a plea from a public school mom

Parents, teachers/staff, families, students, and the community are exhausted. We’ve been fighting for our schools, fighting for our teachers and staff, fighting for our marginalized students. It’s been a rollercoaster.

After the School Board decided to close two amazing schools last year, I (with the most incredible group of Save Our Schools Warriors) showed up to nearly every school board meeting and many city council meetings, sometimes getting home at midnight to recap for our people who couldn’t be there and figure out next steps. I wrote dozens of speeches, even more letters, articles, and website content with multiple other parents. I spoke alongside amazing teachers, parents, and friends. I watched our school be gutted – over 17 teachers leaving when no one communicated plans to them after an announced closure. All year, we drafted reports. We filed an appeal. We proposed formal solutions, backed by evidence-based studies. We met with whoever would meet with us. Students stayed up till 10pm to plead with the City Council for funding. We made signs; we called; we gave facts and figures; we stood up to save our schools day after day after day. I learned that it’s not just about the school closures; it’s also about the lack of knowledge and lack of money and the lack of leadership that keeps public schools from truly thriving.

Two schools remain on the edge of closures, and plans remain unstable. Multiple school board members have mentioned closing up to 5 schools and closing a middle school. Our teachers are buying their own supplies. Mental health services are being cut from administrative costs. After-school programs and STREAM – which should be offered at all schools – are not available at most, unless teachers volunteer their time. Some schools do not even have a slide at their playground. School board members are proposing filling classrooms to 95% capacity, which we know only increases behavioral issues. Low-income students continue to face the most significant obstacles. PTO budgets range from $0 in impoverished school zones to $40,000 in more affluent neighborhoods, showing equity is not our reality. Transportation remains unreliable. Thirty-three percent of Lynchburg families are choosing to go private, compared to nine percent nationally. Our region’s neighboring schools are paying teachers, bus drivers, and staff more, and the teacher shortage is creating a non-existent applicant pool. 

And yet – we still have families and staff who care too deeply about our community to give up. Who are ready to continue to fight for all that our children and their schools deserve. 

The health of public schools starts with the City Council leaders. We need funds – more than the “level-funding” our current council has been giving for years. We need school board appointees who are actually invested and informed about education. We need to be prioritized. Our children have been the price of political games for far too long. 

A vote for City Council is a vote for what we want our schools to look like. 
Let me repeat that.
Your vote for City Council candidates is a vote for what you want our schools to look like.

We don’t have to be this exhausted. April Watson, Randy Smith, James Coleman, and Sterling Wilder have been working together to run their city council campaign, and they are ready to work together for our schools once elected.

If we work hard to elect the right people to our city’s leadership, we won’t have to fight. We won’t have to lose our voices, giving speech after speech about why schools matter. Begging leaders to listen to the obvious. We will have four council members on our side, who believe prioritizing public education is a part of their job. 

Vote, vote, vote. Our children are depending on this election. I know I’m all in, for my kids and the kids we’ve been fighting for. I hope you are, too. 

Don’t just take my word for it. Here are the reasons these four candidates are qualified and ready to take care of our public education: 

April Watson (Ward 4!) has worked nearly 20 years for our most vulnerable community members. As both a social worker and city employee, she has personally and professionally witnessed the children for whom school is their one shot, their one place to not only survive, but overcome many systemic barriers like trauma and poverty. April is experienced in city budgets, education grants, and how to make limited resources stretch as far as possible to meet needs.  Her children currently attend LCS, and she was the PTO president at Sheffield Elementary School and supported programs at RS Payne and Dunbar Middle, as well as the parent representative on the Academic Success Committee. She’s a sixth generation Lynchburg resident, LCS graduate, and was a significant voice and supporter in our fight to Save Schools. 

April’s statement on schools: Public education is an investment into our future and a preventative measure for public safety. She believes in properly funding our schools, keeping doors open, transparency, and accountability. This means paying our teachers well and appointing school board members that are knowledgeable, informed, experienced, and pro-public education. Our kids are worth it! 

Dr. James Coleman (Ward 3!) has served our community through public service and leadership for more than three decades. He was unanimously appointed by City Council to the LCS School Board, where he held both the Chair and Vice Chair positions during his tenure. Deeply engaged in education, James has been an instructor in LCS and Central Virginia Community College, and now works at the Virginia University of Lynchburg. He has formerly served as the Finance and Audit Chair, Legislative Positions and Federal Relationship Chair and member of the Executive Committee on the Virginia School Boards Association Board of Directors. James and his wife have four children – Jacqueline, James, Joy, and Majesty – all of whom are proud products of Lynchburg City Schools. 

James’ statement on education: Dr. Coleman is dedicated to ensuring our schools are fully funded and led by those committed to public education. James will:

• Advocate for full funding for public schools to support both students and teachers.
• Appoint school board members with a strong background in and commitment to public education.
• Engage with families, students, and educators to address educational needs and aspirations.
• Support higher education, technical skills development, and military aspirants, including outreach to students at Liberty University.

Dr. Sterling Wilder (Ward 2): Dr. Sterling Wilder is seeking re-election to his City Council seat representing Ward 2. For the last three decades, Sterling has focused on advocacy and mentorship for youth in our community. In 1998, he created the Jubilee Family Development Center, where his role as executive director enables him to develop extensive educational and recreational programming designed to inspire achievement and self-sufficiency in the City’s youth – including summer enrichment camps, a STEM center, and vocational training. Prior to being elected to City Council in 2016, Sterling served for nine years on the Lynchburg City School Board, including a Vice Chair position. Sterling is a graduate of E.C. Glass High School, with degrees from Virginia State University and the University of Lynchburg. He has been a foster parent for more than 25 years, providing a home for dozens of teenagers who needed a stable environment. He is the proud adoptive father of one son, who attends Sandusky Middle School. 

Sterling’s City Council record shows his support for LCS and the children and families within it. Mentor, caring adult, role model; these words are frequently used to describe Sterling A. Wilder, as he has devoted his life to helping children and families become self-sufficient and reach higher levels of personal achievement.

Randy Smith (Ward 1):  For the last 30 years, Lynchburg and Ward 1 has been his home. Randy’s professional journey from mechanical engineering to construction to owning his own business has left him with a passion for the working class and the community he is a part of.  Randy developed a deep appreciation for work in the trades and its great potential to provide long lasting, stable, well paying jobs for those who aren’t financially able or interested in the college career path. He serves as a mentor and incubating-space for those traveling the path of finding their professional niche within their artisan work. He has worked with local nonprofits to help neighbors secure better housing. Randy and his wife, Jeanell, have been married for 30 years and share a daughter, Sophie, who was born at Virginia Baptist, attended Bedford Hills Elementary, Linkhorne Middle, and EC Glass. 

Randy’s Public Education Statement: I want to ensure we protect and prioritize our public schools: I will: 

• Prioritize school funding and teacher salaries appropriately to address current challenges
• Appoint school board members who believe in the value of the common good and a strong public school system 
• Ensure ongoing facilities maintenance issues are handled in a timely manner 
• Stop the budgetary micromanagement of paid professionals with decades of education experience 

Let me add how grateful I am to our fellow parents and leaders who continue to show up and be a voice for the LCS community members. You are my heroes.

Alright Lynchburg.

Let’s do this.