Brentsville School Board Member Adds 13th HS Plan 1b

Brentsville District School Board representative Gil Trenum has proposed a third plan for the redistricting of Western Prince William County high schools to accommodate the 13^th High School.

The 13^th High School to be located on Progress Court in Gainesville will alleviate overcrowding at Battlefield in Haymarket, Patriot in Nokesville (but mainly serving Bristow) and Stonewall Jackson High School in Manassas. It is scheduled to open in 2021.

You can check which school your address is zoned for under the various plans on the 13th high school parent portal. The portal contains a slew of information on zoning, including data and maps. 

Info & Process

Trenum already proposed two plans, "Brentsville School Board Member Adjustment Plan 1" and Brentsville Adjustment Plan 1a (we are going to abbreviate.) In hearing community concerns, he has added one more plan, Brentsville Adjustment Plan 1b.

The school board can consider these plans. The school board can also consider existing plans and make changes to them, or even propose an entirely different plan.

Trenum’s new plan provides options to three neighborhoods. In some cases, his plan returns to options originally proposed by the Planning Department.

Read about Trenum's previous boundary plans. 

Changes in Brentsville Adjustment Plan 1b

In Trenum’s 1b Plan the Osbourn Park area north of Route 234 and west of Grant Avenue does not get added to Brentsville, but stays at Osbourn Park.

Patriot would gain some area east of Broad Run Industrial Park and around Hornbaker Road north of Route 28. This area is currently zone for Stonewall Jackson.

Trenum's Plan 1a for the new high school only makes one change.

In Brentsville 1a, Trenum’s plan, that Hornbaker Road area is zoned for Brentsville District High School. In the PWCS Planning Department’s 1a Plan it is zoned for Patriot.

The other change from Brentsville Plan 1a to 1b is that the area north of I-66 and South of Route 29 around Pageland Lane and Grovetown Road, before it becomes Featherbed Lane, will be zoned for the 13^th High School.

In Brentsville Plan 1a, that Grovetown Road area is zoned for Stonewall Jackson. In the original 1a plan, it is zoned for Battlefield High School.

Demographics

The Brentsville Plan 1b does not include demographic information. One can assume it does not lessen the number of economically disadvantaged students at Stonewall Jackson High School nor the number of limited English proficiency students.

PWCS Plan 1a for 13th High School

As Stonewall Jackson is 80% minority, gaining more Caucasian students would increase diversity.

However, the administration noted the primary goals are to balance enrollment, adhere to proximity, keep neighborhoods together, see to it that neighborhoods are not frequently rezoned, and progress students together.

While there are several options on the table, only one can be chosen, and some residents will be happy, while some will not be.

Stonewall Jackson High School Concerns

Stonewall students and teachers have demonstrated their passion for their school, speaking at meetings.

Stonewall Jackson offers a very competitive International Bachelorette program, but that program is not recognized by the Our Schools website that rates schools. That site, often used by realtors, misrepresents SJHS as a school that does not offer many college readiness courses.

Another aspect of the 13^th High School Parent Porthole is that it now includes maps showing where students are transferring to in order to attend specialty programs.

Public Hearing & Vote

Once again, the school board hearing and vote on the 13th high school boundaries is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 19, 2019, at the Kelly Leadership Center. It is recommended that speakers sign up in advance. Speakers receive three minutes to speak before the board.