Suzanna Callie and Dave Quanbeck, of the Middleburg Charter School Committee reported that they have been meeting every other week with the members of a special review committee of the School Board to review their charter school application.

According to Quanbeck they are "working through a list of items that must be addressed, including governance, facilities, food services, transportation, enrollment, waivers of State law and the calendar.' He noted that the next big topic for discussion would be curriculum.

Quanbeck also noted rumors that the Loudoun County Public School System might well consider returning ownership of the school building itself to the Town of Middleburg.

Town Attorney Angela Plowman reported that she had found that "the school property was deeded by B. Noland in 1883 to three trustees of the Mercer District #3 School Board" but had not been able to find "that it was ever conveyed to the Town." In 1911, Plowman said, "the School Board went to the State Board of Education for a loan to construct the school and the State Board questioned the title.

A lawsuit filed in the Circuit Court of Loudoun County at the time, she said, revealed that the three Mercer District trustees had passed away. The court thus formally conveyed title to the School Board of Mercer District 3, a decision that allowed them to get a loan from the State.

The deed described the property, she said, "as four acres more or less, excepting the property on which the Middleburg Jail was located."

Councilmember Mark Snyder expressed concern about how the Town would maintain the property if, indeed, it acquired it, noting that Middleburg simply did not have the funds to do so.

Councilmember Shea suggested that rent would have to be paid if the property came to the Town.

Councilmember Murdock suggested that another option would be that the Town not charge the charter school rent but rather that it require it to maintain the building.