The McLean Citizens Association is asking the Fairfax County School Board to defer the construction of a new Dunn Loring Elementary School. They argue that the project is not necessary given the decline in enrollments at nearby schools.
The request is made ahead of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors meeting tomorrow, when officials will hold a hearing and vote to approve or reject the project.
The Fairfax County Planning Commission approved a rezoning request last month that allowed the school system replace a two-story 1930s building, now used as a administrative office, at 2334 Gallows Road with a four-story, $80M elementary school.
Fairfax County Public Schools officials (FCPS), say that the new school will serve approximately 900 students. This would relieve the crowding in nearby elementary schools, especially as Tysons continues its development.
In a letter to the school board sent on Sunday, February 2, the MCA questioned this justification. They said that data showed enrollments at nearby elementary schools, including Freedom Hill and Shrevewood, were declining. According to the Fiscal Year 2025-29 Capital Improvement Program of the school system, this downward trend will continue. This leaves hundreds of seats available in existing schools.
FCPS, for example, projects that Stenwood elementary school — located less than one mile from the proposed Dunn Loring location — will see its enrollment fall from 99% in 2024-25 to 95% in 2029-30. Freedom Hill Elementary will drop from 81% capacity to 72%, while Shrevewood Elementary will fall from 84% capacity to 64% over the same time period.
The MCA claims that these numbers negate the need for new schools, and suggests the county focus its resources instead on maintaining existing facilities as well as addressing the needs of areas where school capacity is over-crowded.
The letter says that “CIP enrollment and projections indicate substantial current surplus capacity at elementary schools near the Dunn Loring location, and this surplus capacity will continue to grow over the next five-year period.” The letter states that “to proceed on the current timeline would result in even greater surplus capacity by August 2029. This represents ineffective use public funds, and limits FCPS’s system-wide flexibility in meeting future capital needs.”
MCA’s Board of Directors has approved a Resolution from last year, requesting additional data to support the project.
Kyle McDaniel, a Fairfax County School Board at-large member, has expressed similar concerns to the MCA. He questioned the project’s need when the school system faces billions of dollars worth of facility renovations and maintenance.
McDaniel, during a CIP session held by the school board in last month argued that a new school would create excess capacity, adding to an existing surplus of seats at a moment when FCPS struggles to fund renovations or critical infrastructure. He suggested that resources be allocated to overcrowded or older schools.
McDaniel and other members of the school board, including board chair Karl Frisch and Providence District representative Karl Frisch, did not respond to FFXnow’s questions about whether or not the project would be completed, nor did they address concerns expressed by their peers and residents.
Jeremy Hancock, Providence District commissioner, argued at the October planning commission meetings that a new school was needed to accommodate the future growth of the district and the increased demand for classroom space.
MCA leaders, as well as critics of the proposal, argue that the demographics don’t justify a school in the near future.
It remains to be determined whether or not the MCA’s opposition will influence county leaders. The Board of Supervisors is set to vote on the matter tomorrow. Construction could start soon if approved. The new school is expected to be finished by 2027.
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