By Dr. Robert Schiller, Former Interim FCCPS Superintendent (Note from MB - Dr. Schiller wants to make sure that his thoughts on the School Feasibility Study and bond referendum are understood. He makes some great points worth considering.)
I urge you to support the School Bond Referendum for a new George Mason High School (GMHS)! An affirmative vote will ensure the continuing success and achievement of your school system, while sustaining Falls Church City’s reputation as a wonderful place to live and educate children. It will also generate much-needed revenue to offset the costs of a new facility, and create a strong economic engine in the western gateway of your City.
During my term as FCCPS Interim Superintendent, I was privileged to witness the outstanding FCCPS educational program, led by dedicated staff and committed School Board and City Council. After a 45-year career as a leader of many school districts and state school systems across the nation, I can say, without reservation, that it was a great honor to serve in Falls Church City Public Schools, a top-flight school system.
All elements for ongoing success and excellence are in place in Falls Church - EXCEPT ONE. The current high school facility for GMHS students cannot be the school for the future. A replacement for GMHS is necessary and overdue by at least a decade. This facility has served generations of students in a distinguished fashion, but time has caught up with its hallowed halls. Though well-maintained, the building no longer best serves the changing needs of students and the sophisticated delivery of programs and services that are necessary in the 21st Century.
As a newcomer, I brought clear eyes and an unbiased perspective along with expertise from numerous consulting studies on school district strategic and facility planning. My role was to challenge thinking and assumptions regarding GMHS.
Along with the School Board, City Council, staff and consultants, I examined many avenues for upgrading the school. Together we explored more than thirteen options (plus variations), including: minimal, minor and major renovations to the current facility; new additions; multi-phased construction; and building a new facility. We even explored alternate sites for a new school within the city.
Those who worked on the project exhibited remarkable diligence. Your elected and appointed officials dedicated hundreds of hours to determine what would best serve both the school system and the City. It was a model of committed and visionary leadership that I wish was prevalent throughout the nation.
I quickly learned that as a small city, Falls Church faces a challenging situation - a critical need for an infusion of a new and substantial revenue stream to fund a high school facility and other City capital projects. The City also has, within its grasp, the opportunity to tap that revenue stream. Many other communities would be envious of this opportunity. Don’t waste it!
The compelling issues and questions guiding my thinking were based on how to best design a facility to meet today’s and tomorrow’s educational needs, balanced against what the City and its taxpayers could afford. The school building and the revenue are mutually dependent. A new school facility for GMHS will require new revenues, and to make it happen, the City must think boldly.
As we considered many options, it was difficult to identify which one provided the best value to the City. A turning point occurred when I recommended an independent Feasibility Study to help assess the true merits of each option to decide which were worth considering further. The School Board and City Council agreed, and Perkins Eastman was selected as the external consultant. The results of their study provided clear direction. Unfortunately, the “$65 million option” is not feasible and will not yield the acreage for substantive economic development.
The City Council also authorized an Economic Feasibility Study to examine the use of land for economic development. The paired results of these two studies show that a joint economic development and school facility solution will simultaneously benefit the City, its taxpayers, and students for decades to come. New revenue streams and a new facility are all possible on this site.
The decision to advance a bond referendum to construct a completely new GMHS and to dedicate ten acres for development is, the best-informed and most strategic decision for the City. All other building options pale considerably, as the full acreage for the economic development would not be possible, but the building cost remains high.
The decision to approve the referendum for a new GMHS rests in the hands of the voters. While I can’t vote in Falls Church on Election Day, I encourage each of you to vote affirmatively on the Bond Referendum. You can have a wonderful, new educational facility and shape the long-term future of the City of Falls Church.
An outstanding program, talented students, and a dedicated staff need and deserve your support for the new facility.