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Tag: loudoun county school board

  • In a reversal vote, Loudoun Co. school board will allow charter schools to ask for funding to cover facility upgrades – WTOP News

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    Charter schools in Loudoun County will be able to keep asking for funding for infrastructure improvements, as part of an updated policy the school board approved.

    Charter schools in Loudoun County, Virginia, will be able to keep asking for funding for classroom upgrades and other infrastructure improvements as part of an updated policy the school board approved last week.

    The policy pertains to the establishment of charter schools. As part of an amendment to the proposed policy, charter schools are eligible to ask for funding for infrastructure needs, and those needs could be included in the Capital Improvement Program if the school board deems it necessary.

    The Capital Improvement Program is the school division’s long-term plan for acquiring property and renovating and maintaining existing public school facilities. The proposed update passed, 7-2.

    The approved policy update put an end to community fears that Loudoun County’s two charter schools would be ineligible for funding to improve their campuses. The original proposal said charter school facilities wouldn’t be included in the Capital Improvement Program for current or future improvements.

    “It is a positive step, but I also feel like we’re still going to have continuing conversations on how much funding we can get,” parent Robert Carey said. “Can we really improve the school? How much funds will we be able to receive? That will be a work in progress, but at least it’s a very, very good, positive first step.”

    Joe Luppino-Esposito, vice president of Hillsboro Charter Academy’s board of directors, said the newly approved policy takes out the “worst part,” which he described as the section restricting funding for charter schools. Their campus, he said, doesn’t have a music room or a teacher’s lounge, and it has a small lab that doubles as the lunch room.

    The campus includes what he calls the “art cottage,” a portable trailer that was supposed to be temporary, “but it’s been there since at least 1996. These are all the type of things that would really not stand anywhere else in the district, except for the fact that it’s been the charter school,” Luppino-Esposito said.

    As part of the approved amendment, introduced by Loudoun County School Board member Lauren Shernoff, the school board will defer to current charter agreements for existing charter schools.

    At the Sept. 30 meeting, Chief Operations Officer Kevin Lewis told the board allowing charter schools to be considered for capital improvements could be costly, suggesting expansion plans could leave the district responsible for spending millions on enhancements for existing infrastructure in addition to new spaces.

    The school board last reviewed its policy for establishing charter schools in 2020.

    The new updates, Carey said, allow for capital improvements that are “critical for us to be able to operate and continue to operate in a safe environment for these students.”

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    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Scott Gelman

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  • Loudoun Co. charter school worries proposed policy change will prevent funds to upgrade facilities – WTOP News

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    A Loudoun County charter school said a proposed change to make charters ineligible for capital improvement program funding would make it challenging to maintain and expand its facilities.

    Hillsboro Charter Academy students attend an assembly.(Courtesy Hillsboro Charter Academy)

    A Loudoun County charter school said a proposed change to make charters ineligible for capital improvement program funding would make it challenging to maintain and expand its facilities.

    Hillsboro Charter Academy, which has 144 students and a long waiting list, is sounding the alarm about the possible consequences of the change the suburban Northern Virginia district’s school board is considering.

    Under the proposal, which was discussed at a Loudoun County School Board meeting earlier this month, a charter school facility or campus would not be included in the school board’s Capital Improvement Program for “current or future capital improvements.”

    A vote on the change could be scheduled for the end of September.

    The pivot comes as the school is hoping to improve its physical infrastructure, including building new playgrounds and a new music room. Joe Luppino-Esposito, vice president of the charter school’s board of directors, said the move means “we’re really at risk of the school just not being able to operate because the building will fall into disrepair.”

    WTOP has contacted School Board Member Kari LaBelle, whose Catoctin District includes the school campus, for comment on the school’s concerns.

    “The part where it seems like the district is falling short and saying things like, ‘Every school needs a new playground, except for you guys in Middleburg, because you’re the only two charter schools, so you don’t get a new playground,’” Luppino-Esposito said. “This doesn’t really make any sense. Those kids are no different in the third grade in our schools versus the third grade in Mountain View or any of the other schools.”

