Superintendent Answers Reader Questions in Online Chat

By LoudounExtra.com staff

Originally published at 11:53 a.m., October 7, 2007
Updated at 1:06 p.m., October 11, 2007

Loudoun County Public Schools Superintendent Edgar B. Hatrick III was online Thursday afternoon to answer questions and comments from readers of LoudounExtra.com about the school district and the start of the academic year.

A transcript follows.

This discussion is the first since the launch of LoudounExtra.com this past summer. Visit the site in the coming weeks for additional information about other chats with Loudoun County officials.

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Edgar B. Hatrick III: Hello. This is Edgar Hatrick, Superintendent of Loudoun County Schools in Virginia. I look forward to your questions and our chat.

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Reston, Va.: Can we expect more "temporary" trailers at elementary schools because of rapid population growth in the county? My son has been in Loudoun County schools for four years, and has never been assigned to a classroom inside the school building; he always been in a trailer.

Edgar B. Hatrick III: I think this is a question for Fairfax County Public Schools.

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Sterling, Va.: Would you support publishing the entire budget with all of the supporting details of actual expenditures in spreadsheet format on the division Web site so that more citizens can get into the detail and make cost saving recommendations.

Edgar B. Hatrick III: Detailed copies of the budget are available in print format as soon as the budget is presented to the School Board. I'm not sure about the technical requirements for your request, but we can certainly consider it.

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Potomac Falls, Va.: Is a diagnosis of ADHD recognized as meeting the Special Education criteria to be found eligible for extra services in Loudoun County Public Schools?

Edgar B. Hatrick III: If the ADHD negatively affects the academic performance of a student it could be a reason to find the student eligible for special education services. That decision is made by an Eligibility Committee.

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Leesburg Va.: Dear Dr. Hatrick,

My plan to fix our traffic problems here in Loudoun County revolve around all government entities/departments uncovering a 3-5 percent savings in their annual budget. Thereby producing approximately $70,000,000.00 per year in savings to be specifically earmarked for transportation improvement projects. When asked by the next board to find these savings, what areas in the budget do you feel are most likely to produce the highest yield in savings?

Photo: Tracy A. Woodward

Loudoun County Public Schools Superintendent Edgar B. Hatrick speaks during a School Board committee meeting. Hatrick joined LoudounExtra.com readers on Thursday to answer questions during an online chat. (File photo)

Sincerely.

Edgar B. Hatrick III: That sounds to me like a very simple solution to a very complex problem. First, I would want to check the numbers. Second you have to realize that certain costs in all budgets are fixed. Finally, I am really concerned about the growing trend of localities taking over state responsibility for road building, especially at the expense of education. Reductions in budgets can always be made by changing or eliminating programs, but the results may be far less than favorable.

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Purcellville, Va.: Other than construction of a new western HS, what plans are there in the short-term (less than 2 years) to expand the capacity of LVHS thus providing relief and bringing LVHS on par with other higher capacity HS in the county?

Edgar B. Hatrick III: Loudoun Valley's capacity is determined by its core facilities and the land on which it is built. That capacity now stands at 1,551 students with the maximum number of trailers we can use. The current enrollment at the school is 1,569 students, so it is full. I do not believe it is possible to expand LVHS. The solution is to build the next high school, Woodgrove, on the site north of Purcellville.

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Philomont, Va.: If No Child Left Behind does not change, what will happen to LCPS AYP progress?

Edgar B. Hatrick III: Our AYP progress is likely to be the same as for schools throughout the country: less and less schools will make AYP. Unfortunately that is a flawed component of the law, which does not recognize progress.

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Arlington, Va.: Thank you, sir, for taking my question. As a 40-year-old mid-career person, I've been thinking a great deal about switching careers. I've always considered teaching and often hear about programs to move into the profession. Are our public school systems really getting many instructors this way and are they working out well? Personally, I have found information hard to come by because each community's pathways to teaching vary from place to place. My friends like me, with Master's degrees, have gone the private school route, but I am a proud product of public schools and it is there I hope to contribute.

