RELATED BLOG: Parents to Bring Funding Concerns to Board (Feb. 26, 2008) RELATED STORY: Supervisors to School Board: More Cuts Needed (March 6, 2008)
RELATED POLL: Should the Board of Supervisors trim $23 million from the amount requested by the school board next fiscal year?

From Living in LoCo South Riding correspondent Val Cavalheri:

The community as a whole is divided over whether the Board of Supervisors should trim millions from the amount requested by the School Board.

For teachers and PTA leaders in the South Riding area, the issue isn't quite so divisive.

Parents who attended last week's Board of Supervisors hearing regarding the spending plan for fiscal year 2009 want to make their voices heard as the BOS prepares to make decisions affecting the South Riding, Stone Ridge, Kirkpatrick Farms and Lenah Run corridor. At stake is millions less than the School Board requested for Loudoun County schools, and a second high school (HS 7).

Nathalia Hardy, a teacher at Freedom High School, spoke about the funding from a different perspective: "While I understand and fully support the need to be careful stewards of the public money, I worry about ever being able to afford to buy a house on a Loudoun County teacher's salary. That is the problem that drives good teachers into the private sector. Somehow, that doesn't fit into the budget formulae that anyone wants to talk about. Parents at the BOS hearing worried about teachers going to nearby districts. Has anyone looked at the percentages of teachers simply leaving the profession?"

Opponents of the school cuts said they feel that without the second high school being built, Freedom High will be 1,600 to 1,700 students over capacity by 2011.

Linda Foresha, a Lenah Run resident and PTA president at Arcola Elementary School said, "The walls aren't rubber, so where do they expect us to put all these children? Ignoring it won't make it go away."

She also expressed frustration with elected officials. "When Mr. (Stevens) Miller was campaigning, he stood on my front porch talking with me about the issues. I spoke to him about the need to alleviate overcrowding in our schools, the need to attract the best and brightest talent to our area schools, the need for affordable housing so these teachers can actually live in the county they teach in."

Many residents have written to their representative on the Board of Supervisors.

Supervisor Jim Burton (Blue Ridge District) had this e-mail response to one constituent: "Given the current economic climate, I do not think the County can afford to consider fully funding the request," he said. "However, I do believe that the allocation ultimately provided to the schools will continue to meet the needs of our students at a level that will continue to support the excellence in education that we all want and expect of the Loudoun school system."

Many supervisors have said full funding of the board's request isn't likely, which has moved some debate to the issue of how far under the school board's request should supervisors go.

County Administrator Kirby M. Bowers's original plan included an $81 million increase in operating funds for the 54,000-student system over last year, but provided $23 million less than the operating budget school officials had asked for. The county's proposed operating budget is $1.2 billion.

Cheryl Bacak, PTSA president at Freedom High, said not fully funding the school board's request could have negative consequences.

"Further cutting the school budget, delaying HS-7 to relieve Freedom HS and delaying the Gum Spring library will only result in a stagnation in educational opportunities for the kids," she said.

But the debate is far from over. School Board chairman and Dulles District representative Robert DuPree has agreed to meet with concerned residents at 7 p.m. March 13 at Mercer Middle School.