001Good evening. I'd like to call the regular meeting for Bedford County School Division for March 12th, 2026 to order. Ms. Johnson, will you call the roll? >> Mr. Daniels? >> Here. >> Dr. Kibler? >> Here. >> Ms. Dobson? >> Here. >> Mr. Hill? >> Here. >> Mr. Holbrook? >> Here. >> Mr. Karnes? >> Here. >> Ms. Parris? Here. Mr. Chairman, you have a quorum. >> All right. 1.03 approval on the agenda for the March 12th meeting. >> So moved. >> Um >> Mr. Chairman. >> Yes, sir. >> I'd actually like to make a motion to amend the agenda on the action item 7.03 vote to decommission and the grade reconfiguration of Surgoinsville Elementary School. >> All right. We have a motion to amend the agenda by Mr. Karnes. I've second. >> Second by Mr. Hill.
002Um Any discussion? >> What is the amendment? >> Yeah, do. >> I'd like to delay the vote of this particular item until April 16th to allow us more time to investigate avenues for funding. And particularly for avenues of classroom reconfiguration in the event we do have to close. >> Okay. Any other Mr. Johnson, that's good, right? >> Correct. >> Okay. >> So, I do have a We're in discussion now? >> Yes. >> Okay. Um we are This would be a vote to add it to the agenda, correct? We're not voting on this. >> I moved it to amend. >> Yeah, so we would re- We would remove that from the agenda then. >> That was my understanding of the motion. >> I'm sorry. I just want to make sure I was clear with what was
003on the Okay. >> May I apologize if I didn't move it move it until the next board meeting. >> Yes, the next board meeting. >> Mr. >> Okay. You still second that? >> Yes, sir. >> All right. Uh any more discussion? All those in favor signify by saying I. >> I. >> Any opposed? Nay. >> Nay. >> Motion does not pass. Then do I go back to approve the agenda as All right. So, do I have a motion to approve the agenda as written? >> So moved. >> All right. Mr. Burris, do I have a second? >> Second by Mr. Holbrook. All those in favor Oh, I need discussion. All those in favor signify by saying I. I. Any opposed? All right, the motion carries. All right, 1.04, please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.
004>> I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Please uh remain silent for a moment of silence. Thank you. All right, staff reports, 2.01, Superintendent's report, Mr. Duper. >> Good evening and welcome to the March 2026 Superintendent's report. As a reminder, the original April school board meeting has been rescheduled from Thursday, April the 9th to Thursday, April 16th. This change is due to spring break during the week of April 6th to 10th. Tonight, I want to concentrate my report on the budget that was presented last week. I want to make sure that we keep reminding everyone the importance of this ask and um and and being able to break out the
005important components of it. So, um as I stated in last week's superintendent budget proposal for FY26-27, there are concerns that we are approaching a crucial crossroad of maintaining competitive staffing, fostering student development, and ensuring a safe and learning environment, and all the while preparing for a strong budget moving forward. Those concerns when calculated against the potential of a $2.9 million gap at the end of reversion in the FY28 budget year is of major budgetary concern. Let me remind all stakeholders that the basis of last week's budget add-ons fell into two major categories. The have two categories reflect the FY26-27 budget, which includes includes addressing inflation inflationary cost, factoring in a 30% increase on insurance premium, matching a state salary increase in FY26 and 27 projected from the legislative budgets to be a 3% 3% increase
006in addition to a step raise, and number four, preparing for a $2.9 million gap at the end of reversion FY28. The needs categories for the FY26 and 27 budget identify um an additional compensation discussion increasing employment compen- compensation over the state recommendation to ensure our salaries are competitive in the region at all levels of years of service. Number two, funding to maintain SROs on all campuses reflects that the school division will now be picking up the cost of SROs at 13 elementary schools and Susie G. Gibson School of Science and Technology. Also implementing an elementary ISS program on two of our campuses to assist teachers and administrators with difficult disciplinary issues. These would be similar to ISS classes in our secondary schools. And last, number four, strategic considerations which include comparing and measuring efficiencies necessary
007to balance a budget without compromising educational services. As you consider your vote tonight for the FY 26-27 budget, please take action on what is best for Bedford County Public Schools as a whole moving forward. Again, thank you for your in-depth conversations and study of these budgetary requests for the last couple of weeks. It's been very appreciative. This concludes my superintendent's report at this time. >> Thank you, Mr. Newcomb, here. We'll move on to 2.02 strategic framework upgrade update. Dr. Prosper, Mrs. Jennings, and Mrs. Perdue. >> Good evening. I'm joined this evening by Mrs. Kelly Jennings, director of special education, Dr. Diane Eisenhower is the supervisor of secondary literacy and title one, and then Mrs. Cindy Perdue, a supervisor of elementary literacy and preschool. So, we're going to share an update on the Bedford County strategic
008framework. Bedford County is guided by our vision, which is building citizens, promoting success, and our mission is to provide equal opportunities to enable all students to think critically, collaborate, create, communicate, and become productive citizens. Our core values are about student-focused, collaboration, integrity, high expectations, and creating dynamic learning environments, and these inform every action we take to align with these goals. We do We five goals now in our strategic framework, and so our discussion this evening is going to center on goal one which says Bedford County Public Schools will maintain high academic expectations and support all students in attaining foundational knowledge, transferable skills, and post-graduation plans. We're going to focus on the second strategy which is that we will research, design, and implement an evidence-based pre-K to 12 comprehensive literacy plan which includes strategies to address
009opportunity and achievement gaps among student subgroups so that all students attain foundational knowledge and transferable skills that cultivate confident, proficient, lifelong readers. There we go. When the strategic framework was developed in 2021, the team identified early literacy as a key indicator of success since reading proficiency by third grade is a strong predictor of long-term academic success. To track progress, we established an indicator focused on students reading on or above grade level in preschool through grade three. At the start of the plan in spring of '21, 58% of our preschool students met all developmental ranges on the PALS assessment and 70% of K-3 students met the literacy benchmark. In spring of '24 and '25, the state transitioned from PALS to the Virginia Language and Literacy Screening System, what we call VALS, and this created a new
010baseline so we had to make some adjustments. So, the chart shows those results, our current performance, and then our targets for the spring of 2027. Since the VALS assessment is scored in risk bands rather than meeting a defined benchmark, the indicators now measure the percentage of preschool students in the strong band and the K-3 K-3 students in the low risk band. And the goal would be to continue to increase the number of students reading at or above grade level. There we go. >> Another indicator of success focuses on students reading on or above grade level by key milestone years, which would be grades 3, 5, 8, and 11 as as measured by the standards of learning assessments. So, the first column on the left shows baseline data from spring of 2021. At that time, 69%
011of third graders, 76% of fifth graders, 75% of eighth graders, and 83% of 11th graders met the reading benchmark. The middle column shows more recent results. In spring of 2024, performance remains steady with some slight improvements. But then in spring of 2025, we have new state standards were tested. So, we actually had to establish a new baseline again. But, we're very proud to show that we actually showed gains across all milestones. Um, that is typically not um, what happens when you have new standards. So, we're very pleased with where we where we ended up after that first year of testing. Um, with that in mind, we really think that uh, in in going with the idea of high academic expectations, by spring of 2027, we would we think we can have 90% of students at
012each milestone grade level to meet or exceed the reading benchmarks. This continues to reflect our focus on strengthening literacy instruction um, and ensuring students are prepared for the next stage of learning. >> Oh. >> Went too far. >> Okay. All right. Data from spring 2024 and spring 2025 reading SOLs indicate that students with disabilities of Everett County Public Schools continue to demonstrate progress even with the implementation of the new 2025 standards. This growth reflects the ongoing collaboration between the special education and instruction teams to strengthen tier one core instruction while ensuring students receive the specially designed instruction outlined in their individualized education plan programs. Through this coordinated effort, the division remains committed to supporting improved literacy outcomes for students with disabilities. >> We can get there. All right. The instruction and special education teams are
013working together to address key challenges and meet our learning targets. So, these efforts are ongoing. We continue to refine our approach, but we've got three key action steps that we're focused on throughout the implementation of this plan. We want to investigate, summarize, and communicate the science of reading and adolescent literacy research to explore the role of explicit and systematic instruction grades pre-K through 12, include research on a framework for intervention and align practices with research from the Virginia Literacy Act. Administrators, reading specialists, and teachers will participate in state-mandated training on the science of reading, which was actually done last year, and then create, publish, and communicate a division literacy plan alongside the division writing plan that integrates evidence-based approaches and strategies in order to provide a consistent structure for teaching and practicing the skills of
014effective reading and writing. And ultimately, we want to provide training on all these to the Bedford County staff on this literacy plan. >> Another action step that we're working through is to implement evidence-based instructional resource and provide targeted training and professional development to support the division's literacy framework. This professional learning includes a focus on effective instructional strategies, including co-teaching practices to strengthen instructional delivery and improve student outcomes across all schools. As part of this effort, BCPS has committed to implementing high-leverage practices for all students. High-leverage practices are evidence-based instructional approaches that have been shown to significantly improve learning outcomes when implemented with fidelity. These practices represent effective methods that support high-quality instruction and address the diverse learning needs of students. All BCPS administrators have received the training on high-leverage practices. These practices were developed through
015a partnership between the Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform Center and the Council for Exceptional Children to support effective instruction by educators. While originally designed to improve outcomes for students with disabilities, high-leverage practices are recognized as effective instructional strategies that benefit all students in the classroom. The high-leverage practices framework is organized in those four key domains domains that you see on the the screen, collaboration, promoting effective teamwork among educators, specialists, and families to support student learning, data-driven planning, using student data to guide instructional decisions and ensure instruction meets the needs of all learners, instruction in behavior and academics, which is implementing research-based strategies to support both academic achievement and positive student behavior, and intensification and intervention, providing target supports and interventions for students who require that additional assistance. By integrating high-leverage practices across
016classrooms and professional learning, BCPS aims to strengthen instructional practices division-wide and support improved outcomes for all students. >> So, moving forward, we've identified a number of priorities to maintain the path that we're on. And first of all, we submit our comprehensive literacy plan on a biennial basis, and so we will maintain rigorous monitoring of its implementation to ensure consistency and effectiveness across the division. To support our students in grades K through 8, we're executing individualized student reading plans that utilize balance data and SOL data to provide targeted evidence-based interventions. Our instructional focus continues to be about aligning our classroom teaching practices and our student assessments with the 2024 English standards of learning to ensure high academic expectations. And we're committed to ensuring that students with disabilities receive tailored, specially designed instruction to the precise implementation
017of their individualized education plans. And finally, we're investing in our staff through professional development focused on evidence-based, high-leverage practices, as Ms. Jennings shared, in the effective delivery of our core reading curriculum, Stream in Three for our preschool students, Benchmark Advance for our students in grades K through 5, and Solstice My Perspectives for our students in grades 6 through 12. So, at this time, we'd be happy to answer any questions from the board. >> All right. Do we have any questions for the team? Ms. Burgess? >> I have a question. Um back on um which slide it was. It was the one that was talking about um how 2025 you we did better on our SOLs even though we had a new benchmark set. Wasn't the benchmark Was the benchmark harder? And how did we prepare
018for that? >> So, the standards from '24 to '25, the new ones are generally recognized to be much more rigorous. Um we had been doing our secondary curriculum for I think it was two two to three years. And I think we were we're just had had kind of starting to see the fruits of that. Um we'd already had our elementary reading curriculum for a year, and so I think that consistency across the division really elevated the instruction. So, um again, I I I remember warning the board they probably are going to drop. That's just what happens, and so we were very pleased that they did. >> Congratulations. That's great. >> Thank you. >> Anything else, Ms. Burgess? No. Anybody on this side? No, sir. Good. All right, Ms. Trosper, take the team. All right, we're
019going to go move to 2.03 school performance support and accreditation. We'll just throw it right back to Dr. Trosper. All right. >> So, the results of the school performance and support framework were released on December the 9th. It's later than usual, but it's been an unusual year with adopting to the new system. So, I'm going to give you a quick overview of that framework. I want to just provide a reminder. Dr. Woodford actually gave a very similar presentation on March 13th of last year. Obviously, without the performance data. So, I'm just going to give a quick review of the system, explain how it differs from accreditation, and then share results from Bedford County. So, first of all, the new framework was implemented to provide a more complete picture of school quality. It allows the state
020to evaluate not only where students are performing, but how they are progressing and how well schools are perform or preparing students for the future. The stated goal of the new system is a modern accountability system designed to give families and communities a clearer, more meaningful picture of how well schools are helping students learn, grow, and prepare for life after high school. So, the system is not just about labeling schools, but guiding targeted resources and coaching where challenges exist. The framework uses four pillars depending on the school level. Mastery includes SOL results in reading, math, and science and gives extra credit for advanced performance and partial credit where students are not yet at grade level. Growth compares the expected learning to the actual learning measuring whether students are making expected academic progress. Readiness measures of schools
021are preparing students for what is next, including chronic absenteeism in K-3 plus advanced coursework in middle school, and the 3E readiness measure in high school, which is employment, enrollment, or enlistment. And finally, graduation. That's a high school four-year graduation indicator. The framework uses the four areas of focus for elementary, middle, and high school. Each component is weighted a little bit differently to meet the focus of each school. So, the pillars generally apply across all school levels, but the weight shifts by grade span. So, elementary puts the biggest emphasis on mastering growth with readiness focused on attendance. Middle school increases readiness because students are preparing for high school level rigor and advanced coursework. Then, high school increases readiness even more, and they add graduation outcomes. So, under the new system, there are now two different systems
022to measure accountability and accreditation. Uh but, they do measure different outcomes. So, accountability is is the school uh performance and support framework. So, this focuses on outcomes and progress and really drives support from the state. The accreditation is about whether a school meets the state standards of accreditation requirements. So, while they're both important, they do have different purposes. So, the accountability really tells us how students are performing and how they're progressing, while accreditation confirms that schools uh meet the required operational standards. So, it's more of a compliance-based measure. Come on. So, after reviewing data from the four pillars, each school gets a score out of 100. The schools are then assigned a performance category, and these categories are meant to be understandable at a glance and to connect schools to the right level of support.
023So, on the screen, you see the four performance categories. The first is distinguished. So, if a school gets 90 points or above, they have exceeded expectations. A school is considered on track if they get between an 80 and an 89. It means that they meet the state expectations. Schools are off track if they have between a 65 and a 79, and this means they did not meet the state expectations and will receive extra support. And finally, schools are identified as needing intensive support if they score below a 65, and this is significantly below expectations, and they receive the strongest, most intensive level of support. So, on the chart, this shows the percentage of schools in Bedford County, in the state, and then in region that were assigned the performance ratings. So, if you look across
024the 19 schools in Bedford County, four of our schools are rated as distinguished, 10 schools are on track, and then five were considered off track. None of our schools were rated as needing intensive support. So, if you compare that to the state, we have a slightly lower percentage of distinguished schools, but we have a higher percentage of on track schools and a lower percentage of off track schools. I also just want to note that 12% of the schools in the state are rated as needs intensive support. Also want to mention that all Bedford County schools are fully accredited. Now, if you look at region five, there's some really positive data this year. In region five, there's 20 school divisions. Bedford County is ranked second in the region with four distinguished schools. 17% of region five
025schools are rated distinguished, 39% are on track, and 32% are off track, and 11% are rated needs intensive support. So, just kind of focusing on the elementary level, one of the patterns that we're seeing is that the off track ratings are concentrated in the elementary schools. That actually aligns with what we've seen across the state. We do have one of our schools, Thomas Jefferson Elementary, which is rated as distinguished. The rest are I'm excuse me, seven schools are on track, and then the rest five schools are off track. Stewartsville Elementary is is one you see where it says TSI, that means it's been federally identified for targeted support and improvement. And so, that actually lowered its performance category. So, the raw score was on track, but once they were identified for targeted support and improvement,
026that did drop them down to off track. At the middle school level, all three are on track. In region five, Liberty Middle and Forest Middle were two of the top five middle schools by total points. Forest Middle was in the top five for reading, math, and science, and Liberty Middle was the top school for growth in reading and second in growth for math. So, there's really strong overall performance at the middle school. At the high school, all three of our high schools are rated distinguished. And in region five, again, JF was the was in the top five of high schools by total points. They're also in the top five for reading, science, four-year graduation rate, and English learner progress. And then Staunton River High was in the top five for readiness, which measures chronic absenteeism.
027So, again, we're very proud of our high schools as they've achieved strong outcomes in student mastery and graduation outcomes and some other readiness measures. So, just some of our takeaways from the results that you see. Again, every Bedford County school was fully accredited at this time. 74% of our schools are either on track or distinguished. All the middle and high schools met or exceeded expectations. And as far as the instruction and special education teams, we're continuing to target support for some of our off-track schools um to make sure we help them get to where they need to be. Um And as we move into SOL testing here in the spring, our goal is to move um as many as we can over to to meeting expectations. Uh so, with that, I'd be happy to take
028any questions. >> Question, Dr. Asper. Can you go back a slide for me? Uh the continued focus uh on supporting off-track schools. >> Yes. >> What is that? >> So, the the as far as the supports we offer? Yeah, so, one of the things that we do as an instruction special education team is we sit down regularly and we look at the data. Uh we take regular benchmark data uh every quarter. And we look at how schools are progressing and we try to make sure we tier our support based on what the data shows. Uh and so, there are some schools that have seen my team and Ms. Cheney's team a lot and there are some schools maybe not so much, but we really try to follow that data um just to get in there
029identify what we can do. And so, that shows us pass rates by subject. It shows us how kids are doing by subgroup, um grade levels, subjects, teachers, anything like that. And so, we try to collaborate with the principals and so on. Some of the schools we've done full academic reviews where we'll just go into the school for a full day and just embed ourselves in the classroom and school artifacts and really try to identify ways to help them improve. Um and so we've done that for some of them. We'll continue in the fall with some of the others. Um and and so really it's about adjusting to what the data shows. Um and then and then finally we work with our principals regularly on professional development trying to help them grow their capacities as instructional
030leaders. But at the end of the day the consistent implementation of our curriculum, the high-quality instructional materials, that's going to take us a long way. And so we we all have to work together, principals, teachers. Um if we can do that, that's going to elevate performance. >> Great. Thank you. >> Last question. My memory as I get older is less and less, but I'm trying to remember last year when we did something similar. It was a little different format that you used, I believe. >> It was. >> Um but it looks like we've improved quite a bit. I mean, there were more of the off-track last time and even some that did not Yeah. >> Um this is the first time we've rated off-track. Sorry. >> Yeah, so we haven't done off-track before, but we
031In the past it was levels 1, 2, and 3. Um but yeah, we definitely have shown growth. Um and one of the things that was that was hard on our elementary schools was that growth was not weighted as much as it has been in the past. Um they weighted a lot more on mastery. In other words, just passing the test. Um I There is a lot of discussions about maybe helping increase that rate of mastery. So we're hopeful with some adjustments that have been proposed that we might see our elementary schools really jump. Um cuz as I said, it was not only challenging for some of our schools, but really across the state. So >> Well, and wasn't attendance part of the >> Yes. >> classification last time and now it is not, or is
032it? >> It is. That's part of the readiness indicator. >> Okay. >> Yeah, and that's measured at all three levels. >> So it's still it's still the same weight that it was last time, or >> It's a little different. There's a percentage. Actually, I'll go back to the slide if this will work for me. I think it's this. This thing doesn't like me today. There we go. So, if you look at that slide, it tells how they're weighted. So, readiness in elementary school, so attendance counts for 10% of the total score, which is those 100 points. But, then if you look at the middle school level, it's 20%, and then the high school, it's it's a little bit more than that. So, they try to increase readiness with the idea of post-secondary readiness that the
033further they progress. >> So, it wasn't 10% last time. It was more than that in the elementary, which is what caused us some of the >> I have to I think that's fair to say. It it hit us a little harder last year. >> Thank you. >> Any other questions? Comments? >> Uh Dr. Asberry, um forgive me. I'm very new to this and I don't know anything. Um the accreditation, is it done by grade level as well as by school, or is it just by school? >> Just by school. >> Okay. So, um there's been a little bit of talk about moving uh fifth grade to a different vision, especially in Region One, in the Stan River division. How would accreditation work if we did that? >> Yeah, if you go on the DOE's website,
034they have a whole page dedicated to this, and they actually There's There are a number of schools that are configured slightly differently than the traditional ways, and so they have plans for that as well. So, if you did And it's available for the public. So, again, if they go to school performance and support framework on the DOE's webpage, there there's a plan, and essentially it all will be weighted that way. It's It just has to gather the data a little differently because of the because of the grade configurations. Any other questions? >> Uh Dr. Trasper, real quick, how many school divisions are there in the state of Virginia? >> The state of Virginia, 131. Okay. You look up there, we're ranked 31st. Um keeps climbing. So, I think, you know, you and the team, just
035all the continued work and with all the parents and all the supports helping our kids, we continue to improve. And uh I think that's another great key takeaway to keep reminding. Thank you. 2.04 Chromebook usage, Mr. Barry Sexton and Dr. Patrick, Dr. Trusler. >> Good evening. Um Tonight, Dr. Trusler and I would like to share an overview of the Chromebook activity across all grade levels with data that we've pulled from our new um content filter that we just um implemented this school year. Um the this data that you'll see in our report was pulled uh September 1st through February the 2nd. Um and this report will help us understand how often devices are being used, when they're being used, and which websites, applications, um that students are accessing most frequently. Um the goal of the
036report is to help us identify trends um on Chromebook usage, so we can help better support classroom instruction across elementary, middle, and high school levels. I got to have a little better luck with the remote control. Um First and foremost, I I do want to say that be- before we actually get into the data that um everyone understands that it's important to know that usage hours and activity represents device activity. That doesn't necessarily measure student activity engaged in on a Chromebook. Um we often see like during recess, um lunch, uh you know, resource that students leave the Chromebooks open. And anytime a Chromebook is open and turned on and connected to the Wi-Fi, there's going to be activity. Uh that activity comes from background syncing, updates. Um you know, if we push apps to the
037that creates activity. So, just the device being on, it's going to be communicating with the internet. Um so, just understand that as we go through that the the usage hours does not represent the actual time that a student is on a Chromebook. And you know, coming up with that data is very difficult uh because there's no real way to measure that um other than, you know, kind of looking at the activity, but um there's really no good way to see exactly how many hours or how many minutes a student is actually engaged uh with activity on a Chromebook. Um you also see as we go through the report, I just threw up some definitions. So, the report defines school day, after school, and weekend. Um understand that the school day hours are from 7:00 a.m.
