School choices lead to community division

Opinion 

Two school communities are divided between what type of school should be built near Minnieville and Spriggs Roads in Woodbridge. Both communities think that their school should be prioritized — and they are both right.

Citizens fighting for Ferlazzo Elementary School are upset because an elementary school was supposed to be built in their community. Families currently attending Porter Traditional School were later promised that the “Ferlazzo site” would be the home of the new Porter Traditional School building and their current structure would be modified into a community elementary school site. Both have the right to be upset and both have the right to want the school of their choice.

The facts are that we are about 12-13 schools short of where we need to be in Prince William County. Uncontrolled growth has allowed our school enrollment to balloon to a level where each building is busting at the seams. We now have 200+ unsecured trailers at Prince William County School sites.

These two communities shouldn’t be forced to fight for their school’s future.   We need to take a balanced approach to building the schools that we need so our children can get the education they deserve and communities can come back together.   

Our problems are only going to get worse if we don’t start to fix the cracks in the dam. Tens of thousands of more homes have been approved that have yet to be built. Proffered sites, land the county already owns, and the possible purchase of new land all need to be on the table when it comes to building needed schools in Prince William County. This is a balanced approach.

In a rush to grow the population and, in some cases their campaign coffers, the Board of County Supervisors allowed houses to be built without a realistic idea of how to fund the proper schools needed to educate the children who would inevitably move into those homes. The School Board also bears responsibility in this matter. Spending must be controlled and limited to priorities that get children into properly sized classrooms that are located inside the building and not in unsecured trailers surrounding the building. 

The Board of County Supervisors needs to get our growth under control, develop plans for more businesses to diversify our tax base, and come up with a realistic plan on how to fund the 12-13 schools that we need in order to have safe and secure classrooms for all of our children. The School Board needs to get it’s spending under control while supporting community schools before prioritizing traditional schools. That is why, under the current conditions of our school system, I support the construction of the Ferlazzo community-based elementary school that has been promised to those residents for years.

Ryan Sawyers is a candidate for Chairman of the Prince William County School Board. He is running against Tim Singstock and Tracy Conroy in November’s election.