001what's worse all right mr hill mrs harrison here mr holbrook here dr miley here mr nelms yeah madam chair you have a forum [Music] still moved i have a motion by dr mealey do i have a second second by mr nilms any discussion all those in favor signify saying ah agenda approved tonight's first portion of the meeting we're going to hear from the candidates they are listed in alphabetical order um unfortunately mr daniels had a previously scheduled business trip and he is stuck his plane is stuck and he's unable to make it here in time we've agreed to let him participate by zoom so as soon as he can log in we'll begin with him all right can you guys hear me yes sir all right okay well thank you very much for having me
002tonight uh tonight my talk will be broken down into three to three sections referencing bedford county's motto life liberty and happiness life my name is christopher daniels and i'm a proud resident of bedford county over the past four years i've been fortunate to raise my two twin boys roman and cash in bedford county specifically in good my family has been blessed to attend such a great a great school such as jefferson forest high school it is important to me that they are brought up with good family values to be compassionate leaders to be understanding and value the hard work and determination and to give back to the community and to be critical thinkers i'm grateful that you consider me for representing district 7 on the bedford county school board as a product of a k-12
003public school education and a private business owner for 23 years i understand the impact that a great school system can have growing up my parents were very active both in my life and with the local schools i come to you with an open heart an open mind wanting to serve by being a voice for the parents students guardians and teachers they are equally important roles in the development of making good students and citizens liberty liberty comes in all forms and the definition changes based on life circumstance i feel that i'm uniquely qualified to sit on this school board i'm a single father and i understand what comes with those challenges i'm also the father of a child with special needs and understands the challenges that accompany this circumstance my son has cerebral palsy and overall
004developmental delay i understand the needs of both the children and the parents with special needs as well as extra and the extra emphasis teachers and aides perform to ensure that we get the most out of our school experience i want to say thank you to mrs perkins and mr barliss and the entire team that supports them at jefferson forest high school your efforts are seen and appreciated additionally i spent a career in the private sector after graduating with a bachelor's degree in business administration for 23 years i've worked for jersey mike subs currently i serve as an independent area director for jersey mike's in north carolina and virginia i also over i also own several jersey mike's franchises i've traveled all over the country opening stores and training thousands of employees managers directors of operations
005and franchisees but my success was not directly related to my degree but hard work and life circumstance i started at jersey mike's behind the counter i started by asking customers if they wanted a regular giant and if they wanted it with mike's wife i rose through the ranks from sandwich maker to a multi-franchise owner i've been blessed with a great company to be with a great company and i work very hard every day to add value but i'm also blessed to be part of a company that treats others as family values people and works hard to invest in people it's our duty as citizens to invest in our children and teachers to give them the best tools and technology to be successful the goal of any investment is to have a measurable and tangible return
006on that investment as parents and as a community we see this on a daily basis with our children's development but that building block development happens over time the compounding return on that investment is when they have the necessary skills knowledge and tools to be successful we need to teach our kids to be entrepreneurial to never settle to uh to have the ability to think critically and take personal responsibility and help others along the way that is the true definition of liberty happiness it is our job to prepare for our children for life's opportunities if we successfully perform the roles of parenting teaching mentoring and holding each other accountable in love we will build the next generation of successful stronger leaders enrichment the knowledge and ingrained with values there are many elements to building the next
007generation of leaders but a foundation grounded on the community working together will yield better results and lead us into the future in my career at jersey mike subs it has always been instilled in us that we need to be giving back and making a difference in someone's life i intend on using that same servant leadership skill set to contribute to bedford county being part of this school board will give me another avenue to apply these principles to better our community that is what our goal is parents guardians teachers aides administrators and as the school board should be to be a positive influence in the lives of everyone that we touch while these past two years sure have been challenging and there definitely are issues that divide us it's important for us to focus on what
008unites us because there is much more that unites us than divides us i believe that our future is bright and i also believe that working together bedford county can be a shining light and an example to the rest of the state of what can be accomplished when we work together thank you so much for the opportunity thank you mr daniels [Applause] thank you next we have raymond smith so good evening madam chair members of the board and my friends of bedford county my name is raymond smith and i'm a proud son of bedford county and the bedford county public school system i am a graduate of otter river elementary forest middle school and jefferson forest high school class of 2019. my other educational careers involve cvcc where i've received my associates in education in general
009studies and the university of lynchburg where i am currently going for my bachelor's in history and social studies in secondary education with the goal of becoming a teacher here in bedford county public schools it is bedford county public schools that made me want to become a teacher because of the dedicated administrators staff and teachers that pour their hearts and souls every day into the youth of bedford county my time with bedford county public schools was filled with a lot of involvement from sol review assistance when i was in high school i went back to forest middle school and would help with the world history 1 soil review i was involved in jefferson forest high school's theater program which taught me not only the importance of public speaking and the importance of individuals but also the
010importance of community and what it means to everyone since graduating from jefferson forest i've had the privilege of chaperoning school trips serving on the superintendent's advisory serving in educational trainings with faculty and staff of all levels and in all zones of the county which has exposed me to even more amazing individuals that our county has to offer i currently get the pleasure of collaborating with teachers at jefferson forest high school in a unit on congress and congressional debate outside of bedford county public schools i am a part of little town players incorporated the cornerstone theater of our bedford community and enjoy the privilege of being their secretary of the board but most of all the achievement that i'm most proud of is that for the last two years i've been a substitute teacher in bedford
011county public schools in my goal to be a teacher i always thought when i graduated well that's it for four years until i come back to teach but then substitute teacher became an option and so i immediately put in my application in january of 2020 and began that same month little did i know that the pandemic would come into play a few months later but it was that pandemic that has given me some of the most invigorating and school days of my life that have given me the opportunity to see what teachers are truly capable of and how resilient students are in the face of adversity when i was at forest middle school subbing for long term i got to see every day teachers coming in pushing through showing them that our educational process does
012not end because of outside influences but instead perseveres on for the good of the community i got to see students coming to school every day even though they knew that there was a pandemic going on and that there were stressors outside the building coming focused on learning it is these experiences that compelled me to come before you all and ask for the appointment because i have been in the schools i've seen the wear and tear i've seen the energy that is still there desperately ready for this pandemic to leave so that way things can be in full force i have seen the students come in and i am so dedicated to making sure that every day forward continues to be a hallmark in their lives what do i hope to accomplish there are several things
013emphasis on fine arts departments which we have seen have proven more and more to be sources of social emotional learning for our students emphasis on early college and cte programs to show that there is more than one place for you to go after high school you are not limited to college and you are not foolish if you choose to go into cte and occupations that make our world so wonderful special needs curriculum and teachers we need improvements we need reinforcements in order to ensure that all children all across the board are given the opportunities to succeed in life one of the important things to me is the reevaluation of teachers and staff many feel that they are not heard many feel that they are not supported and i feel that we should do everything in
014our power to ensure that they never feel that way ever again another group that equally deserves it is families and parents there's a sacred trust that is given to any board and any elected group with the electorate and it is paramount to our success that we increase dialogue and communication to ensure that all stakeholders in education feel heard represented and loved my perspective as i've said i've been a student i've seen areas for improvement i have volunteered i've seen the importance of community involvement i have coached at jefferson forest high school as a debate coach and i'm a teacher in training there are multiple options available 30 seconds and so with all of these experiences with everything i offer a viewpoint that is different and that is needed my blood runs through bedford county and
015my one goal and aspiration is to help lead and ensure that the school division is always a place of academic excellence with three important truths parents deserve a voice teachers deserve to teach and above all else students deserve the best thank you mr smith [Applause] sherry whitehorst quality education begins with school board members listening and hearing the voices of the community i believe the voices of the community matter and i have the compassion and the courage to listen to those voices and to advocate for them i believe the school system is to be a reflection of the community you've heard it said no child left behind well i say our community cannot be left behind i'm a christian conservative with a strong community heritage my family roots go back six generations to in bedford county
016one of my great grandfathers was born in the town of liberty that was later renamed bedford and then he moved to thaxton my mother and father both taught more than one generation of students right here at liberty high school i started school at bedford primary school and i finished at liberty high school i performed in the musical oklahoma right here on the stage and i played girls basketball in the gymnasium just a few yards away i know how important the fine arts and sports programs are to this community my children graduated from liberty high school and my grandson will be starting school in district 7 this fall i have a strong background in education i have a doctorate from virginia tech in educational leadership and policy studies and setting policy is one of the main
017functions of a school board because of a brother i have a concern for special education in fact i completed my dissertation on the topic of access to the general curriculum for students with disabilities and i dedicated my dissertation to him i spent a career in education in bedford county working as a teacher as an assistant principal as a principal and as a deputy superintendent i've served on numerous boards and councils including but not limited to the bevford area ymca the bedford chamber of commerce the bedford area resource council the lynchburg college advisory board lynchburg center for economic education and the lynchburg all points eap i believe serving on these boards has helped prepare me to serve on our school board in the most recent home school report i can hear concerned voices from the community
018there are 1 387 students who are homeschooled and only 173 students are homeschooled for religious reasons bedford county receives over ten thousand dollars for each enrolled student our school system is losing millions of dollars in revenue because parents are saying they do not want to send their children to bedford county public schools i know how many of these parents feel for a short time i was one of them we want our community to have confidence in our schools and that they can provide quality education in safe environments community members are saying they are concerned about the low enrollment at liberty high school when i was principal of liberty high school the enrollment was 1039 students this past fall the enrollment was 713. when the student enrollment is that low it is hard to offer the
019same courses and extracurricular programs that the sister high schools have when the city of bedford reverted to a town the general assembly said bedford county public schools could use the town's lesser local composite index for 15 years as a result since 2013 bedford county public schools has been receiving 6 million in added state funding each year in a few years this money will no longer be provided and there will be a shortfall of over 6 million for each subsequent year as a fiscal conservative i want to address this issue now before it becomes a critical problem i hear many community voices saying that the appropriation of funding needs to be examined so several programs can be fully restored and brought into the 21st century a few of these programs include fine arts community members want
020to see full-time art teachers restored in the elementary schools library media community members want to see full-time librarians restored in the elementary schools special education community members want appropriate staffing they also want the practices of restraint and calming rooms examined career and technical education several years ago this program was gutted community members want to see cte continue to be restored community members are concerned about recruiting and retaining teachers and ensuring all our schools have nurses especially susie gibson career technical center which i'm told has no nurse community members want our teachers to have state-of-the-art curriculum materials bedford county needs a board member who has the background and experience to guide the district safely into the future bedford county needs a board member who says our community cannot be left behind it would be an honor
021to represent my community and serve as the district 7 school board member thank you thank you dr whitehurst thank you to all the candidates who came out and spoke tonight we're going to begin the public comment portion of tonight's meeting the public hearing portion of tonight's agenda is limited to 180 minutes speakers are asked to state their name address and voting district the school board is here to listen to your comments but will not engage or respond to speakers during this 180 minute period this portion of the meeting is designated for public comments regarding district 7 candidates only please remember that this is a public meeting and we expect all speakers to refrain from any foul abusive or hateful language mr edwards will serve as timekeeper for individual speakers with a ringing bell indicating that
022person has 30 seconds remaining and a second bell will ring indicating a person's four minutes have expired mr edwards will also serve as the time keeper for a cumulative 180 minute period mr edwards four minute timer bell rings please discontinue speaking and allow the next person in line to come to the podium should you be unable to finish your comments please send or give them to ms johnson right up here in the front row and she will give them to the board please do not adjust the microphone it is as it has been positioned for optimum quality audio i'm going to call three member three um speakers at a time if you would line up here on the front row so that way you'll be ready to go to the podium when it's your turn
023aaron farrell kelly harmony and charlotte vincent good evening my name is erin farrell um i live in district three and i have two children in bedford county um i feel a little emotional so i've spoken before but um this is really important and i know everyone here realizes that so um it's just really in my mind to pray for our county right now so i'm going to pray for a moment and then share a few more things so god i thank you for the children of bedford i thank you for the people wanting to serve them and we pray your will be done i pray tonight that people speak in truth and love and that there's unity where where you want there to be unity in your name jesus amen so there are a few
