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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Joint Board of Supervisors & School Board Committee Meeting - October 5, 2026

Board of Supervisors & Planning Commission — Monday, October 5, 2026
BodyLoudoun County, Virginia
SessionBoard of Supervisors & Planning Commission
DateMonday, October 5, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:06:08

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:22

Good afternoon.

0:23

I call to order this September 10th, 2026, Loudoun County School Board and Loudoun County Board of Supervisors joint committee meeting.

0:31

Welcome everyone to the LCPS boardroom.

0:33

We're happy to host the joint committee this afternoon, and we'll start today with public comments.

0:38

I understand that we have two public speakers today.

0:44

Thank you for engaging with the joint committee through the public comment process.

0:48

We welcome comments from Loudoun County residents and believe that strong community engagement and outreach are important components of a successful school system.

0:57

Speakers must limit comments to the time allotted.

1:00

Based on the number of speakers and the agenda this evening, all speakers have been allotted two minutes each for public comment.

1:06

Please be advised that speakers who miss their time slot will not be called at a later time.

1:11

All audience members shall maintain civility, decorum, and respect for the functioning and dignity of the joint committee at all times.

1:18

Please remain seated unless arriving, departing, speaking at the podium or during a break.

1:23

Shouting, heckling, jeering, applause, and other noise which disrupts or delays the meeting.

1:28

These are considered violations of civility decorum and respect.

1:32

Obstructing speakers from being able to see the school board and vice versa, interrupting speakers, attempting to speak when not called to do so by the chair, and approaching a speaker or otherwise attempting to intimidate, disparage, or distract a speaker, staff member, or other meeting attendees.

1:48

Speakers should refrain from vulgarity, obscenities, defamation, profanity, and other like breaches of respect, nor may speakers target, criticize, or attack individual students and or individual division employees during public comment.

2:01

As a reminder, school board policy 2520 states speakers may not target, criticize, or attack individual students during public comment.

2:08

Speakers should communicate those concerns to their school principal or an appropriate school official.

Unassigned speaker

2:13

The

Speaker 1

2:13

school board requests that comments from on an individual student or employee related matter not be shared at public meetings where the disclosure could violate applicable confidentiality requirements.

2:26

Speakers should uh direct their comments toward the committee.

2:35

And please understand that the committee will not respond in any way directly to the public during the public comment uh period.

2:45

Violations of decorum and civility by any meeting attendee may result in the chair directing staff to remove the attendee from the remainder of the meeting.

Unassigned speaker

2:52

Uh

Speaker 1

2:52

repeated or persistent violations of decorum civility by the audience may result in on the decision of the chair.

2:59

Public comment being tabled to a later time in the meeting, limiting the number of attendees in the meeting room, or public comment ending for the evening.

3:09

We do look forward to hearing your comments.

3:11

Our first speech speaker today is Madeline Marlowe.

3:14

And the next speaker is Susan Jones.

3:22

Oh, uh we have online public comment today.

3:25

Yep.

3:26

Um is there a speaker here?

3:28

Um, Miss Marlowe.

Speaker 2

3:30

Yes, this is Madeline Marlowe.

3:32

Great.

3:32

Uh the floor is yours.

3:35

Excellent.

3:35

Thank you so much for having me here today.

3:38

Uh I'm here today to uh express my gratitude and also express urgency for the action item uh regarding the expansion of the safe passages to schools

Speaker 3

3:49

program.

Speaker 2

3:50

Uh I'm a lifelong Virginia resident.

3:53

I've lived in Loudoun County for 10 years now, and I am a parent.

3:56

Uh my son is zoned to atone uh to attend Newton Lee Elementary School in two years.

4:02

I am so grateful that there is moving forward and attention uh and resources being dedicated to the uh safe passages to schools or safe to schools program.

4:13

Uh I really wanted to come before the board to urge a comprehensive and holistic approach.

4:19

Supervisor Turner and his staff might recognize my name from the uh hopefully polite nagging emails about the crosswalk request program that I heard about for Loudoun County in a separate context.

4:31

I was delighted to see that that was included in the meeting materials for today.

4:35

I urge the board, both the board of supervisors and the school board to take a comprehensive comprehensive, holistic approach for this, not just for the probably minority of students who will walk to school for 180 days per year, but for the entire community that will use pedestrian infrastructure for 365 days per year.

Unassigned speaker

4:56

A street that works for an eight-year-old works for an 80-year-old.

Speaker 2

5:00

And I am completely fine with safe passages to school being the way that we target and prioritize the investment in our community.

