Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) is one of the fastest growing school systems, in one of the wealthiest counties in the United States. Student enrollment has grown from 28,787 students in 1999 to an official Sept. 30, 2009 enrollment of 60,069 students. Projections are for continued growth with more than 73,000 students anticipated by 2013. Loudoun is the fifth largest school division in Virginia, with Fairfax County leading the state with more than 199,127 students, followed by Virginia Beach 93,638; Prince William County 80,7893; Chesterfield County 64,208; Loudoun; Henrico County 58,111; Chesapeake City 52,220; Newport News 41,543 and Norfolk City 41,403 students.
LCPS is the system, the umbrella: covering, guiding and managing 76 individual, evolving, and changing schools; each headed by a principal and staff, each serving an individual, and unique school population. School enrollment ranges widely among LCPS schools, from under-enrolled small schools to several over program capacity elementary, middle and high schools. Leading the smallest school enrollments are Middleburg Elementary, with 82 students and a 137-student program capacity; Aldie Elementary, with 96 students/138 program capacity; and Hillsboro Elementary, with 116 students and a program capacity of 138. Selden’s Landing has the largest elementary school enrollment, with 977 students, housed in a facility with only 896 student program capacity. John Tolbert Elementary follows, with 958 students/796 program capacity; and Little River Elementary with 950 students/817 program capacity.
Belmont Ridge and Blue Ridge Middle Schools have the largest middle school enrollments, each with 1,229 students and program capacities of 1197 and 1226 (with trailers) respectively, followed closely by Mercer MS with 1,226 students/program capacity 1,149. Sterling Middle School with 850 students/1131 program capacity, and Harper Park Middle, 884 students/1131 program capacity, represent the smallest middle school enrollments.
Overcrowding dominates discussions of LCPS high schools with vastly overcrowded Stone Bridge High School leading the list, with 1,957 students and a program capacity of 1,618. Overcrowding at Loudoun Valley High School, with 1,667 - only 10th,11th,12th grade - students and a program capacity 1553 (with trailers), is set to be eliminated with the 2010-2011 opening of new Woodgrove High School. Similarly, the overcrowding at Heritage High School, with 1,880 students/1,607 program capacity, will be addressed with the opening of the new Tuscarora High School in 2010.
Each school is special with its own needs, attributes and challenges, yet must conform to “21st Century Education” and to more and more standardized tests and evaluations. LCPS students continue to amass accelerating achievements, including advances in average SAT scores, a rise in SAT scores among ethnic groups, graduation rates, scholarship money awarded, as well as rankings in the top 6 percent of high schools in the country by Newsweek’s Challenge Index.
LCPS now operates 76 school facilities (with the opening of the new Kenneth Culbert Elementary School in Hamilton,), 51 elementary schools (grades K-5), 12 middle schools (grades 6-8), and one Intermediate school (grades 8-9), 10 high schools (grades 9-12) and two instructional centers. The two new high schools are opening for the 2010 -2011-school year will bring that number to 12. The average class size is 23.0 for elementary, 22.6 for middle and 26.9 for high school. Each of Loudoun County's 75 eligible public schools is fully accredited by Virginia's Department of Education, and all LCPS teachers are licensed by the Virginia State Board of Education to teach the grade level or subject area for which they are employed, according to the LCPS announcement.
SCHOOL FUNDING DECLINES
For the first time in LCPS Superintendent Ed Hatrick’s 18-year tenure, local funding for education in Loudoun County dropped in response to the economic times. The $732 million LCPS 2009-2010 School Operating Budget was reduced from the $745.6 million 2008-2009 school year operating budget. The average cost to educate a LCPS student in the 2009-2010 school year is $11,977, down from $12,898 in 2008-2009. Starting teachers salary and average teacher salary dropped from $43,065 to $42,639 and $61,860 to $61,426, respectively, from 2008-2009 to 2009-2010 school year.
Yet LCPS avoided a reduction in force (RIF) of employees and kept school programs intact, all while welcoming more than 3,000 new students. But in response to the budget deficit and local funding decline, for the first time LCPS imposed fees for athletics, AP testing, and increased parking fees to help balance the school budget.
The unwelcome news is the forecast is for another difficult fiscal year for Loudoun County. Real estate tax revenues across the county are projected to continue to fall, juxtaposed against anticipated increases in the demands on local tax funding by both the general government schools, capital program, OPEB Contribution and debt service.
LCPS SAT SCORES INCREASE
The Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) scores posted by Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) students rose 15 points overall from 2007 to 2008 according to statistics released in August, 2009 by the College Board.