038to 4:00 p.m. So, the high school and middle school could also be impacted if they are on Chromebooks at 7:00 a.m. before school starts. That counts as that daily usage. So, just keep that in mind as we move forward. I'll look for it now. >> David, >> Yeah, thank you. Um so, first we'll start with elementary. Um as you can see here, the average number of Chromebooks used uh for elementary schools, 2,150 students were on them. Um that you know, again, that can be they turned it on for 10 minutes uh during that week. Uh on average, we see about 3.2 hours or 97% of the overall activity um in elementary school. After school activity accounted for only 1%. And again, what contributes to that though that such low number is that most elementary schools
039uh are not sending them home. We do have a few small pockets of elementary students using Chromebooks. Um there's even some cases where students are using personal Chromebooks with a Bedford County account. That activity will show up on this report. Um weekend activity only accounted for 2%. Again, um we do have some home-bound situations where elementary students are using them. Um as we um move on here. Oops. Hey, can you go back one? Thank you. Um we did pull the top 20 web applications used for all three grade levels, um elementary, middle, and high. And it's it's actually impressive. Uh it's way better than I thought, and I know a lot of this contributes to uh class wise and some of the rules that we have put in place where uh certain websites are blocked
040globally, but teachers have the ability to allow them in their class. So, that helps them maintain a little bit better control over the content and what the students are actually accessing in class. But, uh with these websites, I mean, the majority of them, as you can see, are instructional by nature. Um Clever, Discovery Education, Canvas, Mastery Connect, those are all um you know, applications that are used for instruction. All right, next we have the middle school data. Um overall average of 1,400 students uh using Chromebooks. The peak A peak week was 1,512. That was back in September. Uh could have been testing. We're not real sure what what that peak was. Um you do see, you know, on the weekly activity that the the usage drops like during um you know, obviously winter break, uh
041snow days, things like that. It definitely drops. But, overall in the middle schools, it's 4.7 hours average. Um again, middle schools are definitely our highest users of Chromebooks. Um and you know, we're going to continue to look at that data to see if we can you know, make sure teachers are using class wise appropriately and you know, blocking things when they when students shouldn't be on them. But overall, you know, we had 84% of the overall usage was during the school day. 11% or 37 minutes average was after school and weekends made up about 5% or 14 minutes per day. Now at the David, go ahead. At the middle schools, the top you know, again, it kind of mimics elementary. We have of course classroom management. We have you know, the assessment software. Clever's typically
042at the top. And again, those of you that aren't familiar with what Clever is, it's just it's basically a application that brings in all of our other applications and puts them on a dashboard. It communicates directly with PowerSchool. It does rostering for these applications. So it's kind of the the main website that comes up on a Chromebook when the students sign in. It's just a dashboard for all the applications for their school. But again, you know, with this list, it's it's definitely instruction related. We really don't see a whole lot that that is concerning here. I will say YouTube usage is is a bit high. It's much lower than it used to be with our old system where where teachers didn't have the ability to control YouTube. YouTube was always one of our number one.
043It was right at the top, but that has definitely dropped down quite a bit now. So in middle school, it's still heavily used. I know a lot of teachers use it for curriculum for videos. It has a lot of really good resources on it. And they are in control of it. Teachers are in control. If they don't want it in their classroom, they don't have to allow it. All right, next we have high school, average of 1,700 students using Chromebooks um a week. Peak week was around that same time that middle school was. Um, and there high school usage is a little lower. It's 4.3 hours average or 89% Uh, the majority of activity uh is in the school day at 89%. 7% or 20 minutes is after school. And then we have um the
044weekend activity which only makes up 3% of the overall total. Um, so those numbers are are quite a bit lower. I was expecting a little bit higher usage at home um in high school, but um that is definitely uh yeah, that's not the case here. And then uh a little bit There's a few differences here between what we've uh seen in the elementary level and the middle school level. Like Google search, that was that made the top 20 list here. And uh when we started looking into that in the reporting, it just it's you can tell there's more research um at the high school level. Uh there the news the the category news actually showed up uh on this list for high school. So there are some differences here. I will say e-hall pass uh
045did show up on both middle school and high school uh top 20 list. And that is another one that if the students are use e-hall pass, they go to the restroom, 99% of the time they're going to leave their Chromebook up and running. That's communicating. That's showing activity. So um and that's definitely high on this top usage list, so it makes sense. Um but again, there's nothing on this list that is um concerning at all to any of us. Um So we will So I'll now turn it over to uh Dr. Prosper for the key takeaways. >> Yeah, just a few takeaways from this. Uh and just to give some context to how they're actually being used in our classrooms, uh I want to preface my comments by just reiterating that we do strongly believe
046that the data that we've seen over inflates actual usage time. Um it As we go into classrooms, we we do not necessarily have We don't see what that some of that data shown. So, um what I think the more relevant conversation to look at is not so much how how long they're on Chromebooks, but how they're using them. And so, the first takeaway is that the platforms that students are using are our content instructional tools like Clever, Google Docs, Google Drive, Canvas, Mastery Connect. Those are all valuable educational tools. Uh these sites um are ones that students access. It's part of our adopted curriculum, part of our assessment platforms, or even intervention programs. So, in other words, the data is showing that Chromebooks are being used as tools to support teaching and learning. Uh another
047takeaway is that about 94% or more of the Chromebook activity occurs during the school day. And then we see the drop during holidays, breaks, and snow days. And this pattern tells us that Chromebook use is largely connected to classroom instruction, rather than casual or recreational use outside of school. Uh the trends suggest that teachers are actively managing student device use. Students are consistently accessing instructional sites. Teachers are using their tools like Classwise to guide and monitor the activity, which really helps our students stay focused on the lesson. With that being said, we are continuing to set clear expectations for our staff. Uh we have given teachers training on tools like Classwise, so they can guide that activity, and they can limit non-instructional access uh to websites during class time. Uh we we've encouraged teachers, or
048actually written as part of our uh policies and practices, not to offer Chromebook time as a reward, or as uh something to do during indoor recess. So, instead, we really encourage our teachers to focus on maintaining a balance between face-to-face and digital tools in a blended learning. We've worked with administrators and teachers throughout the past school year developing expectations. One of our primary expectations is that teachers drive and facilitate learning while technology is a supplemental instructional tool. So, this goes hand-in-hand with that expectation that we want our classrooms to be relationship-driven where students are active learners. And so, this continues to be our focus moving forward. So, just summarizing the data would suggest that Chromebooks are being used primarily as instructional tools, and our focus continues to be ensuring that all students have access to
049meaningful learning experience that are facilitated primarily by the teacher. Questions? >> I would love to say that I only have questions for you, but you know I don't. Um if you could go back to the top 20 for elementary students. All right. Um so, just to make sure I'm I'm understanding this graph correctly. What does the um x-axis represent? >> So, that is the um number of I think that represents Oh, it's a good question. I think it's the number of students overall, the average number of students that are accessing these uh or the number of students that have accessed these um applications regularly. >> Yeah, that that's just I >> Yeah. Sorry, that should I I thought that maybe I could have We can convert it from PowerPoint to Google Slides and then back
050to PowerPoint. Some of the stuff is is missed for sure. >> You know, I'm going to pick up on this graph. So, um if you go back one more slide for me as well. Um okay. So, the 3.2 hours. >> Yes. >> I've you know, been in my kids' elementary schools. I've been I feel like that doesn't represent what's actually happening. You know, cuz if you look at it, you've got curriculum, Dr. Woodford, 6 and 1/2 day 6 and 1/2 hours of instructional time. 1/2 hour of lunch, probably about an hour and a half of recess and library or art or whatever. I don't think that, you know, of the 4 and 1/2 hours remaining that, you know, 80% of the that time is spent on their Chromebooks. So, why is that the Help explain
051to me why that number is like that cuz that's not what I've experienced. >> Right. And And that's the same And And I know Dr. Woodford has a very good uh example of what she witnessed at I think it was um >> New London. >> I actually went um to New London and read to the students during Read Across America week. And I was with the fifth graders and they had They were doing a math lesson and they were using their Desmos calculators, which is an application they have to use during SOL testing. So, they have an online um calculator. But, they were working problems on paper. Um they the teacher had the the math book open on the screen. Kids were moving, um you know, using their calculators, but working things out on paper.
052Um and so, the whole time that computer is open on that calculator, whether the students are using it or not, it's recording activity. Then, when it was time for me to read, the teacher said, "Okay, let's all um turn our Chromebooks and pay attention to Dr. Woodford." And they picked their Chromebooks and turned them around so they couldn't see the screen, but they're open. And so, during that 30 minutes I was reading with them, it was recording all of their activity. So, that's what we think as we've had discussions with the types of reports that um Classwide is giving us is that students have them open maybe because they, you know, they've looked something up or or whatever, it stays open and active, but they're actually doing other things because that's not what we see
053in the classroom either. When we're in classrooms, we've been doing academic reviews, we have hardly seen Chromebooks. So, um I think that explains some of the activity that they're just open and running. So. >> And we all have we've also seen, like I said, it when they go to recess, we walk into an empty class sometimes they're sitting on the desk, they're open. If they go to lunch, uh even some resource if they leave it in their in their classroom, they go to art or something, they leave them on. And so, again, every time that any of these devices that are idle right now, they're still communicating um to the internet. So, that's what we feel like a lot of this traffic is that's registered as activity. Um it's just really hard to get accurate
054data with with what we have. >> So, how could you tell if if it's being abused? Is it looking at the numbers, that looks like, man, they're spending most of their days just nose in in computer, which is from my experience, objectively not true. So, how do we figure out if it's if it's being abused >> Very good question. And and I feel like our top 20, even I mean, of course there's a much larger list than just 20. I just pulled the top 20, but when looking at that list, it is a it is definitely you can tell the students are are on track with instructional resources uh because they're not on a lot of different websites that, you know, again, we used to see that with our old filter when there was just
055less classroom management, less classroom control. Uh students were able to get to whatever they wanted, had a bunch of tabs open. Um and I feel like our top 20 apps really show that uh there it's not being abused. Um again, the YouTube usage is a bit high for some of us. Uh we would like to see that come down, but it's as you know, YouTube is full of resources. >> Yeah, I guess that's What instructional value does YouTube have? >> Yeah, it's a good question. >> DIY project I've ever done in my house >> Right. It certainly can have instructional value. I mean there there's definitely videos or that that reinforce the content, give kids kind of a visual perspective. Um we we don't really we don't have the data to break that down, but
056I do think when used appropriately, it can be a valuable tool. So, again, we we would like to see that probably lowered a little bit because we can't exactly tell what >> product, is there a way that we can determine like what you know, break it down that way? >> So, it is a Google product, but it's like a redheaded stepchild to Google and they will not allow us to actually do any kind of management of YouTube. However, uh on the road map with our our new filter, um Lionwise, they actually have something on the road map that I'm hoping for that will allow us to allow channels specific channels, specific videos, and kind of be able to create a library of sorts. Um you know, of course we'd have to get a lot of
057feedback from teachers, uh you know, with resources that they're using, but I feel like they are actually stepping up and they're providing some YouTube, um you know, settings that we'll be able to actually push out. >> What about the um you know, for YouTube, I'm assuming that you know, since there is a lot of things on YouTube I'm assuming our students don't have access to everything on YouTube. >> Right. It is still filtered, you know, and we can even see when a student searches what they search for in YouTube. >> Okay. >> That search history comes across. Uh we part of our filter, too, is a product that if it's inappropriate, but it it's not being caught by the actual filter AI actually looks at the the screen and will blur if it thinks the
058content is inappropriate. So, if the if they actually make it to the website or make it to that video it will blur it. That's a brand new product and and so far we're very impressed with that one. Because regardless, no matter how much you try, something's going to slip through and that's where this extra layer helps protect our students. >> So I was at a school district where the YouTube was um in order for for the students to see anything on YouTube, there had to be authority like the teacher had to say this is cleared. Is that something that you're doing? >> Yes, it is. Yeah, YouTube is actually blocked by default for students. So if there's no class wise rules being applied, YouTube will not work. Teachers have to create a rule for their
059class to allow YouTube. And you know, some of that and and that's where we need to make sure the teachers are well trained on YouTube, you know, allowing YouTube. But that is something that we put in place at the beginning of the school year that it was going to be blocked by default and that's probably why our at home usage is significantly lower than it used to be because YouTube is blocked when they're at home. >> And then the other question is, you know, this is a new program for the purpose of finding out you know, how well our teachers are actually instructing and how much are they just going to put them on on the Chromebook. So have the teachers been notified that we want you less I know you've told them but I
060mean to to when they're not using it, have the kids close the Chromebook so that we have a more accurate understanding of what they're doing. Cuz we don't change that then we're going to continue to not really have as much data that we need. >> Yeah, I mean we we haven't other than like when teachers will say well the batteries are going, you know, the batteries are are not holding a charge. That's when we really tell them that. It wasn't until we pulled this and cuz this is a brand new before you know, we haven't had this data in the past. So, we've learned a lot from this and you know, moving forward that is one thing that I feel like we need to definitely get out there that you know, cut down on the
061reporting to show you know, as far as the usage goes, just have the students shut close the lid when they're not in use. One, it conserves battery power and two, it prevents all that you know, the traffic the internet traffic from being captured. >> And electricity. >> Any other questions? >> I have more, but I just feel bad for monopolizing. Um Why is why is middle school users our highest users? >> You know, I'll be I'll be honest that that does concern me a a little bit of of the three levels that would be the one that concerns me a little bit. I I there's a reliance sometimes on Canvas to put out assignments. Um and so you know, just kind of following examples, there's that Desmos calculator that we have to use on our
062SOL test. So, if you're in a math class, it's probably open almost the whole time just using the calculator. They're trying to do more writing and that that that writing test is on the it's it's it's on the Chromebook. So, they're going to have to practice that way. Um they're starting to to kind of rely on some of those tools. You know, the data shows obviously they're performing really well. So, but we still try I I think there's a balance. We need to continue those conversations between you know, make sure we're using it um when necessary, but make sure the teacher is driving instruction. >> And we've also moved over to digital textbooks, things like that to um, to make it easier for students not having to carry big textbooks. So, they could be reading,
063you know, from their their reading book or using their math, you know, looking at problems. So, that's one of the things we've talked about as an instructional team, um, really doing some walk-throughs, collecting some real FaceTime data. Um, I think we would all agree that we probably see the Chromebooks a little bit more in middle school than any other level. Um, and it's just really hard with this particular report. So, I think that's probably a focus for all of us. >> Anybody else? Well, thank you for putting this together. I know that, uh, Ms. Purvis and Dr. Hubach on on CPO have been have been after this data, so it's it's great to get a head start. I would agree with Ms. Purvis, though, if they are if they're not on them, like actively, let's
064get in the habit of telling them to close it, um, cuz right now I'm looking at you and in the peripheral I can see, so it could be distracting, you know, it's so >> Yeah. >> as we've done what we've done with the cell phones, this is just another way to make sure that the eyes, uh, could be on the teacher, and obviously the results are great, but, you know, maybe we can get them to be better. So, it's just a couple of thoughts and I think we get act more accurate data. So. Okay. >> Item 53. Ms. Jennings, do you have time? >> Yes. All right. 3.01 special education annual plan. >> Yes, I've provided for your information, um, to review and for next month's per action, the 2026-2027 annual special education plan and
065funding application. In accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, the regulations governing special education programs for children with disabilities in Virginia and school board policy IGBA, local school divisions must submit an annual plan and applications for the provision of special education and related services to eligible students with disabilities who reside in the jurisdiction as an agreement for implementing federal and state laws. This annual plan was reviewed by the special education advisory committee SEAC on February 18th at on February 8th on the February 18th meeting. I'll get it out. So, this is given to you to review and for us to take action next month. >> Does anyone have any questions? You ready? I think we will Ms. Johnson. Do we want to start the next one or do we want to I mean
066I have to wait until 6:00. >> I suggest a 6-minute recess. >> Okay. We do not have time right now to do start 3.02 and we have five or six minutes before public comment. So, we will take a quick 5-minute recess and then we'll come back and we'll have our public comment. Is that good? All right. Let's take a recess. I don't have to get up and run. >> Don't you want to >> Yeah. >> Mhm. >> All right. 6:00 and um we're going to start public comment. Public comment portion of tonight's meeting is limited to 40 minutes. Uh speakers are asked to state their name and voting district. School board is here to listen to your comments, but will not engage respond to speakers during this 40-minute period. Please remember this is a public
067meeting and that we expect all speakers to refrain from any foul, profane, abusive, or hateful language uh during their comments or anytime while in attendance during this meeting. We also ask that the speakers keep their remarks objective and about school in nature. Please keep all comments limited to related to public schools. And any comments that are harassing or amount to a personal attack against any identifiable individual, whether board member or staff or student, or having the potential to cause unnecessary delay or disruption to this meeting are prohibited. So, public meeting for public matters. Speakers not present when their name is called, we will proceed with the next name on the list. An individual who has not signed up to speak may not substitute for that time slot. Individuals will have 4 minutes to address the
068board. An alarm will sound when the individual has 30 seconds remaining, and a second alarm will sound when the allotted 4 minutes have expired. When the second alarm sounds, please uh sounds, please discontinue speaking and allow the next person in line to come up to the podium. Should you be unable to finish your comments, please send or give them to Mrs. Johnson, and she will give them to board members. Please do not adjust the microphone at the podium. It has It has been uh It has been positioned for optimum audio quality. That will begin uh public comment. First on the list tonight is Marcus Hill. >> Good evening. Marcus Hill, District 4. Uh it's nice to see so many people uh here tonight. I've attended six of the last 8 months of meetings regularly, and
069all six of those months the seats behind me have been mostly empty. Tonight is different. Clearly, this issue matters to a lot of people, and that's a good thing. Public engagement is important, especially when decisions of this magnitude are being discussed. But, let's also be honest about something. Anyone who says this budget shortfall is a surprise, or that it suddenly appeared at the last minute, has either been living under a rock or simply hasn't been paying attention. The warning signs have been there for a long time. Discus- discussions about funding or funding challenges, enrollment shifts, and difficult choices have been happening in these meetings for years. Earlier this week, I attended the meeting across the street. The one where the people who actually control the purse strings were meeting, and I listened closely. I heard
070statements like, "This may not be a budget problem. It may just be a spending problem." I heard, "I absolutely oppose closing any schools." And I heard concerns that we are growing in areas outside of Forest while discussing closing a school in that same region. With the argument that in a few years, we may be asking taxpayers for $40 million to build a new school in the same area. But the statement that really stood out to me was this. "It's only $900,000 that you'll be saving." Let me repeat that. One of the seven people who control the purse strings said the savings from closing a school would only be $900,000. And in the same conversation, we also heard, "We're willing to sit down with the school board and figure it out." So, from where I'm sitting
071or standing, it certainly sounds like the people who hold the purse strings are opposed to closing schools. With that in mind, I'd like to offer a recommendation for your consideration. If this board ultimately votes to close a school in an effort to meet budget requirements, I strongly encourage that decision to include a contingency. The contingency is that the closure only occur if the funding needed to keep that school open is not provided by those who control the budget. I mean, it's only $900,000 in addition to your requested budget. Because quite frankly, the same people who often want to tell this board how to spend the budget should also be willing to step up and provide the funding necessary to avoid closing schools in our community. If they truly believe the savings are only $900,000, and
072if they truly oppose closing schools, then this is the moment for them to back those statements with action. Put the responsibility where it belongs, with the people who control the funding. Give them the opportunity to provide the resources needed to keep our schools open. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you. Up next, we have Sherry Blair. >> Good evening. My name is Sherry Blair, and I live in the fifth district. I am here tonight because decisions about our school should always start with one question. What is best for all of the students in Bedford County Public Schools? My daughter has been a teacher at Stewartsville Elementary School for 5 years. I have a grandson in the third grade and a granddaughter in kindergarten. And like many families here tonight, we are deeply concerned about
073how these proposed changes will affect our children. I understand that school board faces difficult financial decisions. However, the solutions being proposed raise serious concerns about student safety, learning environments, and fairness within our county. Moving fifth graders into middle school is a major concern. Fifth graders are typically 10, 11 years old, while middle school students are in a very different age of development. Simply put, fifth graders are not maturing at the same level as eighth graders. Another issue is transportation. Under this proposal, fifth graders would ride school buses with students ranging from sixth grade all the way to 12th grade. That means that my grandson, who will be 9 years old at the beginning of his fifth grade, will be asked to ride daily with students who are 18 years old. I am concerned about his
074exposure to inappropriate situations. This is extremely unfair when other ninth ninth-year-olds in the county are not asked to do the same thing. While many other students behave Excuse me, while many older students behave appropriately, this large age gap increase the chance of bullying and uncomfortable situations. School buses should be a safe place for students, not somewhere our younger riders feel uneasy. Many families are also asking an important question about fairness. If difficult adjustments must be made because of budget constraints, why is Standing Rock River Zone the only area being asked to absorb this impact? Two years ago, when the plan to close Stuarts Draft School was discussed, several options were considered. One option included fifth graders to Forest Middle School becoming of its growth was going to be redistrict. Fifth graders was going to middle
