Loudoun County Public School’s Superintendent Dr. Edgar Hatrick referred to himself as the school system’s CEO during a Loudoun Chamber of Commerce event Sept. 6.

“Unlike other industries, public schools don’t get to set production quotas,” Hatrick said. “As a CEO, I’ve had to adjust each year to an increasing number of students and the increased diversity they bring to our school system.”

The event, which brought several of Loudoun’s major businesses and schools together, focused on the real economics of education, according to Hatrick’s speech.

Since 2001, LCPS has opened 38 new schools – 22 elementary, eight middle and eight high schools. According to Hatrick, LCPS has added more than 36,000 students in the last 12 years.

Loudoun County School Board Chairman Eric Hornberger (Ashburn) spoke on the four B’s – budgets, boundaries, business and betterment - that need to be addressed with the school system and are in the board’s direct view of working toward.

The school board is set on setting a more rigorous schedule for the fall in order to set new attendance zones for the two elementary schools that are set to open in Ashburn a year from now.

The process, Hornberger said, involves a total of 13 existing elementary schools that house 10,000 students.

“Just to put that in context for you, by comparison, the process last fall of establishing an attendance zone for the new Frederick Douglass Elementary School in Leesburg involved only nine existing elementary schools and less than half the number of students,” Hornberger said.

Hornberger also pointed out that this coming spring, the board has to take up the same process again for the opening of a new middle school and two new high schools.

“It is my sincere hope that going forward, the School Board will make better use of its existing policy and establish attendance zones that enable more kids to attend schools close to home and with others in their community whenever possible,” he said.

Moving forward with the next budget cycle, Hatrick said the operating budget has only increased 8.5 percent versus the enrollment going up 20 percent. By this, Hatrick pointed out, the average cost per pupil has dropped 9.3 percent since 2009 and is ranked one of the lowest in the Metropolitan Washington area.

As for teachers seeing raises, Hatrick said with the growth the county has seen since the economic decline and the constant demand for new schools, “it’s been a rough time.”

Hatrick explained LCPS tried adopting Fairfax County’s salary schedule.

“We went through a period of time where we were tired of being a training ground for teachers. We’ve just fallen behind,” Hatrick said.

But with the four B’s Hornberger pointed out, Hatrick reassured issues of making the school system operate smoothly will be addressed appropriately.