Clifton Elementary is on the chopping block, and Fairfax County parents and officials are battling to determine the best option for students as a final decision looms.
The Fairfax County School Board is considering whether to renovate Clifton Elementary or shut it altogether and build a new, larger school several miles away — an option School Board staff supports.
“It will destroy this community,” said Clifton Mayor Tom Peterson. “The school is the only thing that pulls these kids and their families together.”
Peterson said Clifton comprises a large area with few central meeting places, and the loss of Clifton Elementary would further isolate residents and their families.
“We’re trying to determine what’s best for the school’s students, but also what’s best for the school system,” said school board member Elizabeth Bradsher, I-Springfield.
Bradsher said the cost to renovate Clifton Elementary — built in 1953 and seldom improved since — would be significantly greater per student than it would cost to build a new, larger school.
The cost to fully renovate Clifton, bringing it up to date with the school system’s specifications, would be roughly $11 million, or about $35,000 per student, according to school board staff estimates.
But not all of Clifton’s renovations are urgent.
The school is built on an aging well water system, and its fire safety measures are out of date — two issues everyone involved agrees need fixing. But school board staff say those improvements would cost roughly $1 million — less than 10 percent of the renovation estimate.
The rest would go toward a music classroom, media center and other improvements parents say the school doesn’t need, but school officials have stipulated for all county schools.
“Of course we don’t want to shortchange future students,” said Clifton PTA President Patti Hopkins. “But we also want our school to stay put.”
Bradsher said she understood the frustration that Clifton parents feel about potentially losing their school, but the county must stick with its policies and provide equal education for all Fairfax students.
“Clifton residents and parents think it’s about their school and themselves. And they’re right,” Bradsher said. “But it’s also about the rest of the county.”
The school board is scheduled to make a final decision in July.
