addition to class size, as we fit more students into the building, there's class sizes get a little bit larger and that affects the availability of teachers to be able to give personal attention.

[00:27:21] We also talked to them about enhanced student safety, more folks that are in the building you know the easier it is to overlook something so the safety security folks will have better access with fewer kids greater access to shared spaces and services as i mentioned before uh community relations you know the the folks at the school that reach out to the community have even more families to reach out to so it helps them and their abilities to do that so there are a number of things that um from the school leadership perspective that they're They're really looking at benefiting from reducing that overcrowding in the schools.

[00:27:55] It does compile. It's hard to put data numbers specifically to those things, but there are things that our school administrations deal with on a regular basis that they're looking forward to some relief for that. And we tried other things.

[00:28:11] We tried modulars. We tried. I'm sorry, you said modulars? We tried modulars at both schools. We tried other issues. Yes, we have modulars at Willard. We put two sets of those in there. And so they're, you know, approaching their core capacity of that building as well with, you know, the folks at the library, the gym, the cafeteria, those types of things.

[00:28:33] They start to get a real crunch on the overcrowding as well. Any other questions? Yes. Vice Chair Donohue. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Mr. Lewis and Ms. Tate, for the huge project that is condensing this information for us.

[00:28:50] I have two questions for you. First, I noticed that the walk zone for Champ seems to be pretty small. Why is it so small for Champ? So the walk zone is developed in accordance with the policy that talks about the distance from the school.

[00:29:16] At the time, it does not include, as Ms. Tate said, it does not include the areas of Lena Mill because it's not attending there. if we were to redraw attendance or walk zones apology for that it would encompass some of 7.5 but not all of that so it wouldn't be something that we believe all those students would be able to walk there and to do that then would probably reduce the number of the folks that are able to walk to Mercer and so there's a trade-off there for the walk zones and it's just developed on the attendance zone and then a distance from the school thank you for that sure May I add to that? Specifically with John Champ High School they're crossing North Star Boulevard

[00:29:56] and the crosswalk for North Star Boulevard is at the intersection I think it's Mattingly, Conejo and North Star Boulevard. So the students who live across the road they're having to walk a distance down North Star Boulevard to get to that crosswalk to cross the street safely along sidewalks and so that has limited the walk zone for John Champ High School specifically.

[00:30:19] The only other residents that are approximate are off of Sacred Mountain, on the north side of Sacred Mountain. Thank you. And then my other question was, you mentioned, I think you mentioned trails a minute ago. And I see for Zone 7.5, there's a trail involved.

[00:30:37] Is that an acceptable component of a walk zone under our policy? Yes. Walk zones do not have to be paved. They can be, oh, it's much louder. - Thank you, whoever did that.

[00:30:53] Lock zones can incorporate any pathway. It does not have to be paid. And so that would be a potential path for certain students.

[00:31:09] - Any other questions? - Thank you so much. Let me get a little organized with all these papers here.

[00:31:26] And so I can pay attention properly. All right, we will now move on to item three, the public hearing procedures for public comment.

[00:31:44] Thank you for engaging with the school board through the public comment process. The school board welcomes comments from Loudoun-Kalsey residents and believes that strong community engagement and outreach are important components of a successful school system. Please note that speakers of the school board public hearing shall limit their comments to the Dulles-South Secondary School Attendance Zone public hearing.

[00:32:06] Speakers must limit their comments to the time allotted. Based on the number of speakers in the agenda, all speakers have been allotted one minute each for public comment this evening. Speakers who missed 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 procedures set forth in school board policy 2520 entitled participation by the public and on the LCPS citizen participation website.

[00:32:37] Those resources 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 shall refrain from vulgarity, obscenities, defamation, profanity, or other like breaches of civility, decorum, and respect.

[00:32:58] 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 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 is not limited to the chair directing

[00:33:35] staff to remove the attendee from the remainder of the meeting and or the public comment be included 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 fios channel 43 the live stream of the meeting may be viewed on their website as a little reminder speakers are asked to begin your comments by stating your name street name or planning zone designation your ds number and the grade level of your children we look forward to hearing your comments and we will start with virtual speakers

[00:34:09] and we might have a little issues with the webex today so just be patient please our first virtual speaker is jacob canard followed by jennifer massis we don't have a caller by that name

[00:34:39] no jacob canard uh jennifer massis followed by priscilla jesudas good evening my name is jennifer massis and i live in ds07.2 in lena mill and i'm a mom of three daughters and first sixth and seventh grade who are current and future Willard Wildcats. I'm here in support of the original staff plan being considered for the Dulles South attendance zone change. I have spent time reviewing prior fiscal year board docs where it is noted that Willard and Lightridge were originally intended to priority zone the Lena Mill and Willisburg communities given their size, immediate

[00:35:18] physical and walking proximity to the schools, and anticipated student growth. Willard Middle School was not initially at capacity when opened and therefore in a 2019 school board presentation some portions of smaller neighborhoods such as Kirkpatrick Farms and others were temporarily granted permission to attend Willard to alleviate overcrowding at Mercer and Lunsford at that time.

[00:35:38] Now as noted in the 2025 staff plan student populations have once again shifted and there is capacity at Mercer and Lunsford so Kirkpatrick Farms and the other small groups of students are being moved back to their originally intended schools and aligned feeder schools. The staff plan truly has the least amount of impact to the students and has been really thought out well.

[00:35:58] Please support the staff plan. Thank you. Priscilla Jesudas, followed by Justin Jesudas. Hello, good afternoon, greening everybody. I'm a resident of Lena Mill and have a rising middle school and current high school student. And I would like for the staff plan or any plan that keeps my children in Willard and Lightridge. The staff plan makes more sense overall for our

[00:36:33] children, traffic concerns, and community continuity. I'm advocating for staff plan, plan 293 or 935, which keeps our community together at Willard and Lightridge. Thanks for listening. Thanks for your time. Thank you. Justin Jesutis followed by Joshua Jesutis.

