City clerk outlines 2025 school‑board appointment schedule; council to hold public hearings and June interviews

City Clerk Alicia Femi presented the timeline and process for the 2025 Lynchburg School Board appointments at the April 8 works session.

Femi said three terms expire this year (one per district) and the incumbents — Anthony Andrews (District 1), Dr. Martin Day (District 2) and Gloria Preston (District 3) — are eligible to apply for reappointment. The city will accept applications until the first public hearing; state code requires the names of candidates to be read into the record.

Staff proposed a public hearing on May 13 with an option to hold a second hearing to allow more applicants; council could begin selecting candidates at the close of that hearing. The recommended schedule includes a final candidate selection on June 10 under general business, interview blocks between June 10 and June 24 (typically open, livestreamed interviews of ~30 minutes each) and final appointments on June 24, contingent on state and national background checks.

Femi described the standard application form and said residency (ward/district) is captured but that the city does not currently require applicants to provide documentary proof of residency; she confirmed staff will examine options for verifying residency. Councilmembers discussed whether to use a ballot method (similar to mayor/vice‑mayor selection) versus the current motion/second approach for appointments; staff offered to provide options and draft process language for council consideration at the June 10 meeting.

Ending: Council asked staff to provide options on voting procedure (motion/second vs. ballot method) and to consider simple residency verification; staff said it would circulate the schedule and materials to council and present voting‑method options for a June decision.