By Matt de Simone
Next week, Botetourt County residents vote for their elected officials. Virginia’s selections for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General top the ballots this year.
Additionally, Republican Del. Terry Austin seeks re-election in the House of Delegates 19th District. Austin’s opponents are Democrat Wendy S. Rowden and Libertarian Dean D. Davison. Republican Christopher T. Head runs unopposed in the 17th House District.
However, many eyes in Botetourt County are on the two seats on the Botetourt County School Board.
In the Amsterdam District, current Chairman Anna Weddle runs for re-election against write-in candidate Steve Dean. Michelle Austin’s decision not to seek re-election representing the Buchanan District opens up her seat for Buchanan resident Jenny Wilson and write-in candidate Brandy Campbell.
THE CANDIDATES
Weddle is a James River graduate and has served on the School Board for the past four years. She graduated with a BS in Biology from James Madison University and later received an MS of Education in Health from Virginia Tech. In her time on the board, Weddle received the Virginia School Board Association’s Award of Excellence on two occasions.
Dean is an engineer who operates a control system engineering business. He’s spent years instructing technicians, engineers, and scientists in instrumentation and control system technologies courses. His company supplies many different types of facilities with engineered systems. He’s also a grandfather of 10 and a great-grandfather of three.
Wilson is a physical therapist in the Roanoke Valley, where she’s worked for the past 19 years. Before that, she received a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Mississippi and a Master’s in Physical Therapy from the University of Tennessee. She has a sophomore at James River and a seventh grader at Central Academy Middle School. Her family is an active at Buchanan Presbyterian Church. She enjoys volunteering at the Buchanan Theatre, the BAMA Food Pantry, and the Rise Against Hunger events.
The Fincastle Herald recently posed questions for each of the School Board candidates from both districts. All of these questions were published word-for-word.
What are your overall thoughts about BCPS? What are some of the positive things that the school board did over the past year, considering the Board’s challenges in 2020-21?
WEDDLE (Amsterdam): While I believe we can always strive to be better, BCPS is an amazing school system. Most recently, I am proud of our Board for being flexible and adapting plans quickly. Consider our 2020 school year: We started with “A days” and “B days”, most students going two days per week. By November we felt our schools were positioned to accept more students – English Language Learners, students without internet, and students with IEPs- on a 4-day schedule. In December, we gave the green light for our sports teams to return to play. In the spring we were the first district to send all students back four days per week beginning March 1, standing firm on keeping Wednesdays as remote days for teachers to connect with students and custodians to do deep cleaning.
I was also pleased to support all staff by giving bonuses in June. While districts around us may have given bonuses earlier in the year, we made the financially sound decision to ensure the “Hold Harmless” language in the state budget passed, meaning we would not have to ask the Board of Supervisors to cover potential over-spending
DEAN (Amsterdam): Since I have no family in the Botetourt School system, I have only been involved with the Board since July when I first became aware of the progressive agenda of the Virginia Department of Education.(VDOE). During that time, I have seen an unrelenting bent of the Botetourt School Board toward following their (VDOE) directives.
The VDOE has mandated masks and is moving headlong into requiring the adoption of Critical Race Theory and transgender policies. It is my opinion if the makeup of the Board is not changed, the same thing will happen with these mandates as well.
I was very pleased with the Board’s decision to provide increases in pay and bonuses for substitute teachers and bus drivers. This is something that should have been addressed long ago.
With the proper control of our spending, we can even do better for the teachers, drivers and all employees of the school system.
WILSON (Buchanan): I have fully supported the School Board throughout this pandemic as they have navigated an unprecedented era. Being a members of our school board during the last several years has been no easy task. They completed 2 different superintendent searches and during that transition, listened with the concerns of the community over COVID protocols, all the while ensuring that the state laws have been properly explained and enforced. In many cases these decisions were difficult and unpopular, but ultimately in the best interest for our students, staff, and tax payers in efforts to keep our students and staff safe and avoid litigation. I am proud that our county was one of the first in the area to go back to four days a week instruction last year, and one of the first to allow students back into sports. Those small steps were critical for the mental health of our students. This year school board members have managed, despite state wide staffing shortages and COVID protocols, to find ways to support overburdened teachers and bus drivers through pay incentives and the 2 hour early dismissal on Wednesdays. We must work together as a community united, rather than a community divided, and stand up and support our school systems rather than trying to tear them apart. That means continuing to come to school board meetings and communicating with members of the school board when concerns come up. It has been heartwarming to see parents step up to help other parents when school bus routes have had to be cancelled. We are a loving community and this level of parent involvement is what we need to help us get through these crises.
