Middleburg's Town Council dispatched Lisa Patterson to the January 15 meeting of the Loudoun County School Board, armed with a unanimously supported resolution opposing any budget-reduction measures that would close Middleburg Elementary (or any other community school) in Loudoun County.

Council also requested that Patterson deliver, along with its resolution, a message recognizing the dedication and hard work of the County School Board, and Council's recognition that, ultimately, the fate of small elementary schools in Middleburg, Aldie, Lincoln and Hillsboro lies in the budgetary hands of the Board of Supervisors.

Deja Vu All Over Again

Middleburg resident Martha Cotter, former PTO President, and the mother of no less than four Middleburg Elementary alums, thanked Council personally for its past support, including a strongly worded resolution in May, 2008. Cotter also noted pointedly what County budgeters describe as an effort to ensure an "equitable distribution of resources" is really nothing more than an elegant way to describe "knocking down schools."

Council Member Patterson noted that she had spent a significant amount of time reviewing more than 300 pages of county budget recommendations, and had found little or nothing to justify closing Middleburg Elementary.

Particularly annoying to Council was the observation that the County's 2009 School Fund projected a $21.5 million surplus as of June 30, 2009, well above the $2.2 million the County speculated might be "saved" by closing four small Loudoun schools. The fund balance may be, and should be used, according to Council, to help all four local communities weather hard times.

Middleburg Elementary will soon celebrate a century of service. The debt incurred when it was built has long been retired.

The Town of Middleburg also supplies free water and sewer service to the school, Council Member Mark Snyder noted. He requested that Town Attorney, Elizabeth Whiting, look into whether or not such services could be denied if the County chose to close the school.

All parties involved in the process agree that good schools provide both a magnet for new businesses and the foundation for good employees, good jobs, and good customers.

On January 15, 2009, Governor Tim Kaine announced that Middleburg Elementary, Aldie Elementary and Lincoln Elementary had earned Governor's Awards for Excellence.