Annandale Committee Looks for Solutions to Overcrowding in Schools

School officials and members from the Southwest Regional Planning Study stressed the importance of keeping an open mind at the Annandale Regional Planning Study Committee's most recent meeting.

The group met for the second time recently as part of their ongoing effort to solve the problem of overcrowding at schools in the Annandale area. The Fairfax County School Board formed the committee.

Three members from the Southwestern Regional Planning Study spoke about their experiences with the schools in the Clifton and Centreville areas and offered advice to the Annandale committee on what to avoid during the planning process.

Southwestern Committee members urged the Annandale Committee to remember that the process involves everyone.

"It has to be a big-picture process," said Cassie Eatmon of Virginia Run Elementary School in Centreville. "It can't be about just looking out for your own school. Leave your school at the door."

Southwestern Committee members also pointed out that the people who will struggle the most throughout this process are parents, not children. "Don't lay [angst over the change] on the kids because the kids will adapt," Eatmon said.

The purpose of the Annandale committee is to develop potential options to address overcrowding at Annandale High School and Poe Middle School. It is the also the responsibility of the committee to review attendance options for the new elementary school that will be built on the Lacey Site at 3705 Crest Drive in Annandale. Construction at the Lacey Site is scheduled for completion in the autumn of 2012. One of the biggest decisions the committee will have to make will be whether to recommend the new school be a K-5 or K-6 elementary school.

The committee is made up of representatives from the 21 schools serving  Annandale-area students. Annandale Regional Planning Study staff members include Denise James, director of facilities planning with the Facilities and Transportation department of Fairfax County Public Schools, Dear Tistadt, chief operating officer with facilities and transportation, and Fairfax County Public Schools Mason District School Board Member Sandy Evans.

According to the staff Facilities Analysis Report from April 20, Annandale High School is currently at 120 percent capacity and is projected to reach 127 percent by the 2014-2015 school year. Other schools in the area included in the study that are among the most overcrowded in the region include Annandale Terrace Elementary School, Beech Tree Elementary School, Woodburn Elementary School, and Westlawn Elementary School.

The issue of overcrowding has been especially troubling for Annandale High School. To accommodate the influx, the school has started to utilize classroom trailers. In a message sent out on Sept. 1 to the school's mailing list, the school announced that construction had begun on a 14 classroom modular unit on Monday, August 23.  As a result, there would be limited number of parking spaces available for students, faculty, and staff and students are no longer able to park on school grounds until further notice.

Several of the committee members present expressed some hesitation in electing committee group leaders so soon, but toward the end of the most recent meeting, the committee split up into two groups to select their leaders. After a brief discussion, the group tasked with exploring options for overcrowding at the high school chose Jennifer McGarey of Poe Middle School and Timi Barwick of Edison High School as their co-chairs. Ramona Morrrow of Lake Braddock High School will serve as the program facilitator for the group. The second group, whose responsibility is the attendance area of the Lacey site, chose Sandra Miracle from Annandale Terrace Elementary to serve as chair and Laura Coates from Beech Tree Elementary for program facilitator.

The next Annandale Regional Planning Study Committee meeting will be on Wednesday, Sept. 8 at 7 p.m. at Annnadale High School. This meeting is only for Planning Study Committee Members and elementary school appointees.