CAMPBELL (Buchanan): I love Botetourt County Public Schools. It’s where my parents attended. It’s where I attended. It’s why I moved back with my children, so they could attend. Given the abrupt ending of the 2019-2020 school year, and the crazy hoops that BCPS went through to get education to students and to reopen 2020-2021 on an A/B or remote schedule and then fully reopen this fall, I feel that the school board worked hard to make that happen. I give most credit to teachers, custodians, cafeteria and bus drivers etc. as without them, their hard work and dedication none of that would have been possible. It is when we start allowing Richmond to influence us, instead of our constituents that I have a huge problem with.
On August 12, Gov. Northam announced a Public Health Emergency Order that caused a bit of commotion within the Botetourt community. What are your thoughts on facemasks in school?
WEDDLE: In July, I was proud to be part of the Board’s unanimous vote to make face masks optional. The data supported our decision: the number of new cases in Botetourt had plummeted. However, the Delta variant caused a surge that in turn triggered the Public Health Emergency Order. Cases are decreasing again and hopefully the Order will soon be rescinded. At that time, I will happily reevaluate the possibility of making masks optional. Yet, until that time, we MUST follow the law. (Local officials cannot create a policy that conflicts with a State law.) I have been unable to find any public school system in Virginia who does not have mandatory masking in their schools at this time.
DEAN Masks do not provide the protection that we have been made to believe. In a study by North Carolina State University, these cloth masks that most people wear, were found to be just 23%
effective against this virus, even medical masks – the ones medical personnel wear each day – are only 74% effective and the N95 the best of the masks are only 95% effective.
The real problem is that masks do not protect the MOST vulnerable entry point on the body – that is the eyes. Doctors always tell you when you get a cold or are around those with a cold, DO NOT RUB YOUR EYES!
In fact the very first sentence in the CDC virus alert warns that the virus will enter by the EYES, than the nose and mouth, so if we are not protecting our eyes, we are taking half measures.
I believe that if an individual wants to wear a mask that is their right, and if a person does not want to wear a mask that is also their right.
If the Virginia legislature or US congress has not voted and passed a “law”, then any directive or mandate is NOT enforceable by any agency of the State or Federal Government including the Governor of the Virginia or President of the United States. Any mandate that is not backed by an actual law and is being forced on the public is by definition – tyranny!
WILSON: This has been, and I believe will continue to be, a very controversial topic for our school board to address. The board was able to take a vote to determine whether masks would be mandated in our schools. At the time, prior to the surge of the Delta variant, our cases were very low in Botetourt County. They elected to leave wearing masks to the discretion of the parents. As a health care worker, and as someone who has treated and lost several patients to COVID, I supported that decision. I believe in a common sense approach when it comes to masking. However, on August 12, Governor Northam reminded school boards that Senate Bill 1303 was passed by an overwhelming bipartisan majority of the General Assembly earlier in the year. The Bill allowed students to return to the classroom 5 days a week, but required Virginia schools adhere to mitigation strategies outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As a result, the Governor announced a Public Health Emergency Order requiring universal masking in all indoor settings in Virginia’s K-12 schools. This order reinforces current state law, as CDC guidelines include universal masking for all students, teachers, and staff. Through the Public Health Emergency Order, our board, though not popular, upheld the law. The code of Virginia 22.1-79 explains that school boards “see that the laws are properly explained, enforced, and observed.” Other school boards in neighboring localities initially voted down the wearing of masks, but after legal counsel, they accepted and reinforced the mandates. When we as a community are not in agreement with state mandates and laws put in place that will affect our students, we have two courses of legal action. The first is legislative, advocating to our higher elected official and when and if that doesn’t work, acting with our collective votes. The second course of action is judicial. We must work within our channels to uphold the law and avoid unnecessary and exponentially expensive legal fees for our county, but know that we do have avenues available if needed to work for the best interest of our students.
