By Timothy Dwyer
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, May 10, 2007

The end of the school year may be just around the corner, but debate about crowding in Prince William County schools and the use of overflow trailers is just beginning. Again.

Supervisor W.S. Covington III (R-Brentsville) proposed Tuesday that the Board of County Supervisors conduct a public hearing on the school system's use of trailers to handle crowding in some schools. Although no decision was made on whether to have the hearing, his proposal ignited a long and spirited debate on school crowding and whether the board should address the problem or leave it to the school board.

Covington raised the issue because of a decision by the county planning commission last week to deny the school board's request to install seven trailers at Brentsville High School to relieve crowding. The school already has six trailers, said Ron Burgess, a planning commission member. He said the commission approved plans for trailers at four elementary schools because those schools, unlike the high school, have plans in place for alleviating the crowding and eliminating the trailers.

"The planning commission has raised some serious issues about public safety and public health," Covington said at Tuesday's supervisors meeting. "It's our duty to take a look at public safety and public health issues no matter where they are in the county, whether it is in the schools or anywhere else. There are some serious issues here that I think the board cannot run away from."

Supervisor Maureen S. Caddigan (R-Dumfries), a former chairman of the school board, said the trailers were necessary, in part, because the school board did not get enough money in the 2008 budget to begin building schools as planned. "Our school construction has been moved back a year," she said.

Caddigan said that Brentsville High School is crowded because of its popularity. "Parents love that school," she said. "I would think that if the parents don't want trailers, then a new school needs to be built, or their children will have to be moved out of the school. But I don't know why these issues can't be resolved by the school board. They are elected officials."

Supervisor Hilda M. Barg (D-Woodbridge), who is retiring when her term expires, said that school crowding is not a new issue. "We have had overcrowded schools since before Hilda Barg has been a member of the board," Barg said. "I think what we are doing, we are trying to micromanage the school system. I don't want the school board over here telling us how to run this side of the county."

Supervisor John D. Jenkins (D- Neabsco) said the supervisors had the right to "review" the decision by the planning commission and he believed the board should do that. He said he had warned supervisors that the school board didn't get enough money in next year's budget to address crowding and the addition of about 1,700 students next school year.

"I tried to tell you we need more money for schools in that budget," he said. "The problem is we have not budgeted enough money and appropriated enough money to build school buildings as fast as the school department needs them."

Supervisor Michael C. May (R-Occoquan) took issue with Jenkins blaming crowding on the budget that the board recently approved, with Jenkins's support. "I think that is a little disingenuous," May said, adding that school crowding began long before the board approved the 2008 budget.

Burgess attended the supervisors meeting, and he said in an interview afterward that he hoped that action by the planning commission would be taken up by the supervisors so that trailers and crowding can be given a full public airing.

"There are about 1,100 students at Brentsville High School now, and the addition of seven trailers would bring them to a level of a little over 42 percent over capacity," he said. "The trailers will be there for at least four years; that is an incoming freshman's entire high school experience."

Caddigan said that if the supervisors injected themselves into the school board's business and made the decision on trailers, it would force the school board to redraw boundaries. She said that nothing would upset parents more than having the Board of Supervisors tell them their child can no longer attend the desired school.

"We cannot say, 'Remove the trailer.' Where do we go from there? Where do the students go?" Caddigan said.

Covington said school crowding is not a political issue. "We need to discuss what is an accepted level that schools can operate at and whether that level raises public safety and public health issues," he said.

The board decided to postpone a decision on whether to hold a public hearing until next week and, in the meantime, will try to discuss the issue with individual members of the school board.