024things i'm hoping for in bedford long term one of the things is in particular has to do with my daughter who has some disabilities that i approached a school about early on to help her get some resources i was denied testing that the county i was i didn't know my rights basically and i was denied testing we had it was a positive conversation but they just oh no she doesn't qualify um because she's successful in a variety of different ways so we were able to privately get testing and go from there but there are a lot of families in bedford that need that don't have that ability and honestly i didn't know how to advocate properly in the last few months i've learned a little bit more about how to do that so i think
025that i speak for a lot of people um some people like chris daniels whose son has more uh physical challenges or phys you know um you know with cerebral palsy his his son needs more help but there are people all over the board who need a lot more and since i first moved to bedford i've heard this from my friends one of my friends actually had two sons with autism both my children's ages so we were friends and played a lot with them but they moved specifically actually to pennsylvania because they had some family connection there but they moved for the services so i think that we need to serve people all people here um and that's one of the reasons that i support chris daniels because i know so my little sister has down
026syndrome and um when i was 10 she was born i've been to many iep meetings just because i was along with my mom i spent lots of summers working with people with special needs through all my life and it's really important to me i think that honestly with all due respect i think the three candidates are wonderful i think everyone has different things that they can offer what bedford county needs is someone who is going to advocate with um in this case his heart for with with an understanding of what bedford really needs so that that's one of the things also i just want to say that um having been involved early on in the cause so to speak and the movement to allow parents to be more involved in our schools when we were
027told by the governor than governor northam they were not welcome i was involved in the election process and thankfully matthew thank you and dwayne nelms both won as writing candidates chris daniels helped and i don't say that because i mean he had no idea district seven would become open so there was you know he he's a parent who was involved since the rest of us basically got involved he cares about parent choice and um that's evidenced by who he supported earlier on so thank you for your time i have been praying for you guys thank you miss farrell [Applause] kelly harmony it's good to see you at a school board meeting again hello my name is kelly harmony and i am speaking in place of donald toms as he's sick and unable to attend tonight
028i would like to thank all of you for taking the time to serve as school board representatives because i know that it is a thankless job i grew up in bedford county and currently live in district six i was a graduate of jefferson heart forest high school and my husband and two children were all graduates of liberty high school you could say we're a house divided i'm just kidding i spent many years entrenched in bedford county public schools was elected and served as district 6 school board representative prior to my dear friend susan kirby i know as a board member there are lots of decisions that rest in your hands during my time on the board and you may have experienced this as well where you need the background on why certain decisions are being
029made or why things are done a certain way cherie whitehurst was always my go-to person she was able to articulate from her vast education and experience the intricacies of the school system you could say she was my google for bedford county public schools cherie is the candidate with a 30-year career in education with 28 years experience within bedford county in positions that range from classroom teacher in all three zones principal assistant principal level roles in all three zones and nine years at the central office level members you each here represent a diverse population within all three zones if you're looking for a candidate that will be an advocate for district 7 as well as the children from all three zones in bedford county she's the one for the job if you're looking for a candidate
030that could maintain and expand relationships with the board of supervisors she's the one for the job if you're looking for a candidate that has a true heart for students and parents she's the one for the job i don't envy the decision you have to make on thursday but i do urge you to consider cherie whitehurst as the candidate who has the best interest for all the children in bedford county she's the candidate that's humble and kind we all know that we could all use a little more humbling kind in this world thank you miss army ms vincent following miss vincent will be sue moore jim messier ellen karns start yes ma'am my name is charlotte vincent i live at 1811 oakwood street bedford virginia i'm a district 7 member i am i'm a retired teacher
031who taught 34 years in school in five different school system the last 25 years were in bedford county when i retired in 2000 i'm here to support give this my support for sharif whitehurst to be my district school board representative she is highly motivated highly motivated individual who is who is driven to provide the highest standards for uh of education for the students in both academic and vocational and special needs area her qualifications are outstanding you all have seen her application you know what she has as a reference she has taught in all levels primary secondary middle school high school and she was my assistant principal at jefferson forest high school for two years i could never get to school before she did she was always there way early and some days i would be
032there at six in the morning trying to get something and she'd be in the office and was ready to help me if if i needed anything she was very supportive to the teachers the students and the parents and was always available to help the teachers the students and the parents when there was a problem or when she was needed she always made sure that she gave us the best advice to make all of us students as successful as she as they could be with her experience at the level of school system primary secondary middle school in the central office she's highly qualified for this position she believes that the students believes that the students need to get the best possible education possible and she worked with the teachers and the parents to make sure that
033was possible there have been many changes in education over the years lots of changes and i know you all are familiar with them but one thing has not changed and that's the kids they need to learn they need to be taught and they need to be get the training that they need if they go into a job other than the academic area kids they want to be successful and it is the job of the schools to make sure that they are provided with a method that can make them be successful dr whitehurst will do the best she can to help each of the students and she'll not only work for district 7 she'll work for bedford county because she's been in every school in this bedford county and knows a lot of the people so
034it would be wonderful if she could be on the school board bedford county needs her with all of her talent she grew up in bedford county i know i have known sheree since she was two years of age and i can testify to her character she's wonderful thank you miss vincent ms moore hi my name is sue moore and i live in district 5 at 100 spring hill circle i've taught 27 years but my last 18 were in bedford county one year at jf and 17 at thomas jefferson my children attended otter river for 18 years i coached three sports and goods started good recreation became soccer director at that time and volunteered at the school now i'm proud to say i have three grandchildren that attend that school i had the opportunity to know
035dr whitehurst first as a parent and then as an administrator when i was at jf and later deputy superintendent i worked with her and consulted with her as a teacher parent and grandparent what i know most about dr whitehurst is that she consists consistently listens and advocates for students teachers and parents she always had open door policy i want to give you a few examples number one i witnessed elementary art and library media positions being turned into personalized learning coaches dr whitehurst compassionately listened to parents grandparents and heard their complaints she then advocated for them trying to save their art and library programs unfortunately many elementary schools still do not have full-time art and librarians and the pe and music programs have been also reduced number two an entire elementary school staff was told that
036they had to implement personalized learning even after losing accreditation this meant that the teachers had to be used as guides on the side while the computers did the teacher teaching the teachers saw their students struggling and heard the voices of all the unhappy parents the teachers went to dr whitehurst in their anguish dr whitehurst listened compassionately she told the teachers they had a license from the department of education to teach and if they saw a student failing due to the personalized learning approach then they could choose to get textbooks out and teach the children instead of letting the computers teach them the next year that school earned back its accreditation year after year textbook money was mostly used to pay for technology for personalized learning as a result the district had technology but no updated
037curriculum to go with it teachers had to spend hours surfing the internet looking for free curriculum materials teachers came to dr whitehurst with their concern she listened and then tried to advocate for them unfortunately even today teachers in many subject areas still do not have updated curriculum materials cherie is a huge supporter of special ed she watched a close family member struggle with dyslexia unable to read read at the age of nine her parents had to fight the iep system to get the proper help because of that experience growing up she's a huge advocate for special ed she even wrote her dissertation on that subject because she is so passionate dr whitehurst listens to the voices in the community and advocates for them she puts the needs of others before her own dr whitehurst still
038has a heart to serve she is currently a student at united theological seminary there she is completing a masters of divinity she continues to be learning new ways that she can serve others our community stands behind dr whitehurst since we cannot vote we ask this board to fulfill your obligation to listen listen to the voices of the community and select dr whitehurst to be district 7 school board representative and one last thing i'd like to thank bedford county school board for my dad was a board member for 27 years in illinois thank you for keeping our schools open last year and this year you led the way thank you ms moore mr messier [Applause] jim messier 1621 kingston circle district seven i'm speaking in favor of dr sheree whitehurst i've known sheree since high school
039that's kind of a long time i express my appreciation to all three who threw their hat in the ring for this appointment none of us would ever question the drive and passion of raymond smith and although he's only lived in district seven for a short time uh mr daniels has certainly jumped into the political arena with both feet the decision you're now responsible to make though is not about politics it's about our children one and only one candidate before you has spent her entire life dedicated to the children parents and staff of bedford county schools her resume is clear in her deep and unwavering commitment to excellence she has always shown her desire to not only seek out the will of the parents and the students but deliver policy on behalf on their behalf from
040her high school graduation not a single decade has passed that dr whitehurst hasn't completed another educational milestone to better herself to serve the students and parents and staff of bedford county public schools sheree has worked in all three districts from teacher principal all the way up to assistant superintendent she knows the needs of the students she knows the abilities of the teachers and she knows the wishes of the parents not all that long ago when our school division administration was moving in a direction that a majority of the parents did not wish it to go dr whitehurst took it upon herself to seek out comments and the wishes of parents all across the county in an attempt to revise the school policies i attended meetings along with a couple of members of the school board
041in an attempt to support dr whitehurst we knew of her value and advocacy to our students teachers and parents then and we now have the opportunity to use her amazing skill sets and willingness to advocate for our students once again the past two years has brought about unprecedented challenges and change to school systems all over the world bedford county school parents mounted a movement when many felt their voices weren't being heard as we transition from pandemic to endemic it is time to realign the school board to once again make our schools great dr whitehurst is not an unknown to the school district she is a fiscal conservative with a servant's heart as a long-time local businessman and member of the bedford county economic development authority i can't stress enough the need for bedford county public
042schools to be the very best we can possibly provide very high on the metrics used by companies when looking to locate or stay in a region is the quality of the school system this not only affects the education of your children but in a very real way the quality of your jobs dr whitehurst has devoted her working to the betterment of the bedford county schools she's taught and led teachers she's listened to parents and advocated for all students she has developed curriculum established policy and something some of you are just beginning to experience successfully crafted a budget she has literally done it all as the six of you enter into debate to fill this interim position please put politics aside and think about what is best for our children with the challenges of staff recruitment
043and retention school building planning and the new wave of charter schools which will mean the need to do more with less public dollars we need dr whitehurst drawing from my business experience no successful organization is built by filling every position with the same type of personnel the most successful identify their needs determine their weaknesses and find someone who is strong in those areas i beg of each of you to look within yourself examine your heart and identify your all your own weaknesses we all have them then select the candidate who will challenge you who is strong when you're a weak you will find that dr whitehurst is the person you know we need thank you for your time and thank you for your service thank you mr may miss corns the next three will be
044raymond arrington mary catherine bennett and bobby johnson good evening school board members i am ellen gene carnes i live at 1341 marigold drive goodview virginia district one i'm a retired teacher with 17 years of teaching experience both at stanton river middle school from 1990 till 2002 and stanton river high school 2002-2007 my husband tom karns retired from bedford county schools with 26 years at stanton river high school both of our children graduated from bedford county and our three grandchildren are enrolled in bedford county schools i'm here tonight to urge you to choose dr sheree whitehurst a woman of integrity and excellence whom i first met as a fellow educator at stanton river middle school back in 1993. cherie taught eighth grade english my impressions of her during those first three years were of an educator
045who cared deeply about both her subject and her students i was assigned a few times to cover her eighth grade english class i always walked into an orderly classroom with excellent lesson plans and students who were well behaved and motivated to learn i appreciated her preparation for me to step into her shoes for those class periods she left a lasting impression on me with her professionalism and attention to detail then in the spring of 2002 i heard of an opening at stanton river high school in the family and consumer science department what we used to call home economics i might have an opportunity finally to teach what i had majored in in college leaving stanton river middle school and the excellent principal lynn roberts was a very hard decision but knowing that sheree whitehurst was
046in charge at srhs and whom fellow educators including my husband tom spoke so highly of her affirmed my decision to apply she approved my transfer and for the next four years until she left in 2006 cherie was a superb principal she had very high standards and expectations for her staff but even higher for herself her vision was to ensure stanton river met and exceeded state academic requirements in all areas of learning she encouraged student activities in the various clubs and sports that allowed them to become well-rounded and feel valued she handled discipline issues calmly listened to all sides of the situation with fairness and compassion she was always accessible and she was an encouraging bright light in our sometimes hard and tiring profession i truly enjoyed working with her and getting to know her better
047as an educator and a person dr whitehurst in her application on page two states that two of her goals she hopes to accomplish working with other board members are the following one to ensure that students parents teachers and staff members feel valued and are treated with dignity and respect and secondly to ensure parent student teacher and community voices are heard i can vouch for dr whitehurst on both of these goals she is a woman of excellence and integrity she will serve bedford county showing respect compassion and courage in her own words quote i believe each child in our community has the right to receive the very best education into quote please give her the opportunity thank you thank you mr mr arrington [Applause] good afternoon my name is raymond arrington i live in district 7.
