Western Schools Task Force Presentation Online Blue Ridge District Supervisor Jim Burton's presentation on February 5, 2008, to the Board of Supervisors on the final report of the Western Schools Task Force is online as is the draft final report of the task force. A document detailing the actual enrollment in Loudoun County Public Schools versus the project enrollment sent to the task force prior to the meeting on November 28, 2007, is online: Documents related to the July 19, 2007, meeting are online: Agendas and summaries of other meetings also are online: Also online are a School Size Research Brief prepared by the Research Office of the Department of Instruction of the Loudoun County Public Schools and the 1999 Report of the Rural Loudoun School Study Committee. Both documents require Adobe Reader, which may be downloaded here for free. General Purpose of the Western Schools Task Force The purpose of the task force, which was established by the Board of Supervisors in 2007, was to explore possible strategies for Western school growth and site selection. Areas of exploration included: -
School size: size vs. cost debate, cluster-school size symmetry -
School design: “cookie cutter,” site-specific design, design-build, etc. -
Clustering: standard clustering, no clustering, clustering plus specialty schools -
Year-round schooling -
Interim solutions for the overcrowding of Loudoun Valley, Harmony, & Blue Ridge during the 2007-2008 school year and, if necessary, during the 2008-2009 school year. -
Preferred locations: in what general geographic areas should schools be sited; what criteria should the School Board use for site selection; review current policies and standards for school siting; etc. Members The task force members included: two School Board members who represent western Loudoun, two members of the Board of Supervisors who represent western Loudoun, mayors of the incorporated towns, and three western Loudoun residents. The School Board, Board of Supervisors, and the Coalition of Loudoun Towns (COLT) each appointed one citizen from western Loudoun. Meetings Meetings were normally held on the fourth Wednesday of the month. Contact: Mary Bathory Vidaver, 703-777-0200, or Mary.Bathory.Vidaver@loudoun.gov |