Edgar B. Hatrick III: A number of area universities offer very good programs for "career switchers." Our success with those we have hired has been good, but we select carefully. Teaching is a very demanding profession, and I recommentd that those who think they're interested try working in some capacity in a school, preferably as a substitute teacher, before they make a final decision.

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Waterford, Va.: Mr. Hatrick,

I am very concerned with the lack of action on building a new high school in western Loudoun County. I am up to date on all the politics surrounding this along with the litigation. However, while we are waiting for the litigation our children are being overcrowded at Loudoun Valley and consequently at Harmony Intermediate. This is not only affecting them academically but also along the lines of sports. I have four sons who attend either Waterford Elementary or Blue Ridge or Harmony Intermediate. Why can one of the wealthiest counties in the country not get another high school built in western Loudoun so our children are not detrimentally affected? We came from Cascades for the last 14 years and thought we were coming into a positive situation with Loudoun Valley; however because this side of the county has not kept up with building new high schools to keep up with the growth it is a disaster! What action are you taking to ensure a positive academic experience for our high school children in western Loudoun County ? We should not be allowing a few people to control the future of thousands of our children because of overcrowding! Thank you for your response.

Edgar B. Hatrick III: We have had the funding and are ready to break ground on the next western Loudoun high school, Woodgrove, north of Purcellville. All that now stands in our way is a continuing legal struggle with the Town of Purcellville, located south of the school site.

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Ashburn, Va.: This is not so much a question as it is a request. As a parent and PTO member I head up the Giant A Plus Bonus Bucks, Harris Teeter Together in Education and Safeway eScrip programs at my kids' elementary school. Each of these programs yields a fair amount of money for our school and could in fact yield much more if they had more support.

In your role as superintendent if you could use your position to remind county residents at the beginning of each school year about the benefits of these programs. Yearly, we watch the budget you identify for our schools get cut. Well, there is money out there, money I refer to as "free money," that at the very least the schools could tap into if more people would get involved. This is a county issue. We should all want Loudoun to have the best schools whether we have child enrolled in a school or not.

In your roll you could take this a step farther and encourage county employees to link their shopping cards. If they don't live in Loudoun County, fine, link to a school in their own county, but link.

Last year our elementary school earned $4,598 from Giant alone. When I compared our school earnings to others in the county we were on top, which made me feel good great. Then I looked at the numbers a bit closer and realized that only 287 people were supporting our school. I can only imagine if all county residents got on board and participated in these programs. As pleased as I was with my schools' earnings it was extremely disheartening when I saw that some schools in the county raised less than $200.

There is a great deal of money out there that the schools can take advantage of with very little work. We really need to get the word out there and make our schools the best in the country!

Edgar B. Hatrick III: These are great programs, and I would be happy to lend my support to them if you would send me some specific information on how to do so. You could address the information or contacts to our Public Information Office.

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Ashburn, Va.: Why do the Loudoun School Board and you have such a distasteful and rude relationship with the elected Board of Supervisors, and why aren't you willing to meet on a regular basis with the elected supervisors to help curb waste, overhead, and make the school budget more efficient?

Edgar B. Hatrick III: We have a very good relationship with County staff and the Board of Supervisors. Both the School Board and the Board of Supervisors are elected officials. There is a provision on both Boards for joint meetings, which do occur as requested by either Board.

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Leesburg, Va.: Why do you think special education referrals are so low in Loudoun compared to national and state averages?

Edgar B. Hatrick III: Although there is sometimes a question about whether our referrals are too low or others are too high, I trust the eligibility process spelled out in the law to provide fair consideration for educational needs of students. Parents who want help with the process can contact the Parent Resource Center run by LCPS for help.