Loudoun’s overall score of 1,575 was well above state and national averages, which were 1,522 and 1,511, respectively.
- 525 in critical reading, up three points from 2007. (The state average was 511, the same as 2007, and the national average 502, also the same as 2007.)
- 531 in math, up four points from 2007. (The state average was 512, up one point, and the national average 515, which was unchanged.)
- 519 in writing, up eight points from 2007. (The state average was 499, up one point, and the national average 494, which was unchanged.)
Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT) Scores for 2008
Critical Reading Math Writing Combined
LCPS 525 531 519 1,575
Virginia 511 512 499 1,522
U.S. 502 515 494 1,511
NEW GRADING SCALE FOR LCPS
Earlier this year the Loudoun County School Board adopted a ten-point grading scale for middle and high schools, effective for the 2009-2010 school year.
Numeric Scale Letter Grade Quality Point*
98-100 A+ 4.3
93-97 A 4.0
90-92 A- 3.7
87-89 B+ 3.3
83-86 B 3.0
80-82 B- 2.7
77-79 C+ 2.3
73-76 C 2.0
70-72 C- 1.7
67-69 D+ 1.3
63-66 D 1.0
60-62 D- 0.7
0-59 F 0.0
* Before grade weighting
The Loudoun County School Board also adopted grade-weighting standards of .5 for honors classes and Academy of Science (AOS) classes effective for the 2009-2010 and applied retroactively to all currently enrolled LCPS students with honors and AOS classes on their transcripts. Grade weighting was previously established for Advanced Placement classes.
The LCPS website www.loudoun.k12.va.us. is the online source for information on the school system, individual schools, school board members, meetings, calendars, and all manner of school related topics.
LPCS is governed by a nine-member school board and served by a superintendent and staff of administrators. Until 1995, school board members were appointed by the nine-member county board of supervisors. Virginia was one of the last states to allow public election of school board members. Members of both the School Board and Board of Supervisors are elected from the eight electoral districts, with the ninth board member elected at large. The at-large supervisor is automatically the chairman of the board of supervisors. The school board, however elects a chairman and vice chairman each January.
The current school board was elected in November 2007 and terms end December 31, 2011. School board members are elected every four years in the November general election. School board members are paid $20,000 a year and the chairman receives $22,000.
Loudoun County School Board members:
Chairman, Robert Dupree (Dulles District), 571-233-4610 Robert.DuPree@loudounk12.va.us
Vice Chairman, Warren Geurin (Sterling District), 703-437-9428 jwgeurin@aol.com
At-Large, Tom Reed, 571-223-9928 Thomas.Reed@loudoun.k12.va.us
John Stevens (Potomac District) 571-223-9810 John.Stevens@loudoun.k12.va.us
Bob Ohneiser (Broad Run District) 703 729-6446 OhneiserLAW@verizon.net
Joseph Guzman (Sugarland Run District) 703-421-6528 Joseph.Guzman@loudoun.k12.va.us
Priscilla Godfrey (Blue Ridge District) 540-687-5689 Priscilla.Godfrey@loudoun.k12.va.us
Tom Marshall (Leesburg District) 703-777-3252 Tom.Marshall@loudoun.k12.va.us
Jennifer Bergel (Catoctin District) 571 252-1147 Jennifer.Bergel@loudoun.k12.va.us
The School Board meets the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month in the LCPS Administration building, 21000 Education Court in Ashburn. Meetings are open to the public with time allotted for public comment. In July, August, and December the school board meets once the second Tuesday of the month.
LCPS ADMINISTRATION
Dr. Ed Hatrick, Superintendent of LCPS, serves as the school systems’ chief administrator. Dr. Hatrick has held that post for 18 years, and was Assistant Superintendent from 1987-1991. Dr. Hatrick is a graduate of Loudoun schools and holds a B.A. in English from the University of Richmond, a M.A. in Education as well as an Ed.D., both from Virginia Tech. Dr. Hatrick served as a LCPS teacher and principal before joining the central office administration.
Administrators:
Ned Waterhouse, Deputy Superintendent
Sharon Ackerman, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction
Dr. Mary Hardebeck, Assistant Superintendent, Personnel Services
Dr. Mary Kealy, Assistant Superintendent, Pupil Services
Leigh Burden,
Assistant Superintendent, Business and Financial Services
Jeffrey Platenberg, Assistant Superintendent, Support Services
Dr. Sam Adamo, Executive Director, Planning and Legislative Services
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