Vote on School Zones in Fairfax Pits Neighbor Against Neighbor

Catherine and Jeff Doebrich moved to Fairfax in 2004 and chose Oakton High and the Fox Mill area after ranking about 10 schools by test scores, suspensions, college attendance rates and other factors.

South Lakes came in last on their spreadsheet. But after visiting the school and hearing the principal's pitch, they said they were impressed with the faculty and curriculum. "My instincts tell me that my child will not get lost there," Catherine Doebrich said. "She will be found. Her strengths will be found, and she will grow."

For months, Fox Mill parents have managed an uneasy peace, smiling across driveways, agreeing to disagree. But lately, tempers have flared. About two weeks ago, board member Kathy L. Smith (Sully) proposed an alternative -- to split the Fox Mill area in two, keeping half of the residents at Oakton.

Rona Ackerman, president of the Fox Mill Elementary PTA, dashed off a survey before the plan was publicly announced to gauge parents' opinions. A few days later, she sent a PTA letter home with students, urging parents to contact the School Board about the proposal.

Her actions touched off a furor. She supports the school system's plan for new boundaries. Some neighbors accused her of seeking to kill Smith's proposal since it would not move all Fox Mill students to South Lakes High. Disgruntled parents circulated e-mails urging a boycott of the elementary school's biggest fundraiser, the PTA-sponsored Family Fun Night.

Ackerman said she wanted only to keep the school community together, a goal she thought neighbors supported. But fallout from Smith's proposal to split Fox Mill showed she might have been wrong.

"Once they drew that line, it became us against them," she said.