School Board member Sarah B. Smith (Leesburg) motioned May 23, to reconsider the Stone Hill Middle School boundary plans set May 9.
The former special-education teacher complained about overcrowding in Leesburg schools. She talked about classes being held in hallways and in "closet-type" rooms. She fears the School Board’s decision, which she voted for at the last School Board meeting, will directly impact her constituents.
"I didn’t realize May 9 might cause overcrowding at every middle school," she said.
From across the board room, Bob Ohneiser (Broad Run) seconded her motion.
"We voted late at night. I was pretty darn tired," he said.
THE SCHOOL BOARD'S adopted boundaries have Ashburn Farm, Ryan’s Ridge and Farmwell neighborhoods moving from Farmwell Station Middle to Eagle Ridge Middle School. Brambleton, Loudoun Valley Estates and Village of Waxpool neighborhoods will move from Eagle Ridge to Stone Hill Middle School. Students living in the Regency neighborhood will move from Farmwell Station to Stone Hill.
Under the plan Belmont Ridge Middle School will be home to 996 students in the 2007-2008 school year. The middle school will be over its 1,121 student capacity by the 2010-2011 school year. Farmwell Station will begin the 2007-2008 school year with 1,274 students, 115 students over capacity.
Eagle Ridge and Mercer middle schools will remain within capacity levels until 2010-2011.
THE MOTION FAILED 2-7-0, with School Board chairman Robert Dupree (Dulles), vice chairman Thomas Reed (At-Large), Priscilla Godfrey (Blue Ridge), Mark Nuzacco (Catoctin), John Andrews (Potomac), J. Warren Geurin (Sterling) and Joseph Guzman (Sugarland Run) opposing.
"If we vote to reconsider, we go back to ground zero," Andrews said. "I don’t want to spend another five months on a boundary plan that was 95 percent correct."