Opinion: Recent school boundary changes a wake-up call

Submitted By Doug Widener
Citizens Alliance of Prince William

Because of housing overdevelopment, quality of life will suffer next school year for many of the students, parents, and teachers affected by the recent boundary changes for 16 elementary schools in the Woodbridge, Neabsco, and Occoquan districts.

Quality of life will continue to suffer for the thousands of other students and teachers packed into overcrowded classrooms and more than 200 trailers, countywide.

Then there are the tens of thousands of county residents who suffer daily in stop-and-go traffic congestion – some of the worst in the nation – on the way to and from work or just to go shopping.  It didn’t have to be this way.  And without drastic political change, it will get worse.

There are already more than 15,000 new housing units in the county’s development pipeline.  Those homes have already been approved by the Board of County Supervisors and are just waiting for developers to decide to begin construction.  Imagine the potential impact of this “ticking time bomb” on current school overcrowding and traffic congestion.

For example, three of the pipeline projects in the Brentsville District, approved by County Supervisors in 2008 and 2011, are now ready to begin construction.  Those developments will add students from 235 more new homes to Battlefield High, already the most overcrowded school (with 18 trailers) in the county; and to Reagan Middle, which had to install five trailers this school year.

Enrollment at the new high school scheduled to open in the district for the 2021/2022 school year is expected to exceed its student capacity soon after it opens, just like at Colgan High after its first year of operations.  These three new developments are also projected to add more than 2,000 vehicle trips per day to already congested Rt. 29, Rt. 15, Rt. 55, I-66 and other area roads.

To add insult to injury, County Supervisors are likely to approve additional new home developments now being prepared for their final public hearing.

One of them, Woodborne Preserve, is located just across the road from the three described above.  If Woodborne Preserve is approved, it will add students from another 56 new homes to the already overcrowded schools and more than 500 vehicle trips per day to the already congested roads.

School officials have stated that there are several general methods that have been considered to alleviate overcrowding in schools.  Those methods include boundary changes – For the opening of new schools or to shift student populations, which is already being used as evidenced by the boundary changes at 16 elementary schools.

Increasing pupil/teacher ratio, which is already being used as evidenced by the fact we have the fewest teachers per 1,000 students in all of Virginia, and placement of portable classrooms, which is already being used as evidenced by the more than 200 trailers in use countywide.

The only options left on the school division’s list to alleviate school overcrowding are “split shift” and “year-round schooling.”  And if you think boundary changes are disruptive, just wait until more housing overdevelopment causes those final options to be used.

It’s way past time to wake-up.