CAMPBELL: My thoughts on facemasks in school are that they should be optional. Parents, students and faculty alike should have the choice whether to wear a mask or not. There have been multiple studies proving that facemasks do not work. The box that masks are packaged in have a warning on them stating that masks do not prevent the infection of viruses. Mandates are a very slippery slope, once you follow one mandate another will follow and another until you find yourself with no freedoms. It is also important to note that mandates are NOT law. Until congress passes legislation making mandates law, mandates are merely a recommendation.
Although Botetourt doesn’t currently have a standalone policy regarding transgender students, the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a Statement of Interest (SOI) in the case, advising the court that Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause prohibit discrimination against students because of their sex, including because a student identifies as transgender. What is your opinion of the SOI?
WEDDLE: Our Board chose not to adopt the VDOE’s standalone transgender policy because we believe our current policies protect all students. (A policy is not a law and local boards have authority not to adopt policies.) Discrimination against any student for any reason is not tolerated in our school system.
Transgender students are not new to BCPS and we have been able to accommodate all students up to this point. I feel confident that we will be able to continue to do so without infringing on the safety and rights of all students.
DEAN: As a Bible believing Christian, I believe that everyone on this planet should be treated fairly and equally, with the utmost respect regardless of ethnicity, race, religion or sexual preference. We are all created in God’s image and we must love all people.
I also believe that unfortunately, gender dysphoria is real and we as school system should try to accommodate student(s) with this issue as best we can.
However, I do not believe that transgender students should be allowed to decide on a given day, they are going in a bathroom or locker room that is not designed for them based on their “biological” make-up. That means if they are born a boy, they use the boy’s facilities, if they are born a girl they use the girl’s facilities. No exceptions!
This is a progressive agenda fraught with dangers. All we need do is look at the situation in Loudon County Virginia (LCS), where a male student, dressed as a female, entered the girl’s locker room, raped and sodomized a 13 year old girl.
The Loudon school system did nothing about it except to move the perpetrator to a new school where he committed a similar crime in the same manner and then LCS covered it up!
I would be surprised if in ANY parent would want even a small threat of that happening to their child in Botetourt.
WILSON: The model policies set forth by the Virginia Department of Education were set in motion in order to ensure schools were in compliance with applicable nondiscrimination laws, and would maintain a safe, supportive learning environment free from discrimination and harassment for ALL students. Each school system was tasked with developing their own policy in response to this Statement of Interest. Botetourt County Schools chose neither to create a new policy nor adopt the VDOE’s model policy. Rather, the divisions’ existing non-discrimination policy states that discrimination on the basis of sex or sexual orientation was already covered. I think all students deserve as much privacy as we can afford them in our locker rooms and restrooms. There are other situations that are medical, or modesty related where a student would feel more comfortable with a secure door while changing in these facilities. As we navigate these topics together as a community, we need to keep the rights of all students in mind, while being sensitive to the needs of students in a non-discriminatory and non-harassing manner, to ensure all of our students feel safe and loved in their learning institutions.
CAMPBELL: No student should be discriminated against. Period. It shouldn’t matter about their race, religion, gender or sexual preferences. That being said, we need to safeguard every student. This does not happen when boys are allowed in girls locker rooms, and bathrooms or when girls are allowed in boys locker rooms and bathrooms. This invites sexual assault on all parties involved. I’m not saying that a student identifying as a gender that they were not born as, would go into a bathroom and assault someone. What I am saying are there are sexual predators that would say they identify as the opposite sex to gain access to vulnerable students and take advantage.
What is your understanding of following State and Federal regulations as they pertain to the school system?
WEDDLE: Upon being sworn into office, I took an oath in the Botetourt County Courthouse, on the Bible, to uphold the law. I may not always agree with the law, but it is not the role of a School Board Member to defy the law. Virginia is a “Dillon Rule” state, meaning School Boards only exercise (1) powers expressly granted by the state, (2) powers necessarily and fairly implied from the grant of power, and (3) powers crucial to the existence of local government. I have no interest in using taxpayer dollars or taking money from our childrens’ education in an attempt to sue the State or Federal Government.
