Leary School first opened in 1964. Special education was not yet the product of a national mandate. There was attention and programming for slow learners, research directed towards learning disabilities and there certainly were special schools for students that needed more individualized programming or alternatives. However, things would change dramatically in the next several decades.

Leary School, thanks to Al Leary, his wife Barbara, some very generous parents and supporters- proudly- was one of the pioneers in the area. There was a definite need for an alternative approach in education for some students. There was support. There was a man with vision and daring willing to be part of what was to become an enormous movement in the region and country. From its very beginning Leary School provided a highly individualized approach to meeting diverse educational needs and a commitment to expansive and creative programming. Prior to the first national law guaranteeing individualized educational programming that accommodated diverse needs, Leary School provided highly individualized academic instruction. At the same time, Leary School considered the whole child and a range of important developmental and personal needs.

In the 1970s students attending by then one of three large Leary School programs in the Northern Virginia region, also enjoyed comprehensive vocational training, job placement, individual and group counseling, camping, art therapy, music, outdoor education, and highly specialized academic therapies. So much of a very real need in the community was being met by the Leary School programs that its evolution from a program in the basement of a church to stand alone day schools in Falls Church and Alexandria and a residential center in Winchester Virginia occurred in less than ten years.

In the mid 70’s the public law guaranteeing special education nationally was passed and Leary School evolved further. Area jurisdictions turned to Leary School -moreso at this point than parents individually- since parents no longer had to secure placement and assume the financial burden for the programming their children needed. Leary School was one of the first and one of the proven private placements public school systems turned to for help in meeting the educational needs of many students with varied and often complex needs.

Next, Leary School went from a largely ’Northern Virginia’ operation to a program serving students also from nearby Maryland counties and the District of Columbia. The church basement days were a thing of the past by the 1980s but wait for the end of the story.

In the 1980s Leary School consolidated its Virginia operations: merging two programs at the Lincolnia Road location and providing that Timber Ridge, its residential program, operate independently. The Alexandria campus became a standard in the region for providing often intense programming for students with serious emotional, behavior and learning problems. Most area school districts believed Leary School to be the place for the most demanding and complex cases.

In the 1980s Leary School designed its jobsite programming. This programming provided hands on instruction in all aspects of the building trades, while Leary School staff and students built actual houses in the community. Over the course of 25 years, Leary School students and staff built eight houses and completed three total house renovations- among other things. For a detailed history of the jobsite programming check out the following link: http://www.learyschool.org/JobSites/JobSiteFairfax/Index.cfm.

During the 1990s Leary School in cooperation with the Prince George’s County Public Schools opened its first Maryland based program. Within two years, the Leary School, Prince George’s County enrollment climbed to just under 90 students. At approximately the same time, the original Leary School Board of Directors retired. To provide for the continuation of the programs, the Lincolnia Educational Foundation was formed as a nonprofit.

Following the turn of the century, the role of nonpublic schools in the region changed. Many area public school systems increasingly developed programming that could accommodate the needs of the students that would have previously been referred to Leary School and other similar organizations. There was some public sentiment that Leary School type programming should be provided at neighborhood schools. The economy was also a problem. Still, the Leary School programs met a very real need in the region. Leary School continued to provide quality programming. Students from the area with often very complex and highly diverse needs were afforded effective programming, programming that met needs on a case by case basis, programming delivered by a caring, dedicated staff and programming that was based on a humanistic model. Each student was treated with respect and concern.

The jobsite programming was particularly successful. This was seen as the premier vocational option for students with special needs in the region. No other program- public or private- operated programming as successful, comprehensive and ’hands on’ as the Leary School jobsite programs. Public schools, public agencies, private schools, foundations, community organizations, and many others turned to Leary School as a model in developing and operating realistic vocational training for students with emotional, behavior and learning problems. Trends advancing career education, work to life and ’transition’ for students with special needs followed what Leary School had in place all along.

In 2006, the Leary School Jobsite Loudoun County was established. In 2009 Leary School Jobsite Brandywine was established.

At the close of the 2010-11 School Year, Leary School was operating jobsite programs in Brandywine, Maryland; Alexandria, Virginia; and Lucketts, Virginia. In Brandywine, Leary School operated its academic component in the rear hall of one of the oldest and smallest churches in Maryland. In Lucketts Virginia Leary School operated its jobsite program in partnership with the Freedom Center which is a charitable organization that took possession of the former Glaydin residential center. While moving forwards, Leary School also came full circle back to its roots and those of other area special education schools.

However, by the 2009-2010 School Year the writing was on the wall. The Foundation was losing money and enrollment in the day program was declining. Referrals and placements from area school districts were markedly down and the forecast was far from positive. Despite the fact that the jobsite programs were absolutely ’home runs’ for a certain student, given the small size of these programs, the intense staffing needed, particularly as the day school program was operating at a loss, the programs could not be operated without a continued loss of assets.

In 2010 the Board of Directors had to plan for the termination of the Leary School programs. Some area nonpublic schools had expressed an interest in acquiring the Leary School jobsite programs. In an effort to provide for the continuation of these programs and employment for Leary School staff, the Board decided to ‘gift’ the remaining programs and assets to the Phillips program in nearby Annandale, Virginia. Phillips shared a similar history and path as that of Leary School over the years. It is a reputable nonprofit, nonpublic special education organization with operations in Maryland and Virginia. Phillips and Leary School provided programming to similar students over the years and in many regards were allies.

Phillips decided to continue to operate the Leary School Jobsite Fairfax County and the Leary School Jobsite, Loudoun County. Phillips engaged many of the Leary School staff. Most of the Leary School students attending one of these jobsite programs were able to continue at the jobsite programs with little disruption as ownership changed. In many ways, much of the Leary School legacy continues.

At the end of the 2010-2011 School Year, the torch was passed on. Phillips is a good organization and shares much of what Leary School meant.

To those hundreds and hundreds of staff that shared in Leary School’s history- you should take pride in what you did and the ever lasting effect this has had on so many students and families. They keep calling and writing. To this day the message is consistently positive: "If not for Leary School..." To our great friends and supporters in the community: accept the School’s heartfelt thanks for your respect, consideration, donations and support. It always was a cooperative venture but it was also so much more. Our friends and supporters modeled exemplary partnerships. From bank loans, grants, volunteerism, ‘horse trading’, unique arrangements, and the like, we were able to teach our students about people, help people in the community, be part of the community while repairing roofs, supporting food banks and homeless shelters.

To the students: it may seem like a slogan at this point but the staff also learned from you. Almost every successful student engaged in meaningful relationships with staff and the program: trusting staff, respecting staff and in a real human way sharing a personal experience. In this regard we all won.

I wish everyone the very best.

Respectfully,
Ed Schultze


Leary School of Virginia; Leary School Jobsite, Fairfax County; Leary School Jobsite, Brandywine (Maryland); and Leary School Jobsite, Loudoun County are owned and operated by the Lincolnia Educational Foundation, Incorporated, a non-public, nonprofit organization. These private, day, co-educational special education programs are located in Alexandria, Virginia; Brandywine, Maryland; and Eastern Loudoun County, Virginia and serve mildly disabled students with learning, behavior and emotional problems.