Public commenters urge board to advertise academic gains and rally community support for funding

At the Feb. 13 Bedford County School Board meeting, two public commenters urged the board to promote recent academic gains and to organize community advocacy to secure additional funding from the Board of Supervisors.

Dave Dietrich (resident) addressed the board first during the public-comment period. He recounted a recent debate over calendar language — where the term “winter holiday” was retained rather than “Christmas break” — and argued that the current dual nomenclature accommodates different beliefs without harming neighbors. Dietrich closed by invoking a historical example about religious language in public messages, saying the founders left freedom of religion, not freedom from religion.

Robert Ashwell (resident) told the board he is concerned about potential school consolidations — he cited discussion that closing Susey Gibson (phonetic from transcript) and another unnamed elementary and laying off assistant principals could become necessary if funding shortfalls persist. He urged the school board to “celebrate and advertise the excellence” of Bedford County Public Schools, citing the division’s climb in state achievement rankings and the need to retain staff. Ashwell recommended creating a permanent, year-to-year committee of parents, PTA/PTO members and community advocates to lobby fellow residents and the Board of Supervisors for increased school funding and to counter misinformation in the community.

Board members acknowledged the requests. Several said staff already prepare materials about achievement gains and that finance and communications staff will engage as part of budget advocacy; no formal action or vote to create a recruitment or advocacy committee was taken at the Feb. 13 meeting.