Meeting Minutes April 14, 2010
“Moving Beyond Boundaries”
President Lori Stevens called the meeting to order at 7:33 pm. Ms. Stevens then requested officer
reports.
VP Communications Karen Cholakis asked delegates to think of the educational and student-related
practices, concerns, and issues they would like to learn more about for consideration as next year’s
program topics.
VPs Programs Susan Boyd informed the group that the Volunteer Loudoun six-week Volunteer
Management Training Series registration deadline is
Secretary Kristen Thatcher. Maura Walsh-Copeland, substituting for Ms. Thatcher, stated that last
month’s minutes and handouts are posted on the LEAP website.
Treasurer Ed Myers reported the LEAP account balance is $276.72.
Ms. Stevens informed the delegates that nominations for the 2010-2011 LEAP Board are being
accepted. She, too, encouraged delegates to submit ideas for program topics and explained that this
year the voting procedure will change. Instead of tallying paper-based rankings, as in the past, this year
the LEAP Community will vote online using the Survey Monkey tool.
Ms. Stevens introduced the speakers for the program:



Dr. Sam Adamo, LCPS Department of Planning and Legislative Services
Thomas Reed, At-Large Representative, Loudoun County School Board
Paul Vickers, Principal, Mill Run Elementary School
1
Dr. Sam Adamo, LCPS Department of Planning and Legislative Services
Dr. Adamo distributed copies of the LCPS Boundary policy, Section 2-32: School Attendance Zones:
Policy and Process. Dr. Adamo told delegates that LCPS has cracked the 60,000 student mark, with
60,156 students for the 2009-2010 school year. Geographically, the enrollment amounts for eastern
Loudoun County have been more static. The majority of the increase in students comes from the
already approved development in Loudoun County, which include 14,779 Single Family Detached
Units, 10,450 Single Family Attached Units, and 12,307 Multi-Family Units. These units combined
equate to 21,387 future new students from the approved development units.
To accommodate the future new students, Loudoun County will need to build 12 new elementary
schools, 3 new middle schools and 3 new high schools. Dr. Adamo reviewed the current School Size
Guidelines:

Elementary: 875 Student capacity requiring
o 20 usable acres and
o 90,000+ Square Foot Bldg. (1-story model); 102,000+ Square Foot. Bldg. (2-story model)
 Middle: 1350 Student capacity requiring
o 35 usable acres and
o 169,000 Sq Ft Bldg. (1-story); 178,000 Sq Ft Bldg. (2-story)
 High: 1800 Student capacity requiring
o 75 usable acres and
o 280,000 Sq Ft Bldg. (2-story)
Dr. Adamo indicated that all acreage requirements indicate useable acreage, exclusive of such physical
restrictions such as steep slopes, floodplain, wetlands and Waters of the U.S. There are currently three
ways that Loudoun County obtains school sites: Proffered; Purchased; and Condemnation.

The criteria upon which a site is evaluated include:
o Location: Comprehensive Plan Policies; Zoning; Proximity to Need (attendance area);
Pedestrian/Trail Access (ES: .8 M & MS/HS 1.0 M); Surrounding Land Uses
o Physical Characteristics: Size (20, 35 and 75 acres); Availability of temporary and permanent
utilities (water and sewer, electric, gas, phone, cable); Access (Public or Private Roads,
Improvements Needed); Topography (Moderately steep and steep slopes); Geologic features
(Karst topography, hydric soils, etc.); Wetlands/Floodplain; Tree Coverage; Archaeological
Sites; Rare and Endangered Species; Stormwater; Ldn 65 airport noise contour
o
Property Restrictions: Proffer Limitations; Covenants/ Easements; HOA Requirements
o Adaptability of School Program:
Shift in Grades Served; Building Design

Investigations performed during study period include: Phase 1 Environmental Study; Geotechnical
Study; Geophysical Study; Archeological Study; Rare and Endangered Species Investigation;
Traffic Study; Wetlands Study and Delineation; Tree Survey; On-site Sewage Disposal:
Soils/Drainfield Analysis; On-site Water Supply: Hydrogeological Evaluation.