075school, and its Liberty zone was also going to have to go fifth graders was going to go to middle school. Why are these options being considered now? Decisions that affect our children should be shared fairly across the entire county, not concentrated on just a few schools. I urge you to make this decision with students at the center of it because they will live with the outcome long after this meeting ends. So, I ask that when you make this decision, you return to that one question. What is best for all students? >> Next speaker, this is Arista Nunez. >> Hi, my name is Arista Nunez, and I'm a resident of District 1. I'm also a parent of three children in Stuarts Draft school zone. I have two kids that currently attend and one that, depending upon
076the decision today, might or might not attend Stuarts Draft. Um as you have heard, the school board is considering a plan to close Stuarts Draft Elementary at its meeting this week. This was brought up with very little notice, and we have been told that it is purely a budget concern. Because the school board receives its funding entirely from outside sources, including you as a board of supervisors, we want to bring this to your attention and ask for your help. The help that we need is the Board of Supervisors to work together with the school board in a cooperative way to understand what kind of financial needs the school district actually has and fund those needs appropriately. Especially because of the upcoming budget shortfall in 2028. Um and we want you to know how big of
077a priority education is for us here in Bedford County. We know there are a lot of things to consider in a county budget and that can be really tough work. But if we do not take good care of our children and their futures, the rest of those things really don't matter because the children are our future. >> Next up is Christian Sneed. >> All right, Christian Sneed, District 7. Question is how did we get here? In 2021 2020 to 2021, BCPS proposed budget was $109 million. dollars. This year it's $144 million. That's a $35 million dollar increase in 6 years. But the math is saying that we're actually working with less money. Let me explain. Inflation. Inflation is that silent killer. It erodes the purchasing power. It increases the cost of goods and services that
078we climbed. And recently I climbed 29% over the same period that we're talking about equaling $38.1 million. This means that inflation alone the schools are net negative $3 million since 2021. Assuming that there's no operational increases like cost of aging buildings or pay increases for teachers for the last 6 years. If we remove that money, that inflation money is stripped away that $38.1 million, we're operating our schools at an inflation adjusted rate of $105 million. That's the same money that was budgeted for BCPS in 2018. So now we're asking our schools to run off the same amount of income from 2018 but with the expense burden 2026. And yet I wonder why we have an issue. Even worse, compared to 2020 budget, we're now $5 million less per year inflation inflation adjusted. Mr. Agler for
079a minute, thank you. You're David Copperfield. Literally, you're a real magician and it doesn't go unnoticed. Uh please look both ways before crossing the street cuz you'd be impossible to replace. But if we're measuring a proposed budget versus inflation just over the last 5 years, it's created a $6.3 million shortfall each and every year after that. That's combined $31 million reduction from inflation costs that were not included in the budget that we put froze for basic needs. We couldn't make this work at home, so why do we expect a $140 million school to do it? It's negatively affecting our kids' services, our talent pool, which is our teachers, among other services. Being cash poor with aging properties Monopoly, it's the end of the game. Right? And it doesn't look any better for us here. Since
080this problem wasn't created overnight, and obviously you guys are going to have to act fast to fast to to fix it. Um and that fix is going to be painful. That is unless the Board of Supervisors opens their checkbook loan the school board to solve the problems in real time while making up for lost time. My math says that Stuarts Draft will be the first of many dominoes to fall. The math just isn't there if we don't properly fund our schools in the future. The Board of Supervisors rejected a $4.2 million proposal by that man over there last year, and you all did not ask for funds to be increased for the previous 2 years two two or three years before that. Generally, I don't believe in raising taxes. That's not the answer. But why
081pay taxes for basic services that go unfunded? Could we have taken some extra exits or maybe off-ramps to avoid some discussions like we're having here today? Imagine if that erosion of money that we lost from inflation was here today for the last six or seven years. After all, it isn't like Bedford County taxpayers actually pay for the lion's share of the the funds we have here. Sadly, local contributions only make up a whopping 25 27% of this year's budget. It's online. The state, federal, and other cover the other . Thank goodness this conservative county relies on taxing northern Virginia to death to have their wealth redistributed amongst our public schools. Otherwise, we wouldn't have any. We're spending more of other people's tax dollars on our kids than we are for our own kids. Additionally, 86%
082of the entire budget that's made up here is of payroll and salaries. Leaving roughly what, 20 million? You said 18 campuses, I thought it was 21, but 20 million dollars for 21 campuses and all their operating expenses to be handled. So, Teddy Roosevelt once said, "Complaining about a problem without proposing a solution is called whining." I've identified the problem, now here's my three-part solution. First, humbly I ask, that's going to go over 30 seconds. Humbly I ask the board to request the board of supervisors to properly fund the schools moving forward. And have them commit to an additional inflation adjustment for the budget each year, and specifically for the teachers and staff, so their checks are not outpaced by inflation, nor become pawns in future budgeting decisions. This would attract the talent from other divisions,
083result in better retention of our teachers, better care for our students, and better results. Option two, additionally, the board of supervisors can add the historic inflation that we missed, 31.9 million dollars, which is 6.3 million dollars a year for the next five years, and add it to the budget for the next five years, so they can plan to make adjustments for the reversion, which is 11 million dollars coming up in the 2028 and 2029 year. Lastly, request that the debt service payments that they're currently making on the buildings that we have continue to fund to the school board in real-time amounts for the three to five years to overcome reversion, and the drop of revenue that we're going to have, and make sure that that's at your discretion how that's being spent, whether it's CIP
084or for operational use. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Sneed. Next, Carrie Sarver. >> Good evening. Carrie Sarver. I live and work in District 1, and I am a proud employee of Stuarts Draft Elementary School. Education is to build a foundation and to provide a support for our future. We should all strive to make choices and decisions based on what is best for our students and families when building our education system. At times that may not be what is being pushed or promoted inside of room. The question of closing Stewartsville Elementary School, I ask of you, how is this the best or only solution for our students? How is this solution best for students and families? How would the displacement of more than 290 elementary school students, the movement of fifth grade students, and the
085movement of eighth grade students in one zone best for our community? It is not. How does the closing of Stewartsville Elementary School support the Bedford County Public Schools mission and strategic plan that was just presented in this room by Dr. Troxler? It does not. There has not been any consideration to the detrimental impacts on the social and emotional well-being of our students. And I am with these children every single day. These are my kids that you want to push into middle school far too early. So, I am here on a professional level, but this is personal, too. There has not been a plan developed that considers the impact to the federal funding of the Title I programs when you release the students from our school to another school. There is no developed plan to support
086our most vulnerable special education students who need the safety and security of the environment where they have started school. There has not been a plan to support our adaptive needs students. There has not been consideration for how removing fifth grade students from our test scores in our schools will impact the overall accreditation status of our schools. Closing Stewartsville is a reactive fix to what has been called toothache. Really? A toothache? Well, Bedford County Public Schools continues to give a reactive emergency solution instead of developing a long-term proactive goal. But we are the toothache? So, this actually brings me to an adage. Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part. Yeah, that's exactly what Bedford County Public Schools is doing. They're creating an emergency on our community. They're creating an
087emergency on our kids and our families. They're creating an emergency on our part because you failed to plan on your part. Bedford County Public Schools failure to plan, failure to look ahead, and failure to have a preventative process is creating an eminent emergency that creates even more of an economic and social and emotional divide for our Stanton River Zone children. Closing Stewartsville is not the answer. Closing this school is not even going to account for the shortfall that is being reported. So, I ask again, how is this the best and only solution for our community? I implore the board. It is time to start building our education to lay a firm foundation and to support our future, not to tear it down. Please work with the Board of Supervisors to fund our most valuable and
088vulnerable resource, our children, our citizens of Bedford County of today and tomorrow. Fund education appropriately and keep Stewartsville open. >> NEXT, we have Nora Bryant. >> Hi, I'm Nora Bryant and I'm a sixth grader at Swift River Middle School. I'm I am against closing Stewart School. First, I want to talk about how the fifth graders would feel if you close Stewart School. The curriculum they are taught in elementary school is developmentally appropriate for them. Also, in elementary schools they give recess so the kids can play so that they can learn properly. In middle school, we don't have recess. We have class all day. That's just not developmentally appropriate for them. Elementary schools are just designed for the kids there. I also want to address how the fifth graders would feel being on the bus bus
089with seniors in high school. They would be miserable the whole ride home. High schoolers have a tendency for being inappropriate. Some moms and dads don't want their kids experiencing that. Next, I want to talk about how this year's fourth graders, rising fifth graders, would feel if you close Stewart School and have to go to the middle school the next year. When I made the transition from fifth to sixth grade, it was hard to go from one group set in stone to a different group each class. And I was around the right age, 10 going on 11. So, imagine how the fourth graders would would feel. They're now top of the school and then the next year they're in middle school. I also think it's not fair to the kids at Goodview who would be smooshed
090and cramped in the full to the brim classrooms. We could be talking 26 to 30 kids in each class. When we're talking that big of numbers, we also have to talk about the teachers who will be watching them and teaching them. The kids needs to learn are priority to teachers. In that big a class, the teachers won't be able to focus on individual wants and needs. So, don't close Stewart School. I'm Nora Bryant and I'm against CLOSING STEWART SCHOOL. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MS. BRYANT. UM SO, that's actually the end of public comment, but there was a wait list for the next the next hearing. And since we have extra time, we're going to go into the next hearing, and that way we can hear from more people um on the subject. Um this
091public hearing is is on decommissioning of Stewartsville Elementary in the grade re- reconfiguration. I have to read the same thing I just read. Um this portion of this meeting is designed for public comment regarding decommissioning of Stewartsville Elementary and the grade configuration in the Staunton River zone only. Public hearing portion of tonight's agenda is limited to 40 minutes. Speakers are asked to state their name and voting district. The school board is here to listen to your comments, but will not engage or respond to speakers during this 40-minute period. Please remember this is a public meeting, and that we expect all speakers to refrain from any foul, profane, abusive, or hateful language during their comments or anytime while in attendance during this meeting. If a speaker is not present when their name is called, we will
092proceed with the next name on the list. An individual who has not signed up to speak may not substitute for that time slot. Individuals will have 4 minutes to address the board, and alarm will sound uh when an individual has 30 seconds remaining, and a second alarm will sound when the allotted 4 minutes have expired. When this second alarm sounds, please discontinue speaking and allow the next person in in line uh to come to the podium. Should you be able to finish your comments, please send or give them to Mrs. Johnson, and she will give them to the board members. Please do not adjust the microphone at the podium as it as it's been positioned for optimum audio quality. And with that, we will start um with uh Valerie Stanton Stanton. >> Stanton. Sorry. >>
093Hello. Um much data has been shared about the amount that would be saved if Stewart's bill were closed from what I Oh, I'm District 3. Um former student, 21-year teacher, and parent on the SR zone. So, back to what I was saying. Uh from what I can tell, most of the cost would be in the building itself. Most staff would be moved to another school because the number of kids is not changing. SRHS would go from 750 to 939 based on today's numbers, which would require probably another principal, maybe another counselor, more cafeteria workers, sped teachers, elective teachers, etc. The last time uh I'm going to skip that part. So, that doesn't help unless the building gets sold. Um many districts regret moving the fifth grade to middle school due to negative outcomes. In 2023,
094Pennsylvania's Harrisburg School District reported lower attendance, declining grades, and increased suspensions following the transition. Similarly, Nashville Public Schools found in 2021 that fifth graders in elementary settings academically outperformed those in middle school. Um these trends are so pronounced that Alabama's Bibb County Schools are returning fifth graders to elementary schools this fall to combat a drastic drop in test scores. Ultimately, this shift does not serve our students' best academic interests. The handling of the this proposal is also deeply concerning. Rushing from proposal to vote in just 7 days is unacceptable for a decision as significant as closing a school. Furthermore, the 7-day notice requirement for venue changes effectively blocked this meeting from the SR zone, a courtesy granted to other zones but denied to us. To gain parental trust, the process must be transparent and well-planned.
095If you cannot manage the logistics of a meeting, we cannot trust you with the future of our children. Many of you had the privilege in 2022 to create and vote on a resolution in support of parental rights and a resolution in support of the teachers and staff of Bedford County Schools. Let me read you a couple of lines from those documents. Um parents are in the best position to know their own child's needs and circumstances and therefore should maintain authority over all decisions that can impact the health and well-being of their children. This kind of goes against that. Um also, the Bedford County School Board understands that high-performing schools are necessary to the continuing growth of our country and quality of life in Bedford County, both today and in the future. Um teachers and staff
096should be accorded high public esteem, reflecting the value that our community places on public education. Um I feel like we need to go back and revisit these documents. Now, you may argue that you have to look out for the interest of the whole county. If that is the case, then let's talk about the whole county. I propose we rezone the entire place. I know it's more convenient for everyone else if the SR zone takes on the entire burden of saving the BCPS budget, but it is the BCPS budget, not the SR budget. If your goal is to be proactive and stop kicking the can down the road, let's solve multiple toothaches at one time. Rezoning the county would solve SR's problem of moving our fifth and eighth graders, while also alleviating overcrowding concerns at the
097elementary schools in JS. Um I think, in closing, it is important to remember that tomorrow is the anniversary of our school's closure due to COVID 6 years ago. Remember Friday the 13th, right? Um so, that time presented an upheaval in public education. I'm here to tell you that we have moved on, but things will never be the same. It is unfair to ask the Staunton River zone to go through another school closing and grade shuffle. Please vote against closing Stewartsville and reconfiguring the grade levels. I know this is a tough decision, but your tough decision will come and go like an earthquake, and students, parents, and staff in the SR zone will be left to do the actual work of piecing our community back together. THANK YOU. >> NEXT, ALAN SHORT >> ALL RIGHT, GOOD
098EVENING. MY name is Alan Short. I live in District 2 and I'm an educator with 24 years of experience serving 10 of those years here in Bedford County. Most importantly, I'm a parent of two exceptional BCPS students who are thriving in the Staunton River Zone schools. Tonight, I advocate for all of our Staunton River Zone students. I do not deny that the board faces a daunting fiscal shortfall and the difficult decisions must be made. However, I am here to express my opposition to the proposed reconfiguration and movement of fifth graders to middle school and eighth graders to high school. Student placement decisions must be rooted in developmental readiness, not budgetary convenience. Beyond logistics, we must remember that our schools are not buildings, line items, assets, and liabilities. They are communities of learners. A school is
099a cohesive ecosystem where students grow alongside one another. Separating one grade level from the others, as has been suggested, is simply not okay. It fractures the community bond that makes a school a home that students want to come to. We must also weigh academic costs. Extensive research confirms that each building transition from one building, elementary to middle, middle to high, triggers an academic get dip that is greater than what we normally think of as a summer slump. Continuing data shows that fifth graders entering middle school experience the greatest losses. They can often take up to three years to rebound, which in this setup would leave them with another transition into the high school and another academic year. Additional research shows that students who enter high school earlier than ninth grade can experience significantly increased dropout
100rates. Other school districts have attempted the changes that you are proposing. For example, Cincinnati public schools spent a decade with seventh and eighth graders in high schools only to spend millions reversing the mistake after it harmed student performance and culture. We should learn from these expensive reversals rather than making the same error ourselves. When we prioritize a budget line over developmental milestones, we risk the long-term academic well-being of the children that we are tasked with protecting. This proposed reconfiguration also threatens the stability of our remaining elementary buildings. Removing fifth from Anita and Huddleston decreases their enrollment, which leads to a direct loss of funding and consistent access to essential specialists and support programs. After the last meeting, many families were left wondering if their small and expensive to run school might be targeted for decommissioning
101next. We, the families in the Sand River zone, are willing to explore other options, including adjusting our attendance zones to maintain current grade bands. Has the board truly exhausted every other possibility, including implementing operational efficiencies, administrative streamlining, and comprehensive countywide redistricting before altering the fundamental grade structure of just one zone? The Sand River community is tired of being treated as an afterthought for improvements, yet the ideal locale for a budget cut. We deserve a solution that treats our zone equally with the others. Before you vote, I implore you to conduct personal research in adolescent best practices. Spend full days shadowing teachers and serving as substitutes in all of our schools, experience firsthand the massive developmental gaps between 10-year-olds and 14-year-olds before you decide which setting they belong in. Make a decision that prioritizes the needs
102of students above all. Do what is best for kids. THANK YOU. >> VERY MUCH. UM KATIE TURNER. >> GOOD EVENING. My name is Katie Turner. I have to apologize, but I'm definitely not a public speaker. As you can see by my outfit, I'm a nurse. But I'm here tonight because I am the parent of three children who go to Huddleston Elementary. Um and my daughter will be entering fifth grade next year. I appreciate the response that I received from Mr. Daniels explaining that similar grade structures exist in private schools, Christian schools, and home school co-ops. However, those environmental those environments are fundamentally different from a large public school. Um they typically have smaller student populations, large um lower student to teacher ratios, and much closer adult supervision. A public middle school with hundreds of older
103students is not the same environment that a 10-year-old child would receive in a traditional elementary school. I also understand that the board is facing financial pressures and enrollment changes. However, structural changes that affect young children should not be driven primarily by budget cuts. Um these are our COVID kids. My daughter started kindergarten, she had to wear a mask. Um most of these kids, like my daughter, um experienced fractured or no preschool experience because their schools were shut down during COVID. And then also experienced prolonged quarantine periods if they were exposed to COVID in kindergarten. And this is the group that you want to experiment with? A do now and adjust later knee-jerk approach will lead to a lasting and devastating consequence for a third of the children in Bedford County. A third. Um the lack
104of information that we have received regarding this is quite frankly appalling and it's scary to me. Um what hours will the fifth-grade students have? Someone on the board mentioned that they would have middle school hours. Will they have to go to middle school hours, which is a longer day, longer bus ride? Um or will they get the same privilege that the students in Jefferson Forest or Liberty district will get? Um as a board member callously stated, if we're unhappy with the elementary school students riding the bus with older students that far, we can drive them. How can I pick up my children at Huddleston Elementary School and make it to the middle school to pick up my daughter, which is a about a 40-minute drive if we're driving safe in the speed limit? Not to
105mention that most parents in this community are dual-income households. We both work so that we can provide a modest livelihood. Um and when there is already a known bus shortage in Bedford County, I'd like to know how the buses will run. Are we going to have a bus take them from two elementary school to middle school to high school? How will that work? We got a 20-minute notice the other day that our bus wasn't going to run. 20 minutes to get 25 minutes to Huddleston. Um I believe that some members on this board quite frankly are out of touch with the people that you were elected to represent. Finally, I would like to ask the board to clarify what will happen to the staff of Stewartsville. The principal, the office staff, the maintenance staff, the
106nutrition workers, the people that are so easily forgot when you promised not to fire teachers. Um will they get will they already not see staff lost during this? Respectfully, I'd like to ask you to reconsider this reconsider this proposal, at least for postpone it until there can be a better proposal on the table. The decisions made here will shape the daily reality of our children's lives and their futures. There's a saying that if you send your kids off to Caesar, don't be surprised when they come home when they come back as Romans. I'm sorry, but the Caesar in this room is obvious and the one it's the one that are making life-altering changes for our children without the meaningful input of their families. Thank you FOR YOUR TIME. >> MARCUS HILL MARCUS HILL, DISTRICT 4.
107Good evening, members of the board. Uh first, I would to acknowledge the difficult position you've been placed in. It's unfortunate that you're you're being asked to solve a money problem that you don't actually control. Last year, this board asked for $4 million in additional funding and received $1 million. That's after the finance committee met with elected officials who control the purse strings and explained the ask. Again, $1 million of a $4 million ask is what was received. When that happens, it's understandable to believe you may not get what's truly needed and feel pressure to consider drastic measures. Tonight, I would encourage you to take the emotion out of the decision in front of you and focus on the facts. Change in education is not unusual. In fact, research shows that a large percentage of students
108experience transitions during their time in school. Studies have shown that more than 30% of elementary students change schools at at once between 1st and eighth grade. And many experience multiple transitions as families move or school structures change. By the time a group of kindergartners reaches fourth grade, only about 1/3 of those students are still in the same school they started in. Change happens whether we plan for it or not. What the research also tells us is that students do well with change when the adults around them provide structure, stability, and a clear plan. Kids are remarkably resilient when decisions are made thoughtfully and when the focus stays on providing a safe and effective learning environment. I also think it's important to remind the public about how we got here. After the board did not receive
109the full funding requested last year, a decision was made to use 1.8 million in grant funding to help maintain classroom sizes at the previous standards. That decision helped protect classrooms in the short term and it allowed the school system to maintain those standards for another year. But that 1.8 million dollars was a one-time expenditure. It was never recurring funding and it was never going to be available going forward. So as we sit here today, it's important for the public to understand that classroom sizes are not increasing because this board suddenly decided they should. They are increasing because the standard had to be adjusted to meet the budget reality the school system is operating under. That context matters. So tonight, I would encourage you, the board, to step back and ask yourselves a few simple questions.