[00:37:30] should we move on to the next one or yes move on i'm sorry we can move on to joshua okay joshua giocetis i live in lena mill and would like to finish my middle school in willard and continue high school in lightridge please consider my request thank you for your time katherine thomas

[00:38:04] followed by joanna munalo good evening good evening my name is katherine thomas and i'm a resident of DS 7.2, the Lena Mill neighborhood. I currently have three elementary school students, kindergarten, second, and fourth grade. I'm advocating for the board to choose the staff plan, plan 293, or plan 935 that keep our community together at Willard and Lightridge. DS 7.2 was already moved in the previous rezoning in 2020, and it would be disruptive to move these students

[00:38:44] again. Keeping our neighborhood together only makes sense as there is no natural boundary or road that splits our neighborhood into two sections. Geographically, it makes more sense for Lena Mill to attend Willard or Light Ridge because of proximity and the right-hand turn out of the back of our neighborhood on Dobraddick. A left-hand turn to get to Champ or Mercer at that intersection is dangerous and backs up traffic. It doesn't make a lot of sense to have Lena Mill drivers make this left-hand turn to get to Mercer or Champ and cross traffic coming from neighborhoods further east to get to Willard or Light Ridge. I acknowledge this is a difficult decision, but I believe the staff plan balances numbers well while providing consistency and logical geographic

[00:39:18] boundaries. Thank you for your time. Thank you, Joanna Manalo, followed by Shredevi Kakarla. Good evening. My name is Joanna Manalo from DS07.2. I have two children, one in second grade and a sixth grader at Willard. As a Lena Mill resident, I want my children to remain at Willard and Lightridge. The staff plan or plans 293 and 935 is the most sensible option for our children based on traffic patterns and maintaining community continuity. I support the staff

[00:39:54] plan or plans 293 and 935 to keep our community together at Willard and Lightridge. Thank you for your time and consideration. Thank you. Sridevi Kakarla followed by Kruti Naik. Good evening.

[00:40:15] My name is Sridevi at Dulles South 7.5 and I have a kid in elementary and first grade and a sixth grader at Willard and I would support the staff plan and I want my kids to go to Willard and Lightridge and it's most important assigning students to schools based on proximity and it offers benefits like reduced commute times, increased participation of kids in extracurricular activities, stronger community ties, enhanced parental involvement like in school events and volunteering opportunities and families often choose their houses based on schools their children go to. When rezoning happens after families have settled and it leads to frustration and a sense

[00:40:53] of instability and children should be able to walk or bike to school and LCPS promotes this and saving time, reducing the stress associated with the long commutes and all that. And I request the honorable board members to do justice to kids who are living in close proximity to schools that they're assigned, already assigned to, and do not change this.

[00:41:17] Thank you. Thank you. Kruti Naik, followed by A.R.T. Sharma. We don't have a caller by that name.

[00:41:36] A.R.T. Sharma, followed by Cordell Hanson. We don't have a caller by that name.

[00:41:52] Cordell Hanson followed by Maggie Maggie. Hi this is Cordell Hanson can you hear me? Yes sir. Hi my family are residents at DS 13.12 in Westview Estates. We have two children in LCPS. I'm asking the board to keep our current theater pattern to Pinebrook, Willard, and Light Ridge intact.

[00:42:24] Our neighborhood is a planned proper community developers contributed land and money to support schools when it was built that investment should matter in this process. We're a fully built out neighborhood that isn't driving new growth yet the proposal moves our students to make space for others. That creates disruption without solving the real capacity issue. Our students have been progressing through Pinebrook and Willard with the expectation of attending Light Ridge. That continuity matters and the trust families placed in the system when they chose to live here

[00:42:58] the investment community and planned around it. Please consider the reassignment of... Thank you, Maggie. Maggie, followed by Kate Myers. We don't have a caller by that name.

[00:43:16] Kate Myers, followed by Stephanie Walters. Hi. Hi. My name is Kate Myers from DS 12.6. I have three children in LCPS. Trust and transparency are at the core of any relationship, including the one between LCPS, its students, and their families. Many comments at the previous meeting expressed that the staff plan was the only plan that was unbiased, yet I politely disagree. Without community engagement, surveys filled out, even if not required, and the fact that not all questions submitted have been answered in the fullest. There is, in fact, exclusionary, informational, and procedural bias

[00:43:56] that have all occurred. We deserve full transparency, and this plan does not provide this for our communities. Therefore, we stand behind Plan 40, which prioritizes the communities that were planned, and Loudoun County received financial contributions to offset the impact of growth. Also, LCPS staff indicated that 7.5 and 7.2 are already being considered for Mercer and John Champ, which would create a peer feed into Goshen, as well as own 7.5 within walking distance of Champ. Again, plan 40 addresses the fact. Thank you. Stephanie Walters, followed by

[00:44:33] Geothi Billa. Hello. Thank you so much for having me on. Can you all hear me okay? Yes, ma'am. OK, perfect. So I'm in support of the staff plan. I'm actually currently at the Lena Mill swim team practice, and it's so nice to see the students socializing about school, what they did during the day, asking for help with assignments and what all went on during the day.

[00:45:01] So really dividing a community would take that away and divide the positive culture that we've tried to create here. For those students in Lena, that would not go to Willard and to Light Ridge seems silly only because Mercer is further away in the left-hand turn. And both Willard and Light Ridge are a right-hand turn, yielding less traffic and accidents, as others have also mentioned.

[00:45:23] I actually moved to Lena Mill because I coach at Light Ridge. And I moved to Lena Mill because I wanted to live in the community in which I coach. And I thought that that was really important for my daughter, who's in second grade, to be a part of. So really just wanting to keep her with her friends, all of our community together.

[00:45:39] And so please, please, let's go for this. Thank you. Jyothi Billa, followed by Vivek Reddy. We don't have a caller by that name. Vivek Reddy, followed by Josephine Chung.

[00:46:00] We don't have a caller by that name. Josephine Chung, followed by Anjani Terlapati.

[00:46:20] We don't have a caller by that name. Anjani Tirlapati, followed by Naveen Salakuti.

[00:46:37] Good evening, everyone, honorable members of the school board. My name is Anjani Tirlapati, and my son is a rising freshman to Lightridge in the 2025-26 school year. We are from Planning Zone DS 12.6, and we live in the Braddock Corner community. I want my son to stay with Lightridge, and I strongly oppose the staff plan.

[00:46:56] I want to present four concerns why the rezoning and its timing is a bad idea. Our kids will be critically impacted with the staff plan's ill-timing rezoning. The concerns are regarding course selection continuity and career plan with LHS, advanced music band program and opportunities offered with Lightridge, feeder relationship between the schools, and the social and emotional stability and cause of stress that will cause to my son.

[00:47:22] As a mother of rising sofa more by 26-27, I believe any rezoning at this time will cause huge negative impact in my son's academic, music, and personal growth. Hence, I strongly oppose the staff plan and respectfully request NCPS to not make any changes at this time. Thank you.

[00:47:41] Naveen, thank you. Naveen Salakuti, followed by Sarah Storms. Hello. Hi, this is Naveen from Lena Mill. I humbly urge the board to not split our community between schools. Dividing our kids will cause unnecessary emotional distress as close friendships are broken apart. I strongly, strongly support the staff plan 935 and 293 that will keep Lena Mill together, the zone for Willard and Lightridge. Please help us preserve the stability and well-being of our children by keeping our community intact. Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity.

[00:48:19] Thanks. Sarah Storms, followed by Divya Kakalaputi. Hello, thank you. My name is Sarah Storms, and I am a member of the Lena Mill community with a rising third and a rising sixth grader. I'm here to strongly oppose plans 289 and 40, not just because they impact my family, but because they compromise student safety and were not built with the broader community in mind. Unlike the neighborhood-driven alternatives, the SAF plan was created through a thoughtful, independent process.