    The school has previously received capital funding for things such as an HVAC unit, Luppino-Esposito said, and the school board agreed to replace the roof. It’s funded from Loudoun County schools’ regular operating budget, and it gets paid the average per pupil figure. The division takes a 5% administrative fee, “and then that money is supposed to be dedicated primarily to student education, but that money also goes toward regular maintenance,” he said.

    Teachers at the school work for the public school division, but leadership works for the private academy. Luppino-Esposito said there’s no tuition or “special permission to get in.”

    The school system’s Capital Improvement Program is a long-term plan for maintaining school infrastructure and covering construction costs, among other things.

    Some school board members have argued against the proposal, but Luppino-Esposito said “some people in the district are saying, ‘Well, worse come to worse, we can just close down the school and distribute the kids back to their home schools and so be it.’”

    Caleb Kershner, who represents the Catoctin District on Loudoun County’s Board of Supervisors, said not funding the capital needs of charter schools could be “a death knell, potentially.” The supervisors fund the school division’s budget but don’t directly fund a specific school.

    “They are a form of a public school, so I don’t know why you would treat them any differently in terms of the funding and how you support them as you do with a traditional school,” Kershner told WTOP.

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    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Scott Gelman

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  • Loudoun Co. school board passes tighter student cellphone policy, set to start this fall – WTOP News

    Loudoun Co. school board passes tighter student cellphone policy, set to start this fall – WTOP News

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    When Loudoun County public school students return to classes this fall a new, tighter cellphone policy will be in place, which could also affect how parents communicate with their child during the school day.

    When public school students return to classes in Loudoun County, Virginia, this fall a new, tighter cellphone policy will be in place, which could also affect how parents communicate with their children during the school day.

    The Loudoun County School Board approved a new policy Tuesday that details the use of student personal devices, including cellphones, earbuds and smartwatches.

    Under the newly-passed Policy 8655, elementary school students are not permitted to use personal technology during the school day. Parents and guardians of children who require access to personally owned devices as part of an Individualized Education Plan accommodation will be able to request an exception.

    Middle school students will be required to keep their personal devices silent and stored in their locker during the school day. They will be allowed to use the devices before and after school.

    For high schoolers, a last-minute amendment from at-large board member Anne Donohue removed the option for students to keep their devices silenced, but in their pocket or backpack. She said students suggested that restriction would help reduce temptations that distract students from what’s happening in class.

    “If the devices are allowed to be within the students’ pocket or backpack, our students have a hard time restraining themselves from checking it, if it’s within reach,” said Donohue.

    Under Donahue’s amendment, high school students will be required to place their personal devices “in a classroom storage location, not on their person, or immediately accessible.”

    Leesburg District board member Lauren Shernoff supported the additional restriction, based on her recent conversations with constituents about instituting the new policy.

    “The feedback that I’ve gotten is that this isn’t tight enough, which did surprise me,” Shernoff said.

    Shernoff told fellow board members she believes the firmer restrictions will be helpful.

    “Kids are not tempted away from the valuable instruction that is happening in the classroom, and they can be fully connected to focusing on their academics and the learning, and I think that’s really the goal,” Shernoff said.

    Board member April Chandler of the Algonkian District, who chaired the session, said they’ll have the ability to adjust the policy at the beginning of the school year.

    “It will take parents, it will take teachers, it will take principals to support our students through this change,” Chandler said. “It might not be easy, but I believe the results will be well worth the effort.”

    The new policy will also require parents and guardians to curtail texting students during the school day.

    “LCPS recognizes parents need to know how to contact their child in case of an emergency. If there is an emergency, parents may contact the main office of their child’s school,” according to the policy.

    Before the vote, the school system’s Chief Technology Officer Aaron Smith said parents are choosing to keep track of their child’s location, with the location information available on a smartwatch.

    Editor’s note: Clarified that parents of students with Individualized Education Plans who use personal devices will be able to request an exception.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Neal Augenstein

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  • Loudoun Co. school board to cut the cameras on public comments – WTOP News

    Loudoun Co. school board to cut the cameras on public comments – WTOP News

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    Livestreaming cameras at Loudoun County School Board meetings will no longer show parents, students or anyone else during the public comment period, after the board voted to remove them from meetings starting next month.