048my address is 2202 twin lake drive bedford virginia you may have known shariq whitehurst as dr white hearst but i've known her as cherie i cannot think of a better person to serve as district 7 school board member in the time i have known cherie she is one that listens and cares when you talk to her you instantly feel supported and you know that she is is there to help any way possible since 2007 i worked in the community leading bedford youth focus sheree and her husband pastor david have always supported me and my ministry with the youth in the town of beth sheree has a special concern for the youth in the district 7 and she wants them to be successful in life sheree also has supported me with my work as a sunday
049school teacher through the years she has helped me write my lesson plans gather material and find technology to go with my lessons she has helped me make my lessons fun fun with the games the crafts and activities i ask that you choose cherie as district 7 school board member sheree will support you she will help you she will work with you and to solve our problems she will do an excellent job representing the people of district 7. i know cherie well and as a fact i had a basketball game tonight at the y but i thought it was more important to come here and support her seven and eight-year-old boys girls if you choose her you you will you will not be disappointed and once again if you choose her you will not be disappointed
050and thank you for your time thank you mr erin miss bennett hello my name is mary katherine bennett and i live in forest virginia district um five and i wanted to tell you that i left my six children at home so my husband had to prepare dinner so pray for them because i felt like this was so important that i needed to come so i am here standing before you because i am so adamantly for our children and for this community that i think that christopher daniels is the best option for this school board so let me tell you how i got to meet him and why i think he's the best option for those that don't know myself and a bunch of other moms and grandpa grizzlies and so we call her mama bears
051grandpa grizzlies and granny bears and dads all came together because we did not like that our rights were taken away as parents we were told to mask our children even those with children with special needs which i have one he has autistic development delayed he is six years old but he's more like a two or three year old he's entered the but why stage which is great because that means he's progressing um when we started getting involved we realized we wanted to have more of a voice and so we started a movement and dwayne and matt volunteered dads that realized as well that we needed to be more involved because of our children in the public schools and we got them on board and just through the amazing community that is bedford county so chris
052daniels has been there from the very beginning because he also has kids with special needs so we bonded because of his son celebrity palsy um we have he has been at every single school board meeting since august he has donated his time and his money before dwayne and for matt before this even opened up this position even opened up he has done so much and has given encouraging words and so when this position opened we actually um he reached out and said what do you think and we said heck yes i think you would be the best person for the job so what i'm noticing is so many wonderful people are here talking about cherie or raymond smith but i would like to also talk about for instance cherie she's an educator and i appreciate
053that but we worked really hard to get an educator out and to bring parents choice back in and i do not want to go backward we've already got educators represented on the school board and i really think that chris daniels has what it takes number one budget-wise we know he's also a fiscal conservative he's already in the gop party and has been um in the committee and i think again that what we need is to get away from what we had in the past and move on to what's going to happen in the future there's a lot of great things that could be done with chris daniels on the board we need new ideas fresh ideas and more parental involvement so with that again i think all three of the candidates are fantastic and i
054appreciate them standing up and volunteering but the best person for the job as someone who is on the front lines and has been from august with children in the schools listening teachers reaching out to me staff reaching out to me parents reaching out to me chris daniels 100 is the person who i think best represents bedford county so thank you very much thank you mr ms johnson the next three speakers will be laurie croft christian snead and daryl updike good evening madam chair members of the board and dr bergen my name is dr bobby johnson and i reside in district 5 in bedford county my address is 414 meadow ridge drive thank you for the opportunity to address you tonight in support of dr sheree whitehurst for a seat on the bedford county school board
055and thank you for your service dr whitehurst has been a professional colleague of mine for over 25 years and i'm eager to share my perception of the value that she would bring to this board i first met sheree in graduate school quite a few years ago we were in a small cohort and so had many of their classes together i remember being struck by her seriousness as a student and her devotion to bedford county public schools she was a teacher in bedford at the time and i was a teacher in lynchburg city schools i became interested in bedford schools in part because of her descriptions in class of the quality of the schools and the support she felt fast forward a few months and dr whitehurst and i were both administrators in bedford county public
056schools we crossed paths often and i continue to be impressed by her efforts to grow and learn she's always been one to ask important questions and to seek to understand situations i could share so many examples of shari's instructional knowledge her ability to work with people in difficult times and her dedication to continuous improvement and growth both personally and professionally i remember with great admiration her approach to problem solving there are certain situations that arise in a school that i'm sure you know that must be shared with central office when cherie would called me to alert me to a dilemma i was assistant superintendent at the time she carefully described the situation and this is where many administrators would would uh stop waiting for the other person to start the problem solving but this was
057never the case with cherie she would describe the situation and then tell me what she had thought about his options for resolution and then she would tell me the option she was learning she was leaning towards while this is as it should be it can be rare until my recent second retirement i was an associate professor at the university of lynchburg teaching in their leadership program i use cherie's approach to taking responsibility and to the importance of clear reflective problem solving as an example to my graduate students who are working to become leaders while there are many things about serving on the school board that are very familiar to an educator it goes without saying that one does not have to be an educator to serve successfully on a school board i can speak to
058this as a former school superintendent who was blessed with working for a very effective school board and my school board members were from various walks of life of course sheree's instructional knowledge her experience with students and family challenges her understanding of the operational side of how schools and school divisions work will be invaluable to a board but she also has the leadership and finance skills that would be welcome in any business in or industry she believes in supporting those who do the day-to-day work and are on the front line she understands that funds never match the needs in a school system and so hard but smart decisions must be made she knows how to collaborate and serve as a member of a group so i'll end where i started dr whitehurst is smart hardworking and
059dedicated to bedford and bedford county schools a strong team would only be stronger with dr whitehurst on board thank you for your time thank you dr johnson ms croft good evening thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight my name is laurie croft and i live in district 7 in good it's my distinct honor and pleasure to recommend dr sheree whitehurst for the open position on your school board like me cherie grew up here in bedford county and she's a product of the bedford county schools she could have lived anywhere in the world and she and her husband made the choice to come back here to bedford county to plan a church raise a family and give back to this community that we love so much sheree continued a family tradition when she decided to
060make her career in education a final role model than our beloved coach cutler no one has ever had she has been involved in every facet of instruction here in bedford county she's been a teacher in the classroom a principal in all three attendance zones a central office administrator i do not need to tell any of you since you have her resume before you but so that others may know it is clear evidence that the leadership skills and the wealth of experience that she will bring to this board is unimpeachable and unmatched as a lifelong public educator and parent myself i'm quite dismayed at the us versus them mentality that has gripped our commonwealth and indeed has even touched our own community this attitude is neither conducive to educating children nor is it helpful in building
061the relationships necessary for our school division to prosper and meet the needs of all stakeholders sheree whitehurst did not tear up her parent card when she became an educator none of us did so why are so many supporting cherie because we know that her motives are pure we know that whether we agree or not with policy we will be heard we know that she has a diverse perspective that allows her to have an open mind her ability to instill trust will allow the collaborative spirit that is essential to being good stewards of our children's education her door is open and she will answer her phone as a servant leader cherie has the talent the skills the experience and the heart to make a difference that we all know is bedford county public schools greatest potential
062cherie is uniquely equipped to change the great to meet the great challenges of our day and turn them into opportunities she is not only the perfect candidate she is the right candidate i hope you will choose her as the obvious best choice for working together with you as a team to make all the difference for our children thank you so much for your service and for your attention thank you miss grove mr snead good afternoon christian snead 113 snooty judy road in goo district 7. i'm here to speak on behalf of chris daniels and while i cannot speak to the character of the other district the other candidates in district 7 i can speak to chris daniels i speak on behalf his ability to make sound decisions i can speak on his ability to stay
063principled and keep his composure in difficult circumstances chris daniels has a track record both in his personal life as well as his personal as well as his business life i've seen both of these sensible approaches leaders listen and that's one of the greatest qualities that chris exhibits chris consumes and considers other vantage points before supplying a solution to a problem this is a valuable characteristic given school board members generally balance in the feedback from teachers parents administrators and legal counsel i firmly believe that chris daniels will continue to bring balance without bias to the school board according to some social media last election was a popularity contest and not based on qualifications so what i would ask is what is the definition of qualified what are the qualifications to add merit to a character to
064a candidate how are these qualifications weighted and how are they measured should certifications carry more credence should a vested parent be a priority should work experience carry a larger weight as an applicable experience there's no objective tools to measure these certain qualifications but bedford county is looking for the same attributes that they found in you all for the next board member trustworthiness perseverance communication positivity humility and passion we've all had parents friends teachers and coworkers that were not the most qualified but they did make a large impact on our lives and we're better for that today just several months ago this school board heard from bedford county voters in district three there was a write-in candidate runoff bedford overwhelmingly supported dwayne nelson with over 70 percent of the total votes compared to his opponent robert
065ashwell dwayne was running against a 48-year administrator who by paper might have had a compelling argument to be more qualified but what i do know is that chris daniels with us was standing with the strong majority of bedford that day he gave both his time money and perspective advocating for teachers and students not politics he stood with me as a sounding board as i tried to help matt and duane with this he always made sound decisions the white hearst the white horse household made a decision to financially contribute to robert ashwell's campaign financially with a 500 campaign contribution and 500 is a lot of money but this contribution may create more questions than answers for voters in district 7. for where your treasure is there your heart will be also having spent time with chris
066and working on the campaigns i know where his heart is it stands with the 70 plus percent of people that voted in district 3. and that was just four months ago not with the 20 that supported a lifelong administrator that drew into question as whether you can serve impartially to the system that you've been a part of to be clear this is not meant to be disrespectful but reflective as to whether miss whitehurst dr whitehurst excuse me aligns herself with the 70 plus percent of bedford county that came out to vote just several months ago or is it one that she plays role in her tenure through the bedford county public school system regardless of how you the board decides you will find that the treatment for myself for both chris as well as miss
067whitehurst will be the same as i told chris if his approach or his stance changes our friendship will survive but he can count on my name being next to his in november and that's the same for mrs whitehurst because in making decisions that need to be in bedford's best interest is crucial regardless of friendship and accountability is key to true leadership chris daniels has my full pledge of support as the best candidate for district 7 because i feel he aligns with the legacy of mr olympia i'm up here supporting chris because he placed teachers students and parents first more importantly his courage to support the role of teachers and parents and the children's education during coveted craziness i look forward to seeing his qualifications at work in bedford county after all he is representing my
068district district 7. thank you thank you mr snead mr updike the next three will be vincent short tim black and deborah woodson good evening my name is daryl updike out of 203 peaklin court district 7. one of the primary rules of public speaking is not to follow a better speaker well i've followed several and i feel i'm sort of at a disadvantage but that does not diminish the message that i have you have heard a lot of people from a lot of different walks of life talk about how dr whitehurst has benefited the school system my only advice is listen listen to what you're saying in the last sheriff's election we had three quality candidates running for for office you've got three quality candidates here my opinion dr whitehurst is the better candidate please listen
069a lot of people talk about her background you have a resume you know what it says a lot of you know her personally know her professionally you know what she can do you know what her capabilities are in november an election comes up if the voters decide to go a different way that's the voter's choice right now you're in the middle of a term you need to be able to hit the ground running dr whitehurst can do that thank you for your time good luck thank you mr updike vincent short my name is vincent short live at 1070 century drive in good virginia which is district 5. i'm not a native of bedford county but my parents relocated here in 1978 so i started in eighth grade at that time bedford educational center it was