110First, what comes next after the decision you are being asked to make today? Second, how does the choice you make tonight position Beaufort County public schools for what's next? Are we simply reacting to the problem in front of us, or are we making a decision a decision that helps prepare the system for the challenges that will inevitably come in the future? And third, how does this decision impact the students you serve? Every decision made here should ultimately come back to the kids. If changes are necessary, then the question becomes whether there is a clear plan that still provides them with a safe and effective learning environment, even if that environment looks different than what we have traditionally considered normal. Our responsibility as a community is not to avoid change at all cost. Our responsibility is
111to make sure that when change does happen, it is handled thoughtfully, responsibly, and with the long-term success of students in mind. At the end of the day, each of you were elected to represent your district. Your communities trust you to bring their voice to this table, but you were also elected to do what is best for the entire Beaufort County public school system. That means looking beyond individual districts, beyond short-term pressures, and beyond the emotion that often surrounds these conversations. Your seat requires difficult decisions. Sometimes those decisions will not be popular. Leadership rarely is, but leadership means being able to make the hard choices when they are necessary and being willing to stand behind those choices when they are made with the best interests of students in mind. Be leaders and do what's best for
112BCS going forward. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Hill. Next, Evelyn Childress. >> Hello. Hello. My name is Evelyn Childress. I'm a fourth grader at Good Hope Elementary. I'm speaking on the matter of moving the fifth graders to the middle school and closing Stewartsville. My personal opinion on moving the fifth graders to the middle school is negative. I feel that we are not socially and academically ready for this. The other problem is shutting down Stewartsville. They have done nothing wrong. You would have a very hard time resigning them. I personally think this is a very bad thought out plan and could affect staff and kids harshly. There could be a better solution to this. You could do fundraising, get a sponsor, you could do anything, but not close down Stewartsville. I personally know that y'all
113are smart people and if you put your minds together, like we are trying to do, you can definitely find a better solution for these big problems. Thank you. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM, AMANDA BRYAN. >> Good evening. My name is Amanda Bryan. I live in District 1 and I have two beautiful children in the Staunton River zone. That was my little mini me earlier. Um, I'm the president of the Goodview Elementary School PTA. I'm here tonight because the families in our community are deeply concerned about both the proposal to close Stewartsville Elementary School and the speed with which this decision is moving. This proposal has been on the table for roughly 1 week. In that time, parents have been trying to understand the implications for our students, our community, and the future of the
114Staunton River Zone. We're trying to understand, but we were given no details whatsoever. Closing a school is not a routine matter. It reshapes a community, it increases transportation burdens, it disrupts the stability that children rely on in order to learn and thrive. Decisions with impacts this large deserve careful analysis and meaningful public engagement. Instead, families are being asked to process and respond to a proposal of this magnitude in a matter of days. Tonight, the board had an opportunity to slow this process down and allow more time for thoughtful review and community input as well as a legal review of the proposed measures. Choosing not to take that opportunity was deeply disappointing. And it raises serious concerns about whether the voices of families are actually being given the consideration that they deserve. When parents show up
115and ask questions about their schools, it is not us simply being emotional. It is engagement. It is exactly the kind of civic participation that public institutions should welcome. Within the Staunton River Zone, our elementary schools already serve communities with some of the highest levels of economic need in Bedford County. Decisions about restructuring affect not just buildings and enrollment charts, but real students and families who depend on their local schools. Parents in this community are not opposed to thoughtful planning or responsible budgeting. We understand the complexity and respect the weight of the decisions that you face. We are asking for I'm sorry. What we are asking for is a process that is transparent, deliberate, and genuinely open to public input. This is not that. School boards exist to serve the public. And when families raise concerns
116about decisions that affect their children, those concerns deserve to be taken seriously. Our community cares deeply about its school, and we will continue to engage in this process and advocate for our students regardless of your decision tonight. Thank you. Casey Stanley >> Good evening. Good evening. My name is Casey Stanley. I'm a fourth grade teacher at Stewartsville Elementary, a lifelong resident of Bedford County, and a proud graduate of Bedford County Public Schools, where I attended from kindergarten through 12th grade. Because of that experience, this school system means a great deal to me both professionally and personally. I am here tonight to express serious concern about the restructuring proposal that would close Stewartsville Elementary and move fifth graders to middle school and eighth graders to high school within the Stanton River zone. My first concern is
117equity. Bedford County Public Schools operates in three zones. Yet, the proposal being discussed would fundamentally fundamentally change the educational structure for students in only one of those zones. Under this plan, the students in Stanton River zone would attend middle school and high school earlier than students in the other two zones. Fifth graders here would leave elementary school sooner. And eighth graders would leave middle school sooner. While in students in Forest and Liberty zone would continue under the traditional model. If this change is truly best for our students, then it should to for all students of Bedford County, not just one zone. Courts across across the country have recognized the importance of equal education opportunity. In the case of Leandro versus State of North Carolina, families successfully argued that students in certain areas were not receiving
118the same educational opportunities as others. The court ruled that states must ensure fairness and equal access to opportunities regardless of where students live. Educational opportunity should never depend on which zone of the county a child happens to live in. My second concern is the impact on the student well-being and development. As a fourth grade teacher, I work every day with 10-year-olds who rely heavily on the structure and support of an elementary school environment. Moving 11-year-olds into middle school and 13-year-olds into high school earlier than their peers elsewhere in the county removes the stability during critical developmental years. At a time when schools everywhere are working to address rising student mental health concerns, we should be protecting stability, not removing it. I'm also deeply concerned about our students with the highest needs. At this time, there's
119been no clear plan presented for where adaptive classrooms will go or how those services will be maintained. Federal law under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires that students with disabilities receive a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment. Families and educators deserve clear answers about how these needs for students will continue to be met before a major structural changes moving forward. Before we move buildings and restructure grades, we must first answer one critical question. Where will our most vulnerable students go? I'm also concerned about the loss of pre-K opportunities in the Staunton River zone. Early childhood education is one of the strongest predictors of long-term academic success. Removing those opportunities for families in one zone raises serious concerns about equitable access for our youngest learners. Finally, I want to address something that
120may be harder to measure, but that is just as important, and that's public trust. Right now, many families are losing faith in the system. When communities feel decisions are being rushed or that one part of the county is being treated differently than others, confidence in public education erodes. When that trust erodes, families begin looking at other options. We will likely see more families turning to homeschooling or leaving the system entirely. Bedford County Public Schools states its vision, building citizens, promoting success. Its mission promises equal opportunities for all students. Equal opportunity cannot exist if one zone is asked to accept changes that the rest of the county does not. Our students deserve stability, our families deserve fairness, and our communities deserve decisions that reflect the values this division claims to uphold. I urge the board to
121reconsider this proposal and pursue solutions that support every student in Bedford County equally. Thank you. >> ALL RIGHT. UH, ERIN MCKEE. >> GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS Erin McKee, and I am from District 1. Um, from what I've been hearing between Monday night's meeting that was held at Goodview Elementary School, and the Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, there seems to be quite a large communications disconnect between two very important boards in Bedford County. I've heard school board members say it's a budget issue, not a spending issue. And then at least one member of the Board of Supervisors feels this is a spending issue, not a budget issue. Thanks to Stewartsville Elementary School, Staunton River Middle School and Staunton River High School teachers and staff, and of course my parents, I was able to establish
122a firm education foundation, which led me to ODU, Old Dominion University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Professional Communications. Degree in communications or not, I think we can all agree um with the famous quote from the movie Cool Hand Luke, "What we've got here is failure to communicate." This board has apparently not explicitly communicated its needs versus wants to the Board of Supervisors, nor have we, your constituents, been given any insight into what the full plan is with the closing of Rustburg Elementary School, the moving of fifth grade to Staunton River Middle School, and eighth grade to Staunton River High School. If this is truly a budget issue, then it's a county-wide issue, not a Staunton River zone issue. It appeared to me at the meeting on Monday at Goodview Elementary, organized by the
123amazing Goodview PTA, the school board didn't even bring up this plan to the Board of Supervisors. It also appeared to me this was an idea, no offense Mr. Daniels, that you introduced at the literal last minutes of the school board meeting. I'm curious, Mr. Daniels, what is your whole plan? As I feel we have only scratched the surface. Where do you plan on putting these extra students at Goodview, at at Staunton River Middle School, at Staunton River High School for one, and for two, what is your plan for Rustburg Elementary School? Is the ultimate plan to sell the school, to sell Rustburg? If that is your whole plan or your point to the plan, the school board shirked its fiduciary responsibility and wasted $2 million upgrading an HVAC system at Rustburg and roofing it. I
124agree with my supervisor, Mr. Gordon from District 1, when he made a statement along the lines Tuesday night, "Why spend $2 million upgrading a school you're going to close to save $900,000 a year?" There isn't a realistic timeline to to successfully make all the necessary upgrades and changes to these schools themselves to house these additional students. Not to mention all the logistical problems you will be introducing if you decide to vote on this issue tonight or to be perfectly honest at all. There's also not enough time to go into all of the developmental issues including emotional and mental health that will be placed on these young students or if this is even plausible to title one statuses. As a parent of a St. Andrew High School special education student who emailed you all um she
125has ADHD and hearing loss. This plan needs larger class sizes which brings more distractions and more noise which will hinder her education as well as many other students with IEPs, 504 plans, and special needs. Decisions such as this make it difficult to hire and retain teachers as well as attract population growth. I will tell you right now politics is part of the reason I changed my major in college from education to business. Um I am able to substitute so I am still able to teach which I love and I chose to substitute instead of teach because I do not have to be um affected by by people who have no idea what it takes to be a teacher. Ladies and gentlemen of the board, my belief is you should just communicate with your educators and
126your constituents on a regular basis and not just no offense central office. Be proactive and then you don't have to worry with us your constituents being so reactive. THANK YOU. >> CODY JONES >> FIRST OFF, I'M A MEMBER of uh district one. Am I allowed to ask a question by show of hand? >> You can ask, we can't answer. We just can't answer it. >> I would be curious see how many voting members of the board's children or grandchildren will be affected by this decision. Uh I'm a product of Stout Hill. Went to Goodview when they built Goodview. Went to Staunton River. Uh went to Marshall University because of that education. I've got a master's degree in public administration. So, we can speak the same language. One of the things that's concerning me most about
127the proposals that I have seen is it doesn't address and many of the folks here have already brought up these points, transportation. So, I haven't heard the car rider situation brought up either. Goodview already has a car rider issue. They have many crashes already because of this issue. Uh we've had an extra SRO presence there because of this. You have pickup, which is a drop-off and pickup, which are both part of this. So, you'll be transferring all those car riders from Stout Hill to there. Um and if I'm correct, the number of students currently at Goodview is 502. Now, that doesn't account for the fifth graders cuz I don't know the difference between grade level as far as the numbers that I got. Stout Hill has 292. So, that's 794 students total. So, we'll just
128say I don't know 150 of those or uh fifth graders, you're still at right at capacity for Goodview Elementary School. What we lack so far in the planning that I've seen is I haven't seen how we plan to move teachers over, how we get extra classrooms, where we're going to house these students. I've heard trailers proposed. Now, when I was at Staunton River, we put trailers there. And they were there for a considerable amount of time. There was issues with heating them in the winter and cooling them in the summer. Made it difficult to focus. Um as a high schooler, now you're talking about putting this situation onto elementary school kids having to be able to transport them outside. In addition to that, how are we going to secure those because it's not under one
129solid lock structure like the elementary school is. So, that's that's transportation, security. Uh the math of that to me wasn't adding up. So, some of the other issues I've seen, the also early childhood programs is deeply concerning to me. Our district has some of the highest Title 1 numbers of anywhere in the county. And if we take away those opportunities, I'm afraid that it could be extremely detrimental to those children and families who otherwise would have received those. So, first off I want to say I'm not ultimately opposed to closing up Stewarts Creek Elementary School. If we make the appropriate long-term investments and planning to accommodate those students in that population at Goodview, such as building the appropriate facilities, permanent, not temporary trailers, planning how to expand parking, the road there, a plan for developing
130a solid like bus transportation system, car riders, car rider system, um you're going to need extra counselors, all of the resources like arts, gym, um music. You'll need extra of those because Goodview then becomes the largest elementary school in the county. And to kind of point out one of the things that I've seen is you're trying to address an issue that is a funding and spending, I think on both ends. And what we haven't seen is how this is going to be distributed equally equitably across the county. And I guess what everyone's been trying to communicate is we haven't seen the exact plan and how it's going to affect our students. So, if I think what we need to do is table this issue until we could propose a long-term plan that addresses all of
131the the red flags to me. And then once you can propose a solid plan that's long-term and and addresses all of the issues, then we can move forward together as a community. That's my time. >> SIR, UM CHRISTINA CHILDRESS. >> HELLO. UH MY name is Christina Childress. I've taught um either middle school or high school in Bedford County Public Schools for the past 24 years. Um tonight I'm a different stakeholder in that I'm a parent of a fourth-grader, a Goodview the one who just spoke. I had nothing to do with that. But no one's going to believe that, but anyway. Um for the record, I also attended Stewartsville Elementary from kindergarten through fifth grade back before Goodview existed. Stewartsville was over 700 students back then. And Goodview was built to split the schools. Um if
132you want to talk about history, that makes me feel old, though, whatever. Since then, the employees of Stewartsville have provided hard-fought educational success to their population. Even though the building was not adequately updated or maintained. The teachers, the custodians, nutrition workers, and staff at Stewartsville have basically worked miracles for the past 30 years. It's not their fault that the enrollment has decreased. That was literally the plan when Goodview was built. The development density of the county has shifted more toward the lake and forest, but that does not mean the students in the Stewartsville zone deserve any less than students in other zones. Nobody wants to propose it out loud, but the most equitable way to fix the enrollment issues across this division is for BCPS to rezone the entire school division. If it's a division
133funding issue, then why should only and zone pay for it. Why should already volatile programs like pre-K and Head Start and adaptive programs have to be uncertain or displaced to make a less than 1% budget? I did not bring that up. Furthermore, why displace so very many students from all over the state and River Zone by restructuring so many grade levels and overcrowding Goodview when we could rezone and fix enrollment problems all over the entire school division? In fact, if all BCPS schools are equally equipped, then parents should not be angry about rezoning. If the perception is that some schools are worse than others, then that's the fault of a system that has disproportionately favored certain ones for decades. For 2 years, we were engaged. We had discussions. For 2 years, we had discussions and
134studies and votes and a month-long public hearing about rezoning Forest elementary schools because they were overcrowded. Those meetings and hearings included passionate pleas and from staff and state and parents and students and rightly so. And the board listened. They amended the plan. They gave families options and advanced notice. Last week's last-minute motion to fix the toothache that is Stewartsville by closing it down and reconfiguring all schools in the State River Zone and giving us 7 days cuz that's the legal minimum feels very rushed and troubling. As a parent, the discrepancy between how this decision was proposed and how other school zones' decisions were made does not seem fair. As a teacher at an affected school, I'm worried about how we will actually accommodate so many more students at different ages and how it will affect
135their learning. But, as a long-time BCPS educator, I know we'll probably have to figure out a way to make a miracle out of this mess. We're used to it. The least the board could do was postpone the vote, but you didn't. So, tonight I just ask you to vote no. Prove us wrong. BET YOU WON'T. >> I'M GOING TO KEEP GOING CUZ I think we have we have time. So, um these folks were on the wait list, but we're going to start Tanya Harmon. >> I'm Tanya Harmon. Excuse me. Um District 1. I come to you with multiple speeches tonight, but I'm going to go with the shortest in the nature of hopefully getting a few more people up here to the podium. But, just so you guys all know, we all started here. So
136many of us did. There are a few transplants in, but as a graduate of Bedford County Public Schools a quarter century ago, I grew up every day seeing the inequities that exist between our school zones. Unfortunately, these inequities they've only expanded today. Where a child lives in this county should never determine the quality of education that they receive. Living in one zone does not make a child more deserving of that developmentally appropriate education than a child in a different one. Every child in Bedford County deserves the same opportunities and protections. If grade restructuring happens in just one zone, the message it sends is clear. It sends it county-wide that some students are valued more than others. As a graduate of Bedford County, I have seen that my entire school career. I was lucky to end
137up in a good college, to get a good degree, and to make a decent life, but that was not boosted by living in one side of the county. Equality in education, it cannot be selective. It must apply to every student in every zone. When they walk through that door, they're the same. It doesn't matter if they wear red shirts, if they wear blue shirts, or if they're in black and gold. If restructuring is the path forward, it should be county-wide, not just at the expense of one community's children. I urge you to work harder and find a way forward that does not victimize our zone. The children that we are specifically targeting in this, this is our COVID generation. These children, the fifth grade, they have been dumped on their head from the start. Wasn't
138their fault, it wasn't our fault, but we need to do better for them. We need to get these kids a better future. We saw firsthand what happened when Thaxton and Bodycamp were closed. It destroyed their communities. We also witnessed those properties being sold for a fraction of the fair market value, which actually turns out pretty much the looming shortfall, that would have solved that problem. You're looking at $3 million worth of shortfall, $3 million worth of schools. Someone has to stand up for our children, and we're all here to do it. We hope you listen. We hope you support our kids as much as you do the other districts. >> Thank you, Ms. Harmon. Savannah Kobe. >> Savannah, Covey, c o v e y. >> Is there a Savannah Covey out here? Savannah Covey. >>
139No? Amy Claus? Claus, c l a u s e. >> Last name Claus? Claus. >> Okay. That is everybody on the list. We still have some time. We have 3 minutes. Would anyone else >> have time for one more? >> Yes, we do. >> All right. >> Mr. Chairman, do you have um >> We have three more speakers. We have time for three more speakers. >> Thank you. You're very kind. And I'm about frozen. I stood outside 2 hours. I'm Robert Ashwell and uh I think I'm in District 2. I don't know. It's changed. Is that Edna's Talbrook? Thank you. I've been in public education 48 years. I was principal of Staunton River Staunton River High School before I left Campbell Bedford Campbell County. I have seen a lot of school board activities over 45
14050 years, but I got to tell you the stunt that y'all pulled in the last week is world class. You want to seriously think about moving 10-year-olds to a middle school and 13-year-olds to a high school, yet you don't want to talk about it. There are a lot of people involved or should be in this process of decision. It's a fact that the county has a money problem, but that's not a new fact. We've known that for years. We've known for years that this day was coming. And to pop it on the community in the last 5 minutes of a meeting 7 days ago and then schedule a meeting 7 days later so that you don't have to go to a bigger venue that would accommodate the folks who are interested enough to come. And
141there were probably 20 or 30 people who turned away and left after they stood around for a while and about froze to death. That That That's not very indicative of a group of people who really want to hear what the community HAS TO SAY. IT IS NOT. OVER THE COURSE OF my not very illustrious career I was fortunate enough to work with some really good people. Both here in this county and in Campbell and in Amherst County. Kept looking for a place where they didn't need stuff. Anyway I ran a school one time that had a group of fifth graders with middle school kids. But it had been planned out for years before that happened. Those children were isolated. They had their own cafeteria. We had an area for them where they were homogeneous. We
142cleaned out the gym for them to have a recess. I ran another school that had 6 through 12. The middle school was totally separated. Now, what you're trying to do now with both your 9-year-olds, 10-year-olds, and your 13-year-olds that you're trying to intersperse them with much older children with no planning. If you had been talking about this for a year or 2 years, and you had involved all the community, and listened to their concerns, then that would be one thing. But, you haven't done that. People on the Southside feel like we've been treated like a bunch of red-haired stepchildren forever. If you look, according to Mr. Pedro Tuck, who is their supervisor, he tells us that the Southside pays the most taxes in the county. We'd like some services for it. THANK YOU. >> WE
143HAVE TIME FOR TWO MORE SPEAKERS. UM IF anyone else would like to speak. Yep. Uh we've got one. You let Ms. Eanes know that that you're good? I think we have two more. >> Hi. My name's Bree Thai. I'm in the district I'm in District 4 parent. My child attends Goodview Elementary School. We're in the Swift Creek River Zone. Many of you that are up here have campaigned on transparency, parent involvement, and strong support for students with special needs. But, introducing a proposal in the five five final minutes of a meeting, and then voting it a week later, is not transparency, and it is not a meaningful parent involvement. This proposal directly impacts Title 1 schools, special education services, and preschool programs that are located at Goodview Elementary. Families who rely on those programs deserve
144to know that every impact is being examined fully before you make your decision. Parents in this community are not asking for special treatment. We are asking for fairness, transparency, and the same careful consideration for our children that every other zone in this county expects. Tonight, you're not just voting on a building. You are voting on whether the promises you made to parents during your campaigns actually meant something. Thank you. >> HI. MY NAME IS HEATHER DAVIS. I teach at Goodview Elementary School. I had zero intention of speaking. I came here for solidarity. Um but I've been very concerned since the very beginning of this meeting that I've heard a lot of numbers. I've heard a lot about capacity. Um it hurts my heart as a teacher for 22 years to see our students broken down
145to a number. They are so much more than that. I have been blessed to taught in the same classroom for 22 years. The structure of my classroom has not changed. The sticker on the wall for the capacity has been covered up multiple times with a larger number each time. Um I just want to know when the number is going to start looking at how many of our kids are facing trauma. How many of our kids the growing number of our students with IEPs 504s is any of that going in to deciding what the capacity is for each of our schools. I just went through NCI training. We were taught to be person-centered, to look at the care, the welfare, the security of our students. We're not doing that if we are looking at them as
146a number. We need to start thinking about all the things that play into what our students go through each and every day. I spend a lot of my day not teaching my curriculum. I'm an admin. I'm a counselor. I'm a parent that doesn't exist to many of these kids. And now you want to increase that burden with more students being put into classrooms. We are not providing the students the level of care that they need to adequately grow as a person, let alone a student. We can't meet their academic needs if we're not meeting their emotional needs. When I first started here, we didn't have NCI training. We have it more. There's more people being trained because that need is growing. But we're not addressing those needs when we're only looking at our students as
147a seat being filled. People talk about redistricting all of the schools. Give us smaller class sizes so that we can benefit all of our students, not just a few students. Because each and every one of our students has a voice. And not one person is listening to those voices that really need to be heard. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO EVERYBODY THAT CAME OUT to speak at this meeting. We are going to close the public hearing. Um we will go we will get back to 3.02, which is talking about Stewartsville and presentation. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate the opportunity to give this presentation now at this time of the meeting. So, um last week at our March 5th budget work session, the board asked the executive staff to bring back information
148related to closing of Stewartsville Elementary and reconfiguration of the Staunton River Zone schools. Tonight, the executive staff will re-present some of the information we shared originally in 2024. In addition, we will try to address some of the concerns and questions we've heard um since last week. Um I do ask if you can, please hold your questions till the end as we're going to try to intersperse answers, Mr. Hill, throughout our presentation. Um in February of 2024, the executive team was asked to present efficiency options throughout the school division. At that time, the board was beginning to um deal with some financial concerns related to reversion and inflation. We presented multiple options, one of which was the Staunton River Zone reconfiguration. Um this option was called option two at that time, and it was to decommission
149Stewarts Creek and reconfigure grade levels in the Staunton River Zone and all of the elementary schools and the middle and the high school. The Cave um fourth grade students from Stewarts Creek would move to Goodview, and then all of the fifth graders at Stewarts Creek Goodview Huddleston and Moneta um would move to the building that we call Staunton River Middle School, creating a school for fifth through seventh graders. And then our eighth graders would move to the high school to be reconfigured to eighth through 12th grades. I'm going to pass the presentation over to Mr. Hagler now to share the projected enrollment and capacities with those specific changes that we call option two. >> Yes, thank you. Um on the screen are the projected enrollments for each of the school based upon the consideration um
150that you heard in in the first screen there. Um these are projections. Um I will state that the capacity listed there, we've worked with the facility committee in coming up with our metric on there. Uh the way we deal with either adaptive or preschool programs located in located in schools as we decrease the capacity to deal with the the K through 4 K through 5. So the capacity is actually lowered to say that those rooms are not available for you know the K4 or 5 or the configuration of the school. So we we address it that way. So you can see that the the capacities are listed there uh for the grade configurations that have been proposed. Back up. We're going to go to the next screen. >> Oh, you want me to go back?
151>> I'll start there. Go. Um using these enrollment numbers um a little bit more detail on Goodview. We dug a little bit deeper and we look at actually teachers um classrooms um sizes would average 20 to 21 based on on projections next year. So that would be your average classroom size throughout the school. Staffing standards, so we apply staffing standards to every school. All schools are staffed according to those standards, so that's the equitability we apply it district-wide. And so those staffing standards allocates out staff to the school. Based upon the staffing standards that we have right now, there would be 28 teachers assigned to Goodview. There are currently 60 36 full-size classrooms with additional small classrooms for choral services. So that's just giving the numbers based upon what we're seeing right now. We looked
152at the capacity, but then you actually have to drill down and look how many teachers are going to be there and how many classrooms. So we went that one step further to take a look at that. Um the difference between the 28 and 36, you have art, music, um sped classrooms, and also preschool that could fill those other classrooms. Um I'll now turn it back over to Dr. Woodford for the next two points on there. >> So as Mr. Hagler said, while we were looking at the space in Goodview at through our map, our team took into account the need for a full classroom for art and a full classroom for music because I know as a former elementary teacher and administrator, that's important especially in a large school. Um we also right now currently
153have a large number of itinerant staff with rooms which may need to be moved to other schools. Itinerant staff um serve in multiple schools. Um Goodview, when it was built, they have a lot of small office spaces, smaller rooms for pull-out services. Um and so some of those spaces might need to be reconfigured so that we can ensure our students are the priority there and not adults who um may, you know, want to work there and, you know, we'll we'll have more space in some of our other schools. Um over the last week, I I just have to say there's been a lot of miscommunication um about special education, specifically our adaptive programs, um that those adaptive programs would be cut. First of all, this has never been a part of our discussions as an
154executive team. Um special education programs are required through IDEA, which is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. And our staff is extremely knowledgeable about the requirements and laws related to those services. Um so I I want to just make that clear that we have never discussed cutting any of our special education programs. I also want to say as someone who is very knowledgeable about Title 1, Title 1 funding follows children. So you don't receive Title 1 funding because of the building. You receive Title 1 funding because of the children. Um when Title 1 allocations are given out, they are allotted by student. So if you have more students at Goodview Elementary, then that money follows those students. Um and so, we have considered that. We considered it 2 years ago, and we've considered it this
155week if we've as we've talked through plans. Um so, I want to assure you that we are not concerned with not having adaptive programs, and we are not concerned with Title 1 funding being jeopardized by any of the decisions that we would need to make. Um we do have several preschool programs in the Stewartsville-Goodview area, and I agree that is one of our areas that we have a high number of applications. Um and we usually place those programs according to our student needs. Um I'll say that we also have more applications in our Liberty Zone. And so, we make sure we have those preschool programs there for those students. We took those preschool programs into account as we were looking at capacity. Um That also, when we look at Moneta and Huddleston, they um have
156traditionally not have this had the space because they're older buildings. They don't have those smaller spaces for staff and small pull-outs. Um but, if we had to move the fifth graders, we would have some capacity to possibly give them some of those preschool programs or to put half-size programs in places. So, I'm not concerned with us jeopardizing any of our preschool funding. Um as a preschool program, not all of our preschoolers attend preschool where they will later go to school. We have students, um you know, at Goodview right now who would or zoned for Stewartsville, or zoned for Moneta, or zoned for Huddleston, but their parents work in Roanoke. So, we have a capacity to move those programs around if needed. But, as Mr. Hagler said, when we looked at uh our numbers and our
157projections, we were accounting for our adaptive and preschool programs. I'm not going to say that as we get into real time and planning that we might not have to change some preschool things, but we are prioritizing our special education. So, I can assure you that I'm not worried about that. I'm going to send it back over to Mr. Hagler just to talk about some of the cost savings we've identified. >> Yes, in in doing the calculations, I know there's been questions out there in the community and also board members have asked you know, where does the savings come from? I've heard comments about So, you almost when you look at savings, you have two different types. One is ongoing maintenance of buildings, but one and the other one is reoccurring savings that are operational savings
158in our operating budget. On the operating budget, projected about 1.1 million. The positions affected would be we in our staffing model just it shows one teacher. We round up by every school. So, that one teacher is just a rounding thing that would happen because there's one less school rounding up. So, that's just our our model there. Librarians, principal, guidance, reading specialist, paraprofessionals, nurse, custodians. Those are the staffing that are affected. Being very transparent here. These these are the calculations. Other savings, we'd have one need for one less SRO, which we picked up the full cost of in our budget this year. Utilities about $115,000. The nutrition program that's operating sep- separately, um we go down one manager and three workers. We would reallocate one nutrition worker back over to Goodview because of the increased population.
