Article Text

The McLean Citizens Association is urging Fairfax County officials to delay a proposed Dunn Loring elementary school, arguing that declining enrollment at nearby campuses makes the $80 million project unnecessary.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to hold a public hearing and vote on the project Feb. 4.

The proposal would replace a two-story building from the 1930s at 2334 Gallows Road, now used for administrative offices, with a four-story elementary school designed for about 900 students. The Fairfax County Planning Commission endorsed the required rezoning application in January.

Fairfax County Public Schools says the new campus would ease crowding at elementary schools in the Providence District and provide space for long-term growth, particularly as development continues in Tysons.

But the citizens association challenged that rationale in a Feb. 2 letter to the Fairfax County School Board. It cited school system projections showing enrollment declines at nearby Freedom Hill, Shrevewood and Stenwood elementary schools, leaving hundreds of seats available across the area.

FCPS projects Stenwood Elementary, less than a mile from the proposed school, will fall from 99% capacity in the 2024-25 school year to 95% in 2029-30. Freedom Hill is expected to decline from 81% to 72%, while Shrevewood is projected to drop from 84% to 64% during the same period.

The association said those figures undercut the case for building another school. It wants the county to prioritize maintenance of existing facilities and improvements in communities where schools remain overcrowded.

“CIP enrollment data and projections show substantial current surplus capacity in the elementary schools around the Dunn Loring site, and that significant surplus capacity is projected to increase over the next five years,” the letter states.

The group warned that moving ahead could create even more unused space by August 2029, waste public money and reduce the school system’s ability to address other capital needs. Its board approved a resolution last year seeking more evidence to support the Dunn Loring project.

At-large School Board member Kyle McDaniel has raised similar concerns as FCPS confronts billions of dollars in renovation and maintenance needs. During a January work session on the Capital Improvement Program, he argued that the project would add seats while the division struggles to pay for aging buildings and critical infrastructure.

McDaniel called for the proposal to be reconsidered and suggested directing resources toward older or overcrowded schools instead.

Providence District Planning Commissioner Jeremy Hancock has defended the project, saying additional educational space will be needed as Tysons grows. He made that case during the commission’s review, which included an October public hearing.

School Board Chair Karl Frisch, who represents the Providence District, McDaniel and other board members did not respond to questions about the project’s future or the objections raised by residents and officials.

If supervisors approve the proposal, construction could begin soon, with the new school expected to open by 2027.