Middleburg Elementary spared for another year
By Elizabeth Coe
Middleburg Elementary School is saved, at least for another year.Parents and supporters of the small western school are celebrating a victory from Aug. 1 when Edgar Hatrick, superintendent of Loudoun's schools, announced he would not remove teaching positions or combine classes this school year.
In March, Hatrick sparked fears of losing the school when he said that since the school system was facing budget cuts, he was putting the possibility of closing one of the smaller western schools on the table.
Parents of Middleburg Elementary School students responded with a petition, spoke out at School Board meetings and most recently threatened a lawsuit against the school system.
"In the event that you continue to ignore the facts regarding our school, and continue to single out this venerable institution for disparate and unequal treatment ... please consider this letter as notice of our intent to file suit," read the letter, sent to Hatrick July 31.
The next day, Hatrick notified Gary Wilkers, the principal at Middleburg Elementary, that the two teacher positions that had been removed would be reinstated and classes would not be combined this year.
Earlier, school officials had opened the school for enrollment from around the county and said classes that failed to reach the required 20 students would be combined and taught with one teacher.
"We made the decision because the enrollment reached the point where it would be too many students for combined classes," Hatrick said this week. "We said we would take a look at it Aug. 1, and we did."
Teri Domanski, a member of the school's Parent Teacher Organization, credits the threat of the lawsuit with helping to change Hatrick's mind.
"He backed down as soon as we put the pressure on," she said. "This whole thing was a waste of time for him, the administration, us, our kids, the School Board and everyone involved."
Middleburg's open enrollment policy is still in effect through Aug. 8, allowing students from any school to apply to transfer to the small school, which is expected to have slightly more than 80 students this year -- comparable to last year's enrollment of 81.
Middleburg was built for 137 students.
Domanski and other concerned parents plan to meet with Hatrick soon to discuss what, if anything, they can do to help keep the small school viable.
"We don't want to have to keep doing this every two or three years," Domanski said. "It's a battle we've won, but we don't feel the war is over."
Hatrick said the idea of changing school boundaries, an idea that has been circulating, is not likely to be an option.
"Middleburg is surrounded by two other elementary schools [Banneker and Aldie] that are not overcrowded," he said.
Hatrick did say the influx of residents into the community with the opening of the Salamander development in the next few years may help the school's numbers.
Contact the reporter at ecoe@timespapers.com