[00:48:56] It was designed to balance capacity, geography, and continuity with student safety as a top priority. It is the only plan developed with objectivity and the good of the entire area in mind if lena mill is reassigned families will be forced to make dangerous left turns on a braddock road during peak traffic a road already known for accidents this isn't just inconvenient it's a safety hazard waiting to happen please support the staff plan it's the responsible choice for safety stability and the long-term well-being of our students thank you thank you divya kakarlapudi

[00:49:29] followed by vinkatesh balina we don't have a caller by that name vinkatesh balina followed by kieran k we don't have a caller by that name kieran k followed by jennifer corum hi my name

[00:50:05] is kieran uh i live in lena mill ds 7.5 i have a rising seventh grader and the rising second grader um we buy houses we invest millions of dollars based on the assigned school zones and as a taxpayer i think we need more transparency in these kind of reassignments and rezoning I think a survey with all the residents of Lena Mill would definitely give up, you know, a better result of what is needed and what impacts us.

[00:50:38] Changing the schools is going to be a huge impact on the students' mental distress, and, you know, it's going to be an emotional thing, causing a lot of issues. I believe LCPS should talk to the land and buildings developers to better plan for future zoning and whatnot, but please do not disrupt the current assignments. Thank you.

[00:51:04] Thank you. Jennifer Coram, and then we'll start with our in-person. Hi, thank you. I'm a parent residing in Lena Mill, District 7.2, and I strongly oppose Plan 289.

[00:51:22] 289 will create unnecessary disruption for many families as it simply swaps students from one district with another and vice versa. It does not take into account the logistical challenges that would force families to quite literally cross paths with each other while driving their students to school with the other families driving to Light Ridge and Willard. This will undoubtedly worsen dangerous traffic patterns that already exist on Braddock Road. Although there is no perfect plan, there are better options. I support the staff plan as it offers unbiased solutions with no one seeking personal gain to help balance long-term stability. The staff plan considers the logistical needs of the district since it moves back the zones that were never intended to be assigned

[00:52:01] to the Willard-Lightridge cluster to begin with. These were the zones that were moved only in the past due to overcrowding. The staff plan reverses these changes, keeping these zones assigned to the Mr. Champ feet as intended. We strongly urge the board to project 289 and prioritize the stability and safety of our families. Thank you and we'll continue with our in-person speakers starting with Liz Cornetta and then Alex Cornetta. Hi there my name is Liz Cornetta. I live in 12.6 and I have an eighth grader at Willard. I'm choosing to believe that this process won't end with following through

[00:52:38] with the staff plan asking students to move out of one school while moving another set of students into that very same school. I'm choosing to believe that this process will end with absolutely no high school students being forced to change schools partway through high school to address a middle school capacity issue. I'm choosing to believe that the school board will be forward thinking and adopt plan 40 which makes Cardinal Ridge a pure feed and could make Goshen Post a pure feed with an amendment to phase students in at their natural grade transition. I'm choosing to believe that the board won't end up splitting the long-established planned community of kirkpatrick

[00:53:14] farms in favor of a much newer by right community which with an amendment to plan 40 wouldn't be split i'm choosing to believe that the board won't end up moving the students of the small long-established planned community of braddock corner as the classes of 22 and 23 went through a myriad of changes involving thank you alex cornetta followed by anay chopra alex cornetta

[00:53:51] uh anay chopra followed by barbara davis hi my name is anay chopra and i live in dulles south district 7.2 and i'm currently a seventh grader at willard and i am not supporting plan 289 i like to say thank you for allowing me the opportunity to share my opinion on this issue today first of all many students and parents are excited about going to willard and lightridge as i am too excited to be going to a familiar school but if you change the zoning it would be disappointing to many i can

[00:54:27] relate to this as when I was in kindergarten the zoning changed making me go to an unfamiliar place with few to know people I knew and this would happen to many students if you do the same change to the zoning. Also I already know and I've seen many of the teachers from Lightridge. For example I currently take orchestra at Willard and I've seen one of the Lightridge orchestra teachers come to certain Willard orchestra concerts that take place at Lightridge. If you change the zoning it would have to make me and other students start over with understanding and knowing our future

[00:54:57] teachers thank you for your time thank you barbara davis followed by mia johnson good evening uh once again barbara davis feel like i need frequent flyer miles at this point uh my son rowan goes to a fifth grade at middleberg community charter school thank you for showing up there last week it meant a lot to the kids um i very very simply i'm in i'm in favor of any plan does that does not split my community in two and if plan 40 seems to be the way that that miss um sharanoff seems to

[00:55:36] be um that seems to be the the one that makes the most sense it's the least disruptive that is what i am in favor of so i mean honestly our community with where we are we are not the million dollar homes we're not the biggest tax base but between the power lines and braddock road and being shoved up against the power lines and been you know other communities been shoved up next to us we need to be you know none of these none of this is your fault but the board of supervisors

[00:56:07] but you guys have the power to do one thing for us so please plan 40. thank you um mia johnson followed by catalina johnson good evening members of the board my name is mia johnson i'm from lena mill district dso 7.2 and i'm a sixth grade student at willard middle school i spoke at the last meeting about how important Willard is to me because of the friends I've made, the clubs I've joined, and the community I feel proud to be a part of. I'm here again tonight because my future

[00:56:43] still feels uncertain and I want to keep sharing how this affects students like me. I've learned more about the staff plan and support it. Please don't move students who are already right where they're supposed to be. I'm asking you to keep Lena Mill zoned for Willard and Lightridge where we've always been and where we still want to grow and thrive. Thank you for listening and for continuing to hear our voices. Thank you. Catalina Johnson followed by Sally Yates. My name is

[00:57:20] Catalina Johnson and I'm a fourth grade student at Goshen Post Elementary. I live in DS 07.2 Lena Mill and I've always been excited to go to Willard and Lightridge like my big sister. I hear that some people want to move my neighborhood to different schools but that doesn't seem fair.

[00:57:37] we've been part of Willard and that's what I've been looking forward to. I want to go to the same school as my sister and my neighbors. I want to learn from the teachers she talks about and make friends just like she did. Please don't change that for me. Thank you for listening. Thank you.

[00:57:55] Sally Yates followed by Michael Nakmias. Good evening. My name is Sally Yates and I live in DS 7.2 and have a sixth grader at Willard. I'm speaking again to oppose plan 289. I truly appreciate the board members who recognize the challenges this plan presents. It's the most disruptive option on the table. The staff plan, on the other hand, would undo earlier decisions made that helped relieve the overcrowding at Mercer at the time by moving these zones back to Mercer

[00:58:32] Champ, where they were originally planned to attend. The staff plan also helps ease some of ongoing traffic issues on the braddock side of our community where which vdot has no short-term plans to address lena mill doesn't have a natural divide so splitting us just feels unnecessary while no plan is perfect i believe the staff plan offers the most thoughtful and balanced approach i hope it will remain the board's focus thank you so much for your time thank you michael Michael Nakmayas, followed by Nancy Serrar.