070only the eighth grade so the next year i started my high school career at liberty high school my sister was already there she was a junior she started as a sophomore so naturally going into a high school as a freshman you kind of tend to look up to the seniors and look for role models and being a christian my grandfather was a pastor growing up in church we had tried several churches in the area and one of the things that stuck out to me as a young middle schooler and now going into high school was that a lot of the kids that i met in church didn't act like christians at school so as i started looking to some of the seniors and juniors in high school i don't remember that many because i was
071new to the area but two people that i do recall standing out at that time was cherie cutler who was nationally whitehurst and and david whitehurst and what stood out to me as a young impressionable freshman was that as a senior both of those that were dating they were both very humble they lived the christian walk and they weren't ashamed of it they were humble and about 10 years ago we started to attend the church and i can tell you from 1980 when i knew of them until 2012 when we started attending their church i can say that that humble spirit and community involvement didn't change they were the same people and kept that same community and christian attitude today they didn't that's unwavering faith and that's the type of candidate that i want to
072see on the school board i've had four children that have come through the bedford county public education system i've graduated from bedford uh from liberty high school my wife graduated from jefferson forest high school my kids have graduated from from jefferson forest high school since we're in district five in goode some of the concerns as a parent that i see is we're getting away from the judeo-christian values that have made our community and our country as great as they are and we're seeing too many people for religious reasons or not step away from the public education system it will be refreshing to see someone that is going to bring those christian values back to bedford county or keep them and that's why i would say my vote would go for if i was you cherie
073whitehurst so thank you for your time and appreciate what you guys do thank you mr short tim black [Applause] madam chair members of the school board i'm tim black my address is 624 mountain avenue in district 6 in town of bedford in addition to being a son of a teacher a lifelong resident and taxpayer citizen i'm the mayor of the town of bedford as we discussed the appointment of the vacant district seventh seat i would like to take this opportunity to thank martin lenby for his six years of service to our community as you learned about the applicants for this appointment i ask you to consider just two questions who is the most qualified and who does the community one support i'm here to enthusiastically and unequivocally support dr sheree whitehurst for this appointment i
074believe there are four criteria that should make up a school board member their character education experience and their reason for serving i've known sheree since i was a kid growing up with her brothers she tried to keep us in line when we were young kids don't know how she did but anyway we appreciate that even growing up i've known her family for years her mom was an english teacher her dad was my government teacher and baseball coach there's no family in bedford county who has impacted our students and community as the cutler family has i know cherie to be a strong courageous christian woman who is firm in her conservative convictions strong in her belief in our educational system and will be st will be able to stand up and make the difficult decisions in
075the face of adversity she's proven that to our community mr smith i applaud you for wanting to serve on the school board at such a young age it's refreshing to see the most the next generation looking to get involved in our democratic process mr daniel even though i haven't had the opportunity to meet you i do appreciate you putting your name in the running but in all due respect to the other applicants wishing to serve there's no one more qualified to serve from both an educational perspective and the work experience and knowledge she can bring to this board with a bachelor's degree in elementary education a master's in educational leadership and a doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies there's no doubt she understands what it takes to have a successful school system cherie spent
076her career in our school system as a teacher assistant principal or principal in all three school zones then served as an administration as deputy superintendent for nine years her breadth of experience demonstrates she will have useful insight and knowledge of the issues in our school system and she can use that expertise to help this board and the system's leadership work towards solutions that will best serve our students our parents our staff and our community i know sheree is seeking this position because she has the desire to serve our community that she calls home she is in this for all the right reasons with the goal of making bedford county public schools the best school system in the commonwealth of virginia she will be receptive to all the views of all the stakeholders as she deliberates
077on policy and procedures that affects the students and their parents in our schools everyone i've spoken to about this appointment knows that sheree whitehurst is the right person for this job the district 7 seat encompasses half the town of bedford with the other half represented by miss kirby this import appointment is important to our community so that we can ensure fair representation for students and parents of the liberty zone i'd like to publicly thank dr whitehurst for attending our last town council meeting to discuss her vision and commitment to serving her constituents after her presentation she received overwhelming support from all seven council members during their comment period the leadership of the town of bedford has made their voice loud and clear who we believe should fill this seat ms kirby is the other representative
078that serves the town i hope you're listening to our community and you will support ms whitehurst as well as you cast your vote to make this appointment keep in mind the two questions i posed to you earlier who is most qualified and who does the community want i believe sheree whitehurst is the applicant that meets those requirements and that and i ask that you live up to the obligation you have to represent the citizens of district 7 in this process and live up your to your promises to listen to the community if you don't mind at this time i'd like everybody in the audience just to stand up that's important to rewind her and stand with me thank you madam chair thank you for allowing us to speak this evening thank you mr black ms
079woodson the next three will be eddie zimmerman nathan munson sarah mayhew hello i'm a teacher my name is deborah woodson and i'm a teacher in bedford county schools i don't live in bedford county is that okay all right i've taught for 36 years and 25 of them have been here in bedford county and thank you for the opportunity to speak to you um i want to speak about raymond smith i want to speak to his two traits i think we ought to think about with a person as young as he is one is his fresh perspective he has a perspective that really isn't represented on your board and his ability to be basically an old soul even though he is very young and i think he could give us some help i was lucky enough
080to teach him before he graduated he graduated in 2019 as he told you and he's studying to be a teacher he's currently a junior at the university of lynchburg studying social studies and education he hopes to be a teacher here in bedford county and he has said this since he was much younger he wanted to be a bedford county teacher and i think it's important because he wants to keep his talents and his time here in our in our county and he has actually experienced the schools he has given of his time and his talent in the actual schools during well before covet and then during covet he was one of the few people who would willingly come in and help us in the trenches when times were pretty tough and we had a real
081challenge getting people to assist us and now he's still there as kovitz is waning he comes in and helps he collaborates with us as i said giving of his time working with their students right now he's working with my students debate skills he's showing them how to write bills um and he demonstrates with them the argumentation on fallacies that they need to know and even chaperones field trips when we need him he also coaches at jf on the debate team so he gives of himself for our school system he also worked on the reimagining education committee twice he served on the superintendent advisory committee as a new graduate as a recent graduate excuse me he was on the finance task force i can't imagine anything worse during plans for reopening school in 2020 so he
082knows students and he knows the schools throughout the recent covet experience and he still wants to be a part of our school system but he's also an old soul and what i mean by that is yes he has a fresh perspective yes he's young but he is one who even though he's recently benefited from our services he recognizes the value of them and has a willingness to want to help us continue those services with this world that we're currently navigating his wisdom is in his ability to listen carefully consider learn from others his fairness and one so young to make decisions and knowing what current life is like in the system right now in these unprecedented times i saw his wisdom in my classroom in my ap lit class as he would have the ability
083to listen to everyone and then offer sagely his viewpoint i saw it in all the committees and task forces that we both worked on when listening was needed before ideas were generated i see it in the collaboration and willingness to get involved in our schools with his in-depth thinking and planning i think raymond smith would be an asset to our school system an asset to our board thank you so much for letting me speak about a wonderful person thank you ms woodson mr zimmerman i want to take this opportunity i'm eddie zinnerman i live at 3172 morgan's mill road and i'm in district 1 and miss millie's district award which i supported there for her when she ran there you know i spent 55 years in bedford county education system 43 as a teacher and
084administrator and 12 as a student so i spent most of my life i've seen the ups and downs i've seen the good times and i've seen the bad times in those 55 years that i spent in the education system so i'll come to you tonight in support of dr mealey i mean uh dr whitehurst i'm sorry i won't support her i support her once that's enough right susan i had a lot of battles across 24 when she was principal at stewart's field and i was in good view but dr whitehurst uh you say well eddie why are you in so interested in district seven you're in district one and i will say this i spent six years as principal at faxton elementary school and i know the school is not there anymore but there are
085still a great bunch of parents and students in that area and i don't want them to be forgotten because they are very dear to me and i still have a lot of communications there and i feel dr whitehurst would spend time listening to those students listen to those parents even though they don't have a school that drags them into anymore when that action is gone it really hurts when i drive by there and see a big garage door on the front of it but let me say this about her i thought what would it take to be a good school board member you've heard all kinds of things here today all of our qualifications i'm not getting into all of those you can read those on our application but first of all she's been a
086long time resident of bedford county she knows the ups and downs of the school system she knows when we had good times she knows when we had bad times and i support her for that she's been a student she's walked the very halls of the school right here as a student she knows what it's like to be a student in bedford county school system she's been a parent she knows what it's like to be on the outside looking in as your children go to school here and how input you have but one thing i think stands out about her she's been in all three zones of bedford county she served in the liberty zone the far zone and stan rubizone and i would encourage each one of you all as this covet thing passes by
087to get out in other schools and other zones and see what's going on as a principal i always welcome school board members in my school because i was proud to show it off so i'd encourage you to get out and do that and by having been in all three zones in bedford county she's had contacts with parents and students and i feel they will be willing to listen to her talk to her and she will be willing to listen to their comments and suggestions she's been central office which she should know the curriculum the financial report she's been my boss i'll mount it right up front she's been my boss and when i came in there at times and i would sit down with her conversations always went back to one thing and she would
088say eddie what's best for the student what's best for the student no matter what it was so i would encourage you for their and i and you know i know when you hit central office your job is awful and when you hit the school board members it is tough it is tough because i know you're going to have to face in the near future the decline in enrollment of bedford county i think dr whitehurst would be tremendously impacting working with why parents don't want their students in bedford county schools you think about that while they don't i think our last i read was close to fifteen hundred students home schooled in bedford county a lot of those parents don't want you there are schools popping up private schools all over i hardly ever go by
089churches and i see signs that says enroll now for 22. we have k-5 and k-8 so why do pirates not want their students in bedford county students i think that's a big thing you're gonna have to face in the near future and i think dr whitehurst would give you some valuable information on that now coming from a different standpoint i happened to be a parent of children that attended her school she gave my oldest daughter her diploma she handed it out to her from staten road high school and needless to say my oldest daughter's now in seattle from where her husband's job's taken her but i asked her other night when she called her name is katie i see katie tell me about white dr whitehurst and here's what she said she said she's caring
090she cared for every student at stan river high school no matter where they came from where they're at she cared for them she said she was engaged in all the different activities whether it was a band what it was a theater department well it was the athletic department she was engaged in it but she said one thing it really struck me she said she was willing to listen and i think that characterized for the school board maybe in short terms you need to be caring for the students of bedford county you need to be engaged in the schools the activities in bedford county and you need to be able to listen and i will be honest with you need to be able to listen to the students students can tell you probably as much about
091their school as anybody and i'm not downgrading parents because parents have a good speech there but students can tell you a lot and when you come down to write down to think about it where do the parents get most of their information right from the students when they come home and tell them what's going on in their schools so i would encourage you to support dr whitehurst for this position on the school board and i think she'll make her worthy of candidates she'll give you a hundred percent and i can guarantee our parents in in district 7 your questions will be answered it may be 12 and 1 o'clock in the night when she shoots you an email because i've got those next morning when i'd walked in the office she'd be the answer something
092that asked her 12 or 1 o'clock at night and it opened up the email she's the workaholic and she will do a great job as a person to sit on your board here in before county school board thank you thank you mr zimmerman i'm going to remind the speakers that we have a four minute limit and if you hear the first bell that is the 32nd morning the second bell please discontinue speaking and give any remaining comments to ms johnson mr munson sorry sarah oh it's not me yeah you're next uh thank you board for allowing us to share our stories and offer our suggestions through nomination process my name is nathan munson i'm the instructional tech coach at jefferson forest high school and i'm a resident of campbell county so sadly i don't have
