Loudoun parents overwhelmingly supported the school system's boundary recommendations for the new Arcola and Rosa Lee Carter elementary schools during two public hearings last week. Many of the parents expressed gratitude to the Department of Planning for considering the number of moves their children have made and will have to make in coming years.
"These schools have faced so many changes for so many years," Merideth Blank, a South Riding mother with a child at Little River, said. "This is a much needed break from change."
ALTHOUGH THE handful of people who spoke at the Monday, Nov. 20 hearing for Arcola Elementary were all in support of the recommendations, they were also concerned about the overcrowding of Dulles South schools. Under the boundary recommendation, Little River will remain overcapacity by around 200 students, Hutchison Farm will have 150 additional students and Pinebrook around 30 students.
All of the parents said they would rather their children stayed at an overcrowded school for an additional year than being forced to switch schools again.
"We certainly recognize that difficult choices must be made," Maryann Tracy, who has children at Little River, said.
AT THE HEARING for Rosa Lee Carter Elementary parents were split over the recommended boundaries, with residents from Ryan's Ridge, Regency and Farmwell Hunt speaking in favor of the recommendation.
"Thank you on behalf of our community," Margo Halstead, whose children will stay at Legacy Elementary under the recommendation, said. "We cannot come up with a better plan."
Many parents said they were pleased the school staff worked hard to prohibit additional moves for the students. Creighton's Corner Elementary, which was originally scheduled to be opened next fall and is now scheduled for fall 2008, would impact many of the same communities as Rosa Lee Carter.
"Thank you for recognizing the relationships that have been established," Leanne Kleffman, a Ryan's Ridge resident and Mill Run Elementary mother, said. "I support the plan 100 percent."
RESIDENTS FROM Ashbriar, Quail Pond and Vantage Point, said they were not happy with the recommendation to move them from Legacy and Mill Run. Many were concerned about future moves their children would have to endure as more schools are built.
"We will be moved in 2010, I would assume, to the planned Moorefield Station," Mary MacMillan of Quail Run Estates said. "Three moves in six years is just too many."
Other parents were concerned with losing the community their children, and they, were a part of, saying they would rather stay at their large school than move.
"Mill Run enjoys being a large school," Jackie Schmetzer, a resident of Ashbriar, said. "We are a huge, happy family."
Schmetzer said her development was small enough not to make a huge difference in the enrollment of Mill Run and that the parents would prefer to wait to move until a permanent solution was found.
JULIE JENNINGS, a mother from Legacy Elementary, also said her small community had been bounced around during recent boundary changes and that they were ready for something permanent.
"I just want to be where we are going to be," she said.
Jennings was speaking about the neighborhoods of Vantage Point, Quail Pond, Allison's Ridge and Amberly, who she said have a total of 58 students. The students, Jennings said, were moved from Mill Run to Legacy and are now scheduled to move to Rosa Lee Carter. The neighborhoods' middle-school-aged students will also be switched from Eagle Ridge to the new Stone Hill Middle.
"It's harder when you are a smaller neighborhood," she said. "I mean we can see Mill Run from our neighborhood, but we are still getting moved."
The School Board is expected to make a decision about the boundary recommendations at its Dec. 12 meeting.