The permitting process may be LCPS Initiated or Developer Initiated Applications
2

Other Requirements include: Zoning (ZMAP, ZCPA, ZMOD); Proffers; Special Exception;
Commission Permit; and Site Plan; Floodplain Alterations; Wetlands Permits; VDOT Permits;
Grading and Clearing Permits; Health Dept. Permits (drainfield/communal systems)
Dr. Adamo stated the permitting process alone may cost $400K to $1 million. Afterwards, Dr. Adamo
said jokingly, the Planning Department applies their “Secret Plan” and showed a blackboard cartoon.
In reality, the Planning Department applies the School Board’s Attendance Zone Change Criteria.
When changing school attendance zones, the School Board may consider any factors but recognizes
that it may not be reasonably practicable to reconcile each and every factor. Any attendance zone
adopted by the School Board should be based on the following factors to the greatest extent possible:

Initial Considerations
o Efficiency
o Proximity
o Community
o Demographics

Further Considerations
o Accessibility
o Stability
o Cluster Alignment
Details pertaining to these criteria can be found on the LCPS Website under School Board, Policies &
Regulations, Chapter 2, School Board Bylaws, Section 2-32.
The School Board process has changed over the years. In the past, the administration made a proposal
for a boundary change and parents were notified after finalized by the School Board. Now, the
Planning Department hosts community information meetings, discusses the criteria listed above, and
request parent input. The online system can also assign geo-codes to every student, allowing parents to
submit boundary scenarios directly.
The boundary change process can become political, with neighbor or neighborhood against
neighborhood. Sometimes there are no “right” or “good: decisions. The school site guidelines state
that schools should be put near towns, but not all towns want schools nearby, and it’s not always
possible to find land to meet the plan/policy guidelines. The School Board welcomes meetings with
community members to discuss the boundaries, and ultimately need to make the best decision possible.
Thomas Reed, At-Large Representative, Loudoun County School Board
The three areas Mr. Reed planned to discuss included:
 New schools
 Attendance Zone Change Process
 Participation Pointers
3

New Schools
o The student growth is approximately 3,000 additional per/year, mainly due to Immigration and
Birthrate – We’re #1!
o The number of proffered/owned sites have been dwindling
o
The Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Budget is the 6 year financial plan, of which the 1st year
is “reality.” The other 5 years are forecasts for planning purposes
o Land Acquisition Process with Board of Supervisors: There is a task force that meet to discuss
how to streamline the land acquisition process.
o
Land Banking – One method of obtaining land for schools is to purchase land in advance of the
timeframe when a school is needed. This is often needed in Western Loudoun because there are
few proffer site offerings due to the majority of land sites being development-capable “by
right.”
o
Growth Areas: There are a number of areas of the “fertile crescent” requiring new schools due
to the increase birth rate. Those areas are New Ashburn area cluster; Dulles South; Brambleton;
and Leesburg

Attendance Zone Process
o Reasons for attendance zone changes
•
Relieve crowding with new schools
•
Maintain or improve operating efficiency
•
Maximize instructional effectiveness
•
Mitigate demographic imbalances
•
Reallocate program resources
•
Reduce operating costs

Attendance Zone Policy (#2-32)
o Initial Considerations:
• Efficiency: Effective use of new and existing facilities
• Proximity: Keeping students close to their schools
• Community: Encouraging the link between schools and communities
• Demographics: Ensure balance of ELL and FRL
o Further Considerations:
• Accessibility: Walk-zones, traffic flow
• Stability: Promote long-term attendance zone stability
• Cluster Alignment: Keeping students together
o The School Board may consider any factors in making an attendance zone change but it should
be based on the above factors to the greatest extent possible.