[00:59:11] No, Michael Nakmayas. Nancy Serrar, followed by Melissa King. Good evening, board. I'm Nancy Serrar.

[00:59:27] I'm a Lena Mill resident and 7.5. Thank you for having me again. So I have a fourth grader and a seventh grader, so there'll be rising middle schoolers and high schoolers when this comes into play. One thing that hasn't been talked about is we have a new path so our community can walk easier to Goshen Post.

[00:59:44] However, that path will not be able to be used to get to Goshen or to Champ because it crosses Goshen Post property. So that's going to be an interruption to their school day using that path that our community built. And that's going to have an impact on another school. Also, you talk about this distance.

[01:00:02] It is literally a tenth of a mile difference from Light Ridge and Champ. The community, the road right behind my house walks to Light Ridge. There's a crosswalk there. They could walk there just like they can walk to Champ. we can hear both games so the distance isn't it it's going to be easier to get to light ridge because of the right hand turns and my son won't have to remake new friends because you took them to her water and other schools because you've already split our community thank you thank you

[01:00:29] melissa king followed by elizabeth whitley hi i'm melissa king my husband nick our third grader mason and i live in kirkpatrick farms on peaceful terrace just south of braddock road it may look like this redistricting doesn't affect us, but it does. It hurts to see a community we love ripped apart by a line on a map in the staff plan. Tonight, we stand for our friends and our neighbors.

[01:00:57] When Lightbridge and Willard opened, our whole neighborhood was redistricted from Mercer and Champ. Then Pipebrook absorbed all of Hovater's kindergartners for two years, causing traffic nightmares. That was unfair. Now the proposal moves kids north of Raddick back to Mercer and Champ, breaking up lifelong friendships. It's not fair. These children play on the same sports teams, swim at the same pool play at the same playgrounds how do we explain that a line will pull them apart in middle and high school you say preserving community is a priority but this plan shatters ours and and and the pyramid cluster promise how stable is it to divide a neighborhood that's been in the same pyramid cluster together since day one we're looking forward to buying a home in north of braddock but now why would we move our son into a different high school middle school

[01:01:35] than his friend south of braddock please vote for plan 40 please keep kirkpatrick farms as one thank you thank you elizabeth whitley followed by riley whitley hello again i'm elizabeth and i live in kirkpatrick farms ds 13.3 with my four children who are in willard and pine brook this process has been truly exhausting staff plan splits us up and rezones a huge portion of the pine brook cluster several of us across these communities have banded together to try to make sense of it

[01:02:11] all and the hours of research emails uh driving around to even like research dullest south neighborhood meetings have been exhausting but enlightening. Not only has LCPS not presented the data as to why the rezoning has to happen right now, but none of us have found it. We also can't figure out why staff plan was presented. It shuffles families around without truly solving the problem. It tears apart a community and destroys a long-established school cluster.

[01:02:39] Plan 40 is the best option. It's truly data-driven. We have even included the thousands of homes being built in the next few years in our analysis, four of which are located between Grumspring Road and Willard Middle School. Braddock Road should not be the end-all be-all for this decision, but many people are focused on that and trying to punish us for living on the wrong side of it.

[01:02:57] Please vote Plan 40. Thank you. Riley Whitley followed by CJ Whitley. Hi, my name is Riley and I've been seventh grade at Willard. My time here has been amazing and I want my brothers to have the same experience. Pinebrook is a split school and I had to say goodbye to so many friends after fifth grade if you approve staff plan I'll have to do that all over again along with my brothers we will lose our school community along with half of our

[01:03:32] neighborhood community Willard prepares us for our time at Lightridge with games and events taking place there I would have to start completely over which breaks my heart please vote plan 40 and vote me for me my brothers compactor farms and for all the other kids affected by the staff plan we matter just as much as other communities. Thank you. Thank you. C.J. Whitley followed by Bryson Whitley.

[01:04:06] C.J. Whitley, as you know, because other two were just up here, I'm from Kirkpatrick Farms. I have a rising kindergartner, third grader, fifth grader, and eighth grader. As a veteran, one of the things I most look forward to once my active duty ended was establishing roots with my family. My time in the military was spent constantly deploying, going underway, and my family moved six times in eight years. We bought our home in Kirkpatrick Farms with the goal of stability and creating a sense of community. My children have thrived in their schools and my wife and I have enjoyed our time volunteering. The staff plan will disrupt the community that we have been a part of for eight

[01:04:42] years. Our daughter would have to attend a high school with a fraction of the kids that she's been beside all these years and our boys would spend their elementary years forming friendships only to go to middle school with a small percentage of them. Maintaining friendships with the kids and their own community will be hard since the staff plan wants to split our community across Braddock. How does this meet the goals of stability and keeping communities together? I'm urging plan 40. Thank you. Jonas Whitley no Bryson Whitley sorry followed by

[01:05:15] Jonas Whitley. My name is Bryson and I'm in fourth grade at Pinebrook. The staff plan would rip my neighborhood in half and put me in a new school without most of my friends. I've been getting excited for choir at Willard and the staff plan would take that away from me.

[01:05:39] All my friends and neighbors are upset about this plan, but many don't know that their voice matters. I know mine does. From me, Pinebrook, and Kirkpatrick Farms, vote Plan 40 and keep us together. Don't punish us for living on the wrong side of Braddock. Thank you. Thank you.

[01:05:56] Jonas Whitley, followed by John Martinez. I'm Jonas, and in second grade at Pinebrook. If you choose this staff plan, I will be separated from all my friends who live across Braddock that that isn't fair to any of us this doesn't make any sense community is supposed to be important but you want to cut us in half please vote plan 40 to keep us together my values and my community matter please show us that you believe

[01:06:33] that too thank you john martinez followed by rosie masami i'm john martinez i live in stone ridge section ds 17.6 i have an eighth grader at mercer and a second grader at pine brook for 16 years i've watched our zoning change disrupting our students friendship and stability and sense of belonging 11 years ago our section was singled out from stone ridge and rezoned from arcola pine brook pine brook elementary over the years we've become socially academically and emotionally

[01:07:10] connected with the pine brook communities then willard opened and we were split off again and forced to move to mercer separating our children from the friendships they've had since kindergarten and removing us from the rest of Pinebrook. How many times do our children have to start over? My oldest was rezoned five times from the same address.

[01:07:28] Our section is either forgotten or abused. Plan 289 fixes this. It keeps Pinebrook students moving together through Willard and Lightridge and creating a complete feeder school in Pinebrook and Goshen Post. This plan restores logical feeder patterns. It means our children stay together and their school paths make sense.

