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Middleburg Charter School Gets Final Green Light - Leesburg Today Online—Daily News Coverage of Loudoun County, Leesburg, Ashburn: Schools
(from Leesburg Today Online Daily News Coverage of Loudoun County, Leesburg, Ashburn: Schools)
Posted on Leesburg Today, Wednesday, March 5, 2014 10:00 am | Updated: 9:41 am, Tue Mar 11, 2014.
Danielle Nadler
In one unanimous vote late last night, Loudoun School Board members moved to keep the doors of one of the county’s oldest schools open and fulfill what is for most of them a campaign promise to offer families more school choice...
Middleburg Community Charter School Passes School Board Vote
Middleburg Community Charter School to be first Loudoun County CharterSchool Board Vote is Unanimous
ASHBURN, Virginia (March 4, 2014).
Members of the School Board voted tonight to accept the first Charter school in Loudoun County.
“We are thrilled,” said Dave Quanbeck, Co-Chair of the MCCS committee. “The Board’s decision not only keeps our 100 year old school open, but provides a model for other small schools in Western Loudoun.”
The MCCS committee submitted their application last August. A School Board special committee vetted the application over a period of 6 months, and after a number of full board work sessions, the charter came to a vote this night.
“This has been a lengthy process,” explained Quanbeck, “but especially with the pressures on the School Board to implement a sustainable school budget, we needed to show evidence that the Middleburg Community Charter School would save LCPS money.” Like other charter’s in the state, the Middleburg Community Charter School will receive a per pupil allotment determined by Loudoun County Schools. As a 501(c), the Charter school will also be able to raise private funds to meet the costs of operating the school.
Enrollment applications are already being accepted online. According to Quanbeck, the enrollment period will end April 30. Families will be notified the week of May 7. The enrollment process is governed by state law and will go to a lottery if enrollment exceeds the program capacity. Program capacity will be determined by grade. The school capacity is 137.
Transportation will be provided by LCPS to all students that live in the current Middleburg Elementary School attendance zone.
The charter school will adopt the Leonardo Da Vinci program, a thematic, project-based, interdisciplinary curriculum designed to inspire children to develop their innate intellectual curiosity. Children will be taught in combined K-2 and 3-5 classes, allowing younger students to see models for learning in older children, providing mentoring opportunities for older children in a class, and ensuring continuity of child-teacher relationships across several years.
The Middleburg Community Charter School is a K-5, public school, open to any student in Loudoun County. The school will operate on a modified school year calendar. MCCS will begin the 2014 school year on August 4, 2014. The school will offer a full day Kindergarten.
A series of public information meetings for prospective families will be held over the next weeks. Families are encouraged to check the MCCS website, MiddleburgCharterSchool.org, or the MCCS Facebook page for the most current details.
For additional information or to enroll your child, please contact Middleburg Community Charter School at 540-505-0456 or middleburgcharterschool@gmail.com.
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Press Contact:
Susana Calley
703-297-7899
Loudoun County School Board Votes Overwhelmingly to Initiate Application for Conversion of Middleburg Elementary School to Charter School
Motion passes 7-1-1 with one Board member absent
The School Board was clear that this initiation of action does not guarantee that the application will be approved. The School Board also stated that considering the application under the new school board initiated option was justified by the lengthy history of effort from Middleburg community members and student parents in working to resolve the problem of falling enrollment that was undermining the viability of the community school.
The motion was introduced by Mr. Morse (Dulles) who enthusiastically supported the opportunity to consider the community initiated charter application while reiterating the caveat that approval is not guaranteed. Mr. Reed (At Large) seconded the motion and offered his support for the efforts of the charter applicants and direction the board was taking.
Ms. Bergel (Catoctin) stated her support for the motion and that she felt it very important that the application contain a transportation plan, in light of the fact that many students the school aims to serve are financially insecure.
Chairman Hornberger (Ashburn) noted the history of falling enrollment at Middleburg Elementary and that its uncertain future had led a group of parents to explore with the community the idea of a charter school. He stated his appreciation for the changes to state law that allows the school board to work directly with the community.
Mr. Fox (Leesburg) offered his support for the possibility of a charter school initiated by parents and community members. He also emphasized the importance of charter schools as a way to offer more options for education in the county. Mr. Kuesters (Broad Run) supported the motion and stated that he wants to see a charter provide something different from what LCPS offers and that it needs to provide value to the county.
Ms. Rose (Algonkian) backed the motion and noted that most of the heavy lifting in developing a final charter agreement needs to be done by the applicant. Ms. Sheridan (Sterling) opposed the motion and stated that she is philosophically opposed to charter schools.
The motion passed 7-1-1 with Ms. Turgeon (Blue Ridge) absent.
"We are grateful to the School Board for their expeditious and thoughtful consideration of our application. We look forward to working with them to make Middleburg Charter School a successful, innovative school that serves the needs of our community and provides an option to every child in Loudoun" said Janelle Stewart. "We agree that we must consider the needs, including transportation, of all students. Consideration of the needs of students is the primary motivation for creation of the charter school. To that end, we will work with the School Board on all details of the application."
The goal of the Middleburg Charter School Movement is to "develop life‐long learners who are curious, caring, reflective, and productive members of our community."
Students will learn using methods that work best for each of them. They will learn at their own pace, from teachers who bring out a child’s natural curiosity.
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