Officials Weigh Opening New Middle School in January or September 2012

With word that the new, and as yet unnamed, middle school will be ready for occupancy in January 2012, came the question of whether it should open its doors at that time or wait eight months later until September. Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) called a meeting to gather public opinion on the issue last night in the auditorium of South County Secondary School (SCSS). Faced with the daunting task of transferring hundreds of students and dozens of personnel—not to mention supplies and equipment—in the cold of winter to a new building, a substantial majority of those attending the meeting favored a September opening. A seventh-grader in the audience captured the general sentiment by saying that moving in the middle of the school year, "would be a pain in the butt."

Mount Vernon District School Board Member Dan Storck, Assistant Superintendent Betsy Fenske and Chief Operating Officer Dean Tistadt led the meeting, which lasted approximately an hour.

It is a general consensus that SCSS as it currently stands is severely overcrowded. The temptation to alleviate that overcrowding as quickly as possible is great, and moving the 850 middle school students into the new school in January 2012 as opposed to September 2012 would solve overcrowding quicker. Accomplishing this at a cost of potentially disrupting the learning process was essentially the question at hand last evening.

Fenske presented the results of surveys that were conducted with current middle school teachers, who are the staff that would be most affected by a mid-year move. The overwhelming majority of them favored opening in September versus January, and for many reasons. The most prominent of which was the loss of instructional time that would come from moving in the middle of the school year. Other concerns regarding staffing, students transitions and scheduling were also noted.

Based on her discussions with staff and personnel, Fenske indicated that she will recommend to the school board that the opening be delayed until September. The board intends to vote on the matter in January of next year.

Fenske, who has overseen the opening of several schools, drew a comparison to Glasgow Middle School in Alexandria, another school that opened in the middle of the year. The difference between that school and the new South County Middle School, Fenske said, was that Glasgow was a transfer of all the students and staff from one building to another. Whereas with South County only grades 7 and 8 will move, grades 9 thru 12 will stay intact.  

Fenske also noted that while the mid-year move of Glasgow was, on balance, successful, the building principal said that the staff and students were pre-occupied with the move throughout the fall months, which led to an increase in stress.

Were the new middle school to open in January 2012, only the existing students at SCSS would transfer. However, should the school open in September, it is possible that FCPS might "cast a wider net" and be used to help solve overcrowding at other schools.

Should that happen, one of the communities most likely to be affected would be the Lorton Valley subdivision. Due to boundary changes and the overcrowding at SCSS, the children in Lorton Valley presently attend Hayfield Secondary School, which is ten miles away, even though SCSS is less than three miles away. Officials acknowledged the possibility that those students might attend the new middle school should it open in September 2012.

Storck said, "(The board) will look at the boundaries before the school opens. They might change."

But how the new school's opening affects boundaries will not necessarily be the foremost factor in Storck's decision. He has not taken a position on when the middle school should open.

"The staff made a very strong presentation (for a September opening)," Storck said. "They feel that it would be the better choice for the students. That's what's most important—what's best for the students."

Some facts about the new school:

Located on Laurel Crest Drive.

Occupies 33.18 acres and the building itself will be 176,000 square feet.

Holds enough room for 1,350 students.

Will be two stories high, the entire second floor being devoted to instructional space.

Has three outdoor basketball courts.

Allows for 263 parking spots for cars and 20 more for buses.