No contracts have been signed as yet for the public-private partnership construction of the south county high school, said Thomas Brady, Fairfax County Public Schools chief operating officer, at a School Board work session Jan. 13.

A deal between the county supervisors, School Board and private developer is still being worked on that could potentially have the school build on the former Lorton prison site by 2005 instead of 2008 if left to the schools alone.

Brady did say that even though the school-construction contract has yet to be finalized, the school system will be taking advantage of in-kind proffers from another developer, Pulte, who has agreed to do grading and utility work leading up to the school site.

"You might see work going on there, but it is not a groundbreaking or the beginning of the construction of the school," he said.

IN OTHER CAPITAL improvement program (CIP) news, schools staff stressed that the proposed addition at Langley High School is a permanent addition and that there are no plans to change the school's boundaries.

In addition, Brady said that staff will soon be recommending a firm to perform a real-estate assessment that includes a plan for the sale, trade or swap of school system property for existing space that can be leased or purchased to be used as classroom space or administrative centers. The consultant would also be asked to supply alternative funding methods, outside of bonding, for the renovation or construction of school property. One possibility is the purchase or lease of vacant commercial space for an adult education center.

"The hope is by next year's CIP we have a CIP based on the facts as we know them and an alternative [based on the consultant's recommendations]," Brady said.

SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS Rita Thompson and Mychele Brickner, both at-large members, without mentioning the words “boundary change,” suggested the School Board should be looking at reapportioning the attendance areas to address the overcrowding of some schools, while others are underenrolled. The pair did not find support among their fellow members.

"We have overcapacity at Westfield and overcapacity at Langley, and we're under capacity at South Lakes. I understand the political ramifications, but we are responsible to all the taxpayers to show we are being responsible with their money, and we aren't trying to address this," Brickner said.

"A lot of people choose where to live based on the high schools where they live. It has been suggested before that all of Reston should go to South Lakes. North Point Village doesn't want to go to South Lakes. I love South Lakes. I have a daughter who went there and another that is going to graduate from there, but North Point Village doesn't want to go there," said Stuart Gibson (Hunter Mill). "If someone wants to go out in the community and float the idea of a boundary change, go ahead, but I for one will not be supporting that measure."