[01:07:47] Please support Plan 289. Thank you. Rosie Masumi followed by Jignesh Vaja. I'm speaking today as a concerned parent and resident of Kirkpatrick Farms regarding the proposed rezoning staff plan.

[01:08:04] Our neighborhood is over two decades old. While all the new neighborhoods were being built, it's our schools that houses the surplus until new schools were being built. We have neighborhood communities here saying that they want to stay together.

[01:08:23] why wouldn't we? Kirkpatrick Farms is a community. Our neighborhood has long been part of the Willard-Lightridge feeder pattern. These schools aren't just buildings, they're communities where kids grow up together, form lasting friendships, and families built support networks. The proposed staff plan would fracture those ties, forcing kids away from their peers, stability, and everything that they know. Rezoning should prioritize new developing neighborhoods, not established ones like ours, where families have invested emotionally and financially with the expectation of consistency.

[01:08:54] Newer communities are still forming their school identities and would be less impacted by early adjustments. Thank you. Jignesh Flaja, followed by Amit Sharma. Amit Sharma, followed by Dorothy Roney.

[01:09:24] Good evening, members of the board. Amit Sharma, I live at Cherish Court in Kirkpatrick Farms. Me and my wife, we have spent hundreds and thousands of hours volunteering into LCPS over the period of time.

[01:09:40] I have two kids in Willard Middle School right now. I strongly oppose Staff Plan and would support Plan 40 because going with Staff Plan will break up the community, which we have and my kids have been part of. We have seen our kids growing up, like many other families in Kirkpatrick, who has volunteered hundreds of hours to LCPS and bring the community together.

[01:10:06] This will not just disbar and kind of put a strain on our children and give mental stress to them, but also the sense of community and togetherness that they have will affect adversely on their future.

[01:10:21] We should look forward and encourage to a future of our community, these kids, and make sure they are supported with this. Thank you. Thank you. Dorothy Roney, followed by Tara Handwerk. Good evening.

[01:10:41] I live in Lena Mill, and I'm a mother of five children, all of whom attend LCPS, one a senior at Light Ridge, twins in sixth grade at Willard, a fourth grader, and a second grader at Goshen Post. I'm here tonight to show support for the staff plan, which keeps Lena Mill families at Willard and Light Ridge.

[01:10:56] These schools have meant far more to our family and many others than just academics. They've been safe, stable environments where our children grow, build lasting connections, and truly feel at home. As a parent, I've seen firsthand how school changes can affect students.

[01:11:12] Not long ago, our children experienced a shift when Mercer grades 6th and 7th and Willard served grades 8th and 9th. These are key developmental years, and such transitions are highly disruptive, not just academically, but emotionally and socially.

[01:11:29] The staff plan prioritizes student well-being, transportation safety, and the community's bonds that have formed over time. This plan isn't just about redrawing boundaries on a map. It's about understanding the real-life impact on families. Please support the staff plan.

[01:11:45] Thank you. Tara Handwerk, followed by Maya Roney. Hello, my name is Tara Handwerk, and I'm the mother of two Pinebrook Elementary students, a fifth and second grader.

[01:12:02] We live in a small cluster of Stone Ridge DS17.6 that attends Pinebrook. We are both here, both my children are here tonight and they want me to voice their feelings on being able to stay with their friends. We were re-zoned years ago from Arcola to Pinebrook, the neighbors behind my house go to Arcola.

[01:12:18] I want to help the voice of the school community that the children and their families have created at Pinebrook. Myself and many other community members, evidenced by the dozens of community signatures I have here on a petition, want to stay at Pinebrook and be funneled to Willard and Lightridge in support of Redistrict Plan 289.

[01:12:35] We are all here in support of what we feel is best for our students. This plan will help benefit school communities and continue to foster lifelong friendships that our children have formed. And 289 could be adopted or if our small community could be amended into an adopted plan to have Pinebrook be a theater school.

[01:12:52] I understand geographical communities are going to be louder and want to stay together, but to be honest, we have formed stronger community, stronger in our schools. Thank you. Thank you. Maya Roney followed by Kelly Rosner.

[01:13:24] Good evening. My name is Maya Roney. I'm a resident of Lena Mill and a sixth grader at Willard Middle School. As a student, I struggled to make connections, but have made many connections within the Willard Middle School community. Willard's administration has really been good for me in my transition to middle school. Changing schools in eighth grade would negatively impact my education. I am advocating for staff plan, which keeps our community together at Willard and Lightridge. Thank you.

[01:13:39] Thank you. Kelly Rosner followed by Nathan Rosner. Good evening. My name is Kelly Rosner and I'm original owner in Braddock Corner DS 12.6 since 2009. We are a proffered community which helped build these schools. This should have been taken into consideration when new bi-rec communities continue to be built and force constant rezoning due to overcrowding. My son is an eighth grader at Willard Middle School and my daughter is a fourth grader at Pinebrook Elementary. The proposed staff plan would force my son to switch from Light Ridge to Champ in his sophomore year, and he will not be

[01:14:19] able to graduate with his peers he's known since kindergarten. Yes, kids are resilient, but they need stability more. Please consider delaying any school zone changes until HS14 is opened. Please don't make these high school students suffer for a middle school problem. All the plans in the redistrict tool still have the middle schools at either at capacity or over capacity for the 27-28 school year. If you must make changes, please consider plan 48, which only makes changes to four school zones versus the seven. It also aligns DS05 with their cluster. Thank you. Nathan Rosner

[01:14:55] followed by Abigail Conley. Good evening. My name is Nathan Rosner, and I'm an eighth grader at Willard Middle School. I've lived in Braddock Corner DS12.6 my entire life. I'm looking forward to attending Light Ridge High School, where I was planning on graduating with my friends I've known since kindergarten. I was looking forward to participating in clubs and trying out for the Light Ridge basketball team. The proposed staff plan changes all of that. The staff plan will rezone me over to Champ in my sophomore year of high school, away from my elementary and middle

[01:15:33] school cluster. From my perspective, Willard doesn't seem any more crowded than it is when I was in sixth grade. I also had advisory in the modulars last year, and while it was not ideal, we made the best of it and had a ton of advisory parties please do not approve the staff plan in rezone us please consider plan 40 thank you for your time thank you abby conley abigail conley followed by scott rosner hi my name is abby conley i'm a resident of ds 13.8 and i my children will be in rising 7th and 9th graders in 2026 today i'm advocating for the removal of ds 13.8 from

[01:16:11] all rezoning plans and the acceptance of the extended survey ds 13.8 is very small spread over three grades 20 students is very few 20 students is very few students per grade even if we are to move when high school 14 opens keeping us in our zone allows current students in the secondary process to stay with their peers and get further in the education without disruption as i shared with all of you earlier this week leaving our zone in the champ cluster does not disrupt current transportation routes or feeder alignment with cardinal ridge elementary it also provides further compliance with policy 6530 as it minimizes attendance zone changes for the previously for a previously removed zone. Further, most if not all residents with school-age children in our zone

[01:16:50] do not want to change schools. I also strongly encourage you to support the extension and also include rising ninth graders in that so they may stay with their peers through high school. Thank you. Thank you. Scott Rosner followed by Lily Rosner. Good evening members of the school board.

