n LOUDOUN
4 | n LEESBURG
8 | n EDUCATION
12 | n PUBLIC SAFETY
16| n LEGAL NOTICES
26
HEALTH & WELLNESS SPECIAL SECTION INSIDE
VOL. 8, NO. 40
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AUGUST 24, 2023
Dominion, Dulles Break Ground on Largest Airport Solar Project in US BY RENSS GREENE
rgreene@loudounnow.com
Renss Greene/Loudoun Now
Custodial staff prepare Catoctin Elementary School in Leesburg for the return of students this Thursday.
New School Year Brings Hiring Challenges, New Superintendent BY ALEXIS GUSTIN agustin@loudounnow.com
More than 83,000 Loudoun students report for classes Thursday to start a school year that features a new superintendent and potentially larger class sizes amid what some have called a teacher shortage.
This year also marks the second year many of the county’s youngest students are starting school at 7:30 a.m. It’s also the first time since 2006, that the county isn’t opening a new school. That will change next year when two schools—Henrietta Lacks Elementary School and Watson Mountain Middle School open fall 2024.
Since an Aug. 8 report to the School Board meeting when Acting Superintendent Daniel Smith stated there were 212 unfilled licensed teacher positions—128 at the secondary level and 84 at the elementary level—the division has closed the
Local, state and government elected officials gathered with representatives from Dulles Airport and Dominion Energy on Tuesday, Aug. 22 for a ceremonial groundbreaking on plans for what Dominion says will be the largest renewable energy project at an airport in the country. Dominion and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority plan an 835-acre, 100-megawatt capacity solar array on the western edge of airport property, along with a 50-megawatt utility-scale battery facility. Based on the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s most recent 2021 figures for average U.S. household consumption and how much of their capacity solar arrays generate, the array will generate enough to power just over 18,500 homes. The 2020 U.S. Census counted just under 142,000 households in Loudoun County. As part of their agreement, Dominion is also providing the airport with 18 electric buses, 50 electric fleet vehicles, EV charging stations,
BACK TO SCHOOL continues on page 33
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DULLES SOLAR continues on page 32
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