Participation Pointers
o How best to participate:
• Check out the LCPS Planning website – be sure you know the calendar due dates and
process to provide input
• Organize/attend community meetings with neighbors, HOAs, and School Board members
• Attend and Speak at Public Hearings (coordinate colors “T” Shirt colors)
• Watch/Attend Planning Meetings
• Talk or E-mail Planning Staff
• Talk or E-mail School Board Representatives for your area
• Seek a win-win solution for all communities (not only your neighborhood)
4
o Not so good ideas:
• Template E-mails – they are not well received and do not provide your elected school board
member with informative points to support your position/scenario
• Don’t disparage other communities
• Don’t have too many speakers at Public Hearing. Plan speakers ahead of time to reinforce
different points rather than have each speaker give the exact same message.
Paul Vickers, Principal, Mill Run Elementary School
Mill Run opened with 300 students. The attendance has gone as high at 1140 students. The enrollment
today is 832 students, well within the school capacity of 800-1000. The Mill Run school zone was
originally “huge” encompassing many neighborhoods. There have been numerous school zone splits
over the years, each of which has spawned several new schools.
Mr. Vickers made sure to let all past parents know that, “Your child may not be at Mill Run, but he/she
will be as well educated at their new school.” Sometimes the transition to a new school is harder for
the parents than for the students. It can be heart wrenching at times, but it’s best to not pit neighbors
against neighbors. A PTA or PTO should remain neutral (i.e., don’t pick which “hoods” should stay or
go). No one wants to diminish the “pain” that is felt by students and parents, but Principals try to ease
the process as much as possible.
Keeping neighbors and a sense of community helps many families get motivated to build a new
atmosphere. The key is to keep the process as open and informative as much as possible – to avoid
situations where parents and families are surprised by the final boundary change decision.
Question and Answer Session:
Q: This is an often-time contentious topic, balancing the desire to mitigate demographic imbalances
and also have the 1 mile radius. Economic disadvantage is a key. Have magnet schools been
considered? Have any other No Child Left Behind (NCLB) options been considered to mitigate the
demographic imbalance?
A: Reed: East of Route 28 there have been no new schools. There are two categories of demographic
imbalance: 1) English language learners (ELL) and 2) Free and reduced lunch (FRL). Regarding
Sterling, the accommodation has been to put more resources in schools to support the demographics
rather than to remove students and change boundaries.
A: Adamo: For areas like Sterling, the Administration has also lowered the teacher/student ratio.
There is always a desire for neighborhood school, which is the “ying/yang” reason against changing
boundaries to modify demographic imbalances.
Q: How does the budget impact the boundary process?
A: The School Board has not redone boundaries due to budget factors. To date, boundaries have only
been changed for the opening of new schools.
5
Q: Regarding the Potomac Falls Cluster – when do you plan to change the boundaries when the
population declines to the point of losing teachers due to declining enrollment?
A: Reed: The September 30th enrollment numbers are used to determine required boundary changes,
including redistributing. The School Board does not look to redistribute base only on the
enrollment of an elementary school, but also most consider the middle/high school cluster impacts
of redistricting.
A: Vicker: Sometimes a split feed from elementary schools resolves the matter as schools/clusters
mature.
Q: Is the boundary change process ever used to the Administration’s advantage or political purposes to
“encourage” a proffer from a developer?
A: Reed: That would violate the rules of “proffer,” and the BOS would not do that
Q: Can you explain the difference between “proffer” and “by right?”
A: Adamo: When subdivisions are approved, a developer will develop a package that defines the
trigger points for construction of each improvement, such as schools, trails, sidewalks, lights, etc.)
On the flip side, with “by right” development you don’t have to do any proffers. Any
improvements in the area become the county residents obligation to pay.
Q: Can you provide an update for the Farmwell Elementary property. Will it be an elementary school?,
middle school?, high school? Will you be selling it?
A: Reed: The property belongs to the County. It has been considered for several scenarios. We
should know within the next 6 months which will be the final outcome.
Q: How do you apply weights to the site selection considerations?
A: Reed: Each site decision process is customized. Sometimes the proximity matters more than the
demographics. It depends on the current mix and parent input that is received.
Q: What is the communication/information flow between sending and receiving schools involved in a
boundary change adjustment?
A: Vicker: Elementary to Middle school: For the 5th and 8th graders transition, the students are
invited to visit the school, councilors bring locks to practice opening combinations and discuss
