Support the Loudoun Schools Budget

Attending the School Board meeting last night in Ashburn was truly an educational experience in itself. Notwithstanding the Tango-related Superintendent address, public comments, and quite eloquent Board member remarks regarding this issue, the meeting was a very large and colorful window into a broad and serious spectrum of topics, issues, events and successes of the Loudoun County Public Schools system. Throw in some quotes from Thomas Jefferson, Mark Twain, a few public service medals for students, requests for "challenging conditions" driving courses, Arabic language and CDL training, some concerns regarding the Monroe Academy of Science's very narrow curriculum (ostensibly in favour of the Biology-related preferences of its sponsoring entity, HHMI) and lack of AP courses - you've got an event much more intellectual and socially-redeeming to attend than watching the competing "American Idols" on TV. We highly recommend ALL parents attend a School Board meeting or two - free coffee, to boot.

The prevailing undercurrent, however, throughout the whole meeting, was a bit of timely marketing to the public regarding the intentions of the Loudoun County budgeteers to cut the requested School budget and CIP. Even the penguins were played as "trumping" the limited and valuable time and attention available for discussing and promoting the School budget.