Liberty Elementary school was established in 1927, and 92 years late,  FCPS is planning a remodel. The construction team that is making this happen are trying to figure out the best way to expand and modernize the school. They also want to make it a more safe place for students.

As a former student at Liberty, I’m excited to see what new ideas they are going to come up with. When I went to Liberty, the school was not in the best shape. The bathrooms are small, more classrooms, and a new kitchen area and cafeteria.

There will opportunities for the community to participate in all of this. FCPS will have meetings that will be open to the public. The next meeting will be Wednesday, February 13 at 6:30 p.m. (snow date Wed, Feb. 20, 6:30 PM). The following meeting will be Wednesday March 13, 6:30 p.m for final options (snow date Wed, March 20, 6:30 PM).

Liberty’s school Principal Todd Shaffer who has been working at the school for four years said, “The students will not have to go to other schools while they work on Liberty. They may need to bring in portables, but parking will be the biggest challenge. They are not sure yet if they are going to totally just redo the whole school or just save part of the building and then add on.”

Right now, the plan for the school is to do a feasibility study. In 2023-24 FCPS will design it. In 2024-26 FCPS will construct it, and in 2026-27 the school will be modernized and opened. Kindergartners today will not see the new school until they are in seventh or eighth grade.

I, Sydney Henry, also being a former student at Liberty, would like to see nicer gym and cafeteria, and better equipment and books, but it’s also going to be sad having the place where I created 7 years of memories torn down.