5:08

But this is not just for the literal actual students of the school during the school year.

5:15

It is increasing pedestrian dignity and safety for the entire county.

5:20

So thank you so much.

5:22

And please, please consider holistically and comprehensively how this really will benefit everyone.

5:28

I appreciate your time and your hard

Unassigned speaker

5:29

work.

Speaker 1

5:30

Thank you.

5:31

Our in-person speaker is Susan Jones.

Speaker 4

5:41

Hello.

5:42

My name is Susan Jones.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Affordable Housing████████████████████████████28%
Transportation Safety██████████████████████22%
Education██████████████14%
Land Use Planning█████████████13%
Public Transportation██████6%
Healthcare Benefits█████5%
Procedural████4%
Community Engagement████4%
Public Engagement███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Joint Board of Supervisors & School Board Committee Meeting - October 5, 2026

The Joint Board of Supervisors and School Board Committee met on October 5, 2026, at the LCPS boardroom. The meeting covered public comments, co-chair reports on school and county activities, and two information items: the use of publicly owned property for attainable housing and the expansion of the Safe Passages to Schools program. The committee also voted to add adult personal enrichment education programs to its work plan.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Madeline Marlowe, a 10-year Loudoun County resident and parent, expressed strong support for the Safe Passages to Schools program and urged a comprehensive, holistic approach that benefits the entire community, not just students walking to school. She referenced her prior outreach about a crosswalk request program.
  • Susan Jones, a Broad Run District resident, proposed the creation of a Loudoun County Citizens Academy for adults to learn about state and local government, citing similar programs in other Virginia localities. She noted her own late discovery of the Dillon Rule and emphasized the need for civic education.

Co-Chairs Reports

  • Co-Chair Chandler (School Board) reported on the start of the school year and highlighted:
    • SOL proficiency rates for 2026: LCPS students outperformed state averages by 9+ percentage points in reading, math, and science; 13 points in writing (89% vs. 76%); and 18 points in history (88% vs. 70%).
    • Six LCPS middle schools recognized as 2026 Schools of Distinction by the Association of Middle Level Education.
    • Launch of two mobile health clinics in partnership with HealthWorks for Northern Virginia, providing medical, dental, and mental health services at three pilot locations (Sully ES, Sterling MS, Parkview HS), with expansion planned.
  • Co-Chair Glass (Board of Supervisors) reported on:
    • BOS attendance at graduations and recognitions of LCPS state championship teams (Rock Ridge debate, Freedom tennis and track).
    • Adjustment of Capital Intensity Factors (CIFs) to remove school capital costs, based on LCPS indication that no new school seats are needed for the next 10 years. (Dr. Spence clarified this means no new seats, not necessarily no new buildings – replacement construction may still occur.)
    • Upcoming public hearing to approve a joint central Loudoun Services and Storage Center off Sycolin Road and renovation/expansion of Waterford Elementary School.

Discussion Items

  • Use of Publicly Owned Property for Attainable and Workforce Housing (Item 4.01)

    • Travis Perlman and Eric Keeler (Housing and Community Development) presented a property suitability analysis using an ArcGIS dashboard. Key findings:
      • County owns 256 parcels (5,248 acres); LCPS owns 114 parcels (3,214 acres).
      • 46% classified as not suitable (encumbered by floodplain, conservation easements, or airport overlay).
      • 54% classified as potentially suitable (existing or planned non-residential uses; housing could be co-located or redeveloped with board action).
      • No parcels classified as suitable because all land is either improved or planned for a specific public purpose.
    • LCPS applied narrower criteria, classifying fully developed school sites as not suitable.
    • Discussion included questions about moving parcels from potentially suitable to suitable (requires policy decisions), the impact of House Bill 1130 (allowing school entities to retain ownership for workforce housing), and potential preferences for teachers/staff (pending legal review). Supervisor Shakrony suggested land banking near schools and mentioned the upcoming housing authority discussion.
    • Next steps: A BOS item requesting conceptual approval for attainable housing on an existing county-owned property; continued comparative analysis of ownership/project delivery models for LCPS property.
  • Expansion of the Safe Passages to Schools Program (Item 4.02)

    • Everett Lott, Kelly Griffin, and Enrique Gonzalez (Transportation and Capital Infrastructure) presented the proposal. Key details:
      • Eight pilot locations were previously approved and are funded through the federal Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP). Design/construction for pilots is proceeding.
      • The new proposal requests $285,000 for a consultant study (10-12 months) to develop a countywide expansion program, including assessment of walk zones, identification of gaps, and prioritization criteria.
      • The program will be renamed "Safe Passages to Schools" (formerly Safe Routes to School).
    • Committee members raised specific issues: Guilford Elementary crosswalk (not in pilot but can be included in expansion), Portsmouth/Middlebury crosswalk concerns, missing sidewalk near Willard Middle School (0.21 miles along Braddock Road). Staff clarified that the expansion will evaluate all schools and prioritize based on need.
    • Construction timeline estimated at up to 4 years from funding, contingent on future appropriations.