[01:17:10] My name is Scott Rosner of Braddock Corner DS 12.6 and I'm here tonight not just as a parent of an eighth grader at Willard and a fourth grader at Pinebrook, but as someone who's lived the experience you're proposing for our children. When I was a kid, I was forced to change schools. It disrupted my education, my friendships, and my sense of stability. I struggled both academically and emotionally, falling behind in class, feeling like an outsider in a place that was supposed to support me. Now I see history threatened to repeat itself with my own children. They're thriving where they are, supported by teachers who know them and friendships that motivate them. Uprooting

[01:17:45] them now isn't just a change in school zone it's a change in their foundation i oppose the staff plan i oppose this rezoning but if we have to i strongly suggest consider plan 40 let's prioritize consistency and well-being over convenience or costs our kids deserve better and thank you all for your support i know it's a hard decision thank you thank you uh lily rosner followed by Thripura Gunty. Good evening. My name is Lily Kate Rosner and I am a fourth grader at Pinebrook

[01:18:22] Elementary. I have lived in Braddock Corner DS 12.6 my entire life. I love Pinebrook and I'm looking forward to going to Willard Middle School where my brother went. I participated in the Pinebrook Chorus this year and sang at various Light Ridge Sports events. Our school is connected with Willard and Light Ridge, not Murcher and Champ.

[01:18:49] Please do not rezone us. The staff plan will move me from my friends as they will be going to Willard and Light Ridge schools. Please consider Plan 40. Thank you. Thank you.

[01:19:03] Tripura Ganti followed by 3-1-1-1. Good evening. My name is Tripura Ganti and I'm a parent of two boys in school zone DS 7. 5. Current 6th grader and 8th grader both at Willard and on track for Lightridge. I'm here tonight to ask you to keep Lenin Mill community in the Willard-Lightridge track and say no to plan 040-289.

[01:19:30] Our schools are just a mile away from us and our community is not divided by any major roads like Braddock. Changing this would split us apart and add to traffic congestion and disrupt the stability and friendships our kids rely on. Traffic and safety is also a big concern.

[01:19:46] The intersection at Lena Crossing Drive and Braddock Road has seen seven crashes and seven traffic violations in the past two years. Rezoning would force more families and high school drivers, moreover, to make the dangerous, risky left turn. I've emailed the sheriff's report and petition signed by the Lena Mill community to the board for consideration.

[01:20:05] Please support the staff plan to keep our community safe, stable, and together. We were always zoned to go to Willard and Lightridge. Please listen to the data and the voices of our kids. Thank you. Thank you. Tribuwan Ganti, followed by Karthik Ganti.

[01:20:22] Good evening. My name is Tribuwan Ganti, and I live in DS, school zone DS 7.5. I'm a parent of two boys who are in Willard right now, 6th and 8th grades. And I'm here tonight to ask your support for a staff plan that will keep our kids at Willard and Lightridge.

[01:20:41] Our schools are just close by, and this proximity is essential for our families' routines and for our kids to thrive. Switching us to farther schools would not only add to already congested traffic patterns that everybody has spoken about, especially the dangerous left turn at the Braddock, the citation numbers have been quoted, but there's numerous closed calls that have not been reported yet.

[01:21:01] And this will also break our community bonds which have been built over the past years. Rezoning at this time would disrupt their friendships and create a lot of unnecessary stress. It's just not about data or numbers, it's about keeping our children safe, supported, and together. Please support the staff plan and help us preserve the stability and connection that our community relies on.

[01:21:19] Thank you for listening and supporting our kids. Thank you. Thank you. Karthik Gunty, followed by Amug Gunty. Hi, my name is Karthik Gunty, and I'm a rising ninth grader at Light Ridge High School.

[01:21:37] I live in Lena Mill, and my school zone is DS 7.5. I'm here today because I really want to stay on track and finish my high school career at Light Ridge. Please say no to plans 040 and 289. Changing high schools in 10th grade would really be tough.

[01:21:52] I would have to leave behind everything I worked for just as I'm starting to get adjusted to the high school life, which is a huge transition. Having to go to a new school environment and make new friends, clubs, sports, and connections. This is a lot to adjust for the critical years of my education, and it's very unfair.

[01:22:09] I know that rezoning is supposed to help with overcrowding, but for me and my friends, it's more than the numbers. It's about feeling with people or being with people we've grown up with and feeling like we belong. Plans like the staff plan support us in letting our high school career stay at Light Ridge.

[01:22:25] Please let us finish high school at Light Ridge with my friends and help keep my community and family together. Thank you for listening. Thank you. Amug Ganti followed by Sarah Healy. Hi, my name is Amug Ganti, and I'm a sixth grader.

[01:22:45] Willard Middle School. I live in Lena Mill and my school zone is DS 7.5. I'm here because obviously I don't want to be moved to a new school. I've made great friends, built strong connections over my years, and I'm involved in sports. Willard feels like home to me. I want to finish middle school with my peers and have the same great experiences my older brother had. It would be really hard to leave everything behind and start over at new school in my last year of middle school. Plans like the staff plan would let me stay at Willard and go to Lightridge with my older brother and friends just like we've expected please oppose 040 and 289 and help keep my friends

[01:23:20] friends community and family together please don't make me a new kid in my last year of middle school thank you for listening thank you sarah healy followed by anusha b good evening my name is sarah healy and i live in zone ds 7.5 i have a sixth and eighth grader at willard due to moving for work our oldest has attended six schools thus far in his life and we know how challenging these changes can be. We settled into this particular home because of the amazing schools in our district. Our kids have thrived at Willard and are greatly looking forward to continuing their

[01:23:58] education at Lightridge. To that end, all of our eighth graders met with a Lightridge counselor to plan their courses. They attended an activity fair at Lightridge to learn all about the amazing opportunities there are, and my son got to play with the Lightridge marching and symphonic bands in order to get him excited about their music program. Now we are being told that they will be forced to switch high schools midstream which is unfair and takes them away from the academic and extracurricular path that they have been working towards. High school is hard enough as you know without adding additional uncertainty and change we respectfully ask you to keep the Lena Mill community together at Willard and Lightridge. Thank you. Thank you Anusha B

[01:24:37] followed by Senia McCracken. Good evening my name is Anusha B. I'm a resident of Lena Mill community and planning zone 7.5. I have a rising sixth grader and a rising third grader. I request the board to not split our community into two separate schools. We want to continue to be in the Willard and Lightridge school zone. Both Lightridge and John Champ are almost same distance to our community, just one-tenth of a mile of a difference. So that is not something we should even consider when we are looking at the high schools. We strongly support the staff plan and believe this is the only unbiased plan based on all the logistics. Lena Mill is a closed-ed community and with plans like

[01:25:14] 040 and 289, my son and his longtime best friend from kindergarten who lives a street away will be forced to attend different schools. All cars coming out of Lena Mill need to make a left turn onto Braddock Road and Mercer and John Champ. There is no traffic signal and it is severely congested during rush hours. Lena Mill residents already reached out to VDOT and Lardon County Police to alleviate the situation. If kids from Lena Mill need to attend Mercer, it will be a 15 to 20 minute commute each way. It would also force the kids to get on the bus an hour before the school starts, which would be very unreasonable. Thank you. Cynthia McCracken followed by John

[01:25:48] Hi, everyone. I'm the resident of the Lena Mill community, District DS 0705, and our neighborhood is very concerned with the proposed Plan 040. We hope that the board will reconsider and reject Plan 040 and support the regional staff plan.

