Broken Promises on Ferlazzo Elementary reveal what is wrong with Prince William County School System

Opinion

The Ferlazzo Elementary School debate reveals fundamental problems with the Prince William County School system.

Our county has a notorious problem of approving housing before planning and building the necessary infrastructure. However, when the housing around the intersection of Minnieville and Spriggs was approved, our leaders thought ahead. Before a single house was approved, proffered land was secured for a needed elementary school. Citizens and community leaders were involved, and the agreed upon needed infrastructure was secured.

With a signed legal document guaranteeing an elementary school, parents began purchasing homes so their children could attend the planned elementary school. Parental choice in education is important, and these parents made a choice for their children’s education based off a promise by the government.

When the land was transferred from the county to the school system, the school system knew the land was to be used for a community elementary school. On last year’s Capital Improvement Plan, the site was listed as being used for a community elementary school to be opened in the fall of 2016. The community members in that neighborhood saw a coming need and planned for it. Ferlazzo Elementary School was long planned as the key to address coming elementary school overcrowding in that part of the county.

In January, however, without any vote from the elected school board, the Principal of Porter Traditional School was directed by staff to let her families know that the school would be moving to the Ferlazzo site in the fall of 2016. At about the same time, yet again without approval by the school board, plans were drawn and bids requested for building the new Porter Traditional School.

At this point we had a promise from the school system to the people that a community elementary school would be built on the site, and a statement authorized by school staff saying it was a done deal that Porter Traditional School would be built on the same site. By making two conflicting promises, school staff needlessly pitted two communities against each other.

How could such a radical change be made to the CIP be made without a school board vote, and without the public being notified? This is the question that infuriated residents in eastern Coles and western Neabsco and Potomac, mobilizing them to action. How can the government make a promise to the people for years, and then revoke it on a whim without any public discussion?

When citizens can plan for their community’s future to have it taken away on a whim, and legal agreements are brushed aside without a public discussion, how can you expect the people to trust the government, and how can the government claim to be seeking to represent the people?

After the public outcry, the school board decided to placate the people by holding public hearings. These hearings are going to be this week. There is one Monday, April 13, at 7 p.m. at Hylton High School and one on Thursday, April 16, at 7 p.m. at Freedom High School. It is important for citizens to come out and make their voices heard. However, these tokens at transparency are a sham. While these are supposedly public input meetings, the county announcement about the hearings goes out of its way to make a case for the Porter switch, making it clear for which project the county will be advocating.

Also interestingly, the headline for the county announcement reads, “Learn why staff recommended a swap…” This headline gets to the heart of what is wrong with the current school system.

The school board is elected to represent the interests of the citizens. Staff is needed to help formulate proposals and present possible plans to the school board. However, when the school board sits back, allowing staff to drive the agenda and do as they feel best, the citizenry has no recourse, and there is no accountability for those making the decisions.

We need school board members who will work hard to represent their constituents and advocate for them, refusing to merely be a rubber stamp for school staff. As the school board takes its responsibility to oversee the school system seriously, we will have an opportunity to bring transparency and innovative ideas to the PWC School System that should rebuild confidence and improve educational opportunities for every Prince William County student.

Willie Deutsch is a candidate for the Prince William County School Board Coles District seat.