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Purcellville, Va.: With flat to declining real estate values and the resulting ease with which to acquire land throughout Loudoun County, what efforts is the county taking to determine a location for the new western Loudoun high school which will be mutually acceptable to residents of Purcellville and surrounding areas?

This seems like an extraordinary opportunity to satisfy all parties involved swiftly, rather than continuing down a path to build a school on a site that is not considered acceptable to many, particularly those who live in or travel through Purcellville on a daily basis.

Edgar B. Hatrick III: Prices for large tracts of land, of which there are fewer and fewer at any price, have not declined significantly. Given a continuing need for additional elementary, middle, and high school sites in western Loudoun to meet the needs of the future we are constantly trying to identify available parcels of land. One of the bond questions on this fall's ballot will ask the voters to approve financing for purchase of additional school sites. The place for the next high school to be built that will meet the needs of students the students is at the Woodgrove High School site north of Purcellville.

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Bethesda, Md.: Do all Va./Md. school districts give Columbus Day off? I've heard some districts don't?

Edgar B. Hatrick III: The decision is made on a district-by-district basis. Columbus Day is a school holiday this year in Loudoun County.

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Round Hill, Va.: Dr. Hatrick,

The percentage of autistic individuals has increased dramatically in relation to the total Special Needs students in Loudoun. The overall budget increases and staffing for Special Needs individuals in LCPS has routinely failed to keep up with the increases in the Special Needs student population. What are your plans on reconciling the differences in staffing and budgets to the increases in student's needs?

Edgar B. Hatrick III: The number of children identified with autism is increasing across the country. We will continue to request full funding of the special education budget. Final funding is decided as part of the overall budget needs by the School Board in the funding they seek, the Board of Supervisors in the funding they provide, and the State and Federal governments in their allocations. If the Federal government lived up to its original commitment for the funding of special education excess costs, a promise made in 1978 but never kept, we would not have a problem.

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South Riding, Va.: Why wouldn't first-grade teachers separate out students in language arts based on reading levels? I understand that Little River has the students mixed. Is this countywide or specific to LR? By doing this it is going to hold back the students with higher reading levels. This is not helping students who are below or above grade level. I would love to see my child challenged for once.

Edgar B. Hatrick III: Students are grouped for reading by level within the classroom.

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Sterling, Va.: What is the school system's plan to keep up with the neighboring counties in Northern Virginia and Maryland in regards to a full-day kindergarten program? It would seem that our children are falling behind the other counties by not having this service. Does the county have a plan to phase in full day kindergarten?

Edgar B. Hatrick III: We offer full day kindergarten to students who are identified through various means of being at academic risk. Currently we do not have a plan for universal full day kindergarten, which would require us to build additional kindergarten classrooms on almost all of our schools at the same time we are trying to keep up with renovation of older facilities and construction of badly needed new facilities. There is no data at present that indicates our kindergarten students are falling behind.

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South Riding, Va.: Is Loudoun County committed to "Math Investigations," or is there some flexibility on a per teacher basis with respect to how math is taught? I'm unable to find ANY positive feedback, from parents or teachers, on the Internet regarding this method of teaching. Is there any evidence this curriculum is benefiting Loudoun County students? Last year's SOL scores show a lot of drops.

Edgar B. Hatrick III: We are evaluating the use of math investigations along with other means of providing the best math instruction we can for our students. We also realize that one size may not fit all needs.

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Loudoun County, Va.: Moral instruction is integrated into the core curriculum as "character education." Everyone agrees that children should be taught to respect themselves, their peers, authority and the environment.

However, the devil is implementing it in the midst of religious and cultural diversity. There is serious disagreement over using God to teach respect for the flag, whether to promote tolerance for homosexuality, and environmentalism. The next battle will be over healthy eating.

Do you side with the parent or the teacher in these disputes? For example, teachers who grade students on how well their family recycles. Or staff who report parents as child abusers because they refuse to put an obese child on a diet and exercise program.

Edgar B. Hatrick III: We believe that it is our responsibility in the public schools to provide character education that reinforces the moral and religious education that must occur in the home.