159Future CIP is just working with the facilities committee, long-term maintaining of all of our facilities, HVACs, roofs, painting, all the things that need to be maintained, it would remove, you know, one building out of our inventory to maintain, lessening the load to do other projects in the future. Other things to consider down at the bottom regarding transportation. Yeah. This is what we're looking at. The Stuarts Draft is about 1.3 mi from Goodview. Those kids would be riding and just going a little bit further, the ones that are in fourth grade, K through four going up there. And the And And working with transportation, you've got the buses that are picking up and yes, some people have mentioned, currently the plan is that yes, the fifth graders would be on with the sixth through 12th graders.
160So, there's no added routes. Transportation we see as being a minimal impact at this time. We have not redone all the routes. We have not done all the look at every single bus. Can't promise exactly that, but we don't see it being a huge impact at this time. And talking with our transportation department department and separating out those fifth graders, would be at the front of the bus and separation as much as possible to keep an eye on them. That would be the plan going into this. So, that answers a little bit about transportation and how we would be handling that going forward. And at this time, I'll turn it back over to Dr. Woodford to kind of finish up. >> Dr. Cornett, if you would like to address athletics. >> So, we know there
161have been some questions about middle school sports eligibility, such as can fifth graders play middle school sports and do eighth graders continue playing middle school sports. The athletic eligibility status would not change. Sixth through eighth grade students would still be eligible to try out and participate for the middle school sports teams. Eighth grade students would continue to have the opportunity to try out and participate for JV sports teams. Staunton River High School's class three state classification would not change as VHSL classifications are based on student enrollments in grades 9th through 11th. Um and our administrators, they would work very closely together to collaborate to offer students the traditional extracurricular activity opportunities as they has as they have been in the past to the greatest extent possible. >> We have heard the concerns about fifth graders
162moving to the middle school building and I can assure you that just as we do with our rising graders now, fifth graders would be kept in grade level teams in one area of the building. Currently, the middle school is set up in grade level groupings with an administrator in each grade level area. Current schedules at the middle school keep grade levels separated in the cafeteria and PE and other resource areas. Um again, we have been talking about this for, you know, a week. We've not gone in depth AND LOOKED AT WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY IS WE HAVE NOT GONE and created class schedules. We have not gone in and done in-depth planning with principals. That's what happens in the summer. That's what happens as we prepare. Um so what we're telling you is what
163we know as long-time educators. Um as Mr. Haggler's already stated, we will direct and train our bus drivers that our fifth graders need to be in the front of the bus and that the older students need to be in the back. Um all of the concerns we've heard are the same fears that parents have had when sixth graders moved to any of our middle schools. It's the same fears that our parents have when first graders leave Bedford Primary and go to Bedford Elementary in second grade. What I do know from my experience, um there's always intentional preparation and support to ensure our students and families have smooth transitions. We have done that multiple times. We do it every year and there would be no difference now. Um when looking at the maturity and development of
164children, we've heard a lot tonight about research about maturity and development. Um I looked at all of that research myself and I also found research that says that students who are between the ages of 10 and 13, which is commonly grades 5 through 7, are considered early adolescence. Um and this is the time where students are seeking more independence in life and craving deeper friendships and are ready to be challenged in academics and social environments. Um actually originally middle schools were designed to be a bridge to gap um students from that gap from elementary to high school because there was this recognition that students at this age are unique in their development. And as a former middle school principal, I know that we consider that and there's a big difference between a sixth grader and
165an eighth grader. And it's not going to be any different if it's a fifth grader to a seventh grader. As a as an administrator, as a teacher, as an educator, we make those um arrangements as we're working with students at every different age and at every different level. Um I can tell you as a former principal um that sixth and seventh graders are more like elementary students than you think. And I think that my former assistant principals would probably agree with that. Um I was actually surprised to find out as a fifth grade teacher moving to be an administrator at middle school that they're just larger versions of elementary students. Um so this age grouping can have positive outcomes if we are positive with our students. Um unfortunately, recent research search actually states that social
166media that our students are watching and the internet have a more pervasive, constant, and broad-ranging influence than in-person peers in school. This is largely due that the fact that social media fuels, amplifies, and replaces traditional peer interactions. Um think about yourself as a teenager. If you went home and you were having a bad day with your peers at the middle school, and you went home, it stopped. Today, social media keeps these interactions going 24/7 for our students. I see it at the elementary level. I see it at the middle school level and the high school level. So, I I think there are lots of things we need to do to protect our students. And it's not only about those in-person interactions they're going to have with other students. In-person relationships have a more positive effect
167on students because they're immediate, direct, and often more kind and more genuine than what they're getting on social media. And um we have a lot of students who are at the elementary level already on social media, on the internet, and Tik Tok. We see it all the time. Um some of those positive outcomes uh may be access to specialized content area teachers. So, that our elementary fifth grade teachers are collaborating with teachers who specialize in math, English, history, and science content. Um right now, we currently have some fifth graders who do online sixth grade math so that they can have advanced math courses. So, our students would have some access to advanced classes in person um that they've not had before. Um access to science labs, um preparing for adolescence, preparing for organization. Um what
168I do know is that as teachers and educators, we will teach them where they're at and we will understand where they're at when they come to us. Um I haven't heard a lot of concern about eighth graders moving to the high school, but I can tell you there are some benefits to that, too. Currently, we have eighth grade students who walk from Stanton River Middle School to Stanton River High School to take high school credit classes, which may not have enough students in them to have full-time teachers at the middle school. Um there are staff members at Stanton River Middle and High School that teach at both locations so that we can provide our eighth graders with opportunities for high school credit classes. Um trying to make sure that we have full classes at the
169high school and the middle school levels. Um opportunity to experience the high school environment before ninth grade can also help Stanton River in a particular way. Um Stanton River High School is the only high school that predominantly sends students to the Roanoke Governor's School. Um most of the time when we talk to our eighth grade students about going to Roanoke Governor's School, it's a governor's school that starts in ninth grade. So, it's a ninth through 12th grade governor's school. Time and again, our students say, "I want to be at high school. I want to see what that's all about. I want to I want to experience that." Um and so, they don't go to our Roanoke Governor's School and we have had a really hard time filling our slots there. Um so, this might open
170up some opportunities for more kids to experience some of the independence of high school so that they can see what it's like so they do want to go to our Roanoke Governor's School and fill those slots that we're paying for. Again, just the interactions, um, you know, in labs, science labs, STEM activities. Um, and also just have to say, we already have a lot of interaction between our eighth graders and high schoolers in athletics, in the FFA, in 4-H, um, which is very big in the Staunton River zone. We already have them in classes often together, and they're already together on the bus. Um, again, there's a lot of research both ways. We can make this positive or we can make this negative. Whatever you decide, what I know is that we will make it
171work. Um, when schools close or consolidate, families do worry about disruption. We worry about disruption. However, there is research and experience to show that students are highly resilient and capable of adapting successfully when transitions are managed. Um, as a school system, we saw this in the summer and fall of 2020 when we reconfigured our entire school division to ensure we brought our children back to school in person instead of teaching them 100% online. This was an exceptionally stressful time for everyone, but our teachers, our staff, our administrators, our nutrition workers, our bus drivers, and our families and students made it work. I'm going to tell you, we were one of the few school divisions in this region that went back to school in person. And so, that is due to the teachers and the staff
172that we are talking about that got that 31 that 31st place in academics because we do focus and care about kids. Research consistently shows that relationships with supportive adults and peers are more important than the building itself. Children are naturally more adaptable. Transitions in their lives actually strengthen their ability to cope with challenges they face. And when in a larger school, they do have more opportunities and access to more staff for support. Um, we've heard a lot about class sizes being really big. Actually, in a larger school, you can distribute students much more evenly and that's why when we're looking at numbers, we're looking at classes of 20 or 21. Um, so when we as the adults manage and help our students um, be positive, we can have strong teacher and student relationships. We'll have
173counselor and student uh, support staff there. Um, we'll make sure we have orientation and transition activities just like we do whenever we have students transitioning from one school to the next. Um, there are opportunities for students to build new friendships. Um, you know, they're already playing rec ball, they know each other, so we just open up those friendships. And I agree, we need um, communication about a plan. And if that's um, what the board decides they want to do, either way, we will plan and we will spend lots of time planning. Um, maybe I shouldn't say this, but I'm going to. Um, personal feelings about this misconception perpetuated by all three zones, that there's an inequality. Um, I'm just going to tell you, I'm a Stanton River educator, I'm a Stanton River graduate, I'm a
174Stanton River administrator, and I can tell you when we have discussions about children for strategic planning, when we think about teachers, when we think about schools, we don't talk about the Jefferson Forest Zone or the Liberty Zone or the Stanton River Zone. We talk about our school division. And I think that we as a community sometimes perpetuate that there's an inequality. Um, and I can tell you I'm an advocate for Bedford County Public Schools. I'm an advocate for every student that steps in our door. I sit at a table with a Jefferson Forest High School administrator, a former, Liberty High School former administrators, and Staunton River administrators. And we are always advocating for every child who steps foot in any door in any of our buildings. And I just feel like I have to say
175that because we are constantly being accused of not being fair. And I can tell you that we believe in equality for all of our students. Um, so our goal during any school transition is to ensure that our students continue to receive a safe and supportive learning environment, high-quality instruction and academic opportunities, and access to our caring teachers and staff who know and support them. We understand that school transitions can be emotional for families and communities, and we are committed to supporting those students and those families every step of the way. Board members, thank you so much for allowing us time to share um what the information that we have, and we are at this time happy to answer any questions that you may have. >> All right, any questions, Mr. Corns? >> Oh, I have
176a litany of questions. Would you like to get yours out of the way though? >> I mean, rule call my order. I don't need to I can go last. I'm probably going to. >> I would thank you for that presentation, Mr. Hagler and Josh. We're back to where we were now. >> How come he gets Josh and you won't call me Karen? >> It's Josh. >> Yeah, I apologize. It's uh Um, like when we when we brought children back to school after COVID, how How did y'all plan that out? >> When we brought them back? >> Yes, ma'am. >> Uh so, we closed um as Miss Staten, I think, said, March 13th. We began um planning, I would say, in May for bringing them back. And we were off and running. Um we were ready
177on the first day of school in August. Our teachers were a little overwhelmed, so we postponed that for 2 weeks to allow them time to get more prepared. Um and then we were going. So, it was really just a couple of months. And it was not just the executive team. It would be what it would be, you know, if a decision is made. As soon as the decision was approved and made, we got all of our stakeholders, and we started moving. So. >> Okay. So, roughly about the same amount of time we would have if we decided to close Stewarts Chapel tonight. >> I would say roughly, yeah. >> Okay. Um I I did look at your estimated cost savings with Zeigler, and since we're looking at a reduction about 1.1 million. Um based off
178of that, uh could you explain to me I mean, a couple of things on here don't don't quite make financial sense to me. And that I keep Again, I work at a hardware store, so bear with me, but um like the savings on SRO salary. Currently, SROs split, right? So, he spends half his time at Stewarts Chapel, half his time at Hope. >> No. >> That's not correct. >> Well, I For that the Excuse me. >> It's not supposed to be. The SROs are supposed to be at every school, whether the sheriff has those all filled or not. >> I got you. >> I'm sorry. That was not it, but what I've budgeted in the budget is as if all the positions would be filled. >> I understand. >> So, there's turnover. There's sometimes that.
179I I can't comment on the sheriff filling to spots. >> Well, I That's why I was confused at first and I do appreciate it. And so uh the the positions we'd be losing looks like one teacher, two librarians, a principal, guidance counselor, two and a half clerical workers, one reading specialist, two paraprofessionals, one nurse, and four custodial staff. We wouldn't be picking those positions up at any other locations based off of how many kids >> When So, I mentioned the staffing standards. Um so, when we move kids around and we move them to different grades, I put that into our model to see if that triggers any additional staff or reduction in staff anywhere. So, yes, some of those reductions will be in other schools because of uh enrollments coming down, being transparent there. They're
180not all at Stewartsville. And then you look to see if that meets the new standard to qualify for another guidance counselor or assistant principal. So, all those have been considered whether there were any additions or subtractions in calculating that amount out. >> Okay. Um >> I I will be honest that with all the movement, there weren't many There were really weren't any any triggers to add additional staff. And that's just where our staffing standards are. Staffing standards don't save or cost money. They're just an allocation models that is fair across the county. And those can be changed by the board in any budget cycle. Um so, we look at that. We review it during the budget. Um Uh Dr. Coward is the one that oversees that for HR and so we once in a while
181we tweak that when we think that uh something needs to be addressed. But right now, the those are my estimates, sir. >> Very good. Uh Dr. Woodford With the amount of classrooms that we're looking at in Goodview, are are we Is there any opportunity to keep fifth grade there if we were to add mobile units for assistants? And then how would that adjust our staffing standards in that regard? >> I think that would be a question for Mr. Hagler since he does facility No, no, it's fine. I think he's just prepared to answer that question better than I would be. >> I I think that that there was a question There were a lot of questions we were answering. I think that was one question by board members we were looking up. So, I have
182I have a little bit of data on that uh for tonight. We weren't able to get it out to you ahead of time. We would estimate that if you were to keep the fifth graders here, we'd probably need five classrooms. So, that would probably be three double-wide mobiles. And that would allow the fifth graders to stay there. The fifth graders are probably I'm not saying what the principal would do, but probably the fifth graders would be in the mobiles. I I would imagine. So, we did that calculation. We're probably take three double-wides. Um I've got a little bit more information on that if the board wants. Um we've been looking into things, but there you know, there's some That answers that question. That could happen. >> Okay. And if if that if that happened and
183we kept all fifth graders in their respective schools, Minneola and Umatilla. You have the eighth grade essentially at the middle school. The The staffing standards for that I I assume you're not prepared to answer that question, but >> The staffing standards would be applied. There's no changes. But it would >> But it wouldn't really save us any money. Is what you're saying. >> It would save about the same amount. I mean I'd have to reconfigure that and see how many would stay and what the uh how many students would actually be be at Goodview, but some some of those some kids would be going I'd have to reapply that, but I I'd imagine they'd come out about the same. >> Cost of the >> Cuz you're looking at the same amount of kids just in
184different locations and some of those triggers before you get additional staff are pretty high uh before you get that. >> Minus the cost of the mobiles and set up. >> The cost of the mobiles and if you want me to share a little bit about that uh we got a little bit of data on that. Um Cost of the mobiles You want me to go into that at all? >> what would that estimate be? >> As a rough estimate, we haven't put it out for bid or um but we just did some uh inquiries this week. Um To buy the mobiles uh new um the the cost of just buying them would be about uh $525,000 and then you have an additional setup cost for utilities, uh walkways, fire communications, uh and and utilities. Um
185so, another about 285,000 dollars on top of that. If you're to lease them, it's uh the same cost to set them up, but about 100,000 dollars per year for leasing them. Those are rough. We did some very quick calculations cuz there were some questions on that. I wanted to give you that tonight. Uh once again, I don't have any firm quotes on that. >> Um sorry, Mr. Arkin. >> Yes, sir. >> I was writing as fast as >> Yep. Yep. Go ahead. >> What's the uh so, what's the setup cost again, roughly? >> 285 285 >> About 285,000 is a setup cost and then you're talking about We got several different like verbal quotes over the phone. 175 to 230 per mobile. Okay. Uh buying. >> Yep. >> Okay. That's new. >> Yep. >> So,
186we're we're essentially looking at about 800 800 and some change. >> Yes, sir. >> Give or take. >> Um If you buy them, that's, you know, that's a one-time. So, you you you have to pay that one time and then uh then that could go back into reoccurring in the future. Um so, yes, sir. >> Based off that, the yearly operational cost of Stewartsville and entry, you you're thinking we would have a net sum of about uh let's call it 400,000 dollars in the first year, but then the savings go to 1.1 >> Yes, sir. >> continuing on. They would continue on in perpetuity. >> Yes, sir. >> That's right. >> Um I am I am a little concerned about the amount of students we'll see in the future. And I understand the way that
187you're looking at the capacities because of the adaptive and pre-K programs, but it's putting your capacity at that 94% mark. >> Yes, sir. >> Um At at that at that point, um should we exceed any kind of real growth in in area over the next 5 years, I don't see how we could avoid that without redistricting a lot of those students back into the Manito or high school group. Are Are we prepared to How we would deal with something like that? >> I We have not looked at that this week. I do know that when we looked at other options 2 years ago, we looked at redistricting. >> You mean the high school? >> Yes. So, we were going to move some of our Stewartsville students to Mont Bella who were closer to that side,
188which would move them into the Liberty zone. Um Stewartsville students to Goodview. We would have to move families at Goodview who are currently there to Manito, and pretty much we're kind of shifting around. So, we had some of that in our original plan where we had looked at where students live and things like that. So, in our plan 2 years ago, we did look at that possibility of keeping fifth graders, but having to kind of shift all of the students. I don't know. >> I apologize. I >> No, you're fine. >> I was on the board 2 years ago, and I definitely wasn't paying enough attention. >> It's It's totally fine. >> On me. >> Don't let him off the hook. >> We were crossing zones. Yeah, we were crossing from Stewartsville to Liberty zone.
189>> Okay. Um Have Have we Again, you had a lot of time on this. Um The preschool program moving out of the elementary. Um that is a obviously a high serviced area, and you did speak to this a little bit about You You think that the families would follow that program pretty much no matter where it goes. If it goes to Manito, those those kids are going to go to Manito. Um I'm a little concerned because Route 24 is a lot of traffic on Route 24. It's a little bit easier to get to than going down uh Goodview Road and, you know, hitting Diamond Hill and if anybody's familiar with those roads, uh I I encourage you to drive them in a Suburban and you'll get very seasick. Um I I'm slightly concerned that we're
190going to be disenfranchising a lot of community a lot of people in that area by forcing them to go uh not only to the side of the county that they don't work in because there's not a lot to do in Manita. It's primarily Yeah, I know, shocker. Uh there's a really good hardware store, but that's about it. But I I would recommend that you that you, you know, how how we could absorb that into Goodview would be something I would be very very interested in because it's such a a draw to that area for one. Um is there any way we could look at a reconfiguration model by adding mobiles that would allow us to do something similar to that? >> Obviously, to be honest, we can look at whatever the board directs us to
191look at. I mean, that that's honestly like whatever you all ask of us, we will do. Um one of the things that really drives our preschool programs is preschool registration, which hasn't occurred yet. Um and so when we get our applications, we we we separate them out by where the students live and all of that because for our pre-K programs, we do offer transportation. So, we want to have Manita students at Manita and Huddleston students at Huddleston. So, that kind of drives where we put our preschools. Um obviously, we would definitely um prioritize our preschools. Um Stuarts Draft does have a Head Start program. We let them use our buildings when we have the additional space. That program we would definitely move somewhere else because we wouldn't want to overload Goodview. If we we get
192that additional VPI program into Goodview, we obviously would do that. If we if it's just about student configuration, some of those classes have like 15 students, they can take to 18. I mean, we would look at all of that once we get our applications. So, >> I will say that in in what I was saying on our capacities, we left the Goodview preschool in Goodview. So, I lowered my capacity for the K through 4. >> Right. the ones at Stuarts Draft. >> If we could throw it into >> Yes. Yes, sir. >> a fifth grade in there as well. >> So, again, a lot of the concerns that have been addressed to me is moving fifth grade and moving eighth grade. >> Sure. >> Um I'm very against closing Stuarts Draft Elementary School. I don't
193I don't like that idea, but I want to try to find a solution that if that has to come to pass, that it's still not a burden on my families in my district. Um cuz almost all from where I live. So. Um Okay. I have more questions, but I think you've addressed almost all of them. So, I'm going to uh save the rest of my time. Thank you. >> Mr. Karnes. >> No. I don't really have any questions. Pretty much most of his all of those have been answered, so I have a few comments, but I'll wait. Okay, man. >> I don't No, I do have a lot OF COMMENTS. >> OKAY. >> I AND YOU GUYS HAVE HONESTLY ANSWERED MOST of my 27 questions, so I appreciate that. Um >> You can email them
194to us. >> I got a lot of questions. All right. Um Okay. What is the current class sizes at Goodview and Stuarts Stuarts Draft Elementary? Roughly. I know it Okay. >> sizes? >> Yeah, so you're saying that the class sizes will be about 20 21. Are they currently about 20 21? >> Yeah. They're on our website. >> Sorry, I did add that question in while we were talking. I apologize. >> No, no. I was going to say that wasn't what I talked about last time. >> No, it wasn't. Um >> I do I will say that um they're they do um use some of their title money for classroom teachers, so their classroom so are smaller. Um so I would say I don't know I don't want to miss >> I'm taking what you had
195as data for that last time, and um kindergarten was 20.5, first grade was 21, second grade was 19.5, third grade was 24, fourth grade was 21, fifth grade was 21. And those were projections with the FTEs allotted based on staffing standards. Typically, Mr. Bliss and Ms. Gursler used some of their title money to have additional staff, so that their class sizes are a tad bit smaller. >> Okay. And I think the board knows this, and I'll just you know, there's a lot of public here listening. The smaller the school, the kids don't come in nice easy buckets. So when you have a smaller school with less teachers, you could have a class you could have a cohort come through with 29, and then you have another class of 12. But you only get so many
196teachers, and so what are you going to do? It just makes it hard, and it does make it more expensive, because if you have to allocate more teachers above the staffing standard, which means that school gets additional rather than the other school, it's just the metrics of how it works out. So the larger the school, you you're able to just spread it out, and it work the dynamics work better. >> I got you. Okay. >> That's just being transparent. What's that? >> We're not increasing class sizes. Is that what you're saying? It It Essentially, we're not >> following the staffing standards. >> following the staffing standard, and and and the larger the school, the more it spreads out, and you get level. You don't You don't have a 26 and a 14. >> Yeah. Yeah.
197>> Um it it it and we see that in other schools. >> All right. Um what is the 5-year enrollment projection of the Stan River zone? >> I presented that um I presented 3 years out uh cuz I have birth kind of birth rates for the next 3 years. So, I kind of work it off building Coopers and stuff and I presented that back I think in October November. Um so, for 25 26 and this was um 25 26 was our offer our fall enrollment. We don't have our spring enrollment was 2,485 for the whole Stan River zone. Um 26 27 going down to 2,414. This is just projections. 27 28 2,383. And 28 29 2,356. >> Okay. >> Um so, between 25 and 26 and 28 29 there's projection. That's based up of 100
198100 kids less in the zone. And that's based upon age progression and guessing number of births. Um so, >> Okay. Um if Shortsville were closed and no grade reconfiguration occurred, what would Goodview's projected capacity percentage be? >> So, that's saying the fifth graders would stay there. >> So, that everything stays the same. We just absorb Shortsville into Goodview. >> Yeah. We did look at that and that's where they just um Yeah. Yeah. 7 Uh so, that means the capacity Yeah. It would be at 114%. >> Okay. >> That's just That went out. >> Um So, for I'm going to look at down there staffing reductions. Uh so, I'm I'm just going to play a hypothetical here. >> Yep. >> Um let's say, you know, Mr. Karns He what he was looking for. We got mobiles
199for the to Um how would that affect the staffing standard for support staff? Like what is it for like nurses and cafeteria workers and SROs? Is there a certain like >> Okay. It's all in the Bedford County staffing standards. So there's one counselor per school, one nurse per school. >> Okay, so it's per school. It doesn't matter. >> of those things are allotted per school. Some are allotted per pupil attendance and how I mean like how many people So like a librarian is you get a full librarian if it's over 200. Um so there's things like that that are that are allotted by number, but most of them are allotted by school. Reading specialist, counselor, um nurse are allotted by school, SRO. >> I would say, you know, it if they all stayed there and
200the fifth graders went back, there were a couple staffing standard triggers at Moneta and Huddleston cuz if their fifth graders left, they became a lot smaller. And there were a few staff where they were only sharing staff where they had full-time staff before. Just being transparent there. So those savings wouldn't be there. So the savings would still be there but a little bit less. >> Okay. >> Not not a lot less cuz the majority of it was with Stewartsville, but just being Yeah, it's about Yeah. >> Um would additional staffing positions be required at the Staunton River middle or high school? >> We looked >> This is considering all those moves. >> Consider all those moves when we put in the model. Um it did not trigger another assistant principal at either. No. >> Okay.