[01:26:07] Plan 040 is extremely disruptive as it divides Lena Mill students and breaks essential connections. While other districts were temporarily placed to Willerton-Lightridge, Lena Mill has always been attending Willerton-Lightridge, Lightridge, and it's not fair for Lena Mill students to be squeezed out from our schools where we are currently attending. As of today, we have 728 residents who signed the public petition, and also many have personally reached out via emails to express their concerns about Plan 040. We ask if you please preserve Lena Mill current assignments to Willerton Lightridge

[01:26:41] and reject Plan 040. Thank you for your time. Thank you. John Pepper, followed by Sidney Pepper. Good evening. I'm John Pepper. I live in 13.3. Who knew that school rezoning would pit community against community and neighbor against neighbor? But one of the things that I've learned as an educator is listening. And if you listen, the one thing everyone in this room has in common is they want continuity. The other thing that I've learned when I've been listening is we don't know the impact that high school number 14 is going to have. We don't know what rezoning is going to have

[01:27:18] to happen in two years. What I do know is that if you go with the staff plan or 40 or 935 or 289 or any of the numbers it really does very little to eliminate any of the overcrowding at any of the middle schools. So my suggestion is let's kick the can down the road. I've heard in a previous meeting that we were your guinea pigs anyway so let's kick the can down the road. If you have to go with a plan I urge you to reject the staff plan because it splits my community but just like their voice the staff plan, it's everyone for themselves. So let's get the can down the road. If you have to go with a plan, I say 40 or 935. I thank you for your time in this difficult decision. Thank you.

[01:27:56] Sydney Pepper, followed by Melissa here. My name is Sydney Pepper, and I am a third grader at Pinebrook Elementary. Today, I found out I was chosen as a student who best exemplifies the habit of synergize, which is a fancy way of saying building community and working together is better. As a community builder, I want to talk about what my community means to me.

[01:28:26] Kirkpatrick Farms is my neighborhood and my community. My friends and I play together, swim together, and have community events at the clubhouse together. Even celebrate each other's holidays together. And this togetherness extends to our time at school. When I found out about the school rezoning, I was upset. Not because one school is better than another, but because if the rezoning happens according to the staff plan, I'll be separated from some of my friends and my community when I start middle school.

[01:28:56] One day, a group of students from Willard and Lightridge came to our school and told us about all the great things that happened there. And I became even more excited than I was to continue the tradition of attending the schools that... Thank you.

[01:29:12] Melissa Hare, followed by Arna Bardwash. I might make a stole, too. That's embarrassing. Hi, my name is Melissa Herr and I live on the Braddock side of Lena Mill in DS 7.5. As you already know, this rezoning will negatively impact the kids no matter which plan you choose.

[01:29:34] However, I do think that there's an additional risk to move Lena Mill that none of the other communities will face and that is the safety risk that others have talked about. The left that you would have to take on Braddock if you rezone our community.

[01:29:50] There's no light there. You can hardly get onto the road now, let alone at a peak school time. It would just be disastrous. Some may be able to walk to Champ, maybe not, based on what somebody else said about the path going through Goshen.

[01:30:08] But even if you were able to walk to Champ, some might not choose to do so, especially during the rain, snow, and cold weather. And there is also no option to walk to Mercer. Thank you.

[01:30:24] - Thank you. Arna Bardwaj followed by Fiaz Shah. - Hi, my name is Arna Bardwaj. I live in the Lena Mill, the Lena Mill community. I'm a fourth grader at Goshen Post Elementary School.

[01:30:40] I'm in favor of the staff plan and not in other rezoning things because I think this will split our community into two. This will also separate friendships such as mine, which will affect our motivation to go to school, which will make us make it hard for us to fit in.

[01:31:02] And it could impact our emotional and educational success. Please vote for the staff plan. Thank you. - Thank you. Bita Najee followed by Nadia Najee.

[01:31:19] Did I skip one? No, Fiyaz Shah first, sorry. And then followed by Bita Najee. I need to put my glasses back on, sorry. - Good evening. My name is Fiyaz. I am from Lena Mill Agenda Zone 7.2. and I'm the mother of twin eighth graders graduating from Willard.

[01:31:38] I'm here tonight, along with many Lena Mill families, to support the staff plan. It checks all the boxes. It is the least disruptive option designed with proximity and safe daily travel in mind, while tackling the overcrowding issue.

[01:31:53] From Lena Mill, getting to Lightridge is a quick right on the Braddock, followed by a free right, simple and safe for new teen drivers, buses, and families. In contrast, John Champ requires a left turn to Braddock with no light, plus two more left turns, slower and more dangerous.

[01:32:10] Beyond logistics, my children and their Lena Mill friends, many together since Goshen Post days, over like seven years of friendship, are excited to start high school and graduate together from Lightridge. Splitting them now would be disheartening.

[01:32:26] We respectfully urge the board to adopt the staff plan, a sustainable, balanced solution for our children and community. Thank you for the time. Okay, Bita Najee, followed by Nadia Najee. Good evening, members of the board.

[01:32:53] My name is Bita Najee, and I'm a resident of Lena Mill, DS07.5. I want to share that I just had surgery five days ago, and as you might be able to tell, despite not being able to walk or drive, I am here tonight. That's how important this is.

[01:33:09] I want my kids to advocate for themselves, and I want to express my strong support for keeping our community together at Willard and Lightridge. I commend the staff for their original staff plan, as it truly appears to be the most balanced and thoughtful approach, considering factors like traffic flow, minimizing disruption across all neighborhoods, and, most importantly, remaining impartial.

[01:33:33] Additionally, I respectfully ask that the board consider grandfathering in the rising 8th graders, just as exceptions have been made for the rising high school seniors, Allowing these students to finish their middle school experience with their peers would help preserve stability for them during this important academic year.