093an address to share where i also coach debate as well i'm excited to share about someone who i've had the pleasure of working with and being friends with for over three years now raymond smith raymond works with me as an assistant debate coach he works specifically with our congress team and honestly runs half the team due to his knowledge of parliamentary procedures and his love of civic jargon in his job he throws every single aspect of himself into it wasting no time or resources to ensure every student under his tutelage is prepared for upcoming tournaments he shines as an educator and exudes a comfortability in the role of educator that many of us took years to accomplish in our own teaching lives i have never met somebody his age with the amount of wisdom insight
094and knowledge that he has in that noggin of his beyond the knowledge raymond speaks with kindness to every student on our team constantly building them up and pushing them further than they believe they can go one particular student this year reached out to me with worry about jumping onto the congress team that raymond leads yet after one practice the student came back with a beaming smile exclaiming that mr smith said he liked my bill and anyone who has ever worked in education knows that those light bulb moments where that kid just starts smiling at you it means a difference and when i see that kind of stuff it reminds me of why he's on a team with me and why he leads these kids and his time as my congress coach he has taken students
095with hidden abilities and giving them a platform to shine in ways they never would have thought possible i mean god bless the man who can get students excited about writing bills and debating legislation but that's raymond for you as weird of a recommendation as that may sound um one of raymond's defining traits goes far beyond education beyond being a debate coach raymond has ingrained himself in the school system he is present in our students lives because he has committed to serving all of them in numerous ways not just as a sub but as a debate coach i mean the list goes on the man is at every single event possible but i also want to talk about the fact that raymond understands what it means to be a civil servant there isn't a question i
096offered him where he doesn't dig through his mind palace of a brain and dredge up some law from the 1800s or jump on a phone call to some guy who i think can answer your question while i make light of this i'm serious when i say this ability to know things about our laws understand the way our government works and have a presence enough in our county to reach out for answers at the drop of a hat is something i believe any person running for this position should have at minimum as constituents of this board our duty is to suggest ideas and share our thoughts so that you can use what we know of our county of our laws of our schools and help put things in motion to help all of us i mean
097i believe raymond will fit into this role easily and will provide a listening ear that is accompanied with actions that can be felt finally raymond doesn't have an agenda and all my time knowing raymond i've always felt like he listens to every side of an argument don't let his southern draw fool you he isn't just some country boy this is a man who've used every problem from all sides coming only to his decision by what helps the most people he can run circles around anyone with the knowledge he acquires just to answer a single question it has happened many times the man out talks me and i'm a talker i cannot stress enough that all any all forms of government need more people who step into office with the people's desires in mind instead of
098those of one side of the aisle we need voices that speak for everyone and the school board is a wonderful place for such a person raymond smith has my highest recommendation for this position and i believe he will serve not only his district but his entire community with kindness diligence and understanding i hope you'll take my words into consideration when selecting your candidate thank you very much thank you mr munson ms mayhew the next three will be amy spangenberg carrie dodge aaron reed good evening thank you for allowing me to speak and thank each of you for your service it's so very much appreciated and just under thanked i know my name is sarah mayhew and i live at 2101 kelso mill road in district 7. i have three children the two oldest are twins
099in ninth grade here at liberty high school and the youngest is in sixth grade at liberty middle i'm here tonight to speak in support of sheree whitehurst seven years ago our neighborhood school of thaxton elementary was put on the chopping block i became very active in the effort to save our school even though it was ultimately closed i learned many things and got to know many people that still remain invaluable to me today my eyes were widened in learning about the workings of our school system mostly i became more aware of the need to speak up as a parent for what's important which is why i'm here when it was announced that an interim board member would need to be found for district 7 i immediately considered running myself however after hearing that sheree was
100running and a lot of prayer i decided to support her 100 percent cherie has served our county for nearly 30 years a teacher for seven an assistant principal for four a principal for nine deputy superintendent for another nine she worked in all three zones in her time she not only worked as an outstanding employee for the school system but always strive to put the students needs first while empathizing with teachers and staff in all areas i have heard from countless students of whom she made the biggest difference her knowledge of how a school system is run is comprehensive she is not only a parent and a grandparent but she's a liberty high school graduate someone who is very familiar with the community she'd serve she's a retired teacher principal administrator that understands the viewpoint from
101each angle with the goal of making sure our students receive the very best education in her hometown when faxton closed her heart broke as ours did but she wants our voices to be heard even though our school closed the most important thing to understand about sheree is that she is eager to listen and to respond to our needs not to just those whose personal opinions align with hers cherie has a sincere heart for this community and is eager to do good for it her track record in and of itself proves her stand up work ethic and high values she continues to have a vested interest and she is who i trust to represent my children i urge you to support sheree whitehurst for district 7. thank you thank you ms mayhew [Applause] miss spangenberg thank
102you my name is amy spangenberg and i am in district 5 at greenway trail in forest i'd like to say a few words tonight about our friend raymond smith raymond has been a friend of our family and my daughter allison for about six years we got to know him at jefferson forest high school in the world of cavalier theater where he and alison found roles in both cast and crew for various productions and performances i believe raymond and allison became friends because of some shared personality traits i think they are both quiet observers as well as problem solvers this theory of mine was confirmed when they both became recipients of cavalier theater's most prestigious award given by the director for outstanding performance both on and off stage raymond's award was given in 2019 and allison's
103in 2020 i call them quiet observers not because he doesn't have a lot to say but because he knows that you can learn more by listening than by talking so that's what he does he listens and he observes and in doing so discovers the needs of those around him as a problem solver he innovates creative solutions to problems in his community whether it's simply giving a friend a ride helping a cast member run lines or become a teacher for bedford county raymond is always there to fill a need my daughter allison who said i could quote her said raymond is the most helpful human being i know he's always willing to do what he can when someone needs help he shows up ready to do whatever which brings me to this evening raymond really really
104wants to serve on this school board because he wants to serve the greatest number of people in the most efficient way by discussing issues facing his district with others who care just as much as he does that the best interest of the students are upheld and the needs of all families are met his enthusiasm for this position is admirable and if district 7 wants a representative who is an enthusiastic observer and a creative problem solver raymond smith is their man thank you very much ms dodge my name is carrie dodge i live at 105 salem drive district 4. i'm the librarian at jefferson forest high school and i'm here tonight to speak on behalf of raymond smith who is running for the 7th district school board seat i've known raymond for several years and in
105this time i've seen raymond grow from a shy high schooler who found his voice in theater to determined college student who is wise beyond his years raymond has found a home in the library whether volunteering or just needing a quiet place to read throughout his high school career he was always offering to help in the library in a variety of ways even though he had no obligation this is the kind of person raymond is always willing to help others and lend a helping hand during his senior year raymond signed up to be a library intern true to who raymond was and still is he always went above and beyond his assigned responsibilities as an intern he not only fulfilled all of his class requirements but he also took it upon himself as an extra task
106for the year to organize and inventory the english department book closet this was no small feat we still use raymond's inventory to this day he showed great organizational skills self-motivation great communication and follow-through during this time in the library i wish i could have students in the library every year that embodied all that raymond brought to us raymond is also at jefferson forest high school most days working with the debate team after school when he's not showing off his amazing debate skills he can be found substitute teaching at the high school in middle schools he is also a full-time student at the university of lynchburg taking a full load of classes he volunteers when time allows with the jf theater program helping the whites do anything and everything to bring a show to light the
107students look up to raymond and he is a great resource to them he listens and he truly cares about each and every one of them and they respect him as a person but also as a mentor in closing you can't go wrong with raymond in your classroom on your staff in your cast as a friend or on your school board raymond is dedicated as they come he is passionate about this community and all that comes with it he educates himself on the issues always going the extra mile to fully understand the topic at hand he is excited to share his knowledge with the younger generation and help them learn you would be hard-pressed to find anyone as hard working and determined as raymond this young man has a heart of gold and a desire for
108good well beyond his years and i urge you to give raymond smith a chance you he will not let you down thank you miss dodge mr reed the next three will be amy carter jenny ogden charlotte maxey good evening my name is aaron reed i live in district five i'm a parent to students in bedford county public schools i have a senior and a freshman who attend jefferson forest high school and tonight i am here to speak on behalf of raymond smith i've known raymond for several years and a variety of settings and i believe that he is the best candidate for this position now you already know raymond is a graduate of bedford county schools in jefferson forest high school you know that he is an active and engaged member of his community you've
109heard all of that what you may not know is the way that he connects to communities and school systems outside of bedford and having him as one of the faces of bedford county schools is an absolute win for the students and the staff who work at our schools as well as the parents who are represented here tonight raymond was an active member of cavalier theater during his time as a student he traveled with that team to competitions around the state as well as putting on top-notch performances right here at home as a performer raymond received rave reviews from his fellow actors and actresses as well as his directors but more than that when he was at those theater festivals he was really an ambassador for bedford county public schools and as such he was encouraging
110to all the performers who were there even if they were his competition he was genuinely curious about students and schools that he had never met before he was gracious to everyone you cannot hold a 30-second conversation with raymond without a deep respect for his professionalism and empathy raymond was also an accomplished debater as a student i run a local high school speech and debate league here in central virginia and raymond has come to my school with his team on more than one occasion to compete in student congress during those tournaments i have memories of overhearing students and coaches from other schools and other divisions heap accolades on raymond for his polished demeanor his professional status and his deep well of gratitude for just the chance to participate at the end of our league season for
111his senior year all the members of the student congress voted raymond unanimously to receive the gavel award recognizing his professional demeanor in those chambers but raymond is not a high school student anymore so what aspects of his current life suggest him for the role on this school board here's one among many raymond has returned to his experience in the debate world by helping us run our local speech and debate tournaments this year he works with debate coaches around the area to organize and execute these competitions so that students our students can have the kinds of experience and support that he had that's what raymond is he's the guy who gives back to his community wholeheartedly and that's also what makes him the right person for this board on a final note as a teacher myself
112the one thing that i would say is that if you want to know what's going on in a school today ask the substitute teachers man ask them what they've experienced and what they hear because they know firsthand exactly what's going on in the classroom raymond is someone that you and i can count on to listen truly listen to the concerns of the community and proceed accordingly he thinks critically he speaks thoughtfully and he acts in all things professionally i hope you will see raymond for the man of good character that he is and select him as the board member thank you mr e amy carter [Applause] are you miss carter oh okay okay amy carter jenny ogden good evening my name is jenny ogden and i've been a resident of bedford county for my whole
113life my address is 102 maplewood drive and forest and i'm in district 4. i'm a graduate of new london academy and jefferson forest high school i went to forest middle school we were in the basement of jefferson forest i've been a teacher for 24 years and i've spent 19 of those in bedford county and all my children are either current students or former students in bedford county schools i'm here tonight to speak in support of raymond smith i've known raymond for about five years and um we met each other in in the hallways of jefferson forest um my classroom used to be on a hallway which was a bustling place and so we would see each other after he had competitions or they would be mentioned in the announcement some of his performances or seeing
114him on the theater so we got to know each other and he's a good friend of my sons and i believe he'll be a great asset to the county as a member of the school board i believe that he will be three things he'll be supportive invested and committed when raymond was a student as you've heard he was a member of the debate team the sca and the theater program he represented our school with and county with integrity at competitions and worked with other students in the sca to plan school-wide events that involve the entire student body he knows how to work in a team and to get things done after he graduated in 2019 raymond came back to bedford county school to support our students he supports him as a debate coach at jf
115and as he's told you and as you've heard before has a substitute teacher in various schools in bedford county he's currently working on his history and social studies education major at the university of lynchburg as a future teacher he's invested he's invested in education and will provide great input and insight and from educate from an educator's point of view raymond has always shown enthusiasm for education and caring for others from dressing up as santa for the students at otter river year after year to taking on the role as a substitute teacher and a coach raymond has shown he's committed to the students teachers and to the future of bedford county public schools so i hope that you will choose him as your board member thank you thank you ms ogden miss maxey the next three