    Livestreaming cameras at Loudoun County School Board meetings will no longer show parents, students or anyone else during the public comment period, after the board voted to remove them from meetings starting next month. The move is sparking outrage from some parents already.

    The board voted 6-3 in a March 12 meeting with all Republican and independent-backed members voting against the measure.

    Public comments viewed online will now feature a slide showing the school district’s logo, but will still broadcast audio and closed captioning.

    “I’m not interested in this being a political grandstanding, which has been happening a lot lately,” said chair Melinda Mansfield during discussion. “I think that takes away from the work of the board.”

    Others expressed concern for safety, especially for people who speak at meetings and potentially face backlash for their comments in their private life.

    “The main concern is safety for the people that speak,” said board member Sumera Rashid. “I’m trying to avoid a Jerry Springer show.”

    ‘Absolutely the opposite’ of transparency

    Other members were not keen on the measure, like board member Lauren Shernoff.

    “Over the past four years, I think decisions were made in general to make the public feel less than,” Shernoff said at the March board meeting. “I feel by turning them back on, we can start to restore some of that trust and build back transparency.”

    One parent who was seen on that camera in June 2021 is not happy with the decision.

    He is the father of a teenage girl who was sexually assaulted at Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn, Virginia. He was arrested at the meeting and convicted of disorderly conduct and obstruction of justice. He was later pardoned by Gov. Glenn Youngkin. He spoke with Fox News.

    “They cannot allow another viral moment like mine to go across the land,” the father, whom WTOP is not naming to avoid indirectly identifying the teenager who was sexually assaulted, told Fox News.

    During the interview, he said the members broke campaign promises made just months ago.

    “Everyone of them campaigned on transparency and less division and this is absolutely the opposite of what they all campaigned on,” he told Fox News.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Luke Lukert

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  • Some Loudoun Co. parents concerned by earlier elementary school start times, board member says – WTOP News

    Some Loudoun Co. parents concerned by earlier elementary school start times, board member says – WTOP News

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    As some parents express lingering concerns about school start times, the school board in Loudoun County is expected to be briefed on the school division’s bell schedule next month.

    As some parents express lingering concerns about school start times, the school board in Loudoun County is expected to be briefed on the school division’s bell schedule next month.

    School board member Lauren Shernoff has been seeking parents’ feedback on the impact a change in start times is having on their routines.

    In 2022, the school district announced plans to have some elementary schools start at 7:30 a.m. and others start at 8 a.m. Some middle schools were slated to start at 8:30 a.m., and others at 8:50 a.m. Most high schools had their start times shifted 15 minutes later.

    Some parents, Shernoff said, are expressing concerns about the earlier starts.

    “Just saying, this is my day-to-day life, and it’s really a struggle. My kids are miserable. Getting up in the morning, they’re tired. They don’t want to eat breakfast, because it’s so early. It’s pitch black at the bus stop,” Shernoff said.

    The change to an earlier start time, Shernoff said, was only done for about half of elementary schools in the county. So, different elementary schoolers in the school division have different schedules.

    “Now you have an equity issue, where some schools are on a different schedule for the same-aged kid,” Shernoff said.

    The changes were made, Shernoff said, because of the bus driver shortage that came in the aftermath of the pandemic. The county was also trying to minimize second loads, when a driver has to make several trips to and from a school to get all of the students home.

    Students not getting enough sleep or not eating breakfast, she said, factor into other concerns.

    “Are they tardy more? Are they not getting to school on time, which has also been a concern in Loudoun?” Shernoff said.

    Most of the concerns are coming from elementary school families, Shernoff said, but some high school parents have expressed frustration that their school day ends after 4 p.m., making it harder for students to get jobs on top of school work.

    The solution, she said, may be recruiting more bus drivers or having start times shift so that some schools aren’t always starting earlier than others.

    School system leaders are expected to discuss bell schedules with the board at a meeting April 9.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Scott Gelman

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