[01:33:49] Thank you so much for your time and thoughtful consideration. Thank you. Nadia Najee, followed by Zane Najee. Good evening, members of the school board.

[01:34:12] My name is Nadia Najee, and I'm a sixth grader at Willard Middle School and live at Lena Mill DS 0.07.5. I'm here tonight because I'm really worried about the rezoning plan. If it goes through, I might have to leave all my friends and change schools for my last year of middle school.

[01:34:27] I love Willard and I feel like I belong there. I've made some great friends and I've worked hard to make good grades and bring positivity to the school. If rezoning needs to be done, please at least consider grandfathering and rising eighth graders the same way rising high school seniors will be treated. I know there are different plans being talked about, but I think the original staff plan is the best one.

[01:34:46] It keeps our community together, is best for traffic patterns and is unbiased. Please do not choose Plan 040 or 289. Thank you for listening to me. Thank you. Zane Nagy, followed by Deepti Dora. Good evening.

[01:35:10] My name is Zane Nagy, and I am a third grader at Goshen Post and live in Lena Mill DS 07.5. I am here because I am worried about what will happen with the rezoning. I don't want to be separated from my friends in Lena Mill. We do a lot of things together, like carpooling and going to after-school activities.

[01:35:28] If Lena Mill gets split, I won't be able to see my friends anymore, and that makes me sad. I also want to say that my sister, Nadia, should get to stay at Wheeler with her friends. She has already had to change school districts four times, and she deserves to finish her last year of middle school with her friends, not to be the new kid all over again.

[01:35:46] I think the original staff plan is the best because it keeps our whole neighborhood together and lets me go to Wheeler just like my sister did. Please do not choose plans 040 or 289. Thank you for listening. Thank you. Deepti Doda, followed by Monica Gaikarari.

[01:36:07] Good evening. I'm Deepti Doda, a resident of Lenamil TS 7.5 and a mom of a rising fifth grader. I'm here to support the unbiased staff plan, the capacity numbers, alignment with future plans, HS114, maintaining current feeder patterns, all in line with the rezoning problem statement.

[01:36:28] Over the past decade, Lenin Mill had experienced multiple re-zoning changes, and in 2019 re-zoning discussions, the board has unanimously decided to keep Lightridge and well-led schools for Lenin Mill residents. Safety is another pressing concern.

[01:36:44] Forcing kids to commute longer distances to Mercer as opposed to Villard also doesn't seem right. While I understand the desire to keep certain communities together, please also hear Lenin Mill as a community. I would also like the board to discard Plan 040 and 289 to keep us united.

[01:37:02] Thank you for your attention and commitment to our community's well-being. Thank you. Monica Gaikawari and Venkatesh Balina. Hi, good evening. My name is Monica Gaikawari, and I'm a resident of Lenamill in DS 7.5.

[01:37:24] I support the staff plan that does not split Lenamill into two school zones. My concern is that rezoning will negatively impact students and the relationships that have been established with their teachers and peers in Lightridge. They will also have to part with their friends at high school.

[01:37:43] Secondly, John Champ is not a walking distance for all schools, sorry, for all houses on Braddock's side in Lenamill. So this will have more people, students and parents driving to John Champ. Rezoning will cause more traffic congestion and accidents at Lena Mill Crossing and Bredock Intersection, which is already susceptible to accidents, especially since a large number of drivers will also be high school students.

[01:38:10] Lastly, many of us who moved to Lena Mill did so because it was zoned to Lightridge, which was an important factor. Rezoning us to John Champ is not many of us as a community want. Thank you. Thank you. This was a duplicate, but for virtual, Venkatesh Balina, Ghali Reddy, followed by Maria Soto.

[01:38:38] Good evening. I'm sorry, hold on. What is your name? I'm sorry? Oh, Dapika. Okay, you're the last one. Sorry, go ahead.

[01:38:56] Yes, you're Ghali Reddy. Ghali Reddy, yes. Staff plan versus plan 289. Staff plan underutilizes Lunsford and overcrowds Mercer. Plan 289 evenly distributes capacity with 100% utilization in all three middle schools.

[01:39:13] Staff plan breaks 20-year-old Kirkpatrick Farms and 18-year-old Braddock Corner Communities. Plan 289 makes Goshen Post Cluster a pure feed and Pinebrook Cluster almost a pure feed. Staff plan does not consider adjacency of Lena Mill to John Champ in Goshen Post Campus.

[01:39:31] Staff plan does not consider geographically farthest neighborhoods Dawson's Corner and Marbury from Willard. Plan 289 saves operational cost and reduces modulus. If a well-balanced Plan 289 impacting eight zones is disruptive, then an unbalanced staff plan impacting seven zones must be rejected.

[01:39:51] Likewise, Plan 293 must be rejected as it mirrors the staff plan. Thank you. Thank you. Maria Soto, followed by Deepika Gavila. Good evening.

[01:40:07] My name is Maria Soto. I live in the Braddock Corner community, number DS12.6. I have a 9th grader at Lightridge High School, and I have a 5th grader currently at Pinebrook Elementary, and she'll be going to Willard. If you have to rezone, we recommend the adoption of Plan 40 as a less disruptive alternative to the staff plan.

[01:40:31] Plan 40 adheres to school board policy 6530. Braddock Corner DS12.6 is a small, long-established plan community. Forcing the few students in this neighborhood to move is going to make a negligible difference in the overall numbers, yet the impact to the kids is profound.

[01:40:53] With the continued development in this area and the eventual opening of high school 14 and further rezoning, please consider the plan that supports minimal impact at this time and best serves the long-term interest and well-being of support.

[01:41:10] Thank you. You already have. Thank you. Deepika Avila. Hello, good evening. Last but not the least, I'm Deepika. I'm a resident of Lena Mill Community, a parent of raising fourth grader at Goshen Post Elementary, DS 0.075 school zone.

[01:41:34] I respectfully ask for your support in approving the staff plan. This plan offers the most balanced and impartial approach to addressing our overcrowding challenges. It keeps our children close to their schools, minimizing disruptions to their education and daily lives, and preserving the continuity that we are all fighting for. Importantly, the staff plan also reduces the traffic congestion. Many of your folks have reported the accidents that we have been facing in and out, also making our daily commutes safer and more manageable for everyone. Beyond these

[01:42:12] practical benefits, the staff plan keeps our neighborhood and housing communities united, fostering the sense of belonging and stability so i request for a staff plan and thank you and i think that concludes today um i want to take a moment to um talk to the kids out there and say thank you for coming out and for your voice i know it's not easy to come out here and talk to these crazy people on the dais um and i understand that this is hard on you guys so

[01:42:48] we appreciate you guys coming out, providing your voice, and keep up with your advocacy. It's important later in life too. So as there is no more business, the June 2nd, 2025 Loudoun County School Board Public Hearing and Work Session for the Dallas South Secondary School attendance zone change process is now adjourned. Please drive safely home.

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