116will be christina childress brian allen heather woodford hi my name is charlotte maxie i live at 50 50 chestnut fork road in bedford virginia in district 2. i worked in bedford county for many many years as a teacher and i was also a foster mom of over 20 kids i had the opportunity to work with dr whitehurst when she was a deputy superintendent with some of my foster kids many of them had ieps dr whitehurst always made time for me and my foster sons i kept the teenage kids teenage boys were my favorite she patiently listened and to the concerns and she found ways to support them no matter what they had done dr whitehurst not only helped me and my sons with our concerns but she tried to listen to many others in the
117community i know you all are tired of hearing all these things and i appreciate your attention that's wonderful a few years ago the school board voted to close body camp elementary and baxter elementary school the parents made their voices known and every and we did everything we could to stop them from closing the small intimate schools after the school board failed to listen to the community and close the schools there were many problems at schools that our children went to at montbell there was not enough room for all the new students and we wonder why nobody wants to have the kids in bedford think about it the teachers lounge had to be turned into a classroom the art teacher the art teachers had to travel by rolling carts many teachers had to travel by rolling
118carts the remediation room where students were taught individually that was taken away from the students and turned into a regular classroom this was overcrowding again the head start trailer was smaller than a regular classroom the teachers did not even have room enough for the students to lay down and take a nap pre-k and head start students had no overhead walkways they got rained on getting from one from their their classroom to the main building do you see why we don't want to have our kids in bedford county we need help we really need help dr whitehurst knows how to do this she's a very good person for the job she knows the ins and outs of this community and of this situation the communities were in shock at how overcrowded the schools were and then
119devastated to learn that to save money for closing two schools was used to hire more people in central office dr whitehurst listened to the voices of the community and advocated for them but she was ignored then she put the needs of others above her own needs just to speak out the community is now standing up for dr whitehurst and asking that you hear our voices and select her for the district 7 vacancy please do the right thing you know she is qualified you know she can come up with all the right answers for you she's well respected and we need her thank you miss maxine christina childers hi i'm christina childress um i have a marigold drive in goodview i'm district 1. tonight i speak as a graduate of bcps a current educator in the
120division and as a parent of a bcps student if we are going to promote parent choice i just like to say that i am a parent and i choose dr whitehurst dr whitehurst is probably one of the only residents of this district about whom nobody could say anything disparaging because that's how she has always lived her life and how she spent her career fully above reproach dr whitehurst has always given up her time compassion courage and dignity to every single student staff member and parent she has encountered in bedford county dr whitehurst resume and experience speak for themselves there's simply no one as qualified to be part of a school board who has the power to set policy evaluate provide feedback and hire and fire every staff member in the school division but power is
121not on her agenda and it never has been many people talk of respect but dr whitehurst lives it she is the best we have ever seen at making all stakeholders feel valued even if she disagreed with them and as she always is the first to ask for parent student and staff member voices to be heard during her long career dr whitehurst is a servant leader who has always been responsive to concerns from her staff and her community the fact that she answered the call to apply for this interim board position shows that responsiveness as obviously an overwhelming number of current and former staff as well as community members practically begged her to apply we did this because we know what kind of person she is she is exactly the type of person the bcps school
122board needs to help ensure that our students are provided the very best education possible thanks thank you miss childers mr allen my name is brian allen i live on 1304 oakwood street located in district 7. i like many of you and fortunate to call bedford a lifelong home and even more blessed to have been a student here at liberty high school from 2006 to 2010. something unique about my first year here at liberty was that it was dr whitehurst first year back at the same high school she graduated from serving as the role as prince as principal the previous years she served as assistant principal at jf and both assistant principal and principal at stanton river experience is just one of the many elements parents and citizens want to see encompassed by their local school
123board but even more so we want to be heard as class president my freshman year i was fortunate enough to have had many opportunities to work and grow alongside dr whitehurst there's one situation in particular that has stayed with me for over 15 years at the beginning of my freshman year myself and other class officers were approached by several athletes wanting to know more about the nutritional value of our school lunch options this being new territory for all of us we weren't sure where to begin a few of us approached dr whitehurst seeking guidance on how to address this on behalf of our fellow classmates we were looking for basic information such as a name a contact number the very next morning she guided us by helping us compose a letter to bedford county requesting
124more information on this topic the very next week i found myself along with class officers from each grade sitting at a round table discussion inside of her office with bedford county's nutrition specialist together we worked on ways to keep athletes and students alike informed about the nutritional value of our school lunch choices when we followed up with our peers who brought us these questions they couldn't believe how quickly we were able to act our answer to that was easy you can thank our principal rather than simply answering our question dr whitehurst took the time to teach us the process of listening and reacting to concerns in a timely and most importantly a professional manner this memory i have was and still is symbolic of dr whitehurst approach to all aspects of education she listened she
125paid attention she wanted to be directly involved in educating us not simply point us in the right direction she made sure we hit the finish line together i recall during the student council session following that meeting with dr whitehurst my upperclassmen especially the seniors were wishing they could start high school over again because they never before had witnessed their principal their leader listen and react so quickly but it made us all wonder and realize if this was her response over the concerns of a few imagine the effort and commitment she's demonstrating at even higher levels for us all fortunately for myself and others that question was answered in tenfold the following year by that i mean in 2007 liberty high school was recognized by achieving adequate yearly progress more specifically our high school had never
126made federal accreditation or adequate yearly progress in its history and dr whitehurst changed that after only being principal for one year as a proud former student of sheree whitehurst it is with utmost confidence that i recommend her for district 7 bedford county school board position not only do i want her in that position but i know for a fact that we all need her for the future of bedford county students thank you mr allen heather woodford next three timothy minke mark day thomas fox just to clarify my last name is fariola sorry woodford was my maiden name i am a mother to three children here in bedford county and i have three stepchildren also that attend bedford county schools one of my children is part of the special education program at bedford primary so i
127have great interest in special education as well as typical developing education i came tonight to share with you a little bit about why i feel you should elect chris daniels to represent district 7 on the school board chris has shown over the past eight to nine months how committed he is to our children by being present during the election process as well as that every school board meeting since august recently our country seems to have forgotten that the first priority of our elected officials should be to serve their constituents with the climate we're in we cannot afford to have even one elected official forget their purpose in november chris showed up at the polls to feed all those of us that were working this is not only a display of his commitment to the community
128but is also a display of his heart to serve our community has made it loud and clear that we want our children's best interest taken into consideration with regards to their education and school environment chris has repeatedly advocated for these changes by showing up and being present he believes parents have the right to choose what is best for their children and that is our god-given responsibility as a business owner chris is familiar with problem solving and hard work he has invested in our school system because he has two children who attend bedford county public schools with his children being in the school he's in tune with the current climate of the schools and can provide good insight to the board being a special needs parent chris has a diverse understanding of many areas within our
129school system areas of success in areas that are needing improvement he can offer wisdom and insight into the into his own children's experiences to advoca advocate for improvements with all that said i believe chris daniels is the best choice to fill a position on the school board thank you ms woodford mr minke [Music] my name is uh tim monkey i'm a resident of eligible lynchburg city um so i'm not a voter here but i'm interested to use my time tonight to recommend mr raymond smith for the empty uh seat district 7 seat on the bedford county school board i've had the privilege of getting to know raymond over the last few years at the university of lynchburg as he's taken a few of my classes such as american national government this semester in state and
130local politics last semester in each class raymond has earned top grades been a thoughtful participant and continually impressed me with his knowledge of the subject matter yet more impressive is his humility towards pursuing knowledge he does not think he knows everything and he is open to learning from others this quality of character will be helpful as he confronted with many issues and topics on a school board such as this raymond also exhibits an impressive commitment to public service he realizes there are duties and responsibilities to citizenship more than just benefits and blessings he also realizes that those blessed with talents must serve to make their communities better it is this commitment which opens a public servant up to the virtue of being able to put their own self-interest aside for the good of the community
131and it is for these two reasons especially as well as others his humility towards pursuing the truth and his commitment towards public service that i recommend mr raymond smith for this very important position thank you thanks sir mr day my name is mark day my address is 104 mulberry place that is a lynchburg address however i live in the boonsboro section of bedford county which is in district 5. chairman kirby member nelms i remember teaching you this evening i've heard a lot of people state that they want someone who will listen to a parents and will listen to the students i also heard somebody make a comment that inferred that a professional educator a person who had been an educator may not be the most qualified candidate well that may be there may be educators
132out there that are not qualified candidates i'm not going to stand here and tell you that every educator should be on a school board but in the case of sheree whitehurst i believe that she is the perfect educator candidate my children graduated from both jf and this school and i taught at this school this very good and great school for 22 years as a history teacher it's been my honor and my privilege to know sheree whitehurst for more than 25 years and during those 25 years my experiences with her have ranged from those a parent she was the assistant principal at jf when my daughter was in the eighth grade and we had a couple of conversations because my daughter had a few moments that needed to be addressed okay and of course my i
133knew her here i was her employee a teacher who worked for her but i've also known her as a concerned citizen of this county a man who cares deeply about the success of the children of this county the teachers in this county and the support staff in this county i've worked in this school as i said for 22 years i sincerely believe the decision that is being made to fill the district seven seat is one of the most critically important decisions you as a school board will make in this year there are many reasons why i feel that way but the most important of them revolves around the students of this county bedford county like so many other school systems in virginia has been passing through an often confusing and turbulent time we have faced
134situations which sometimes led to confrontation and disunity within our community and those tensions have sometimes divided us what we need now is stability and reason within the deliberations of this body our children deserve nothing less than that over the years of working and serving with and learning from miss whitehurst i can state one unequivocal fact she has demonstrated great dedication and commitment to her work with children in the past and will in the future have to have the welfare and future success of every student in her care at the center of her focus as a member of this school board if she is chosen i do not doubt there will be one minute of the day where she ever falters in that dedication to our children and grandchildren nor will there be a time when
135she makes a decision without considering first the impact on the children to whom she has been charged to provide safe secure and most importantly a quality education let me end with the following every parent or employee relationship i've had with miss waiters she has proven herself to be a consummate professional in the very demanding and taxing field of public education i believe her record of dedication to her students in bedford county can be traced all the way through all the years that she has been in this system thank you very much for your time thank you for listening thank you mr dave mr fox the next three will be kathy sievers steve overstreet and chuck allison my name is thomas fox i live at 1214 hampton ridge here in the town of bedford in district
1367. i've been an educator for 35 years coached 49 seasons of high school and middle school sports and spent the last 19 in bedford county 19 years seven principals you do the math i was fortunate to have dr whitehurst as a principal for three years someone asked me to define her in one word or less and i use the word smooth wrinkle free you say is that a compliment absolutely okay many of the people who have come to this podium the last several years have an agenda about the me world it's all about me the agenda is focused to one standpoint i want to change that i want to call it the we agenda who are the we's the teachers in this county who are often overlooked the principals assistant principals the guidance counselors the
137bus drivers the cafeteria workers and the janitors i'm sorry we're not heard from enough all the focus has been on everything else but us cherie is part of the we focus what i know in the last 15 years of being associated with her is that she does listen and she is experienced let me finish this let me ponder this to you suppose tomorrow you find out that you need emergency surgery to save your life you have two choices plan a you have this perfect person who just got out of medical school straight a's completed all their training or plan b somebody who's been in the field of medicine for 30 years and done this surgery hundreds of times which one would you pick as we say in the trade that's pretty much captain obvious the
