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Parents and educators urge Nelson County board to change course on facilities and feeder patterns
Summary
Speakers during public comment criticized prior board decisions, alleged fiscal harm and urged new governance prioritizing students and equitable feeder patterns; one parent credited the ATC for improving her child's attendance.
Three community members used the public-comment period at the Nov. 12 Nelson County Board of Education meeting to press the board on governance, equity and student opportunity.
Amy Durbin, a parent, grandparent and district employee from Cox's Creek, said she had spoken at board meetings for three years and accused prior board actions of harming students and taxpayers. “Actions that have cost taxpayers and students 1,000,000 of dollars and years of delayed opportunity,” Durbin said, and urged the community to demand a board that supports students and staff.
Joe Pink, speaking for a group, asked the board to create “sustainable feeder patterns” for west-side communities, saying that students in Boston, New Haven and the Coxs Creek area have been underserved by past decisions. “We make kids from the west side go through multiple transitions…This system does not create a system that allows both high schools to thrive,” Pink said, urging the board to listen to all stakeholders.
Katie Brown, a school counselor at New Haven, described how Nelson County’s Applied Technology Center (ATC) changed her son’s engagement and attendance. She credited staff support — specifically Mr. Bradley — for creating a plan that helped her son attend and succeed: “It has truly changed my son's outlook of school,” Brown said.
Board members did not take immediate action in response to the comment period. The statements were entered into the record and will be available to new board members expected to take office in January.
