8/14/12

Leesburg school boundaries go to trial | LoudounTimes.com

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Leesburgschoolboundariesgototrial
Tuesday,Aug.14,2012byLauraPeters,TimesMirrorStaffWriter|0comments|Emailthisstory

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Lessthantwoweeksbeforeschoolstarts,thedecisionforatleast35studentsofwhichschool theyllattendlaysinthehandsofonejudge. ResidentsralliedAug.14inLoudounCountyCircuitCourtfortheirchildrentobekeptat TolbertElementaryabuildingtheylivedirectlyacrossfromratherthanbeingbusedacross towntothenewlybuildFrederickDouglassElementary. Theschoolboundaryissueshavebeenbrewingfornearlyayear.OrganizedbyresidentEric Dekenipp,theresidentsofclusterCL19firstoutlinedtheirconcernsinarequesttotheLoudoun CountySchoolBoard,LoudounCountyBoardofSupervisors,PotomacStationHomeOwners AssociationandstateSen.MarkHerring(D33rd)latelastyear. ThetopicstemsfromthepastSchoolBoardwhocametoadecisioninDecembertoadoptthe BergelPlan2Amended,whichsplitthechildrenlivinginzoneCL19betweenthenewFrederick DouglassElementarySchoolandJohnW.TolbertJr.ElementarySchool. RepresentedbyJohnWhitbeck,DekenippappearedbeforeLoudounCountyCircuitCourt JudgeThomasD.HorneAug.14,thestartoftheirtwodaytrial.AlsoappearingbeforeHorne wasMichaelPetkovichrepresentingJeremyAcker,partoftheCL5(BeaconHill)zone.Both WhitbeckandPetkovicharepursuingcasesagainstLoudounCountyPublicSchoolscouncil JulieJudkinsandStephenDeVita. AccordingtoWhitbeckandPetkovich,oneofthemajorconcernsinthecaseistheprocessthe previousSchoolBoardwentthroughtovoteontheLeesburgschoolboundaries. Therearesomanypetitionerswhoarealarmedwiththeprocess,Petrovichsaid.Theprocess theSchoolBoardwentthroughtoreachthedecision,theboardignoredtheirbylaws.Thegroup strongarmedotherpeoplewhoshowedotherprocessesthatwouldwork. PetrovichalsopointedoutthatmanySchoolBoardmembersrefusedtomeetwithfellowSchool Boardmembersandresidentsovertheboundaryissues. Themostcriticalfactinthiscaseissilence,Petrovichsaid.Itsabigblackhole.Theboard neverdidacomparativeanalysis. PetrovichsayshisBeaconHillclientsareconcernedoverspecialeducationclassroomsand demographicswithintheschoolboundarychanges. OnedefiningfactorbetweenthetwoplaintiffsisthatPetrovichtoldHornetheyrenotlookingfor acompleteresolve,ratherforittoberecognizedthattheSchoolBoarddidnotfollowtheir bylawsorprocedure.Whitbeck,rather,saidtheCL19divisionwishestokeeptheremaining35 studentswhocurrentlyfaceatransfertoFrederickDouglasstoremainatTolbert,theirprevious school. TomMarshall,formerLeesburgSchoolBoardmember,tookthestandasawitnesstobothcases. Hetoldthejudgetheplacementofspecialeducationclassrooms,alsocalledSPED,wasnotabig concernwhenitcametotheplanningofboundaries.InsteadplacementofSPEDwouldbe determinedonceboundarieshadbeensetandthenewschoolyearstarted.Thisisnecessary,he said,inordertoreceiveaccuratenumbersofSPEDstudents. MarshallwentontosayfamiliesinCL19wereaffectedbecauseofhowBattlefieldParkwaysplit upthedivisionoftheboundarycluster.Oneconcernofmanyparentsandpetitionerswasthe questionofwhytheirstudentscouldntjustwalktoTolbert.But,accordingtoJudkinsand Marshall,thatschooldivisionneedstobedeemedbyLCPSandtheLeesburgPoliceDepartment asawalkingdistrictwhichithasnot.
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8/14/12

Leesburg school boundaries go to trial | LoudounTimes.com

BeaconHillsargumentlieswithinthedemographicsoftheboundarychanges.Bymovingthem fromtheovercrowdedFrancisHazelReidElementarytoFrederickDouglassmeansthatmoreof thosestudentswillbeinwithEnglishasasecondlanguageandfreeandreducedlunch students.AccordingtoMarshall,varyingdemographicsisvitalinaschool. Ithinkschoolcommunityismoreimportantthanproximity,Marshallsaid.Healsopointed outthatwhenitcomestoclusteralignment,orwhichschoolsfeedintoother,thetoppriorityis thetransitionbetweenmiddleschoolstohighschools,notelementaryschools. TheLoudounCountySchoolssentout143surveysMarch2tocertainfamilieswhohavestudents enrolledintheBallsBluff,Catoctin,CoolSpring,FrancesHazelReidandJohnW.TolbertJr. elementaryschools.Theseschoolsfacehavingsomeoftheirstudentsshiftedaroundwithnew attendancezones,whichwilltakeeffectthisfall. Thesurveysaddressedfamilieswhohaveastudentwhowillbeenteringthefifthgradeinthefall andinquiredifthefamilywouldprefertheirrisingfifthgradertostayattheirelementaryschool inordertograndfatherthemin,muchliketheydowithhighschoolseniors. OfthefamilieswhosechildrenattendBallsBluffandfaceredistrictingtoFrancesHazelReid, threeoutof21surveyedsaidtheydwanttheirrisingfifthgraderstobegrandfathered.One familyoutof22saidtheywouldhavetheirchildrenstayatCatoctinratherthangotothenew FrederickDouglassElementarysettoopeninafewweeks.Tenoutof39familieswhohave childrenwhocurrentlyattendCoolSpring,butaresettobemovedtoFrederickDouglass,said theywouldhavetheirchildrenstayatCoolSpring.Twentyoneoutof38familieswithchildren attendingFrancesHazelReidsaidtheywouldliketokeeptheirchildrenthereratherthanhave themgotoCatoctin. TheCL19trialissettocontinueat9a.m.Aug.15attheLoudounCountyCourthouse.

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