201>> And if it did trigger another position in another school, it was subtracted off. Like I think for Goodview, it triggered another aide position, which we subtracted off the total. >> There was another aide going away. >> our net. This is our net. >> Um as far as SOL prep elective offerings, is there any real difference in uh moving eighth graders to high school? So, as far as SOL prep and elective offerings, is there any real difference, you know, going from a middle school to a high school for the eighth graders? >> Not really, because our eighth graders really start looking and we start experimenting with those electives and that's where we have a lot of teacher split. Our foreign language teachers, a lot of them work at both schools. So, we can offer foreign
202language in eighth grade. We We really kick up our FFA in eighth grade. So, they would have access to FFA at the high school. SOL prep, no. Wherever they are, we would give them the interventions, remediation, preparation they need for whatever test that they would have to do. >> Um And and I'm assuming this is this is accurate. Is there any other Virginia divisions that currently use a fifth through seventh model for middle school? I know I know when Jordan Island was in the school, that's that's what our suggestion was here in Botetourt County. >> So, there are two other divisions that have a five through seven grade configuration and eight through 12, and that's in Lee County and in Wise County. And those are smaller rural divisions. There are eight school divisions in Virginia
203that have a combination of different types. So, they have There's some four through seven, some five through seven, and then there are some just six and seventh together. So, right now in Virginia, there's just two that have a five through seven and an eight through 12. >> Um so, looking at fifth graders and Y'all know I got a rising fifth grader, so I'm real real interested about this part of it. Um moving to the middle school. You know, in an elementary school situation, you've got access to recess, you know, some of the abilities for those kids to get out there, run out their energy a little bit, cuz I can tell you, my fourth grader has just a ball of energy. So, what is this what does that look like if we move fifth graders
204to the middle school? >> Uh we would still do recess. Um we would I mean they would have the fields in the back of the school. The only thing they don't have is the playground equipment. I mean that's the that's a reality. Um a lot of our schools when students are getting that age, they have a lot of extra equipment, you know, kickball, things like that. Um and so we would really talk to the school and see like what are your needs? Is there anything we can support you with? But um we I mean they're still children. We want them to get outside and play and you know >> Um I'm on our last page and a half, so we're getting there. Um so if Stuart's was closed, what's the long-term plan for that building?
205>> That hasn't uh this was a an option put before us, so that would become um the board would have a couple options, okay? And I don't think it's really been discussed or decided by the board. You keep it in your inventory, but then that means you got to provide some electrical and spend some money cuz you're just not letting it go. Or it could be uh another option that uh is available, deem it surplus property, it reverts back over to the county, or the school board could sell it. Those are the three options that that that the school board could turn to. >> Okay, so we can we can keep it and >> Keep it. >> and allow it just to be there. >> Yep. >> Um we've got an option to What did
206What did you do? >> I call it deemed as surplus property, that turns it over to the county, and then it becomes their property. And the the last option is um school board has the authority to sell. >> I got you. >> That wasn't an option for school boards probably 10 years ago. That is now. >> That was my other question. What um cuz I'm assuming with um, when we when the county sold body cam here recently. >> Yes. >> Um, that was not the school board selling body cam. >> No, um that was that was deemed surplus property back under the rules prior, so that was county property. I mean, it's uh board of supervisors property. That was not school board property. >> Okay. Um uh as far as um would closing Stuarts Draft
207allow the division to redirect any of its funding elsewhere? >> Um >> And how much would that be? >> We look out 20 years. Well, as the facility committee knows, we're looking out 20 years and when things should be looked at, H backs and major equipment. Um, the two things that are up and coming right now within the next 5 years is Stuarts Draft. It's already been discussed with the with the committee. It's on our uh to-do list. One is that this summer we have to fix the wastewater treatment plant. Um, so that was a citation and we're committed to doing that. Uh the next is that there are some plumbing from our from our our senior uh uh plumber who uh works at our older schools that there are some issues there that are
208going to have to be addressed. It's just an older school and that some of that plumbing issue is going to have to be addressed. That can't just be addressed a little pipe fixture. There are some um there are some problems there that are That's not like it has to be next year, but I'm saying within the next 5 to 8 years that's going to have to be addressed and that's going to be some significant money. >> Um, so if we if we decided to look at a rezoning alternatives instead of uh kind of the the model in front of us right now, how long would it take to realistically conduct a rezoning study, holding meetings, all sorts of things? >> I'll be honest, minimum a year. >> A whole year? >> That especially when you
209when you go into that transportation gets a lot more complicated than already existing routes picking up kids and going, you know, 1.3 miles away and then still going to the same high school middle school. I'd say that's the biggest complication there and how are you going to reroute all that and what happens there? That's more significant. >> Um looking at, you know, a little bit of a district wide structure. So, if the Staunton River zone were reconfigured, would other zones need to adopt that model as we as we move forward with kind of our budget reduction, those sort of things. >> I mean, if you're asking do we have to do it for academics, things like that? I mean >> I guess I'm I'm asking um, you know, obviously we've got an issue in New
210London area where I represent. We've got a we've got an overcrowding issue there. Um is it one of those things where are we doing this now, but we're also seeing a need where we're going to have to look at something in the other districts as well relatively quickly? >> Um not talking about the academics, but I think that was one idea that we presented 2 years ago also when we were presenting the Staunton River one that we represented tonight and some other options for Staunton River, but also for Liberty and also Forest with the overcrowding. Um the board has several options to deal with the overcrowding in Forest. One is uh redistricting, um overflow model, but one is um what was presented if that if um fifth graders moved up, you could you could take
211care of some of the overcrowding. >> So, if fifth graders moved up into the middle school in another in another district, would that potentially solve some of that other overcrowding issues? >> What about eighth graders moving to the high school? Would that call >> That we'd have to look at cuz that's kind of >> Cuz JF is closing in on capacity, right? >> Yeah. When we looked at it, um if you move fifth graders to Forest Middle School, you could move fifth graders and put them with six, seven, and eight and they would only still be 84% full. >> Okay. >> And you wouldn't J.F. Young is more crowded. >> So, it would be more difficult to move eighth graders into the high school. >> Right, but you can move fifth graders into the middle
212school and that would free up Forest Elementary and New London. >> I got you. >> I want to have the basement still available >> want to be I just want to be clear. Is that moving just You wanted to clarify. >> Well, I did. That was just moving I'm sorry. That was just moving Forest Elementary and New London. It wasn't moving the whole >> Yes, okay. >> zone. >> Cuz if you even pull Salem and that would put Forest Middle >> Yes, over capacity. >> Okay. Okay. Um and if I'm looking at your models correctly earlier, the moving fifth graders into the Staunton River zone would not put the Staunton River Middle School at over capacity. >> No, the highest capacity with doing this model was if you knows was on the chart is that
213Goodview would be >> at 94. >> Yep, that's right. >> Um and 94% and potentially decreasing as well. >> Potentially. I mean, obviously if you're you're >> forecasting How do >> I will say this, the trend in Go ahead and ask. >> How do you come up with your trending? >> So, what we do is we look at grade progression for the last three or four years. Um if I go back to COVID, it kind of messes things up. So, I looked at the last three years. What traditionally how many first graders go to second grader in the same school that show up next year? And I'm just using trend. That's part of the trend analysis. So, you're looking at what first graders go to second, what sixth graders go to our fifth graders go
214to sixth. So, when you think about the high school, you have you typically have and Dr. Calvert knows it have been in high school, you're going to have a drop off cuz some kids drop out of school. So, when you see a ninth to 10th or 11th, you'll see a drop off from one grade to another. So, you're looking across the board. The hardest thing to predict is where the kindergarteners going to show up. >> Yeah, that's right. How do you predict birth rate? >> So I get a birth a birth rate from Weldon Cooper's. Then I look at how many kindergarteners actually show up in our school based upon a birth rate. So I'll take a percentage of the total birth rate. And then I allocate those to each school based upon a current
215percentage. So what are the kindergarteners there right now? So that's a less accurate thing. It's kind of just allocating them across the schools, but I'm I'm taking the birth rate reported by the state for Beaver County. And then I'm reducing that because not all of those kids will show up in our schools. >> Um so if the board took no action this year, I guess we um what would the financial impact be for this this fiscal year 2017 budget? >> So interesting cuz you're going to be passing a budget here soon. Um we have presented a balanced budget. Not closing Stewart school for the balanced budget we requested. That is prior to us knowing what the full funding from the county is going to be in the state. So we've presented a what if best
216guess what our funding needs are right now. So I think it's too early to tell. >> Okay. >> If the state funding or the county does not fully fund our request, this the if you went forward with this, this could be used to balance the current year budget. That doesn't help what's going to happen with the reversion three down three three two years down the road. That's still there. Um that would So it could be used in different capacities there, but um it's too early to tell. I know I'm hedging on that because we do not know our final revenue. >> So the the proposal to close Stewart school is not really addressing the current operating budget. We're looking to address the reversion potentially. >> Correct, but it could impact the current budget if we
217do not get our full funding. >> Okay. >> For instance, let me get just what if if if we and get less funding than the 1.8 we requested from the county or if the state cuts some, then we got to cut. We either got to cut positions or savings from this could be applied to that. I know people don't like to hear that, but I've got to balance the budget with the revenues. And so we've got to cut somewhere. And where you cut, do you savings from a school closure or you use staff cuts? Cuz most of our funding most of our spending is in our and what's that's where it is. >> And why do we have to balance the budget? Can we run a deficit? >> No. Um I know the board has
218been listening and we cut it pretty thin on our budget. There's not padding there. Um last year we ended up with about a it's a $130 million budget with about $120,000 left. Um doesn't make me it makes for nervous nights, but I want to give as much money to the kids in the schools as we can and not hold anything back. So uh yeah, some years I'm closer, some years it's a little bit further apart cuz you don't know what's going to happen in actual turnover with staff and how many kids are going to show up. Uh less kids means less money from the state. So um you can't run you've got to have a balanced budget that works and I can only budget off guaranteed revenue. I know some people said can we do
219fundraisers or can people donate? That's not guaranteed money. I can't balance a reoccurring budget off that. I can use that for capital expenditures if people donate, but I can't really sign contracts with employees off non-guaranteed money. And so I really have to look at what the federal, state, and county's giving us on that. I hope that answered your question. >> Yes, and I'm done. Got all my questions answered. >> All right, man. >> Mr. Turnage. >> Um I had a couple questions. I know we're talking about moving the fifth graders throughout the whole district or not the district, but the zone. Um has anybody looked into just the Stewart's Bend Goodview fifth grade? And they just use the up section of the Staunton River Middle School building and not have to move all of the
220fifth graders for the whole district or for the whole town? Just so that they can have enough room for now and then hopefully >> Okay. >> not have to continue to do that. >> There >> I don't think the eighth grade is in the building. >> The So, you're saying I'm trying to get this right. >> We're moving the eighth >> You mean the the Evington Huddleston fifth graders stay there? >> Right. >> They stay there. Uh, yes, they have the capacity. They do not have to move. Um, but the combined you can't get K through five into Goodview. from Stewart's >> Right. So, we would just take the fifth graders >> Just me. That that would work because you could leave the the fifth graders if we need Huddleston there is capacity. Okay. >>
221We still need to move eighth graders. >> Yes. >> Even with just only the ones from Goodview going >> There's not a lot of fifth graders between those two schools. >> Chatham, Moneta, and Huddleston. Most of them are in Stewart's Bend Goodview. >> The majority's coming from Goodview building. >> Oh, okay. >> Yeah. >> So, you'd still have >> Still have to move them. Yes, ma'am. >> Okay. And then, um, I just want to understand the reason we need to vote today is because we need to have more time for planning. That's what I'm understanding to get this done by August. Um, if we delayed one week, um, and had a special meeting called, what would be the advantage of that? Some of your board members had asked for a delay. What would that Why
222would that be important one one week to have one more week? >> They were asking for a month or 16. >> I know you were asking for a month, but could you do it in a week? Cuz they're they're saying they need the time to plan and that's why we've not delayed until April. So >> This is verbal agreement. >> just delayed a week? >> No, ma'am. I can't do it in a week. I have a full-time job and I'm already cutting into that. So, I need more time to see to to get these financials that Mr. Hagler has been able to wrangle and figure out how long it would take to get those kind of utilities run. Can we have that done by August? All those things. Those are questions that I I just
223don't have answers to. And I can tell you right now after meeting with three guys to pave my parking lot, it is really hard to get somebody out there to to take a look at how how long it's going to take to get pipes run and what that's going to cost us. So, that that's why I wanted a month. >> I would agree if the decision were and just cuz it was asked, that's not what was presented, but if it was going to go towards mobiles, it's probably imperative to move quicker than because they have to be ordered, slot has to be done. Um but that's we'll do what the board chooses to do. >> Do we have any leftover mobiles from when we've used them previously? >> Um we have two double wides at
224Huddleston and we have a single at Otter River. >> That are used or not used? >> They're used They're old. Um they're probably 20 plus years old. >> Okay. >> Are they They were here before I got here. Um >> And we own those, correct? >> Mhm. >> Yeah. >> Um back when Forest Middle had the mobile park, we had a lot we had some on a lease and some owned. We've We've gotten rid of a lot of mobiles. >> Anything else, Ms. Purvis? >> Well, I just I don't love the idea of moving the fifth graders. I really do believe that we need to do something. We have financial responsibilities. Um so if we have the opportunity to do this something like the mobiles or something else to keep those kids where they need
225to be, I would like to be able to at least have that option to be discussed a little bit more and that we're not just voting to move the fifth grade and the eighth grade, but we are just voting to we'll have to close to it still, but look at some Other options. So that's a possibility. >> to have my comments until the end, but I I would say that obviously the fifth grade and eighth grade is probably more than anything the most concerning thing to everybody everybody here. Um we would have to figure out if that is a possibility how quick we could get them. So but if it if that was the case like if we voted tonight to move forward with the proposal as is, we would at least have the option
226of having the fifth grade and eighth grade. If we couldn't get them up and running until September or something like that where they could start school and then yes, it would be another move, but it would again it would be temporary just like it was temporary for fifth grade and eighth grade in this county in the past. I will tell you that if this vote goes that goes that way tonight to to move forward with option two and we did have another option as quick as you could think, I would call a special called session with our team and and bring up that discussion for information and possible action right away to do that. So that would be on the table and if our teams can work fast to figure that part out, yeah, I
227I I think as if it as two different things at this point. Um I think that we've all said in the emails that we've responded to that if we came up with a better option for our fifth and eighth graders, we would absolutely do it. We're always going to try to be better. So um if we move forward with the plan as is, as we as we get there once we get into the debate, and then they they come back with something, I don't care if it's a week, I don't care if it's a month, or whatever, we can get an answer on that. You have my commitment that we will call a special called session to get that back on the table. >> All right. >> This is just staffing. >> Okay. I've heard
228of the staffing standards, and for this transition, would there be additional supports for it for the fifth graders? So, adding staff over and above the staffing standards? >> At least during the transition. >> We haven't discussed that in in the time that we've talked just in the last few days. Um, that's always a possibility. Again, it would cost money, so I think we would just have to figure out, you know, is there money there? Is there um, support there? Is there grant money we could use? So, we just we haven't looked into that until we have a decision, yeah. >> Um, and it's my understanding that fifth graders, if they go to the middle school, will have their own team. They'll be their separate area of fifth grade. >> They'll be fifth grade. >> They'll
229be their own. >> They'll be their entity. They won't be changing classes. They won't have or I I know my kids changed classes in fourth and fifth grade for all for all of them. I don't think it's like that anymore where they were. But, I mean, they might change between like fifth grade >> departmentalizing, but >> But, they're not >> Now, I would say if we had a fifth grader who um, is advanced and taking sixth grade math, we would talk to their parents and say, "Are you willing for them to go into a sixth grade classroom to take that class in person rather than online?" But, we would do that with parents. >> Okay. >> Knowing ahead of time. >> And I wanted to just say I taught fifth grade for 4 years and
230they don't play on playground equipment. They usually play, you know, football or kickball or something like that. So, if we can accommodate that, and that would be great. >> And, um but this was mostly an eighth grade question, actually. So, eighth graders do typically switch classrooms, and as as the high school does as well. Um would the eighth grade be in a separate whole building? And um what as far as as classroom and space, you do say that teachers would have like the science teacher would have a science room. They would not be jumping around on campus. >> So, the the one thing about the high school is like there's they have a science building. So, all of their labs are in one area. Um so, I would think there would be more possibility that
231they would be interacting uh just based on the schedule. Um I don't know if Dr. Cornett can answer that better, but because eighth graders do take high school credit courses, there probably would be some more interaction. >> And I think what would happen is our principals would would collaborate with each other with the staff to develop a plan what's best for the kids, what's best for instruction, and go from there into the details. Right now, I you know, they haven't been able to do that. So, I I think once they collaborate with the staff and brainstorm to to figure out what's the what's best for the students, um a plan would definitely be made. >> And I'm not necessarily suggesting it. I'm just only wondering if we looked at um it and I don't even
232know what the cross section um but has it looked at where elementary middle school are on the same actually as I'm saying it I'm I'm hearing it cuz of sports but being on the same schedule and perhaps the same buses or would it be and I'm not just saying for but for for all of Bedford County has that been explored? I know we typically have middle and high school on the same schedules and I know sports and and they are typically on the buses together but I'm just just thinking about elementary with >> We haven't looked at that and also it would shift the numbers because of the number of grade levels. >> Take your bus. Yeah, after I said it I I heard it. And so right now and this is my understanding I
233saw the slide but classrooms even with Goodview being Is it 96? 94% their classroom sizes are 20 to 21. Based on projected using projected numbers cuz we don't know. Because of enrollment. Right. >> We did run it originally in real time too like taking the number of kids we had in those grade levels right now again using just projected kindergarten and we felt it was very close to what we presented with projected numbers then. >> And I apologize Mr. Dobson. May I May I ask a question? >> Sure. >> What is the maximum number of children allowed in a title one elementary school in a class? >> So the SOQs are the same for all classrooms. There is a difference with we have K3 class size adjustment in some of our schools. Those are typically
234our title one schools. Um and they have to have an average of a certain number. Um we did check that with Goodview and it's not over 20 or 21. It's I think it was 23 24. >> Okay and and this is also just for my understanding the proposal tonight is for us to vote on the closing of Stewart School and for the fifth graders to go to the middle school eighth graders go to high school. I've heard a lot about trailers. So how would that affect if if trailers come into the picture where does that >> I think well the thing what Chris is if I'm understanding if we could if we could make that happen quickly and find out the numbers and make it happen quickly you would be willing we'd have a special
235called meeting >> Well the the purpose would be to expand the capacity of Goodview >> temporarily so that you didn't have to transfer the fifth and eighth grade tonight. >> That's correct. >> What would be the reason why we don't split the vote up in between >> That's a that's a question. >> Well well I mean I mean quite honestly because >> We already passed that procedure >> If we No I don't Well I don't know I don't I would have to defer that to Ms. Johnson but what I would say is like if we can't get them Right. then and if it comes a month later or two months later we at least had the plan in in in in place though. So the suggestion was could we split the vote? And you're saying
236yes we could. >> Um a motion would have to be made to suspend the rules for the purpose of voting on decommissioning of Stewart School and grade reconfiguration as two separate votes as opposed to one. >> Mhm. >> So that would have to be seconded and approved. >> And then discussion. >> would have to be made for each one. >> We're going to get back to you >> Okay. >> on that when the time comes. It's very confusing. Um okay. >> But that answered it. >> Okay. That answered it. Um And a lot of terrible handwriting here. I I think most of it has been answered. Thank you all for all the work you've done this week. I know you've answered a lot of questions. And um, I know we're all I'll save my comments,
237but so, carry on. >> After Hughbox. Um I don't have many questions as much as I I have thoughts on the whole thing. Um Having looked at and studied the numbers and and heard all the pros and cons and everything, I think that uh Christian Sneed probably summed it up at 1.5 time speech uh what what the financial picture is and why we're in the pickle that we're in and that something needs to happen. And I think most everybody has at least come to an agreement that uh Stewartsville is a viable way of addressing the budget shortfall. Uh temporarily. We we know that this is a beginning of many steps that probably still need to be taken and um for that reason Ms. Johnson um if we split the vote as we just discussed would
238it make it easier to then re-address the second half what actually happens to the fifth and eighth graders down the road? >> I don't think it would make it any easier or any more difficult. I don't I don't see how separating the vote makes that makes any change in that. >> So, just increase our flexibility? So, >> And so, as it is right now, the the the action item on the agenda is is combined. Decommissioning of Stewartsville and reconfiguring re- Excuse me. And grade reconfiguration, which is fifth going to middle, eighth going to high. By separating it and doing two votes, you could vote you would be voting on decommissioning of Stewartsville. That's one vote. Second vote, you could then modify. You could amend that and instead of saying fifth going to middle, eighth going
239to high, whatever the board chooses who whomever is making the motion. Um you could also vote to table that for a week and uh Mr. Daniels, Chairman Daniels could uh call a special called meeting once more information is gotten. That is an advantage of doing it separately. Um Did that answer your question, sir? >> Yes. >> Okay. Can I answer that? >> Yes. >> I'm trying to help out. Um you if the goal is to if if the board's wish is to move forward with mobiles, I don't know if that's it or not. Then direct us in that direction. And then if we can't get there, this other plan would be you know, we'd have a backup plan here with this. This is the reason the two things that I think put us that are
240most jeopardy of meeting that deadline. Um we've talked to a couple vendors. We think they're available. But we got to get permits and there's an uncertainty about the drain field. >> Right. >> And and those things got to be taken care of. So, >> Well, the drain field wouldn't change whether you're moving students in the building or into mobiles. Cuz it cuz it doesn't go off bathrooms, it goes off >> If there's no problem with that, then it that goes quicker and then we got full permits. >> Like I said, as long as you're as long as you're keeping the structure >> guys know more about that than I do. >> I'm really glad they were able to bring bring that up. >> say if that is the wish of the board, we will move
241forward and I'll work with the facility committee to accomplish that. And then but we have to have a backup plan if not. Does that make sense, guys? >> We got to do something, I got to >> I understand that. >> Mr. Chair, I've sat here quite all night long because I did not put myself into the proposal and I am not a board member. I have an opinion here. And 2 years ago I sat there as you all full well know and went to every single meeting about the closing of Stewartsville. I went to every school that it was held at, every You know what I'm talking about. I took this job because I was passionate about education. You can't rush anything. And and I know there was laughter a while ago when they think
242that they heard we've only been speaking about this for a week. Since I've been here and my health has allowed, we have been talking about how we save money for Bedford County with the previous board and the present board. This conversation has been going on since I stepped foot in this building. I love I You guys stole my whole speech. I got I got portables in here. I got There's one statement I want to read. Proper funding would allow us to create permanent solutions. Improper funding would allow us to create temporary solutions that eventually move to permanent solutions. So I ask you today, Mr. Carnes, if a temporary solution existed, could you tolerate it? Because here's what I know. Having run a school in Florida and put portables in, it's not it's not very feasible.
