Fairfax County (Va.) district will close elementary in Clifton, Va.

From The Washington Post: The Fairfax County (Va.) School Board has voted to shut down Clifton Elementary School, following months of intense resistance from residents seeking to save the town's only school and a community centerpiece. Board members cited the high cost of renovating one of the county's smallest public schools, particularly during an economic downturn. The soonest Clifton Elementary will close is after the coming school year, after the county reviews boundaries and enrollments in surrounding schools. Children could be sent to those schools, or the School Board might opt to build one nearby.

JUNE 2010...from The Washington Post: The battle over whether to raze or renovate Clifton Elementary School in Clifton, Va., will come to a head this summer. The Fairfax County School Board is scheduled to vote on the school's future on July 8. Clifton Elementary, with about 370 students, is one of the smallest elementary schools in the county. The school, built in 1953, relies on two wells that have had sporadic quality problems since the mid-1990s. The wells have tested positive for bacteria, manganese, lead, copper, uranium and arsenic. Students often are asked to take bottled water for drinking. Fixing the water problems could cost $302,400, according to school system officials. The school has never been renovated.