course selections. Middle school principals can send letters to the 5th grade students.
It is different with rezoning. Students start getting letters after the winter break with information
regarding boundaries, PTA/PTO, mascot choices, connect ed options, etc.
Q: What capacity level triggers a boundary change for under enrolled elementary schools?
A: Adamo: We first need to identify the problem areas, which may cascade to other issues. An
example would be if students were moved in from other areas it may result in longer bus rides, so
parents may object.
A: Reed: The trigger is the September 30th enrollment number. Other uses for under enrolled
elementary school space would be to move a special education class there.
Q: Overcrowding in schools is becoming a large issue.
A: Adamo: We have a crisis looming in the Dulles areas. There are 10 thousand students coming, and
we don’t have funding approved to build the schools to relieve the overcrowding. An example is
the number of students in the Freedom High School cluster. There are currently 300 seniors, but
there are 900 kindergarteners, which will fill the schools quickly. We need staff, the Board of
Supervisors and parents to work together to get these schools built. We’re still playing catch up.
6
Q: Have creative solutions like magnet schools been considered?
A: Reed: We’re looking for magnet schools within a school. Other creative solutions would be to
consider year round schools for elementary students. This impacts the operating budget. School
construction will be an issue for elections next year. Dr. Adamo is close on his projections every
year. We also have to factor the AAA bond rating for the County with the trade off being school
construction.
Some Supervisors believe that new student generation is only from new housing starts. However,
the birth rate is so high in Loudoun County that it factors as much or more than new houses.
A: Adamo: The Administration is not adverse to magnet schools like the Academy of Science (AOS),
but remember AOS gets a cash infusion from Howard Hughes Medical Institute to underwrite the
program. We have some space in the east, but how do we open a magnet school there to the whole
county and actually get students there to fill 200 seats? A magnet school was considered for
Tuscorora High School opening this fall, but it was scrapped because we needed the seats for
students.
Q: What is the tipping point for using busing to alleviate crowding issues?
A: Adamo: Transportation is already an issue for some students – there are some students who ride the
bus for 90 minutes one way in the west). The benefit of busing is in the eye of the beholder. If the
seats are there, we will find them. There are all kinds of possibilities such as trailers, busing, year
round schools.
Q: What about educational telecommuting?
A: Reed: That would be an instructional point to review. There are some high school students who
already use this to fill in specific elective courses.
LCPS Superintendent Dr. Hatrick:
The Loudoun County School Board adopted a $710.3 million budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011
(governing the 2010-2011 school year) at its Tuesday, April 13th, meeting. The board adopted its
budget by an 8-1 vote with Dr. Joseph Guzman (Sugarland Run District) voting no.
The FY 2011 Adopted Budget is $22.3 million or 3% less than this year's adopted budget. The FY 2011
budget also contains $50.3 million less in local funding, a decrease of 10 percent. The average cost per
pupil under the newly adopted budget is estimated to be $10,826, down from $11,997 this year.
No Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) employee will receive a raise under the adopted budget.
In response to concerns from the public, the School Board restored the following items to the budget:
• Freshman Sports: The $307,000 cost of restoring this item will be offset by reduced summer
painting at LCPS facilities.
• Assistant Athletic Directors at Tuscarora and Woodgrove High Schools and High School Deans:
The $337,750 cost of these items was offset by a reduction to the SAT preparatory program.
• Middle School Summer School: The $205,000 cost of this program will be made up by yet-to-bedetermined cuts in the LCPS Department of Instruction.
LCPS Superintendent Edgar B. Hatrick III restored the $132,000 necessary to fund the junior varsity
lacrosse program as part of a budget reconciliation package he offered to the School Board. The
reductions contained in this package served as the base motion for the School Board deliberations.
7
Other items included in the adopted budget are:
• Central Office Reductions: $7.7 million including 35 central office positions were reduced.
• Two Furlough Days for All LCPS Staff: This will result in a savings of $4,458,000. The dates for
the furlough days will be Novemer 22nd and 23rd – the Monday and Tuesday of Thanksgiving week.
• Shared Principals for Aldie and Middleburg Elementary Schools and Hillsboro and Lincoln
Elementary Schools: This will create a savings of $227,000. (The principals of Lincoln Elementary
and Middleburg Elementary have retired.)
The LEAP meeting adjourned at 9:39 pm.
Next Meeting: Wednesday, May 12, 2010, 7:30pm –
Annual Town Hall Meeting and
Film for Thought – “Making Schools Work, with Hedrick Smith-KIPP Model”
Submitted by Maura Walsh-Copeland for Kristen Thatcher
8