LYNCHBURG, VA – Lynchburg leaders met on Tuesday to break down plans for the ever-changing school division.
Something Superintendent Crystal Edwards said plans have been in the works since before COVID.
“The theme this year is accelerating excellence and innovation, and my hope for our kids is that we do just that,” Edwards said.
Lynchburg hired MGT Consulting to collect and analyze data in order to make suggestions on how to achieve more efficient use of their space, something project manager Dr. Lance Richards said the system is doing well with.
“Your student enrollment is going to decline going forward so there needs to be some decisions about how you’re going to realign your buildings and drive that utilization up slightly,” Richards said.
“Kids are on the bus, they drive past two or three schools to get to their schools. So what rezoning close to home would probably put kids in schools that are in their neighborhoods or close to their neighborhoods,” Edwards said.
Other suggestions included more options for career and technical education, which community member Andre Miller said is crucial.
“CTE is key. I wouldn’t be able to know anything I’ve learned without it,” Miller said.
The board also looked at expanding preschool options within the division, renovating Elementary Schools, and even potentially closing one of the smaller schools.
Edwards said the hope is to come to an initial plan for 2024 by November 1, before the city and states budgets are set, but she says Tuesday’s meeting is just a starting point.
“They are springboards, they are conversation starters,” Edwards said.
They plan to have several more meetings leading up to November 1 to examine the pros and cons of each suggestion.