• Building a middle school will utilize the current SCSS facility as a high school, as it was designed and constructed to operate. This creates a better and safer learning environment, separating 7th and 8th graders from 9th through 12th graders.

• The South County Secondary School was built as a secondary school with the promise that a middle school would be built when the secondary school became overcrowded. South County Secondary School IS OVERCROWDED and a middle school is not slated to be built until 2017 for the south county area.

• The Fairfax County School Board and Facilities have provided a short-term “band-aid” fix to the overcrowding at South County Secondary School for the next two years by moving students to Hayfield.

• With a South County middle and high school facility, the South County Pyramid is complete and South County students can remain at their community schools.

• Utilizes already allocated middle school land near the existing SCSS facility (requires no additional funding for property purchase). Click here to view map.

• Promotes better quality of life by eliminating excessive travel time and resulting in more quality time for our families and more sleep for our teenagers.

• Prevents South County students from 45 minute to 1 hour+ bus rides on congested roadways.

• Allows for the realization of BRAC and more accurate student enrollment numbers at Lake Braddock and Hayfield. The impact of BRAC will be significant! 
   o The Department of Defense is on record stating that BRAC will bring 3,200 new students to the Fairfax County School System. 
   o The Department of Defense is on record stating that BRAC will bring 22,000 new military jobs to Fort Belvoir/EPG 
   o Fairfax County is on record stating that these 22,000 new military jobs coming to Fort Belvoir/EPG will bring more than 60,000 civilian contractor support jobs to Fort Belvoir’s surrounding area 
   o A “quick-fix” boundary change for South County must not put Lake Braddock and Hayfield in a perilous position with the effects of BRAC beginning to manifest themselves

• Spares the South County community from a relentless boundary schedule … 2003 (ES: Lorton Station boundary adjustment); 2005 (SCSS boundary adjustment); 2006 (SCSS boundary adjustment); 2009 (ES: Laurel Hill boundary adjustment); 2009 (SCSS boundary adjustment if funding for Middle School is not in place)

• Fairfax County School Board hired an outside consultant to assist with facility projections. Dr. McKibben’s study shows the need for a middle school will be in 2012.

• The Fairfax County Public Schools Facilities Department has a long track record of making inaccurate enrollment figures estimates for growing communities.   The Fairfax County School Board is basing their decisions for the south county area on these incorrect enrollment numbers estimates.