243I'm not sure where you're getting your information. It's not feasible to do it in 3 months. >> Oh, I we own a trailer park. I can I can do it in 2 weeks or not. >> But we're not putting kids we're not putting kids in trailers. We're putting kids in we're putting kids in really good classrooms. I'm not opposed to it. >> Right. >> I I'm for it. >> Yeah. >> But it has to be done right. And anytime you rush anything, you regret it later. So, I I don't know how you're going to vote. Uh it's not my job to vote. It's my job to take this executive team through the through the journey of what you want us to do. >> Mhm. >> But I will tell you I'm going to advocate for
244kids. And I'm going to advocate that we do it right. >> Got you. >> So, I'm not sure what that looks like. Um >> Mr. DuBose >> We've had a lot of conversations that have literally started since I got here. Executives, board members, executives, financials, all of it. This conversation has been ongoing for a long time. We have to do something. Whether it's asking for those funds or moving in whatever direction you guys decide to make. Just know this, that we will execute what you ask us to do. >> So, I do. >> And you can ask me a question. >> What is the current uh enrollment versus capacity percentage at Stewart Middle? I know there's been a couple of numbers flying around. I just want to make sure we have the right numbers. >>
245Um current capacity Stewart Middle >> Uh >> which I presented. I think it's at 40%. >> 40%? >> I think it's at I think it's projected next year. It might be a little bit higher right now, but projected I'm thinking my projection numbers that I presented to the board was 40%. >> I think I'm sorry. I was just want to make sure I have the right number. >> To be clear, that's because the school's massive. >> Yes. >> Okay. >> Yeah, it's 40% but it's It's it's 292 kids. It's a big Yeah. Any more questions or comments? >> I mean >> Only only that I would like to at least consider Mr. Hill's suggestion that we put a contingency clause in our nomination that that any decision to close Stewartsville could be redeemed by the
246Board of Supervisors. >> I I will I will say this. Um we've had a lot of comments with um We had a lot of lot of people show up here tonight. Absolutely super passionate about this. Showed up on Tuesday at the Board of Supervisors. I think that we have certainly done a a very good job of laying out the case and I think that they hear it loud and clear. Um we just to bring others in have already we already have a meeting set up with them. Me and Dr. Hubach and some executives here tomorrow. And we are going to be discussing it and we're going to go into detail of the financial realities that we have. And we want to hear what their financial realities are, too. We are absolutely going to make the
247case and I can tell you that I know that the people in this building here in the crowd are not going to stop showing up. They're not going to stop showing up at the Board of Supervisors because I think that we've done a very good job in answering emails and phone calls and going to meetings and seeing to meet people what we are really up against. It is not just man, can we make this 1.8 million for next year? It is the $11.7 million shortfall that's going to happen year after year at a minimum to our division. If we don't meet that gap, I don't know how we fund 21 schools. I don't know how we fund 20 schools. I don't know how we fund 18 schools, to be honest with you. So, it is
248the reality. We're going to lay out that reality. I think that they all get it. I think that you guys all get that now. And that's what we're supposed to do. We're supposed to lay this out. We did not make this mess, um but it's our responsibility to clean it up. And I I I you guys didn't make this mess, either. This is not your doing. These are just the realities that we're in. Nobody predicted COVID and 28% inflation. Nobody predicted that. We have to now pick that up and say, "How do we make this great for everybody in this county?" Um I will tell you, it has been said, and I have been saying it in my email correspondence to folks in in the conversations I've had, this move is not going to be
249the first move that it's going to be the first move that we do. It is not going to be the last move that we do. I didn't think you need to hear that loud and clear. We are going to have to look at things in the forest zone with uh capacity issues. We might have to look at rezoning. We may have to look at redistricting. We may have to look at in the forest zone, going to year-round school in some buildings. I did year-round school with my kids in Raleigh. Four miles down the road, they did not. They were a traditional school. Yet, they had to do what you have to do. Yet, we have that flexibility in what we do. So, for your question, I would say that I think that they hear us
250and we're able to make some hopefully make some gains starting tomorrow. And I had a conversation with several Board of Supervisors members. This will not be our first conversation This will be our first conversation will not be our last conversation. I keep messing that up. So, we are going to keep coming and we're going to keep talking and when when we sit up here on this desk, we are going to sit here and continue to speak the truth on what our needs are and uh what we are truly up against. And we're seven members and we might have a decent microphone and and be able to talk. But everybody out here is in our community and you have the ability to talk, too, and make your wishes be known. Um just as you have here
251tonight. My recommendation and I had a couple things that I wanted to say before I get there. But um going back to the numbers. I just want people to know we we talked about classroom sizes. Um how many more teachers um do we keep in our schools? I remember seeing a number a couple years ago versus SOQ, staff positions. Whatever that number is. I think it's significant. I think it's a lot. We use those numbers to keep classroom sizes small. Um that funding does not come from Richmond. We fund that locally. Um people talk about central office. How many central office positions we're funded for that we do not fill? 23. What do we do with that money? We take that money to fund our teachers and we take that money to fund special needs
252aids and other things. We have some other money, but we fund a lot of that locally and we wouldn't have it any other way because it's it is needed. And trying to get these raises for for our teachers, a 3% or 2% and a step, it's a drop in the bucket. It's it's not what we want to be able to do. And I think that we're continuing to make that. But when we have to make decisions versus buildings and versus kids and people and our staff, we have to make the right decision. That is what we need to protect. With the fifth and eighth grade move, the it I think it's like the only move that we really felt that we can do because it was important to try to keep our kids in the
253in the same zone. When you start talking about zoning and re- redistricting, you start opening up even more balls of wax that we have to then try to try to fix. So, I think it was important and I think the justification was we can do it and we wanted to keep everybody in their same uh in their same path. And I think that was that was important. So, I This decision was not made in a in a week to do. It was brought up, but it was brought up 2 years and a month ago. And we had not stopped talking about it in facility meetings, um in other committee meetings, and on the and at this board. And so, um again, this is not the last move, but this is the first move that we
254have to make. When we come to these decisions and we bring this up, I'm fine with separating it because if we come up with a plan that's better for our our children, then I believe 100% that's what we should do. However, what I would advise is if we did vote today as it sits, that at least gives us the opportunity that if another option becomes available, we can move as quick as we can move, but we have a plan to at least start the next school year in a method that now we're like, "Well, what are we doing?" But if we can get it and we can communicate this, the second you guys have the answer, you let me know, we get a special called meeting and we can and we can move. If it
255is viable, and quite honestly, as long as four of you guys want to do it, we're going to do it. Okay? But I can't I don't want to have everybody be in limbo more than they are and I really don't want to redistrict at the at the at this time or rezone, whatever, at this time. So, I think that that could be the best fit and I think that's the way we could do it. I would caution against saying, "Let's wait and see what happens and then we'll go." cuz then we're behind. And I don't necessarily want that to happen. I think everyone deserves an answer one way or another tonight. And that way And I think everyone understands what we're against. I think that in the emails that I've gotten as I've explained it,
256I got a lot of people said, "We get it. Totally get it." And it's not an easy position. So, um lack of sleep, a lot of pacing back and forth if you guys know me. But, I mean, I think these are the decisions that we're up against. So, with that, I'm going to end my comments uh on the the staff report. And we can go into additional action items. And Ms. Johnson, stay ready cuz we'll need you. So, we'll go to 7.01 01 approval of policy updates presented at the February 12th work session by Mr. Capell. >> Thank you. Tonight's 701 seeking approval for policies updated that were presented on February 12th in our work session. Following policies were presented for action. Policy GBB is prohibition against use of work environments, policy GCD employee contracts,
257policy IGE adult Excuse me, adult education, policy IM evaluation of instructional programs, policy JC student school attendance areas, policy JCD school transfers, policy JCE non-residents, and policy JFCJ extracurricular participation. Mr. Cherry, you may proceed with action on item 7.01. >> All right. Do I have approval to approve the motion for 7.01? >> So moved. >> Moved by >> Oubre. >> Do I have a second? >> Seconded by Mr. Carnes. Any discussion? All those in favor signify by saying I. >> I. >> Any opposed? Motion passes. 7.02 approval of a 2026-2027 budget. Mr. Hagler. >> That's actually me. >> Oh. >> So, earlier tonight you heard in my opening um where my passion lies, it's in catching teachers up in their compensation. It's getting them to levels where they are equal across their compensation on all
258state levels when from whether it's when they're hired to 30 years. We are incredibly behind. And when you look at the statistics, we're 17 out of 20 in the in the uh region. And something like 111th in the state. That's not acceptable. So, tonight's budget calls for us to begin addressing that over a 2-year period. And also um we because of a grant expiration that's going to end at the end of this year, we are picking up the SROs for all the elementaries and Susie G. And then we are starting we want to start the ISS in two schools for elementary. And those Excuse me, those additions to the current budget uh contain a $1,837,555 request for additional funding for the operational funds that was presented as it was presented on March 5th. So, at
259this time I would ask for you to take action on item 7.02. >> Do I have a >> motion for the approval of the fiscal year 26-27 budget? >> So moved. >> Motion moved by Miss Miss Purvis. Do I have a second? >> Second by the Dr. Hubach. Any discussion? Okay, all those in favor signify by saying I. I. Any opposed? The eyes have it. Motion passes. All right, get ready, boys. Number 7.03, decommissioning Stuarts Draft Elementary in the Great Configuration in the Staunton River Zone, Mr. DuPree. >> Um, we made the presentation as you requested uh last week and um just know that this is a conversation and multiple conversations that have been going on for quite a while. Um and so um I I I understand all the conversations tonight. I'm I'm good
260with the conversation tonight. At the end of the day, the executive team will go in the direction that you point us. Um I'd like to thank all of the people sitting here tonight for voicing your opinion. I would like to thank the board for uh the time put over the last couple weeks into just having discussions about how we reach um a a point in our budget that we can say that um we'll make it uh and at the same time the conversations that we've had about about the ask itself. So um Mr. Chairman, please proceed with action item 7.03, uh the decommissioning and reconfiguring request. >> Mr. Chairman, if I may I'd like to make a motion to suspend the rules to consider a motion to separate the decommissioning of Stuarts Draft Elementary and
261the reconfiguring of grade levels in the Staunton River Zone into separate items to allow us to consider the possibility of adding mobile units to Goodview Elementary to allow fifth and eighth grade to remain in their schools. >> I mean that sounded pretty perfect to me. >> That was perfect. >> Okay. Um I have a motion. He only says it that fast cuz it's time to adjourn. Any discussion? Uh this is just to suspend the rules. Any discussion? All those in favor signify by saying I. I. Any opposed? All right, the rules are suspended. Um okay. So now I'm going to take them separate, same way. So All right, do I have a an approval um for the uh decommissioning of Stewartsville Elementary? Require a first and a second. >> Can we have discussion? >> We
262have to receive first. >> Okay, sorry. Sorry. >> Do I have a motion for decommissioning of the >> So moved. >> First by Dr. Hubach. Do I have a second? Second by Mrs. Pervis. Any discussion? >> Let's go around or how do you want to do this? >> Oh, I'd just have at it. >> Um Without without being passionate about this because it's a building, I'm not concerned about buildings. I never have been. I have to vote the way my constituents want me to vote. There's no one here that spoke tonight from my district that wants us to close this school. Primarily the reason they don't want us to close this school is because they feel that not only have we lost their trust by telling them, although it was under a different superintendent, that
263we weren't going to do this, but also because the amount of money that we're saving is not worth the disenfranchising that it's going to have caused to fifth and eighth grade. With that being said, if we can find a way to keep that from happening, I think that's the triage that we're we are willing to accept. It doesn't mean that I'm happy about it. It does mean that that's the lesser of two evils. With all of that being said, if we cannot find a way to keep fifth and eighth grade in their respective schools, I do not see that this helps anyone in my district at all. As well as Dr. Woodford is as basically whipped and and told us that this is not going to be that big of a deal, I completely disagree.
264I think you guys will make miracles happen, but this is a massive deal. So, with that being said, I do urge you to vote to keep Scottsville open. >> Okay. >> That's all I can say. >> Any other discussion? Thank you, Mr. Carnes. >> No. No. Um thank the the executive staff and all the community members that came out to speak so passionately about your school. Um this is uh this is not a place I think any of us want to be in. Uh I don't think any of us wants to be here looking at, you know, uh 2028 school year looking at a 11.7 million dollar deficit going in there. And yeah, we've saved we're projected to save 8.6. >> Mhm. >> Um but that's one year. And that does that empties out our
265maintenance fund. We've got real budget problems. And and where I'm where I'm sticking at kind of it's been the road this whole week as I've been talking to a lot of people from the the Scottsville area. Um as I've been getting emails from people in my district. Um it's really, you know, as as a businessman, I I understand the business decision. I'm I'm kind of with Mr. Carnes there. I understand it's just a building. I understand that. As a dad, man, it breaks my heart. Cuz I've got a rising tax rate here. I've got, you know, younger elementary school kids. And to think of of any kids in this kind of situation where we're causing them any additional stress, breaks my heart, man. But I also understand we've got a fiscal cliff coming up. And
266so it's really like I I've been living this week in a dichotomy of you know, what my brain said versus what my heart says. And that's kind of And I don't know that there is a perfect answer. And I don't know that this is the perfect answer, you know. There are I got Mr. I'm Scotty Doctor Wright. Mr. Gardner said there he is. Um you know, a a lesser of two evil option, but man, >> I need to >> the the fact that we're in a situation where, you know, in 2013 the city of of Bedford reverted to a town. We should have started saving money that day. Instead of you know, whatever money went into the operating budget, we didn't really start saving till 2019. And that's the county, I believe. Who initiated Yeah.
267And so >> didn't start till '22 or '23. >> Just on the reversion, um some of our new revenue was being set aside to prepare >> Okay. >> for reversion. When the LCI, and I spoke about that at the previous meeting, started going up and the gap was getting bigger, >> Yeah. >> our school board committed putting at least 600,000 in addition. So, over last four or five years, we've been cutting our operating fund by $600,000 a year over year. >> But it didn't start in 2013. That's kind of my That that's the road I'm getting at there. Yes, sir. Yep. Um and so I I'm not really saying that there's a there's a good option here, but man, this is not a fun place to be in. So, that's that's all I got on
268this one. >> Mr. Pervis. >> As a mother and a former teacher, I I really feel for those who are being impacted. I If I could just be absent today, I would be be great. Um I've spoken to some of you. I've read all your emails with the exception of those who may have emailed this afternoon. Um And I understand the difficulty in your situation. Um I'm especially concerned as I've already voiced about the fifth and eighth graders. Um And then 2 years ago, I was on the board and I voted against doing anything in Stuarts Draft because um there was no allocations for preschools. It was one of the other. It was either move the fifth and eighth grade or it was rezoning. Um Or we Yeah, we rezoning Um and there was no
269allocation for preschools at that time. So, that was a concern that I've voiced many times here and it sounds like it's going to possibly be a possibility. Um but my passion and that's why I'm here is to um support River County Public Schools as a whole. Um and to make sure that the students get the best education possible. So, if we start yanking teachers or paraprofessionals or other things other places, our 31 is going to go back down to 101 101 to 105. Um it's just going to start going down. We have to have um the people in the classrooms to help with the kids, especially those who are not regulating themselves and need help need extra help. Um So, I You know, I hate to make this decision, um but I do want to
270make sure we have more conversations, more um possible different scenarios that we continue discuss and I thank you for allowing for that because um yeah, I would prefer to have more conversations, see what other options, look at at more of I know we've looked at a lot of them for years. 2 years at least since I've been on the board it's been discussed over and over again, so um but anyway, that's my Thank you comments. >> Stopsin. >> Um first I want to thank everyone that has taken the time to speak this evening and to send emails this past week. Your messages have been seen and heard and it's clear that the Stan Waber community is passionate and cares deeply about our kids. And I can promise you there is not one person on this
271board that has taken this decision lightly. We have had many conversations and we want what's in the best interest of all Bedford County students and that's a fact. >> Thank you, Stopsin. >> I would echo those thoughts that this is a very difficult decision um and sometimes you get lemons and you have to make lemonade. The uh the lesser of two evils. We we're looking at that and I want to thank everybody for your emails, uh your your passion, your attachment to uh the Stewarts Creek community is loud and clear and yet it doesn't solve the fiscal issues. Um I think that a a big part of this solution is uh the way that we as the adults uh react and support our children. Uh and they are resilient, but they often mirror the distress
272that they see in in the adults that are in their lives. And uh that is our responsibility to guide and steer them even in difficult situations. >> You got me, Buck. Um I really don't know what to say that that hasn't been said. I mean, the amount of passion that's incredible. Um the amount of money that would be saved may be a very small amount now. It's significant. It puts us on the path. And again, this is not the last move we're going to have to do. We have a lot of moves that we need to make and it's going to affect every zone. Um Mr. Hagler, um a couple years ago we had Paxton and Body Camp. When we had all of those schools or all of these schools, how many how many students
273do we have in our heyday? And how you know, what percentage were we at capacity in the division? >> I don't have that available, but I I mean, we were above I'd say we were about 11,500 back when I got here in 2007. >> In 2007, 11,500. How many students do we have now? >> 8,300. Lots of rates have stayed the same. The amount of percentage of kids that come to public school, that go to home school, and you know, overall that they go to go to private school, roughly the same. Um it's birth rates. It's birth rates and it's moving and and and things like that. And you know, it's it's certainly become super tough, especially when you only have x amount of money to put. And I said it 2 years ago that
274I would much rather put the money into our students and our teachers than into bricks. Where did it make sense? And I you know, this is not an easy decision. I think we had a binary decision to make and I feel like that was good. I I I am um thankful that another option for fifth and eighth grade could be possible. So, that certainly helps. I think out of all the comments that I got, that was the thing that could have been the most distressing. And I echo Mr. Carnes, I really feel like our teachers and our staff and our team would do the absolute best job that they could to make sure that our kids are doing great. I do think that. Um however, if there's a chance that could be avoided it and
275we think that they would do even better, I think that's the option that we should go with. So, I'm I'm I'm glad that you made that motion to separate it. And with that, I will um with that end, I will uh call the vote. All those in favor of decommissioning Stuarts Draft Elementary say I. >> I. >> All those opposed? >> Nay. >> All right. Ms. Purvis? >> Up. >> I need to call the board, sorry. >> Oh, you do it. I thought I did it. Okay, you do it. >> Uh Mr. Daniels? >> I'm sorry, sir. >> I. >> Thank you. Ms. Dobson? >> I. >> Mr. Hill? >> I. >> Mr. Holbrook? >> Nay. >> Dr. Huebaugh? >> I. >> Mr. Carnes? >> Nay. >> Ms. Purvis? >> I. >> The ayes have
276it. Motion passes. >> Okay. All right. There's no number for this one, so please we are now going to vote on the grade configuration for Stanton in the Stanton River High School zone. Um I think that I will talk about it in discussion. So, what is the official >> If I may, Mr. Chairman, it's uh possibility of separating Excuse me, the possibility of adding mobile units to the elementary uh to allow for the 5th and 8th grade to remain at their respective schools. >> I'm sorry for that. I just was reading the the after the end of this whole thing I was reading. I wanted to go right to you. >> I wrote it down. >> Yeah, and you and you said it beautifully. Um Okay, so that is the um that is what we
277are voting on. Do I have a motion to approve this? >> I'll second. >> Um sorry. I have a question on the motion cuz it wasn't clear. So, the motion is to say that we're going to look into that instead of the other or that we're going to look into >> as offered. >> Sorry, that's yeah, it's not it's not very clear. Sorry. >> Would it clear to table this or is it would it better to >> If they >> We're doing discussion now instead of Ask your question maybe. >> Sorry, I I guess my question >> out again. >> Lay >> I know that. I know but this is a >> Can you lay the motion out again? Repeat the motion. >> Yes. >> The motion I made is that I'd like to Currently,
278the the um motion before us was to close Stand River High School. Excuse me. Stand River Elementary School and reconfigure the grade levels so the 5th and 8th grade are are moved to Stand River Middle School and Stand River High School uh respectively because that was option two presented. The motion that I've made is that I would like to separate those two and to allow for uh the amendment of the second of the second part of that to reconfigure the grade levels Stand River to allow for the consideration of the possibility of mobile units instead of moving 5th and 8th grade. And I apologize. >> Could it >> So, to allow >> on. Hold on a second. Hold on. Hold on a second. Could the Could it be that to do that to to explore
279that option but we might still need to have 5th and 8th grade to start in those areas until we get it. Now, we hope that we get it much faster and then we don't have to. But do we need a motion that explains both of those things? >> I I think staff may need some more direction regarding Jump in, please, Karen and Brandy and what y'all need. >> Since you already took the other vote and that's happening, it's going to be one or the other here. All right? So, if you prefer this option you're going to direct us to move to direct move in this direction as fast as possible to try to get that accomplished before the start of school with the fall back being what was presented tonight. >> 5th grade and 8th
280grade start. >> That would be the fall back. >> So, the preference is the back up. >> The preference is >> If that's the preference with >> And by the way, hold on. And then by the way, if it if the preference falls through for the beginning of the year, that's the back up, but it's only the back up until we get what we need. >> Yep. >> That's better. That's all. >> I mean, that is essentially what we're talking about here. >> That's a crazy amendment and I don't >> know how to do that, but sure. Yeah. >> You know what I'm saying? >> I I get it. >> I think you just say we're moving forward with mobiles. And if as a back up, Mr. Carn if you say exactly what you have
281stated already regarding the mobiles, if you want to add on that, um that as a in Yeah. Yeah, as a it's as >> contingent upon timing of the >> Correct. >> school year That's good enough for the 627 school year, I would say. >> Mr. Chairman, it's good enough if the full board understands exactly what they're voting on. >> Okay. >> If if that if that makes any sense. >> So we're voting that we're going to move forward with mobiles and if we don't get them in by the by August when we start school, then we'll have to move the fifth and eighth graders up until the mobiles are available. Is that correct? >> Okay. >> That's what That That was what was not clear earlier. That's why I wanted to >> Sure. That's That
282was good. That's worst case scenario. Worst case scenario. >> Can I Can I interject? I don't I don't want to make a hasty move of portables 3 weeks in when you can plan it at a certain time. So if we know the portables are going to be done let's not totally disrupt everything and and wait to an amicable time to make that move. I mean I mean I hear the word when the portables are done, boom. Um you may not that may not be the best feasible way to do it. So you might say you know, end of first quarter, end of second quarter, whatever. It's going to depend on what you find out as to what those timelines are. I don't want to jump and put our put our kids moving before we have
283portables done. >> Sounds to be fairly understood. >> Yeah. I think we're just This is a procedural matter here. We're going to Everybody knows what's going on. >> Yep. We don't want to >> Right. >> go before we're ready. >> Yep. >> All right. So I have a I must say don't have a motion yet. But we have a something to can on. And it is we are going to in lieu of doing the fifth and eighth grade configuration, we are going to start with with with the trying to source the mobile units. And we are going to look towards that to keep the fifth grade in fifth grade and the and at the you know, at Goodview. And their respective schools. And then the eighth grade would stay in the middle school. And if
