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.

###

Press Contact:

Susana Calley

703-297-7899