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Purcellville, Va.: You mentioned Town of Purcellville legal issues are causing a delay with building the new HS. How much of a delay has that created and when can we as parents hope to see the new HS open?

Edgar B. Hatrick III: We had originally hoped for Woodgrove HS to open in the fall of 2008. It now looks as if the earliest opening will be during the 2008-2009 school year or the fall of 2009, depending on the outcome of the legal issues or the ability to have Purcellville become a partner in the completion of this school.

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South Riding , Va.: Dr. Hatrick,

With the crowding situation in the Dulles South area, why are the resource rooms always the first to be compromised. Twice since my son entered the special needs program -- he is now 8 -- the resource rooms have been switched to accommodate other grade levels. The special needs programs seem to suffer the most in the crowding situation. Can you address this?

As a frequent volunteer in my children's schools, and as a parent of a special needs child, I believe part of the problem with the lag of referrals for special needs might be partially cultural. I am married to an immigrant, and there is "shame" associated with having a child who is not typical. The cultural barriers must be overcome to properly educate a child with special needs, and in dealing with a parent/or parents who find it difficult to accept that their child might not be typical. Are there any plans to deal with this issue.

Thank you for your time.

Edgar B. Hatrick III: Thank you for your insight. We do have Parent Liaisons in each of our schools who try to provide information to those with cultural differences. The Parent Resource Center is another source of support and explanation. There is certainly no shame in meeting the educational needs of a student through the best means possible. Some children simply need different strategies to succeed in school. Providing for those differences for identified students is the responsibility of the special education program.

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Purcellville, Va.: Regardless of the outcome of locating the next western HS, are there plans to expand LVHS to bring capacity up to those of other County HS to stop the long road trips for sport events and keep local HS competition alive?

Edgar B. Hatrick III: The capacity of Loudoun Valley High School is the same as other high schools in Loudoun. The reason it has moved up in VHSL classification is the fact that the ninth graders at Harmony also belong to LVHS for interscholastic sports purposes. Their inclusion makes LVHS's total enrollment over 2,100 students.

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Sterling, Va.: In LCPS, the A.P. is the contact person for Special Education (at the school level) and serve as members of the Eligibility Team. Teachers are also members of the Eligibility team. How much training in the area of Special Education does LCPS require the asst. principal to receive prior to taking on this responsibility? How much training for general education teachers? Thank you very much, in advance, for your response.

Edgar B. Hatrick III: Assistant Principals who work with the special education process receive in-service training every year.

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Purcellville, Va.: What were the main reasons that it took the school system from 2001 when enrollment exceeded 95 percent of capacity at LVHS until 2005 to keep the request for funding a new western HS in their budget?

Edgar B. Hatrick III: The high school appeared every year in the School Board budget but was delayed by the Board of Supervisors from the County's budget. Even with the delay we would still be in good shape if the school could have opened as planned in 2008. Funding has been approved by the citizens and has been in place to build the school.

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Waterford, Va.: Thank you for the response to my earlier question. What do you thinks is the best way for a concerned mom to go about making a difference in this continuing legal battle with the "town" of Purcellville? It is very difficult for a lot of us to understand how a few people can control the welfare of so many children. This is not just coming from my town but also from friends of mine in the town of Purcellville. What do you recommend we as citizens of this county do to expedite the building so our children don't suffer from this political squabble?

Edgar B. Hatrick III: I would urge you to talk to the members of the Purcellville Town Council to see if we can find a way to work together to meet the clear needs of students throughout western Loudoun.

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Purcellville, Va.: Dr. Hatrick, has your staff completed all requirements to begin construction of Woodgrove HS so, if we as parents can have the County and Town drop their lawsuits you can start building tomorrow?

Edgar B. Hatrick III: We are very close to the final permitting approval that would allow construction to begin.

