HANOVER COUNTY, Va. — It was an exciting day for some families in Hanover as the district broke ground on a new Battlefield Park Elementary School—the second school built in over a decade. The groundbreaking ceremony kicked off with shovels in the ground and applause. Current and former students and teachers attended, including one teacher who worked at the school in the 1940s. The event also brought together multiple generations of Bobcat family members.
"It’s amazing, very exciting," said a family member. "And I know it means a lot to her and means a lot to us to have her here to celebrate this big memory,” said Whitney Beegle.
This new project is the second school constructed since 2008; the first was Ashland Elementary, which opened in the fall. The district will begin construction on another elementary school next week, with plans for a third school in the coming months.
"I'm very excited for Hanover. I love this building, and it means a lot to this community," a local resident expressed. "But it’s also exciting for this community to see these kids get something new,” Beegle said.
The Hanover School District is experiencing rapid growth. Over the past year, the school board has collaborated with a consulting group to assess overcrowding in schools and project future growth rates. A vote is anticipated next month on redistricting to accommodate these changes.
However, some families questioned at the March school board meeting as to why the construction of new schools took so long.
“It’s disappointing that our community is facing these issues now,” one parent said. “The school board has been reactive to growing utilization instead of proactive while residential buildings were approved.”
Another parent added, “I don’t hold you accountable for having to redistrict; my beef is with the Board of Supervisors because they are the ones that said, ‘Let’s build houses all over the place, and we’ll figure it out later.’”
For now, Battlefield families are celebrating this step toward their new school. As they anticipate a new facility, they look forward to continuing to share Bobcat traditions in a larger and more modern environment.
“It’s that perfect combination and hybrid of new and old coming together," one resident stated. "I hope that my kids decide to stay in the community. They can leave for a little while if they want to, and they might leave forever, but I hope they will always want to come back home and realize just how special this community is. I think places like Battlefield are part of that,” shared another parent.
The new Battlefield Elementary School is slated to open for the 2026-2027 school year.
CBS 6 reached out to the Chair of the School Board and the Chair of the Board of Supervisors for comments regarding these concerns. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
School Board chair Bob May shared the following statement with CBS 6.
“We are committed to serving students in facilities that are used in the most effective and efficient way possible, including utilizing the capacity that exists at other schools as we conduct a comprehensive boundary adjustment process. Our school construction efforts are focused on replacing aging school facilities – as outlined in the 2018 facilities study – to provide state-of-the-art learning environments for our students and community for years to come."
Board of Supervisors chair Michael Herzberg shared a statement on behalf of his own thoughts.
“The Board of Supervisors does not build residential housing, property owners and developers do. Developers should address the impacts to schools, infrastructure, and the community. The Board of Supervisors are elected in part to keep developers accountable and to measure the impacts of development with the guidance of the county comprehensive plan. My plan is to continue to explore the return on investments of development and to ensure that local impacts on the future are addressed.
In 2007, I was not on the Hanover County Board of Supervisors when the Board lowered the real estate tax rate from .86 to .81. As a result of the market turning downward later in 2007, sufficient funding did not exist to build new schools in Hanover for more than 10 years. In 2018, the school division had a study done by RRMM which provided guidance on capital needs based upon school building conditions. The recommendation in 2018 to schools was to consolidate Clay and Gandy, replace Battlefield Park and Washington-Henry, and to renovate Beaverdam. I was not on the Board of Supervisors in 2018 so I did not have a say at the time. The decision was made in 2018 to implement those recommendations based upon the conditions of the buildings at that time.”
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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