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Bedford superintendent returns from illness, outlines SWOT findings and upcoming math-textbook review
Summary
Superintendent Randy De Pere, speaking Feb. 13, said he is recovering from a recent immune-related illness, described a district SWOT analysis, highlighted student achievement gains and previewed a spring public review of proposed math textbooks and other initiatives including compliance with an athletic executive order.
Superintendent Randy De Pere, speaking at the Bedford County School Board’s regular meeting on Feb. 13, said he is recovering from a recent immune-compromised illness and outlined findings from a six-week SWOT review of the division’s schools, previewed a math-textbook adoption process with public review sessions, and noted a VHSL action to align with a federal executive order on athletics.
De Pere opened by thanking staff and community members who supported him during his illness and said he remains medically compromised for about six months but is improving. He then summarized a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) review he conducted during the fall semester that included more than 50 school visits and meetings with principals, teachers, counselors, leadership teams and parents.
The superintendent said strengths include a “strong, dedicated, and highly respected teaching staff.” Weaknesses he listed included low faculty morale, difficulty recruiting and retaining new hires—particularly within the first five years—and student mental-health needs. De Pere said the division began its budget process early and that the finance committee completed a line-by-line review of revenues and expenses to inform a preliminary budget delivered to the Board of Supervisors.
On academics, De Pere said Bedford County Public Schools rose in the state achievement rankings in the most recent reporting period and credited steady improvement over five testing seasons. He said the division will continue to support schools through the upcoming SOL testing.
De Pere said the Virginia High School League’s executive committee on Feb. 10 voted to bring VHSL policy “in compliance with the federal executive order” he described as limiting participation in girls’ sports to students assigned female at birth; he said the VHSL action takes effect immediately. He did not propose local policy actions at the meeting.
On curriculum, De Pere described the math-textbook adoption process: a district committee has reviewed VDOE-approved math textbooks since October and copies were sent to every school. He announced public textbook review sessions in the boardroom on Feb. 19 (9 a.m.–4 p.m.), Feb. 20 (noon–7 p.m.) and Feb. 21 (9 a.m.–4 p.m.), and said parents may also arrange reviews at local school buildings if those dates do not work. He listed the publishers submitted for review in the transcript as Kiddom, Heinemann, Savas, Mathspace and McGraw Hill for various grade bands.
De Pere also said the division will discuss the governor’s “Executive Order 33” regarding cell phones in schools as part of a divisionwide conversation; he did not describe any locally adopted policy at the meeting.
He closed by urging parents to use official school channels rather than social media when raising concerns and said the executive team will follow up with stakeholders on the SWOT results this spring.
The superintendent’s remarks were presented as informational; no board action on the math adoption, VHSL participation or the cell-phone topic was taken at the Feb. 13 meeting.