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Leesburg, Va.: Good afternoon Dr. Hatrick,

I attended the excellent LEAP forum last evening. Two issues were raised that I found disturbing. I am concerned that our elementary curriculum does not have the capacity to acknowledge children of same-sex parents. I am also concerned that the abstinence message sent to middle and high school children specifies that one must wait until marriage. Again, same-sex couples are excluded from the curriculum. I am not a gay rights activist; however, I am a realist. Our society is changing and by not discussing these issues with children we are not presenting the entire picture. What can I do to change this?

Edgar B. Hatrick III: Since you attended the meeting you know that the community continues to be divided on the best means of providing Family Life Education and also on the topic of what should be taught in the curriculum. Loudoun's curriculum is abstinence based and meets the requirements set forth in the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. For changes to occur in the curriculum you should talk with members of the School Board to see if they are willing to initiate another committee to re-study the issues.

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Waterford, Va.: Dr. Hatrick,

When will the county institute a curriculum designed for children with a gifted and talented/learning disabled diagnosis? I have run across administrators who do not understand the diagnosis, therefore they do not want to acknowledge it. They seem to have the mentality of if "I can't see it then I do not have to deal with it." Maybe now I understand why the county's identification numbers are so low.

Edgar B. Hatrick III: As we heard on Tuesday night in the report of the Special Education Advisory Committee, there is continuing interest in developing programs to meet the needs of Twice Exceptional students. I think the needs of many of those students are already being met, but each case is unique. This is not so much a matter of curriculum as it is provision of individualized services.

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Purcellville, Va. 20132: Given the falling prices/values of homes in Loudoun County -- what are you/your staff doing now and what plan to do over the next two years to keep in check as well as reduce school budget costs for the taxpayers of the county?

Edgar B. Hatrick III: A decrease in housing prices may lead to more, not less children moving to Loudoun. This year we enrolled 651 more students than expected, a phenomenon that occurred throughout Northern Virginia. We have an excellent school system because the citizens of Loudoun have for generations recognized that their tax dollars were being used to invest in the future.

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South Riding, Va.: In a county as affluent as Loudoun, the lack of funding for special needs is surprising. Please explain why our numbers are lower both locally, state, and nationally.

You were quoted in today's article, "I think there will be some pretty startling facts and figures about what this will cost." Why don't you hire an advocate to go to Congress and request funding for IDEA?

LoudounExtra.com: County Lags In Referrals For Special Education

Edgar B. Hatrick III: We have School Board members who regularly work with our elected Federal officials on these needs. At-Large School Board member Tom Reed has represented the Virginia School Boards Association on Capitol Hill many times. When he talks with our legislative delegation he is also representing us. I think it will take the citizens who elect our representatives to let our Congressmen and Senators know that we want full funding for special education. Every professional organization to which I belong has done so for years, as have I.

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South Riding, Va.: Going back to my earlier question regarding reading groups... why aren't the separated according to ability? Having children with a mix of abilities only slows down the class. It does not help the students who are struggling and it does not help the students who could be doing more.

Edgar B. Hatrick III: I though I had answered your question, but now I have to suggest that you talk with your principal about the way reading is being taught to get a better understanding.

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South Riding, Va.: Hi Mr. Hatrick,

I have read several articles recently that talks about how the No Child Left Behind Act does not meet the needs of higher performing students as it is forcing educators to focus on getting lower performing children up to a certain required level. What is Loudoun County doing to address this issue, particularly in the lower grades before gifted classes are introduced?

Edgar B. Hatrick III: There are many problems with the No Child Left Behind law as it currently exists. You can see some of the suggestions for change that have been made by our School Board on the website for the school system. We try very hard not to let the testing we must do slow down the curriculum, but there is not doubt that testing and preparing students for tests takes time.

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Edgar B. Hatrick III: Thank you for joining our conversation today. Your questions were good, and I hope that my answers were helpful. Thanks also to the Washington Post for providing this opportunity.

Edgar Hatrick

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