Stewart: New schools or no new homes in Linton Hall

LINTON HALL, Va. -- Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart plans to present a resolution today aimed at addressing school overcrowding in the Linton Hall area.

In an e-mail sent to Bristow residents, Stewart said he plans to ask the board today to adopt a new policy requiring three news schools be opened and sites acquired for two more before "a single new occupancy permit is issued for a house in a new rezoning" in the Linton Hall area.

"I have received many e-mails, phone calls and visits from you concerning schools in your neighborhood," Stewart said in the e-mail addressed to Bristow residents. "You have told me that school overcrowding, particularly in elementary schools, is a top priority... You would like to have new school sites located in the Linton Hall area, not several miles away in a different neighborhood."

His resolution specifically calls for two new elementary schools and a new high school in the Linton Hall area to be built and opened, and sites for a third new elementary school and a new middle school in the same area be acquired before new homes are built.

Stewart said the proposed new policy "would require that school overcrowding be addressed" before any new houses come to the Linton Hall area and "would also create a strong incentive for new school sites to be located in the Linton Hall Road area."

In the e-mail, Stewart also encouraged Bristow residents to attend today's meeting to speak about the proposed new policy.

According to Prince William County school enrollment data, schools in the Linton Hall area are among the most overcrowded in the county and most have several trailers used as classrooms.

Brentsville District High School is at 144 percent capacity this year and has 19 classroom trailers, according to school division data. Marstellar Middle School is at about 116 percent capacity and uses 10 classroom trailers. Glenkirk Elementary School in the Gainesville area, Bristow Run Elementary and Cedar Point Elementary in the Bristow area and Nokesville Elementary are all at over 140 percent capacity this year and use between four and nine trailer classrooms each.

According to school division planning documents, a new high school and elementary school are planned to open in 2011 off of Kettle Run Road in the Linton Hall Road area.
Another elementary school in the Linton Hall area is planned to open in 2012.

Staff writer Amanda Stewart can be reached at 703-878-8014.