284we do not have the mobiles in time, hold on. If we do not have the mobiles in time, ready, that means I would say these guys' specification, then we would have to do fifth and eighth grade in the way that we had originally said. >> May I interject? >> Again? >> Yes. >> Again? Sorry. >> You got to snap out of >> over here. >> I just can't wait for you one time to just say no. >> You propose to close Stewartville. Would it be viable to say if the portables were going to be done October 1st, that you not shut down Stewartville until October 1st? >> You would move cuz you've already voted to you've voted to move schools. >> move them. >> We're going to have them though. >> I just I I
285I want to make it as less >> So they're not moving fifth and eighth grade and then >> It still is going It still is closing. But I don't I'm not trying to complicate things. >> But it's a simple timeline. >> It's the same thing. >> Let me just Let me just I have to interject I'm with the budget. >> Go ahead. >> Okay, hold on. >> If you were to do that, we've issued contracts for everybody that would be there at Stewartville. And you wouldn't recognize any savings for sure. I'm I'm just being honest with We've issued contracts to employees. I hate to say that. I know what you're trying to achieve, trying to get us there. But you've you've issued contracts to people and I couldn't budget any savings. Mr. Carnes' amended motion
286amended um action item is on the table. Do I have a first? Do I have a motion to approve Mr. Carnes? >> So moved. >> Moved by Mr. Hill. Is that he's the first? Do I have a second? >> Seconded by Ms. Dawson. Any discussion? I feel like we've had it. Any discussion? All those in favor signify by saying I. I. Any opposed? Motion passes. All right. >> Mr. Chair, I know I'm out of order, but would you just repeat loud enough so all of us over there can hear it? >> I'm sorry. Sorry. Okay. So, what has happened is we separated the two votes. First vote to close Stuarts Draft did did pass. The second vote was to amend the fifth and eighth grade configuration to not send the fifth graders to the middle
287school and to not send the eighth graders to the high school because we are going to try to source um uh mobile units so that those mobile units would be at Goodview. Correct. And now Stuarts Draft and Goodview has the space to that that point have K through five. All the other fifth graders stay at their schools. All the eighth graders stay at their schools. If we cannot get the mobile units in time to start the school year, we will proceed with the fifth and eighth grade temp moves to the middle school and high school temporarily until those mobiles are done and complete and we get a thumbs up basically from these guys. >> That is it passed by us. >> That is what the motion and all that is what we just passed. >>
288Thank you. >> You're very welcome. I am pretty lenient when it comes to going over time and if people have questions, I I know I might be out of order, but it's important. >> You run the meeting, sir. >> Oh, yes. Chris will I hold myself in contempt. Um can I just ask? So, now I can stop talking. Do I have a motion to go into closed session? He's He's got to read the whole document. Should we wait? >> Yes. Yes, please. >> Dan and I are over here. You two are over there. We >> Yeah, wait. Yours >> What? >> She liked our idea. >> I just want I appreciate I just always appreciate trying to get to a solution. I feel like that's what everyone's trying >> We're here. >> I think that
289we always wanted to do what's right. >> You said that. >> So, I think we have compromised and made a good call. >> Mary's not here, but I thank god >> I just want to say we came up with They were trying to say now >> I'm not sharing that M&M with you, and I'm not sharing that. I'm going to eat them all. I just want to see you guys. >> So, they're in it for the long haul. >> That's what he told me. >> Oh, yes, sir. >> All right, that sounds pretty good. All right, do we have a motion to go into closed session? >> Mr. Chairman, I'd like to make a motion that pursuant to code of Virginia 2-3711A12 for the discussion consideration or interviews of prospective candidates for employment, assignment, appointment,
290promotion, performance, demotion, salaries, disciplining, or resignation of specific employees of the Bedford County Public Schools. >> I have a motion by Dr. Inspector. Have a second? >> Second. >> All those in favor? Any discussion? All those in favor signify by saying I. >> I. >> Any opposed? We're in closed session. >> Mhm. >> All right. Do I have a motion to come out of closed session? >> So moved. >> All right. Do I have a second? >> Ralph first and second. >> First and second. >> Matt, and then Dr. Cuba. Any discussion? All those in favor signify by saying I. >> I. >> Any opposed? We are out of closed Well, Ms. Johnson, will you certify me? >> Thank you. Whereas the Bedford County School Board has convened a closed meeting on this date pursuant
291to an affirmative recorded vote and in accordance with the provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act. And whereas Section 2.2-3712D of the Code of Virginia requires a certification by this School Board that such closed meeting was conducted in conformity with Virginia law. Now therefore be it resolved that the Bedford County School Board hereby certifies that to the best of each member's knowledge, only public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements by Virginia law were discussed in the closed meeting to which this certification applies, and only such public business matters as were identified in the motion convening the closed meeting were heard, discussed, or considered. Mr. Karnes. >> Yes. Yes. Yes. >> Yes. Yes. Thank you. >> All right. Um uh item nine, approval of the consent agenda. Do I have a motion to
292approve the consent agenda? >> So moved. >> Yep. First by uh I'm so tired I'm losing my Mr. Hill. I have a second. Second by Mr. Kearns. Any discussion? All those in favor signify by saying I. I. Any opposed? Consent agenda is approved. Number 10, uh matters um and concerns from the board, comments and concerns from board members. We will start over here with Ms. Purvis. >> Purvis is not communicating >> That's everything as far as if it didn't meet >> I mean as my committee >> Cuz I had yeah, I had I had got school >> No, it's all it's all yeah, just just >> It's later. >> Uh do it all. >> Um so Gusco met, we um we approved the budget and everything's good. Um the new uh superintendent or whatever you
293want to call him, the director, um starts in just a few months. So um but he's on board, ready to go. So everything's good. I haven't got to the STEM Academy meeting yet, but Anyway, I think that you know, I I did not like the fact that we had to do this in a week. Um I wish we would have had a little more time. But uh I think all in all we work really well together and try to work things out. I appreciate It was good that you guys brought some things to the table. So, I appreciate that. >> You want to go? >> All right. Okay. I had a lot more to say, but now I have a lot less. But, I will um I've heard many times this week that we are
294only targeting one community, one area of the county. But, the truth is we still have many more hard decisions to make. With progress comes change, and we need to continue to adapt and look at the at the capacity of each of our schools, along with continuing to look at the budget to drive efficiencies. Mr. Chairman Chairman, I'd like to request for you to call consensus for this administration to conduct a study and submit a plan for redistricting students from the newest development that is zoned for Forestville Elementary, located at the corner of 221 and Parabol Road. >> All right. I That was a request for consensus for the administration to look at that development. I will start over here with Mr. Purpose. Do I have consensus? >> I'm sorry. Just for the sake of the
295minutes, Mr. Chairman, could you repeat again I'm sorry, I did not I did not hear it hear you, Mr. >> Sure. Can I I don't know if I gave too much information, Mr. Chairman. Okay. Um my request for for uh the chairman to call consensus for this administration to conduct a study and submit a plan for redistricting students from the newest development that is currently zoned for Forestville Elementary, located on the corner of 221 and Parabol Road, which is Western Village. Thank you. >> All right. So, looking for consensus. >> Yes. >> Mr. Dawson. >> Oh, yes. Yes. Yes. >> Yes. Yes. >> Yes. >> All right. You have consensus. We will begin working on that. Do you have any other comments? >> Um Am I Am I still going? Okay. And additionally, um and
296I don't know if we can ask for those yet, but there are new developments in the Forest Elementary zone that have not yet um, started building. So, do we have this conversation now or >> Maybe it is a you're you're looking at for something that hasn't started building. >> Something that hasn't started building. >> So, that would be like the overflow? >> Yes. >> Potential All right. I believe we probably can do that. That way we get ahead of it. So, and have it's it's only to have discussions on the matter. >> To have discussions. >> Okay. Go ahead. Yes, I think so. >> So, Mr. Chairman, I'm asking you to call consensus for this board to consider the overflow model for new developments in the Forest Elementary zone. I'll have to be more specific.
297>> Any particular one? So, we >> It's >> Any any one going up that's being built that does not have >> really right now any in Forest Elementary I mean, right now I think we only have >> Well, is it New London or >> So, so what what she's talking about is you know, it's currently been tabled and it's going to expand from 53 to 83. Um, >> It's a development between the two entrances of Forest and >> And I don't know what kind >> Why don't we bring back any development we know of that's scheduled for Forest Elementary that hasn't started and you and the board can talk about all those. >> So, all new developments >> All new developments, of course, yes. And you can talk about any of those being overflow if
298necessary when they start. >> Okay. >> When you say developments, are these like a whole neighborhood or complexes, but not just like one house here and there? >> Yeah, we're talking about new development new um, >> subdivisions, neighborhoods >> Subdivisions, okay. >> So, yes. >> Yes. Yes. >> Yes. Fantastic. >> Thank you. >> Anything else? >> Excellent. That's it. >> All right. We're going to go over here to Mr. Carnes. >> Oh, goody. Goody. >> So, the entire reason I decided to for school board literally the entire reason I decided to run was to improve or at least maintain the quality of education and the development of our students in Bedford County. Other than safety, nothing is more important than those things and it's vital to successful nature of our children and our grandchildren to
299see those things develop. Thomas Jefferson Elementary has been added to this budgetary need. Despite of all the maintenance that we did to it, despite all the money that we spent on it, and I would argue that the amount of money that it takes to keep it open is well worth the cost. But, it has been closed. I do feel that one day we're going to need to decommission a school in Bedford County that will still improve the quality of education and the quality of life for the school for the students in that area. But, I think we need a much more adequate plan than what was presented to us previously. Our community keeps being told we don't have the money to keep it open, to keep schools open, and that in financial year 2028, our
300budget's going to be short millions of dollars, and it's going to inevitably lead to an even bigger shortfall when your version happens. All of that is true. Every single word of that is true. We need millions of dollars, not hundreds, not thousands. We ask that the Board of Supervisors at least meet us at the table and try to understand the financial strain that we are under. I'm a businessman. Many of the people on this board are as well. When I tell you that we're doing our level best to try to spend your money as best we can, you have to believe me. I'm asking you as Board of Supervisors and this school board as well to trust me If is what we are attempting to do. Unfortunately, I'm disappointed that we closed Crestwood bill. I
301didn't think this is even going to be a part of the discussion for 3 years. A lot of our people in my area feel betrayed because of that. That betrayal was led by a superintendent who no longer works for our school, but he did make promises to my staff or to my constituents. In my mind, a promise made is a promise given. We've already began to damage the trust of our school board. And the trust that we've had in our constituents. And I only hope that we can do whatever we can to repair that trust and move forward as a board. Barnes. Over. >> Yeah, I mean I I hate to I hate that we had to do this. I'm a kind of a sentimental person. You know, uh I mean I bought my home
302place back 12 years ago. It's a piece of junk. You know, I probably need to tear it down. Honestly, but I have I mean I get it, you know. And it's ever since I've been on here, I got on here I guess 21 2021 and every meeting whether it's facility, whether it's regular scheduled meeting it's all about what can we not do what can we do without? What can we you know, I mean and I'm somewhat used to that cuz I've been broke a long time. But it it's it's bull crap. You know, I mean how what's next? Like I said, what what some of the speakers said, what's next? You know, sports? I mean that we're running out of stuff to cut, you know. And and we're underfunded on all three levels, federal, state,
303and local. But the local is where we have the most leverage. It's pretty much the only place we have leverage. I mean the the state and the federal is that's a whole 'nother discussion. You know, um and when you look at the number from 10 years ago to now, I mean it's just cold, hard facts that they're expecting us and not necessarily the people that are on the board now. It was It was other ones then, you know, I'm I'm not just saying in general to run this division off of money from 10 years ago. And and and it's our budget went up 38% and I think it was 22% on funding is what it's come up and a lot of that went into maintenance reserve and that's not even including inflation. So, I mean
304it's a it's it's a joke. It's a joke. And then we you know, I mean we all signed up for this, but I'll tell you what, it's been a rough week. And that's, you know, I mean I my I my stomach has been in knots. I have not slept good. I have had multiple phone calls, emails, text messages, you know. And that's fine. I mean I'm I'm used to stress, but it's just sad. Makes me sad, but it really really it makes me mad. I got a text message from Bob Davis and I'm going to say it right here. Said, "Don't sell our kids out tonight." Well, I tell you I got some words to say to him that I can't say in a meeting or on on YouTube. Uh you sold out. Y'all sold
305out. So, that's all I got to say. Help. >> Uh yeah, I just I really appreciate all of the the community um Um, the last, you know, the last week, um, the only the only type of citizen that I that I don't respect is an empathetic one. And I tell you what, we've seen a lot of passion. You know, you may not all disagree or all agree with our decisions, but man, I appreciate it that passion. Um, I appreciated the emails we got. I know it was a lot, but, you know, I think there was there was a lot of passion there. Um, but you know, now the the real work begins. We've got a lot of work to to go ahead with. Um, just kind of a brief committee report from the uh from
306the facilities committee. Um, we're going to be doing a a bunch of maintenance that we have planned out over the next uh the next uh several months coming in the summer. Um, the big things are um we're going to get Huddleston's parking lot repaved. >> Oh, yeah, I forgot about that. >> Uh, you're good. You're good. You got on a spiel I wasn't going to interrupt you there. >> Yeah. >> Um, we're going to be doing uh Montvale um uh kind of some roof work with all the skylights cuz skylights notoriously leak. Um, we've got uh we've got some painting projects. I'm missing one, aren't I? Trying to think of one. >> Huddleston parking lot, half of it was paved and and painting it Bedford Elementary. And I think that's it. >> Be updated on
307the PPA project. >> Um, >> Yeah, we moved some things around um paving and uh the skylight. Still working forward on the HVAC for Staunton River High School and Liberty High School for the summer. >> Yep. >> Just let Randy do the report. >> Can I I plan to say something cuz how's how's how how are we looking how's our projects at the at the high schools looking? >> Uh, pretty good. We had um we've got some hiccups. >> Yeah, a few, but nothing nothing major. >> We're working through them. You know, we're having a little just and Matt and I deal with this a little more regularly. We're having some, you know, just general back and forth with the general contractor of who's responsible to pay for what and additional add-on charges and that
308kind of stuff, but it's it's very common in our industry. Nothing Nothing that I'm worried about so far. Correct me if I'm wrong, Randy, we're all in we're still on track and still on budget. >> Yep. >> And still um haven't used up all our contingency money, so um that's what they're dealing with whether, you know, you do a change or something like that and these these gentlemen are working through those, um but probably still still coming in under budget. Federal primary is all that. >> I don't speak on that till all the change orders have been submitted. So, I would say right now we're on budget. >> Yep. >> Um and I would like to say another thing that we looked at in the committee um and something that we need consensus on with
309our board. Um right now we've got a subdivision going in off of um Route 11 uh across from the uh New London Golf Course. Um they have started footers last week there. Um it'll be 211 town homes that'll be going in. As they're sitting right now, they're going to be um district for New London Academy, which would put us uh over capacity at that school. I would like to get consensus to the board from the board, excuse me, um that we utilize um the ability for staff using the overflow model to look at what the best school is to send them to. Uh and I believe the overflow model is going to be the nearest school with capacity. Is that how it works? I believe that's how we're we're we've put it in the in
310that policy there. >> I would like to add a minute. Wait, that's a >> I'll I'll relook at that. >> I'm pretty sure I wrote it, so I think we're we're pretty darn close. >> Would that be Goodview? Yeah, is it nearest school with capacity within the >> So, it's the nearest school with capacity, period. >> Period. >> And so, the you know, there are schools with capacity that are that are closer than Goodview. >> Okay. >> So, you know, it's not Goodview. >> No, no, no, no, no, no. Tonight's good. >> Do you have what you need there that we can ask? Okay. >> There'll be a lot of schools in between >> Yeah. >> New London and good views. So, I think we'll be all right. >> Do I have consensus for that?
311>> Yes. >> Um you would have to look at at the timeline on when other divisions may open cuz other things may be happening at some of those other schools and then that may put them over. So, we might have to look. So, >> Yep, that's right. And you know, they just started footers and they're not going to build 211 townhomes tomorrow. I think the first phase they're wanting to be done sometime in the fall at 56 units. So, this is not a right now. But it is coming. >> We got to plan for it. >> Yep. >> Unlike previous times. Okay. Um we'll go Wait, did you already You guys already You guys >> turn. >> Oh, good. >> I would like to thank all of the executive staff for all the hard work
312and grunt that you have put in over the last, not just week, but months and years uh preparing for this. Um and no None of us have enjoyed it. And we'll thank the community for for coming out with the passion that they have. Um this is a really emotional thing. I appreciate Mr. Carnes and your faithfulness to your constituents. Um and and that That is why we were elected. Uh my district really hasn't had much to say except for a text message that I got this evening as well. Um >> Oh, I wonder if I got it, too. >> It's entirely possible. I appreciate the entire board here too in that we can have differing opinions and yet work together to come up with a solution that is the best for the students of Bedford
313County. Um, we are not done. We got more to come. And I think that a successful outcome for the county as a whole, for the school board, uh, is going to be effective communication and at least participation with the board of supervisors with a common goal to support the county, to support our students. Um, we are not independent. Um, we are dependent on on them. Um, and that creates a certain dynamic that is difficult sometimes. And without effective communication, uh, it's going to go nowhere. We're just going to keep slinging mud at each other, which is what happened, I think at the board of supervisors meeting. Um, and there's great temptation to do the same thing from here and somebody has to adult. And, uh, just come to the table and work out what's best
314for the kids. So, I appreciate you guys. Thank you. >> Just reiterate what everybody has said. I definitely appreciate I mean there's been a lot of phone calls and a lot of texts and a lot of trying to figure things out, um, over, you know, this last week, but also been trying to do it for for years for several of us. And, you know, it's I think that Mr. Hagler, you painted a very very sobering picture last week and then in our meetings before that. And, um, it has continued to not for lack of trying, but it has continued to get worse. And I, you know, you were called a magician earlier and I think that is the truth and we all see that. And if it if it has not been for the work
315of of people on this board in finance and, you know, in facilities, cuz you all saved a lot of money over time by being involved. You're saving money to this day. Last This last week I talked to you, you were saving money. And so, there is a lot of hard work that comes. We do not just come here and sit here for a couple hours on the meeting once a month and make decisions. I probably have 500 emails from my my work that I have not gotten to this week because I was very focused on trying to answer as many people as I could as everybody around this around this table has. And I know the office staff, we called you guys a ton. You were getting calls from the public as well. And I
316I we we have tried. And those decisions are not made lightly. But now that those decisions are made, it is up to it is up to us here around this table and our teams and the parents and everybody to rally around and let and make sure that we do the absolute best that we can for these kids cuz this is what is what is the most important. I got in trouble a lot for an analogy that I made last week and um please note that is not my heart. It was not meant to come off off in any way towards the community of Stuarts Draft or or Stanton River. I was explaining simply that we have a lot of problems and they may have been ignored in the past and now we are dealing with
317a much bigger problem. It was not their problem. It's our problem as a county. And they did not make that and quite honestly didn't deserve it. But the most important thing was to always speak truth to everyone because what I have said and I've said it to everybody around this table as I have felt that people have been led down a primrose path and they have not been told the truth. And reversion has been explained several times now and I think more more people now understand what that is versus in the past. And that's our job. We're in education. We are supposed to educate and tell the truth no matter how tough it is. And I would be a blind to you if I said that that anyone was excited to come here today and
318try to make this decision cuz that is not the truth. And there are other decisions to be made. I think you heard of three different decisions that were made here around this table that affects, you know, a a different zone. And may affect another zone because it someone might have to go towards the Liberty Zone on that. Um in my district someone's going to probably have to be moved. That's just the way that it is and we have to say, "Look, we may not be doing this in the Liberty Zone or we may not do this in the Stafford Zone, but this is something that might have to happen, guys." Cuz, you know, we have capacity issues. We don't have $45 million to build a new elementary schools and that wouldn't make a lot of
319sense. But this shortfall is real. It's getting bigger. Mr. Hager, you compared it to a tsunami. We're maybe calm for a while and I think a lot of people have experienced that, but those waves are coming and it's not going to be pleasant. So, again, we have a lot of issues and problems that we have to deal with. And I think tomorrow for several of us who are are meeting with the Board of Supervisors, it is a first step to lay the groundwork and say, "This is where we're at today. This is where we need to get to. We see what's coming. How are we going to bridge this gap? And how are we going to do this together? Because it cannot be the school board pulling. And it can't be the Board of Supervisors
320pulling. They have their own sets of issues and it would be important to lay that out on the table so everyone knows what we're totally up against as a county. I don't see extra funding coming from Richmond. Not this year. Not in a couple years. I certainly do not see that. They're going to put it on us as a locality and we've got to try to meet that head on. I think that's what our citizens deserve and expect. And we got to be truthful every step of the way and not sugarcoat things and not lie. And we have to work with them to try to find solutions. Because some of the solutions that have come up with in the past are things that we may not have thought of. We got to think outside the
321box and we got to work with everybody to do it. At the end of the day, we need to protect our kids, our teachers, and the programs that support that is the ultimately what we have to do. That is the path that I've taken and I've tried to respond to everybody and read every email um and it's been tough. A lot have come in and I appreciate the passion, but I will say this also about passion. It's that passion that makes me believe in here. That's the spirit of the Stewarts Ville area. That's the spirit of the area that this county brings. And that alone is why these kids I think are going to be okay because they have passionate people who love them and that's the most important thing. They're passionate people who love
322them and when you have that, there's not much that you can't accomplish. I'm excited to have our meeting tomorrow. I'm excited I am thankful for all of you around this table. You've heard enough from me over the last week and we've talked to each other and tried to figure this thing out and I I think we've we've made the decision. We've got to make the best absolutely the best of it. I'm very thankful for Mr. Kearns and and our and our time that we've talked and uh Mr. Holbrook as well. Um I think that the idea that you guys came up with today and tried to get rolling uh is commendable and I think it's going to be a it's certainly going to be a better fit than the alternative. So, just because this meeting
323is over doesn't mean the work stops. It's just beginning and we're going to get after it and we're going to make sure that we know in the second we're able to do it. I'm going to I guess we don't need a special called meeting now. I guess we're ready to rock and roll. So, if we can get it going, we're going to get it going. So, >> Also, I I just wanted to say >> These things are what we're working on. >> Also, let me just let you know the April 16th >> done yet. >> We'll have a work session before that >> Okay. >> so that we can talk about some of these other >> And I would I would ask of staff I would ask of staff and I would ask of these
324gentlemen if the second they start getting viable information, call forward members, let us know. And the second we can update and and let the public know what's going on. That's also going to be important. >> you'll get some emails about what's in that work session. >> Okay. >> We already have some policies in the pipeline. >> Okay. >> So that's probably why we wanted to have this discussion up there. >> Okay. >> Good stuff. >> With that, I'm going to ask for a motion to adjourn. >> So moved. >> Mr. Holbrook >> Going first, so we have a second. >> Second. >> All those in favor signify by any discussion? No. Any Any All those in favor signify by saying I. I. Any opposed?