138experience alone as an educator for the people who've been in education on the school board i have my hats off to you i'm sorry if you've never been in the classroom other than the 12 years you spent in school there's a piece missing representing what's going on in the classroom now should cherie understands that as many of you do okay i hope that you will see her for everything else that she is and what everybody has spoken about her there's no doubt she is the most experienced qualified for this position i thank you thank you mr fox kathy seavers don't see kathy out there mr overstreet i'll be happy to take her extra minutes uh steve overstreet uh fancy farm road bedford virginia district seven um i'm gonna get right to it and i'm gonna
139do a little bit of the selfishness fox but not so much selfishness um sitting back and trying to keep my mind open i'm an analyst christopher sounds great randall you sound great you got a good team there but we've got to address the pronouns in the room we've got to address the bathrooms in the room all the stupid stuff that we want to forget about that have become part of the education process this is being in the trenches i'm going to obviously go for my classmate sheree whitehurst or dr whitehurst yay um got to show a little enthusiasm for you anyway i trust her she's loyal that's why she put money on a candidate somebody said oh well why do they do that well you know what it showed loyalty okay i would rather bank
140on somebody i know stacy haley i know kevin willis i know the mayor and everybody we don't always think alike i definitely don't think like them they don't think like me but i support them why because i can count on them being consistent they have a following all right we've got to get this board shirt up we've got it we're in crisis there are things out there right now that are trying to pull us apart and the only way we can win our country back is our communities and our churches and our schools are those communities our neighborhoods now like i said guys i'm not trying to beat you up randall and i'm not trying to beat up christopher but right now fox is right if i'm going to get a surgery i've got to
141pick the one i feel that can do the job right now and that is sheree now we have to just do um you've got to consider that i've been an analyst for so many years i can't think any other way so i chop it down and i caught up in my mind randall don't give up your pursuit buddy because i think you got the next hope for us okay sure he's getting old all right christopher ran oh i'm sorry but uh mr smith there we go and then christopher uh your cur your charismatic approach and everything and that your people are following you i think you're going to build a good team there too but right now we're in the fire and we need somebody like sheree hold everybody accountable i work in transit i
142can tell you it's this closest thing to being a school teacher as possible federal regulations state regulations local regulations union we got it they got it and you have to be a lawyer which lucky for her she's married to one to figure this stuff out so you're not just getting sheree you're getting her family her experiences and her dedication why she would do what she does beyond me but i am 100 for cherie i support her i supported david they've been my best friends and i believe in them even if i don't agree with them some days thank you for your time thank you miss service street mr allison the next three will be dave dietrich susan lyle amy snead hello my name is chuck allison i live in district three address at 1695 colony
143heights road and good i was raised in bedford county and graduated from here at liberty my wife and i settled in in new london had three daughters graduate from jefferson forest first i'd like to thank you the board members the current board members thank you for your service i also like to thank these three candidates i can't i think we all feel fortunate good gracious you know we're blessed to have people that want to serve like you and the qualifications of these candidates it's pretty impressive and their passion that said like most residents of bedford county growing up here well aware of the positive influence for the community in the schools for of the cutler family and of course sheree's cut from that cloth is that cloth and i stand here tonight asking for your
144support for the most accomplished mrs and dr sheree whitehurst to me she's clearly the most qualified uniquely qualified and can offer perspective that's unmatched by the others she will strengthen your board elementary board and um i ask for your support for her and as a parent as a resident just the you know the questions that it was asked before what what do the children need and what do we want it's just so simple that you know it's um you know we need to allow our teachers to teach and to discipline so they can maintain an atmosphere that's conducive for learning an environment that feels secure and safe for the children and for the teachers and we want a curriculum that's wholesome and relevant and rigorous and truthful and i think dr whitehurst can aid us
145aid you in that goal and we also want that for all the schools in bedford county again i thank you all for your service and your time and ask for your support for dr sree whitehurst thank you mr allison mr dietrich good evening i'm dave dietrich i'm from 1064 amanda court in forest virginia and that's district 4. and you know the late admiral crowl used to say that politics can be found in everything and jimmy madison once wrote faction is sown into the very heart of man and what i would like to talk about as we talk about the candidates is to look at the real politic of things all right politics and here's the deal we have a consistent voting pattern on the board and that pattern seems to be focused on two factions
146one it are the folks that have the educational credentials and background and others that do not are from other parts of activities if we look at the the pro-administrative voting and the pro-parent voting we find that originally we had a a five to two vote and then it switched over to four to three and so it with whoever we get on this board they're going to be because they're human because of their backgrounds and regardless of whether they're good they're all going to be good but they're going to be motivated by their backgrounds in what their interests are just like everybody else and so we have candidates that have educational backgrounds and we have candidates that do not and if you look at chris daniels for example he's got skin in the game his kids
147go to this this education in the board of bedford county okay he also is a manager so he can think analytically and using critical thinking he can bring those skills here what he doesn't have is he does not have a background in education and that's exactly what we need because we have too much of the former in the system now and the system is skewed as a result we know that how do we know that analytically we know that by the way people vote as simple as that and so if we want to protect the interest of the parents we have to consider that if we want to protect the interest of the the educators then we might want to consider going a different route now i'm not up here trying to paint a picture
148that you know one group is good one group is bad everybody's a fine person the people we heard about tonight every one of them seems to be a very fine person but the reality is we're dealing with politics and we have to come to that realization that we have to consider that in the calculus as we determine who should be on this board there are very significant things at stake here and i don't mean to sound preachy but and i'm trying to be dispassionate but i am somewhat passionate about it because there is so much at stake especially in the age of ideas that are not vetted by anybody else but educators coming down first there's critical theory then there's critical race theory and now there's culturally responsive teaching what's the next ism coming down
149the road that's something we have to consider thank you mr dietrich susan law sir [Applause] i just said thank you good evening my name is susan lyle i'm a current educator i teach at goodview elementary i'm also a bedford county resident i live on shingle block road in district 3. we've known sheree whitehurst for many many years my husband and i both and although she's being considered for the district seven school board vacancy we both feel that she would be the best candidate when i started teaching for bedford county schools dr whitehurst was the principal at stanton river high school my alma mater my husband had the privilege of working as a principal in the liberty zone when dr whitehurst became the principal at liberty high school my husband and i also got to know
150dr whitehurst even more once she became the assistant superintendent and later deputy superintendent as his immediate supervisor my husband had nothing but the utmost respect and i think you guys have heard that word many many times tonight respect she was available always to support the principles with the daily rewards and challenging challenges of leading schools once dr whitehurst became the deputy superintendent i appreciated the time and effort that the entire instructional team spent in schools and classrooms i can remember personally seeing her coming out to schools even on halloween days those are the worst days to visit and she she came right on in and enjoyed every moment of it so i think just even the fact that the teachers really appreciated her is something that you guys um really need to you know take
151into consideration um she had an objective when she visited the schools and that objective was clear it was to improve the academic achievement for all students in all the schools in fact under dr whitehear's leadership schools in the liberty and stanton river zones that were not accredited increased their standards of learning test results and earned accreditation this was an incredible accomplishment given that several of these schools had been under sanctions with the office of school improvement at the vdoe for many years as a community member who has lived and worked in bedford county almost her entire life dr whitehurst is invested in the success of the entire school division she has and will continue to dedicate her time and efforts to the students staff parents and community my husband and i cannot think of anyone
152better than dr sheree whitehurst to serve as the next district 7 school board member thank you all for your consideration of this most worthy candidate thank you ms long miss need the next three will be stephen smith stephen elam and jen lizowski i don't think i'll need my full four minutes and y'all have had a long night so if you need a stretch go ahead i'm sure you feel like you're drinking from a fire hose tonight good evening my name is amy snead and i am a resident of district 7 and also the chapter chair of moms for liberty bedford county as you know our organization stands firmly planted in advocating for parental rights at all levels of government and education as we are a nationally spanning grassroots organization over the last election cycle our
153organization created a survey to help vet the candidates running for school board positions we're in a unique circumstance here this week with the situation that we face and so in order to garner the support of mobs for liberty we need to fully understand where each candidate stands on the issues that are vitally important to our members each of the three candidates was sent a 17 question survey for example some of the questions asked are do you believe parents have the fundamental right to determine the upbringing education and care of their children do you believe a parent excuse me have you read the constitution in the course of the last year do you believe the legitimate role of government is limited and should be confined to what is clearly defined by the constitution do you support
154school choice measures those sorts of questions we were pleased that each candidate completed the survey in a very timely manner the surveys were shared with our executive team members to be voted upon we also conducted research that might be pertinent to understanding each of the candidates after reading the surveys and voting our chapter voted to endorse chris daniels for the district 7 seat in a county where the november election results overwhelmingly shown a commitment to candidates who championed parental rights and a deep level of involvement with parents regarding the education and upbringing of their children this endorsement supports what our community has already spoken loudly for we admire and respect each of the candidates and their desire to serve our community however mr daniels emerged as the strongest candidate to align with the values of
155our organization and its over 200 local members we would ask that the board continue to stand with the voices of the citizens of bedford county and maintain the positive trajectory that began earlier this year it only takes walking outside the doors of this building and glancing across town to the d-day memorial to remind us of the liberty loving area in which we live as our delegate wendell walker told me recently we are not done standing for liberty and freedom i would ask you the current school board members to join mobs for liberty in support of chris daniels for district 7. we are grateful for your tireless work for our students parents teachers and staff and we anticipate many more good things to come for the future of our county thank you for your time tonight
156thank you listening steven smith hello my name is steven smith and i live in forest 102 deer track drive i'm here to endorse chris daniels for school board because i believe he will be a positive impact on the school board he's worked with many different people that have very diverse backgrounds through his work um and the fact that he's progressed and advanced in his career shows that all he's he's done and he's listened and learned from all the people as well he has been involved with his kids with the school teachers and aides because he really cares about his boy's education being a single parent his business business experience will help with budgeting and expenses involved i feel strongly that parents with kids in the schools will have positive feedback from their children examples letting
157the parents know the issues and problems that occur during the day our grandchild has has had different issues of playing music in the gym with well this i swear swear words and crazy stuff like that and also teachers talking about their sexual orientation and things like that we did we did get involved my wife spoke with the principal and got things resolved spoke to the teachers and that's that's what things that's what happens that you know has to happen students are the eyes and ears of what's really happening in schools and um you know chris daniels will listen to all the parents which have listened to their own children firsthand for all these reasons i think he'll be great at representing students and parents a forest thank you thank you mr smith mr elam [Applause]
158good evening i'm dr steve elam am uh from i live at 1807 meadow down drive i believe that's district 6 here in forest i am a parent of a 2019 graduate zechariah elam and a 2021 graduate samantha elam and i have an eight-year-old who has down syndrome who goes to tj my son is one of raymond's best friends raymond spends a lot of time at our house he's a trusted trusted family member to us he consults with my kids on a lot of different aspects of their life my daughter in consultation with him decided to go to school in switzerland for college and he encouraged her all the way so raymond is mature beyond his years and he is a great confidante to a lot of people that's one of the great things i want
159you to understand about raymond a lot of people are saying oh they want someone to listen you know these are great listeners but and raymond is a great listener but raymond is also a great confidant to the people around him as you've seen tonight they're people of all different ages who are willing to speak for raymond from teachers in all different levels of the school system trust him with what they think all different children from all different ages i've known raymond since he was a seventh or eighth grade and my son and all of his friends have always talked about how raymond has everybody talks to raymond and tells them what's going on in their lives and what they're really thinking and that's an interesting skill for someone of raymond's age to have okay so
160when raymond asked me to come speak for him i went oh good lord one i said yes without hesitation but two i said now i have to think about how can i help these wonderful board members choose raymond you know raymond is 20 years old has he had 36 years teaching in the school system no he hasn't but he's also someone who has been in bedford county his entire life and since the first day i heard about raymond when my son started talking about him i said well tell me about raymond he goes well he's from here he wants to stay here for the rest of his life and he wants to make this the best place he can he wants to teach high school at jf high school history at jf and he wants
