Amidst fears that Middleburg's century-old, 85-student elementary school might soon be closed, Town Council unanimously adopted a "Resolution in Opposition to the Consolidation of Middleburg and Aldie Elementary Schools" at it's regular monthly meeting on May 8.

With Mayor Betsy Davis absent because of illness, Vice Mayor Darlene Kirk presided over Council's dispatch of a pointed message to the county's school board. Noting that Middleburg Elementary is ". . . a shining example of the benefits of small class sizes . . .", Council noted that keeping the school would also serve to keep commuting to a minimum, serve the "mental well-being" of the community's children; prepare for the inevitable increase in enrollment as new housing develops around the Salamander Inn; and provide Middleburg's residents with "a visible program for their County tax dollars."

Council then formally urged the School Board to "recommit themselves to ensuring the educational viability of all Loudoun County schools by: 1) ". . . keeping the Middleburg Elementary School operations as they currently exist . . ."; 2) continuing the county's policy of "Open Enrollment" to allow any eligible child in the county to enroll in any school with room to accept them; and 3) implementing ". . . full-day kindergarten at the Middleburg Elementary School beginning in the fall of 2008.

Background: The January Budget

Though directly inspired by Martha Cotter, Terry Demanski, and Dave Quanback's impassioned remarks at Council's Thursday, April 24 work session, the school closing issue had been simmering since at least early January, when the Loudoun County School Board, by an 8-1 vote, sent a $795 million fiscal-year-2009 budget to the Board of Supervisors for approval.

Included in the doomed January proposal, however, were much-welcomed plans for full-day kindergartens at Aldie, Hillsboro, Lincoln and Middleburg elementary schools.

To the observant, the good news about kindergarten expansion contained clear hints of possible justification for future consolidations and closings. Though Loudoun County had long hoped to extend full-day kindergarten instruction across the county, the four schools mentioned were operating at less than full capacity. They had been chosen for kindergarten expansion, in large part because they were under-enrolled and had room for extra children. Worse, the proposal had been passed by a slim, 5-4-1 School Board majority.

Estimates that a tax increase of just over 14% would be required to fund the $73 million, 15%, year-over-year increase, soon led to talks of budget cuts.

Budget Cuts and New Ideas

By early April, real and projected concerns about County revenues led Superintendent, Edgar B. Hatrick, to recommend budget cuts of nearly $49 million in the school budget. In the process he noted that for 2009-2010, he might well recommend closing of some of the county's "smaller elementary schools" and, in at least one work session, specifically mentioned Middleburg and Aldie.

Proposals also surfaced to increase class size, teach students from more than one grade in a single classroom, and limit enrollments.

By mid April, however, both Middleburg Elementary Principal Gary Wilkers and Aldie's Jennifer Reukert had been compelled to send letters to parents warning that budget cuts would require an increase in class sizes and the teaching of combined-grade classes. Two teachers had been cut from Wilker's staff in Middleburg and one from Reukart's faculty in Aldie.

On the bright side, by cutting a $160 thousand line-item for electronic white boards, and a $33 thousand appropriation for personal-digital-assistants for phys-ed teachers, the Board managed to save enough money to allow Superintendent Hatrick to add full-day kindergarten classes, but to only three instead of four schools. The Board left the choice of schools up to the Superintendent.

Middleburg and Aldie Parents Unite

Middleburg and Aldie parents soon joined others to protest what they saw as both bad short term policy, and disturbing signs of clear intent to close Middleburg and Aldie Elementary by the autumn of the 2009-2010 school year.

School Board and County authorities did their best to reassure the concerned parents. Leesburg Today's Margaret Morton quoted Public Information Officer, Wayde Byard on April 17. "It is real tentative," he said, adding the only thing set in stone was the grade combinations in several schools. Byard also noted that "at least a year's notice" would be required before actually closing a school.

Both Blue Ridge District County Supervisor, Jim Burton, and Priscilla Godfrey, the district's School Board Representative, vowed to oppose any plans to close the two schools. By April 28 a "Task Force of Concerned Parents" was meeting at Middleburg Elementary School to plan and coordinate further opposition.

At the Tuesday, May 13, meeting of the County School Board parents armed with Middleburg Town Council's resolution again spoke out against plans to limit the number of students allowed to enroll at Middleburg and Aldie and to compel the teaching of more than one grade in the same classroom.

At press time, the fate of the two schools remains uncertain.