Key Outcomes

  • The committee voted 4-1 (Mrs. Griffiths opposed) to add an information item on adult personal enrichment education programs to the joint committee's work plan. The motion, made by Co-Chair Glass and seconded by Supervisor Shakrony, directs staff to present existing adult education offerings (e.g., LCPS adult education, library/parks & rec programs) and explore creation of a civics academy as suggested in public comment.
  • No formal votes were taken on the information items; they were presented for discussion and feedback.
  • The meeting was adjourned after the vote.

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon. I call to order this September 10th, 2026, Loudoun County School Board and Loudoun County Board of Supervisors joint committee meeting. Welcome everyone to the LCPS boardroom. We're happy to host the joint committee this afternoon, and we'll start today with public comments. I understand that we have two public speakers today. Thank you for engaging with the joint committee through the public comment process. We welcome comments from Loudoun County residents and believe that strong community engagement and outreach are important components of a successful school system. Speakers must limit comments to the time allotted. Based on the number of speakers and the agenda this evening, all speakers have been allotted two minutes each for public comment. Please be advised that speakers who miss their time slot will not be called at a later time. All audience members shall maintain civility, decorum, and respect for the functioning and dignity of the joint committee at all times. Please remain seated unless arriving, departing, speaking at the podium or during a break. Shouting, heckling, jeering, applause, and other noise which disrupts or delays the meeting. These are considered violations of civility decorum and respect. Obstructing speakers from being able to see the school board and vice versa, interrupting speakers, attempting to speak when not called to do so by the chair, and approaching a speaker or otherwise attempting to intimidate, disparage, or distract a speaker, staff member, or other meeting attendees. Speakers should refrain from vulgarity, obscenities, defamation, profanity, and other like breaches of respect, nor may speakers target, criticize, or attack individual students and or individual division employees during public comment. As a reminder, school board policy 2520 states speakers may not target, criticize, or attack individual students during public comment. Speakers should communicate those concerns to their school principal or an appropriate school official. The school board requests that comments from on an individual student or employee related matter not be shared at public meetings where the disclosure could violate applicable confidentiality requirements. Speakers should uh direct their comments toward the committee. And please understand that the committee will not respond in any way directly to the public during the public comment uh period. Violations of decorum and civility by any meeting attendee may result in the chair directing staff to remove the attendee from the remainder of the meeting. Uh repeated or persistent violations of decorum civility by the audience may result in on the decision of the chair. Public comment being tabled to a later time in the meeting, limiting the number of attendees in the meeting room, or public comment ending for the evening. We do look forward to hearing your comments. Our first speech speaker today is Madeline Marlowe. And the next speaker is Susan Jones. Oh, uh we have online public comment today. Yep. Um is there a speaker here? Um, Miss Marlowe. Yes, this is Madeline Marlowe. Great. Uh the floor is yours. Excellent. Thank you so much for having me here today. Uh I'm here today to uh express my gratitude and also express urgency for the action item uh regarding the expansion of the safe passages to schools program. Uh I'm a lifelong Virginia resident. I've lived in Loudoun County for 10 years now, and I am a parent. Uh my son is zoned to atone uh to attend Newton Lee Elementary School in two years. I am so grateful that there is moving forward and attention uh and resources being dedicated to the uh safe passages to schools or safe to schools program. Uh I really wanted to come before the board to urge a comprehensive and holistic approach. Supervisor Turner and his staff might recognize my name from the uh hopefully polite nagging emails about the crosswalk request program that I heard about for Loudoun County in a separate context. I was delighted to see that that was included in the meeting materials for today. I urge the board, both the board of supervisors and the school board to take a comprehensive comprehensive, holistic approach for this, not just for the probably minority of students who will walk to school for 180 days per year, but for the entire community that will use pedestrian infrastructure for 365 days per year. A street that works for an eight-year-old works for an 80-year-old. And I am completely fine with safe passages to school being the way that we target and prioritize the investment in our community.

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