161to be the mayor of bedford someday and i said gosh darn it that kid's got his life planned out and he's like 14. right and that's raymond he knows who he is he knows what he wants to do and he knows that he's here in bedford to make bedford better not for the next 10 years but raymond's going to be here for the next 50 or 60 years he has a long-term vision of how he wants to impact this community how he wants to make it a better place for everyone who lives here he wants to start doing it here on the school board he wants to help provide perspective a different perspective than anyone else up here has raymond's 20 two years ago he was in the war zone in high school right he
162has a perspective that is different than me and you and everyone else up there right and that's a good thing to add a perspective of someone who's so close to being in high school because one he has people are willing to tell him what they think and they don't sugarcoat it when they talk to raymond they let them know what they really think about what's going on and that's hard because if you're a principal or a superintendent or something you aren't going to have a 10th grader walk up to you and tell you what the heck they think but they will do that with raymond and that's a perspective i think it's important for you guys to consider adding to your board raymond adds a perspective that's different raymond is calm and collected and thoughtful
163and he's a good example of things of someone who would like to make the best place he can for the place where he lives and plans to stay thank you mr elon this is wow next two will be chad connor and beatrice arbera hi i'm john lazowski i live in district 3 1619 difficult road i'm here to speak on behalf of chris daniels and the thing that i'm listening to people talk about dr whitehouse and the question comes to my mind is why isn't she the superintendent she sounds absolutely fabulous now the reason i tend to lean toward chris daniels is that i think in the next couple of years we are going to be facing some really difficult economic times we are facing inflation which will mean that the government is going to have
164to service more of its debt and your budget is probably 60 percent from state and federal government so the reason i think chris daniels would be an asset to this board is his business acumen and you are going to have to face some very difficult decisions in your budgets and allocation of resources and chris's i think it's 17 years he was vice president of a corporation and runs his business um i think you just he could be a tremendous asset in these difficult times but i think you also get a man that's very dedicated to the school system he had a passion about the whole mass thing with his special education child and he he he went into action and he has a love for the school and he realizes that you have to have
165quality people quality teachers quality special educators so i think his viewpoint would be to put those limited resources into teachers into those special education into those programs and he would have the ability to say hey are these resources being used you know in the administration that's a pretty big department is that the best use for our funds so i think you know we all have our talents and i think it is best for the board to have some balance and we have a very strong administrative department and i think you need balance on the board thank you very much chad connor beatrice arbera that is the end of the people who have signed up now with our time constraints we had four vacant slots plus four no-shows so we have time for eight people if
166anyone would like to speak come on hello my name is phyllis parker i live at 1802 longwood avenue i have lived in bedford for basically 37 years i've known dr whitehurst for most of those years my daughter was a 2010 graduate at liberty high school i have worked with her when my daughter attended liberty high school and i have worked with her when i was on the bedford city school board i was the chairman in all our parent and school board conversations i found her to be knowledgeable caring professional and understanding there are many reasons you need to appoint dr whitehurst as the district 7 school board member but here are just a few first dr whitehurst is from district 7. she knows this community better than anyone else i know she cares about the
167students and parents in this community as a parent whenever i bought my concerns to her she listened carefully and quickly came up with a solution i found her to always have the students entrance interest in mind and she worked extra hard to support them when i was the city school board chairman there were times i had to ask her questions her door was always open to me i felt like i could ask her anything at any time when i brought up an issue she did her research and got back to me quickly she helped make my job as a school board member easier because of the support and respect i felt from her you need to appoint dr whitehurst because of her knowledge and background in education she knows how school boards work and she
168will be a help to each one of you will certainly be divorced from district seven but she will also respect the voice you bring from your district dr whitehurst hearst is absolutely the most qualified candidate she comes from the perspective of being a parent a grandparent and educator without hesitation i strongly recommend to you that you appoint dr whitehurst the people of her community need her in this position and you need her in this position thank you miss parker thank you anyone else guys um my name is wendy i'm district 4 um 1124 thompson lane i almost forgot my address um several people took words that i was going to that i typed up so i'm going to try to go through what i have here we got to know chris over the summer because
169our our daughter's friends with a friend of his girlfriends kayla and actually kayla sent me a speech to read to you guys tonight she's 16 currently attends jf to start off chris is such an inspiration to everyone around him and i know that he has brought such a light into my life chris has seen this community as something greater than a job or something and more than something that is just there should have read this a little clearer before i came tonight he looks at it like a family and has always helped with the community i know with jefferson forest high school he has donated so much to the programs and has helped out with mentoring me on my extracurriculars and has put a lot of effort into knowing how the school is doing and
170if they need any help chris has guided me not only with school and extracurriculars but also with life and how to treat people he has taught me that you should always be kind but never let your guard down there have been many instances where chris has helped me through rough times and i know i can always depend on him he would be a wonderful candidate because he is hardworking caring and he loves this community and wants to give his all to it thank you that's from kayla parker i just wrote down a couple notes [Music] what did the past election tell us about what our county desires of their school board members for parents voices to be represented they did not vote for the educators voice in november in fact district 2 unseated the career
171educator and board chair and district 3 over overwhelmingly voted for dwayne also not in education diverse backgrounds is where it's at bedford county parents have proven they want someone relatable as their district representative for the board to be compromi comprised i had that word backwards in the car of people from all backgrounds education levels someone that is in the trenches of parenting alongside them i have been attending school board meetings alongside chris for the past eight months in fact chris was one of the first parents to speak out against the mandatory masking this summer this is where matt and duane's campaign took off and this is where chris stands out from the other candidates he knows the challenges today's families are facing and is getting involved he is true to his word and as consistent
172as they come those that have spoken up for chris today are parents of today's children in our schools today and our vote is for chris daniels and when chris runs in november he will have the support of the bedford county patriots which is who helped both matt and dwayne overwhelmingly win their spots on the school board and just as a side note i agree with jen on cherie for the new supervisor excuse me okay thank you very much mr meyer we have a few more slots would anyone else like to speak my name is rachel cooper and i live in district 7 906 morgan street i i will have to say i want mr daniels to be in the seat for district seven main reason being i'm a parent of a child in bedford county
173schools he did stand with me and with all the other parents who have special needs children who couldn't wear masks he understood our issues he heard our voices and he helped support us and also did mr holbrook and mr nelms as they were running for school board at the time as well i know miss whitehurst she was my principal in high school i've seen several of my principals and teachers throughout come up here and support her i understand their backgrounds she should be our next superintendent of our schools to say saying she has a great background great with parents but i do feel that we need a fresher face someone that doesn't have an educational background mr smith i understand you're young you're you're ambitious on trying to help parents but i also feel you
174need a more educational background on not just being a parent educational background when you become a parent you understand the parent's voice a little more understanding the children's voice in the school yes that's beneficial but hearing from the parents is the main thing that the school needs to hear because without the children the parents the children wouldn't be within the school system there would be no school system i feel mr daniels would help support the parents voices within the school board as the other members have done so far this is why i feel i i would vote for him and that's why i feel y'all should vote for him as well on bringing him on the board because i feel he would stand with y'all not against y'all he would also stand with the parents
175not against the parents i i wish all the candidates the best of luck but i feel mr daniels is the top one for the job uh and that's my opinion but y'all have a great evening thank you for hearing my voice thank you miss cooper ma'am good evening i did not come here prepared to speak but listening wholeheartedly my name is leslie bowier my address is 1849 triggs road i am district 3. i have i voted for you mr nelms so with politics aside i've heard how much mr daniels pushed for you but also in your decision remember there are people that have voted for you that you may not know that help put you where you are i have heard that we need a diversified board but i only see two educators up here
176i'm an 18 year veteran the love sign in bedford was designed by my students the murals in the gym by my students i went to school with dr whitehurst i went to school with her husband she served as my principal we talked about children being called into the principal's office to have a little talking to well i had a few of those too our teachers sometimes get out of the box i played tennis with miss kirby and have many fond memories i work for miss neely and for miss hairston what i want to say is we have a crisis for teachers on the ground running we do not have enough teachers teachers are covering classes teachers are leaving the field i understand the need that children come first we all do that is our heart
177but you all need to be mindful at this particular interim moment we need someone prepared and understanding and willing to run if we don't have teachers in the classroom with your support and guidance and our superintendent and those in central office none of us can take care of our children i didn't come here to speak but as a christian my heart felt led and the lord said don't be afraid teachers are afraid to speak because we need our careers but i stand before you humbly as a servant of this county as a native with five living generations and as my newest title granny and five years my grandson and hopefully others to follow will be a part of this community our burial plots are bought on greenwood we're here to stay this is our home
178as it is with the whitehurst and the cutler family i humbly as a servant of you all i voted for you mr nelms i love you susan i don't know you two gentlemen but i'd like to get to know you i know this is a hard decision for you and you will take it very seriously but i humbly ask for your full support on this interim position for dr whitehurst simply because of her experience and for her devotion she did not have to come and do this this was a brave step for her but her heart felt called that the duty wasn't done i thank you for your time i thank you for your service raymond you're amazing i can't wait to teach with you and mr daniels who couldn't be here i applaud as
179a single dad my heart goes to him for all this hard work thank you ladies and gentlemen thank you miss boyer would anyone else care to speak okay got someone coming up hello everyone my name is daniel dunmeyer and uh i live at 1124 thompson lane in forest in district 4. uh i sent him an email to the board last night with my wishes of whom i would like to see represent uh district 7 of course and my my comments were that i believe that chris daniels would be the the best person to represent in this capacity you know i my wife and i moved here from pennsylvania six years ago and we enrolled our children in bedford county public schools we were thrilled about the the situation of them in what we were enrolling
180them in however we two years ago decided to homeschool our children for some various reasons and then this past this current school year we enrolled our children in one of the local christian schools though that's due i won't go into details on that topic but it's due to the fact that we think that the public schools are lacking um some some in some areas uh myself i've worked in uh the software business for 24 years and i have been a part of the same company a global software company for that 24 years that same 24 years over that time i've watched the business uh that i worked for i watched their board change and different representatives come in to represent different areas and capacities in that board and i've noticed that it's best represented when
181there is a difference in those board members that bring different perspectives and variety to the business and the decisions that have to be made in a company that's of global nature um the candidates tonight sound all wonderful and um i think it's wonderful to see the volunteering of people coming out to serve the community and i do appreciate that about the three candidates i appreciate the service of the board members here today and and all the community that's come out but um i'd like to just hone in on that point it's already been said before so it's i'm not saying anything new tonight a few people have said it my wife and i have talked about it she spoke a little bit earlier and it's something that we do feel is an important point there
182are those that might represent a specific area of the job very very well but there are others that might represent on the board in a in a much better capacity due to the fact that they have business acumen and have spent many years managing and overseeing many many people and uh everything from uh locations and setups to um you know product inventory etc all the things that go into that um and for those reasons again i think that chris daniels would make an excellent selection um again i i would say that miss whitehurst mrs whiteheart sounds like an excellent candidate as well but perhaps there's also some place that would better fit that position your position in this school district you sound like an excellent resource for the entire community and i don't want to
183take away anything from what others have said so yeah that's it thank you for your time thank you mr denmark [Applause] anyone else slots okay i would like to close the public comment portion of this meeting i want to take a moment to thank everybody for coming out um investing your time it's it can be time consuming and we are taking everything into consideration we are receiving voluminous emails and we are not taking this decision lightly so again we appreciate you coming out do i have a motion to adjourn so moved motion by mr hill do i have a second second second bum is hairston that's who will hurt yes okay you're the mess you did i have a first and second do any discussion all those in favor signify by saying aye aye opposed
184meeting adjourned you