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Resident urges withholding school funds amid allegation of bullying of special-education students
Summary
At a Smyth County public hearing on the school board budget, resident Bill Stamper urged supervisors to withhold oversight or funding access from an individual he accused of bullying special-education students and raised concerns about resource allocation and salary levels.
A Smyth County resident told the Board of Supervisors that while the school system needs funding, the county should prevent a particular staff member from having control over how those funds are used.
"I don't believe this man should be over it," said Bill Stamper, who told the board he had video and letters documenting incidents he described as bullying of special-education students. Stamper also criticized removal of microwaves from special-education classrooms and questioned salary levels, saying the employee in question "makes over a $140,000 a year." Stamper urged supervisors to ensure special-education needs are funded first.
The remarks came during a public hearing on the Smyth County school board budget, which the board read into the record and which is scheduled for public comment ahead of an expected June adoption. Board members did not debate the allegation during the hearing, and the record contains no staff response to Stamper's specific claims. The hearing was informational; the chair reminded the audience that formal action on the budget is unlikely until the board's regular June meetings when the General Assembly budget is finalized.
The board received a second public comment at the same hearing from Charles Wasson, who opposed spending on classroom artificial intelligence tools and urged focusing on basic literacy and numeracy before adopting new technology purchases. Wasson said he opposes increasing the county budget overall.
