A second meeting to discuss the proposed boundaries for the 12th high school and affected neighborhoods will be held tonight at 7 p.m. at Hylton High School at 14051 Spriggs Road in Woodbridge. Last evening, the first of the two boundary meetings was held at Brentsville District High School in Nokesville.
The plan for the 12th high school will adjust several neighborhoods in Bristow, Nokesville and Haymarket, which garnered the attention of many western Prince William parents who attended the meeting. Others, due to the weather, plan to attend the Hylton meeting tonight.
Weather Concerns and Quick Timing
Concerned about the weather and quick timing of the two meetings, the citizens’ blog Our Schools on Facebook asked that people write their Prince William School Board members and ask that they change the meeting process.
Dr. Matthew Cartlidge, Supervisor of the Planning Office for PWCS, said the meeting has been announced on the school division’s website since April 15, but a representative from Our Schools recognize the timing and say 14 days is not enough time.
Cartlidge said the two back-to-back meetings were planned to accommodate “the schedule of the leadership” and also anyone who would not be able to attend the first meeting.
He said if people choose not to travel because of the weather, “there will be the same exact presentation [on both evenings.]"
Cartlidge said PWCS has been in contact with VDOT and facilities services and determined not to cancel the meeting. While there were flooding in areas around Brentsville District High School, Cartlidge said the option was open for anyone who could not make it on Wednesday to attend Thursday evening’s meeting instead.
No Decisions Have Been Made Yet
Cartlidge said the point of the meeting is to gain citizen input. He said the plan on the website is the “straw man,” not the final decision.
“We needed a starting point to start the meeting with,” he said.
Cartlidge said the process for planning a high school does not utilize a citizens' committee, mainly because the needs are more complex, so the process begins with a public meeting.
However, he said that citizens still have “a lot of impact.” Besides making their voice heard at either the April 30 or May 1 meeting, they can also sign up to speak during citizens' time at the first or second School Board meeting in May.
Concern about the Boundary Process
Our Schools administrators became suspicious of boundary plans when a PWCS document explaining the boundaries was dated May of 2014. This had the administrators and some of their readers questioning whether citizens would really have an input in the process.
Last week, Assistant Director of Facilities Management Dave Beavers answered that those were only the division’s recommended boundaries, but citizens would still be able to provide their input.
Petition Not to Redistrict Villages of Piedmont and South Market
Additionally, residents of Villages of Piedmont and South Market in Haymarket have created a petition to protest the fact that they might be rezoned for Brentsville District High School.
They note that Battlefield and Patriot High Schools are both closer to their neighborhoods. Because of proximity, they said that either of those schools would yield a short commute to and from school, which would help keep students safer in travel and keep them closer to their friends and neighbors.
The Coo-Coo for Cocoa Puffs Idea
At the meeting, citizens questioned whether the 12th high school being built in mid-county should serve the mid-county population at all, when there is severe overcrowding in western end schools.
“This is a crazy coo-coo loco idea,” said involved citizen and parent Kim Simmons [A video of her speech has since been disseminated on Facebook via Our Schools.] “Pick a spot for the 13th high school. Draw a boundary for it until the time that the 13th high school opens. That will give us a six-year plan instead of a third-year plan.”
Simmons explained that the western end schools need relief now. She also said budgetary and land issues are making it difficult to build the 13th high school.
“The fact that we have no land. I’m not so sure the 13th high school in going to happen in 2019. The only way that is going to happen is that if all of us here and down at Hylton say, ‘make that happen.’”
Simmons was not happy about all that was expected to be decided from April 30 to May 21.
“It feels like this process is being rushed. It created the impression that you guys, you don’t care what we have to say. The boundaries for the school will not affect construction. Instead of having the presentation in one week, can we push it back? Can we do something really radical and work throughout the summer?”
David Beavers, Associate Director of Planning for PWCS, answered her.
Overcrowding at Western End Schools
“I think that’s a big question. We’re very happy to receive it, but I do not think we can give you a proper answer today. We do realize there is overcrowding, significant overcrowding,” Beavers said.
He also said that Simmons was not the first person to make that suggestion.
Simmons noted that most western end schools are severely over capacity. Patriot is recorded as being at 127.3 percent capacity according to the 2013 numbers on the Facility Services website. Osbourn Park, which will see relief with the school division's proposed boundaries, is only at 113.7 percent and Hylton is at 116.6 percent. However, by accepting fewer transfer students, the number of students could be reduced.
Yet, all Patriot numbers reflect students within the attendance area. Battlefield High School is also at 119.9 percent capacity.
Bristow Beat plans on attending tonight's meeting at Hylton to provide more information.
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