n LOUDOUN
Pg. 5 | n LEESBURG
VOL. 6, NO. 17
Pg. 8 | n PUBLIC SAFETY
Pg. 11 | n OBITUARIES
Pg. 24 | n PUBLIC NOTICES
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Pg. 26
MARCH 25, 2021
Supervisors Cut Back Prosecutor’s Budget Request BY RENSS GREENE
rgreene@loudounnow.com
crosshairs of they are criticizing. The publication last week of a report by conservative news site The Daily Wire detailed the efforts by participants in a closed Facebook group, which includes
County supervisors have dramatically cut back proposed increases in the Office of Commonwealth’s Attorney Buta Biberaj—and frozen all increases until she signs an agreement with the county extending Loudoun’s personnel, procurement, payroll and human resources systems to the office. Although Biberaj, as a constitutional officer, is an elected official who does not answer to the Board of Supervisors, the majority of her office’s budget comes from the board. Biberaj, who began her first term in January 2020, has been pushing for increases in staffing since partway through the year, and County Administrator Tim Hemstreet’s proposed Fiscal Year 2021 budget included 12 new positions and more than $1.6 million in additional funding and for the office. But county supervisors pared that back by eight positions and $1.1 million after two sometimes-contentious exchanges during budget work sessions. And Biberaj will get none of the remaining increase until she signs the cooperative agreement common to constitutional officers, extending services like payroll and procurement to the office and county human resources policies to its employees.
BOARD UNDER FIRE continues on page 26
BUDGET REQUEST continues on page 34
Patrick Szabo/Loudoun Now
Loudoun Parents for Education Spokesman Ian Prior talks outside of the School Administration building March 23 during a press conference in which the group announced plans to attempt to recall six School Board members.
As Students Return to Classrooms, School Board Again Under Fire BY NORMAN K. STYER nstyer@louduonnow.coom
For a year, Loudoun’s School Board meeting room has been a battleground for parents pushing for students to return to the classroom, as division leaders were
paralyzed by often conflicting guidance provided by local administrators and state and federal authorities. Just as schools appear to be on a road to a full return, a new fight has erupted, with some of those same parents remaining on the frontlines—and perhaps in the
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