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Parents push for open enrollment at small schools
In the wake of the recent buzz surrounding the possible closure of two of Loudoun's small western schools -- Middleburg and Aldie Elementary -- parents are rallying to try to boost enrollment at those schools to help keep them open.
The new Task Force of Concerned Parents presented the School Board with a petition containing more than 600 signatures in support of the small schools May 27.
"School is about the children," parent Laurie Saunders told members of the School Board. "Please don't forget about the children and the fact that it all starts here in elementary school."
Superintendent of Schools Edgar Hatrick told the School Board in March that since the school system will face more budget cuts, he was putting the possibility of closing one of the smaller western schools on the table, said Teri Domanski, a member of the Middleburg Elementary Parent Teacher Organization.
On May 27, members of the School Board voted to reaffirm the administration's open enrollment policy, first enacted in 2004, for Middleburg and Aldie Elementary. This will give those schools the chance to increase their enrollment and avoid closure or combined classes, in which two grades are taught in one classroom.
The School Board said it would accept transfer requests to these schools through Aug. 8.
Requests will be accepted up to the maximum class size at each grade level or the maximum capacity of the school.
If the classes do not meet the minimum class size of 20 per grade, classes will be combined.
Parents are determined to do whatever they can to keep the schools alive. That includes getting the word out about the school system's open enrollment policy. Under open enrollment, any Loudoun County student can apply to an under-enrolled school. Parents must provide transportation to and from school.
Last year, 17 students at Middleburg were enrolled under the policy.
For the current school year, Aldie is under-enrolled at 102 students, and Middleburg has only 81. Both schools are designed for 137 students.
With their shrinking enrollment levels because of changing population demographics and small class sizes, Aldie and Middleburg are perfect candidates for open enrollment, Domanski said.
And taking in students from crowded areas like South Riding, Ashburn or Leesburg might just save the small western schools.
Saunders, a parent of two boys at Middleburg Elementary used the open enrollment policy to transfer the boys from Round Hill Elementary. She pointed out how it has benefited her son Taylor.
"In a second-grade class of 22 children, he had a lot of behavioral issues," she said. "I made the move to Middleburg, and now he's one of the bright stars in his class."
Saunders said the smaller class size and the amount of attention Taylor -- who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder -- receives at Middleburg make a difference.
Domanski said school officials should have focused more on open enrollment.
"The administration hasn't done it successfully," she said. "If they had promoted it, every seat in the small schools would be filled. Now we're being threatened with combination classes and closure."
Parents said after the School Board motion reaffirming the open enrollment policy, they do feel that the board is somewhat supportive of their efforts.
Domanski said the petition will be posted on Middleburg Elementary's Web site, and the parents plan to run ads in local newspapers encouraging others to take advantage of open enrollment.
Anyone wishing to sign the petition should call Middleburg Elementary School at 703-771-6680.
Information about Loudoun's open enrollment policy is outlined under the Special Permission button on the Loudoun County Public Schools home page, www.loudoun.k12.va.us.
Contact the reporter at ecoe@timespapers.com
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