School Board member Tina Hone (At-large) does not want to risk the future of South County Secondary School on money that may not exist.

During the School Board meeting on Thursday, March 27, Hone warned her fellow board members against acting as though the $10 million tentatively offered toward the addition of a wing on South County by County Executive Tony Griffin was a sure thing.

"This is a simple solution for me," Hone said during the meeting, discussing the possibility of using the $10 million for the addition, or waiting to see if funding could be provided to build a South County Middle School.

"It’s almost silly we’re discussing a phantom $10 million. This is not even a Band-Aid to reach for. This is a wink-wink, nod-nod thing that we might have a deal with the Board of Supervisors."

At the start of the meeting, 10 parents, including two from Lake Braddock Secondary, spoke on behalf of South County Secondary, urging the School Board to wait a little longer on an as-yet undisclosed partnership agreement that might provide funding to build a middle school for South County, which has more than 3,000 students in a facility built for 2,500.

The land for the school was set aside when the former Lorton prison closed in 2000.

The school will be needed by 2012, according to members of the Middle School Solutions Group, and not enough capacity exists at adjacent schools to meet the needs.

When Griffin made his proposal to Chief Operations Officer Dean Tistadt and Superintendent Dr. Jack Dale a few weeks ago, they believed it might be the solution the community needed. The $10 million would be allotted for an addition to the school, a wing with 35 classrooms that would eliminate the need for a nine-period day and the risk of a boundary study in the fall.

Many in the community believe the wing would also eliminate the chances of building a middle school in the future, and they are certain the middle school is the only solution that fully addresses the overcrowding at South County.

"Please stay the course and take the appropriate time to follow through on the [Capital Improvement Plan] program," said Newington Forest resident Neal McBride, a member of the Middle School Solutions group.

"Right now, the students, faculty and staff at South County all need relief, but we think the wing is another short-term Band-Aid," said Christine Morin, co-chair of the Middle School Solutions group. "We are closer now to getting a middle school than we’ve ever been, and we need your help and due diligence to make that happen."

Morin said the $10 million Griffin has offered, when combined with $2 million in Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) planning money which has already been set aside and additional money provided by Virginia’s elected officials, would bring the county even closer to building a middle school.

"A year ago when we had the last boundary study, many of you told me not to settle" on the middle school issue, Morin said. "Tonight, I’m asking you not to settle."

"We need a middle school, not a wing and a prayer," said Laurel Hill resident Peter Dickinson.

LAKE BRADDOCK Secondary School PTSA president John Long told the School Board that, despite what others may say, not enough room exists at his school to house any students from South County that may be moved there if a boundary study occurs this fall.

"There is no debate that our friends in the South County area are in desperate need of relief," he said. "A middle school seems a prudent and long-term solution. It would be a tragedy to miss an opportunity to create a solution to overcrowding."

If, however, students were moved to Lake Braddock, they would be welcomed with open arms, Long said.

Thanks to a new renovation that removed trailers at Lake Braddock for the first time in years, Susan Pehrsson said the school is approaching full capacity. Combined with a history of enrolling more students than projected, any new students may bring the trailers back in a few years.

"We don’t want to contend with overcrowding again," she said.

When asked if it would be possible for the $10 million, if released by the Board of Supervisors, to be used toward a middle school, Tistadt said it was made clear to him the money was exclusively for an addition, nothing else. He also rejected the claim that a middle school could be built and opened by 2010, which he believes is when an addition would be ready if approved.

"If I had the green light and the money today to go ahead with the middle school, I might be able to open it in 2011 but not sooner," he said.

If the wing is not built, he does not see any choice but to have another boundary study this fall, probably sending students to Lake Braddock.

School Board member Phil Niedzielski-Eichner (Providence) said he did not see any reason to limit the boundary study to just South County and Lake Braddock.

"I might consider opening up the process to more schools," he said, like Robinson Secondary, Lee and West Springfield High Schools, Hayfield Secondary and West Potomac, in addition to Lake Braddock.

Hone quickly added she would be interested to see the enrollment numbers involved in that study and might support Niedzielski-Eichner’s proposition if offered.

School Board member Elizabeth "Liz" Bradsher (Springfield) suggested the School Board ask South County principal Dale Rumberger how his staff and faculty feel about keeping the school on a nine-period day for another few years, until a middle school is built.

"He knows it first hand," she said.
School Board Chair Dan Storck (Mount Vernon), who has repeatedly expressed his support for a middle school, said he thinks the community wants to see if another land swap could be worked out, much like the one that helped get South County built years before its place on the Capital Improvement Plan.

"I think there is a way to move forward and accept the money as a bridge to fill a gap in the process," Storck said.

He admitted he knows it is frustrating for the School Board to spend so much time talking about South County, but he believes it is warranted.

"We do have a unique situation here and we should build something that doesn’t take away from anything else if we can," he said.

The School Board is slated to take action on the proposed $10 million contribution from the Board of Supervisors at its April 10 meeting.