Thank you to everyone who joined us at Rock Ridge High School on Wednesday night. We covered a lot of ground in 90 minutes, and the room was engaged from start to finish. Here’s where things stand on the issues we discussed.
A special thank you to School Board Member Deana Griffiths (Ashburn District) and Loudoun County Treasurer Henry Eickelberg for being in the room with us, and to participants who came from all three Loudoun Valley Estates neighborhoods. Strong turnout on what is, at its core, a community issue.
School Calendar Options for 2028–2030
LCPS is bringing five calendar options to the community for input — including a year-round option (Option 5) that runs on a quarter system with longer breaks throughout the year and a shorter summer. Other options vary on religious holidays, federal-holidays-only schedules, and earlier or later start and end dates.
A community survey is coming. Watch for it and weigh in — calendar decisions affect every family in the district.
Capacity Watch — Sterling Cluster
Where our schools sit today:
- Rosa Lee Carter Elementary — 79%
- Stone Hill Middle School — 93%
- Rock Ridge High School — 78%
Why this matters: LCPS is in the middle of multiple rezoning projects right now, and capacity numbers are the primary driver of those decisions. Schools approaching or exceeding 100% become prime candidates for boundary adjustments — which can shift where students attend school. Stone Hill at 93% is the one to keep an eye on this cycle.
School Safety and SROs
Loudoun is one of the safest counties in the country, and Sheriff Chapman is trusted across the political spectrum. With that record, I have questions about why the School Board recently voted to create a four-member Select Committee to “manage” SRO contract negotiations between LCPS and the Sheriff’s Office. When I asked the Sheriff directly how far along negotiations were, he said roughly 95%. Adding politicians to that mix is not a process improvement — it’s a delay.
The case for trained law enforcement integrated with our schools made itself last week. The Sheriff’s Office thwarted what the criminal complaint described as a planned “murder spree” and “kill list” targeting John Champe High School. A 19-year-old substitute teacher was arrested before he could act — based on a tip through the Safe2Talk app and rapid LCSO response. That is the integration the MOU is supposed to protect.
Dominion Energy Transmission Lines — The Main Event
Most of the evening focused on Dominion’s proposed Golden-to-Mars 500 kV / 230 kV transmission line project. We were joined by two panelists with deep knowledge of where this stands:
- Lauren Lillestolen — LVE II Resident
- Victor Block — LVE I HOA President
For those new to this issue: Dominion’s preferred routes would carry high-voltage transmission infrastructure adjacent to or through residential neighborhoods and within close proximity to the Rock Ridge High School / Rosa Lee Carter Elementary campus. On April 9, 2026, the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) issued an Order approving Route 4 as the primary route, with Route 3A as conditional backup.
That Order is now under direct legal challenge — and a 12.74-acre parcel along Broad Run has been offered to LCPS for the Board’s consideration.
The Panel Discussion
Victor and Lauren walked the room through what has transpired to date, the SCC’s April 9 Ruling, and the range of options available to the community as we move forward. Both have been deep in the technical and legal detail of this proceeding for months, and their summary gave attendees a clear baseline for the conversation that followed.
Where I Stand
I shared my own perspective with the room: I am not in favor of Route 4, and I am not in favor of any of the Route 3 variants. These routes would carry overhead high-voltage transmission infrastructure into close proximity with our schools and our neighborhoods, and I do not believe they meet the standard that should govern a decision of this magnitude.
Other options exist and have not been fully evaluated — including underground alternatives now identified by state law as viable pilot candidates, and commercial-corridor routing that has not received serious consideration. Those options need to be on the table, and there are real concerns and unknowns we still need to gather information on before any path forward is locked in.
As always, my biggest concern is the safety of every student, staff member, and community member who shares these facilities. That has to be the floor on any decision — not a consideration weighed against cost or schedule.
Motion for Reconsideration — Filed April 29
On the same day as our town hall, the Loudoun Valley Estates Homeowners Association and HOA Roundtable, Inc. filed a Petition for Reconsideration with the SCC (Case No. PUR-2025-00056). The petition asks the Commission to reconsider its April 9 Order on six grounds. The most consequential:
- New state law has been enacted. HB 1487 / SB 827 — the Underground Pilot Act — was enacted into law after the SCC issued its Order. The statute identifies this exact project as a qualifying candidate for underground construction.
- The backup route is legally foreclosed. Routes 3, 3A, and 3B all cross Coalition Parcel 8 — a 16-acre riparian corridor along Broad Run protected by an open-space easement under Virginia’s Open-Space Land Act. State law (Va. Code § 10.1-1704) prohibits diverting that protection for transmission infrastructure.
- Route 1F is prohibited by Virginia regulation. Longitudinal pole lines in the median of Loudoun County Parkway are categorically barred under Virginia Administrative Code.
- Burden allocation is unjust. Dominion’s own contractor admitted the project would not be built but for projected data center load. The Order places the burden of overhead transmission infrastructure on residential communities that did not generate the demand.
The petition asks the SCC to find that no above-ground route presented satisfies the minimization standard required by state law, and to direct evaluation under the new Underground Pilot Act framework.
The full case docket, including the Petition for Reconsideration and all related filings, is available on the Virginia State Corporation Commission’s Docket Search portal: Case No. PUR-2025-00056.
Deed of Gift — Offered for the Board’s Consideration
Separately, on April 29, LVE1 filed a proposed deed of gift offering a 12.74-acre parcel of riparian green corridor along Broad Run to the Loudoun County School Board. The parcel runs between Rosa Lee Carter Elementary and Rock Ridge High School, with trail connectivity between the two schools.
This is an offer, not a completed transaction. The Board has not voted on whether to accept the gift. Acceptance — if it happens — would require formal action at a properly noticed public meeting, and the Board will have the opportunity to evaluate the offer in the coming weeks before any decision is made.
I will weigh this matter carefully when it comes before the Board, the same way I weigh every decision: on the facts, the long-term implications, and what is in the best interest of our students, staff, and community.
What’s Next
- SCC proceeding: The Petition for Reconsideration is now pending. The Commission retains continuing jurisdiction over the matter under its April 9 Order.
- Deed of Gift: The Board will evaluate the proposed deed of gift in the coming weeks. Any decision on acceptance will require formal action at a properly noticed public meeting.
- Calendar survey: Coming soon. Please complete it when it lands — your input directly shapes the recommendation that comes back to the Board.
- SRO MOU: Continues to move through the Select Committee process. I will keep you posted as that develops.
Thank you again to everyone who attended, asked questions, and stayed engaged. Sterling shows up — and that matters.
— Amy