DEAN: All laws that have been voted on by the State legislature and/or US Congress and signed by the Governor or President, should be followed unless the citizens deem them to be unconstitutional, in which case there are remedies under law – via the ballot box and/or the court system.
Therefore as I have stated before, if the school system is directed by force of “law” we have to follow the direction or pursue the remedies through the courts.
If the school system has directives or mandates that are not by force of law, than we can and must make our best judgements in consideration of the welfare of the students, parents and faculty.
WILSON: The code of Virginia 22.1-79 explains that school boards “see that the laws are properly explained, enforced, and observed.” I will uphold my oath of office and work within our set laws for this position. I will advocate and work as needed in the channels available through legislative action by building relationships with our Board of Supervisors, our local delegate Terry Austin, and state board of education members who are appointed by our Governor. Change can come from the bottom up, and certainly a collected unit of voices speak louder than a single one. I encourage people to look closely at our Governor’s race and at their individual platforms with regard to the direction they want our education system to head. This is our chance to speak with our votes.
CAMPBELL: My understanding of following State and Federal regulations as they pertain to the school system is this, we have to follow them. However, we do NOT have to follow mandates. I point out again until congress passes legislation, we are not required to follow any recommendations, suggestions or mandates.
Maintenance for some schools (Lord Botetourt High School) has been a subject of interest for many parents. What are your thoughts on some of the “older” school buildings in Botetourt? Do you consider the upkeep or replacement of some of the older buildings a priority?
WEDDLE: Unfortunately our school buildings are aging: five are almost 50, three are 60, and two are 70 years old. Our maintenance department does a great job but we are still catching up on deferred maintenance from tight budgets during the recession. We were fortunate to open our first new elementary school in 20 years in January and now need to focus on the rest, especially Lord Botetourt High School. One of my goals during this next term is to update our capital project plan to include a long-term plan for a new high school. This will be a multi-million dollar project and the groundwork needs to start now for the most efficient and fiscally responsible plan.
DEAN: The priority for the schools is to provide a safe and efficient environment for student’s education and the faculty’s ability to educate.
There are major problems with the school buildings primarily because of age, but also because of mismanagement of funds.
We should closely review the feasibility of maintaining the current facilities or replacing those facilities with newer ones.
We have forty five hundred students in the system and we have seven school buildings. The question is do we need this many facilities for the numbers of students.
There are many factors that come into these decisions, revenues available, long term maintenance costs –vs- new buildings, location, logistics, transportation of students etc., but one thing is certain, we can no longer ignore the problems. We must design solutions and move with all haste to implement them.
That is what I do every day in my business, we are presented with multifaceted problems; we find solutions and fix them.
WILSON: I think our school capital improvement needs are dire in our county. This is a statewide problem and especially in Southwest Virginia, where our local tax dollars are not sufficient to fund the needed repair/replacement. In our county we have 6 schools that are over 50 years old, and 3 others that are 45+ years old. I am proud that we were able to complete the new Colonial Elementary School. Unless, by some miracle, we receive funding through federal or state measures, we will need to continue the work through our local tax dollars to make much needed repairs and follow our capital improvement needs list. LBHS and BTEC would be my highest priority with regards to potential replacement. LBHS is over crowed and quite literally falling apart in places. I think the county should seriously consider real estate for this project and perhaps even tying that campus to our BTEC program with thought for advancing electronic automation, clean energy technology, and health care. I firmly believe that investing in these programs, especially our trades, will allow students who choose not to pursue a college education, to be able to enter our work force ready with certificate in hand.
CAMPBELL: All of our school buildings are important to keep up to date for the safety of all who enter those buildings. It is vital that we keep buildings in code. That will be one of my many items of priority.
How would you work with the Board of Supervisors to secure more funding for teacher pay, school bus drivers, and aging facilities?
WEDDLE: I believe that having an open and honest relationship with the Board of Supervisors is the best way to secure funding. The School Board has adopted a line item budget for more transparency and we are always available when Supervisors question our requests. As the School Board Chair, I have tried to attend every Board of Supervisors meeting to stay educated on the status of the County budget and spending plans.
DEAN: I believe I have addressed the facilities question in question 6.
As far as teacher and bus driver pay is concerned, we need to do a deep dive into the budget and find ways to pay our teachers and drivers more money and provide enhanced benefits.
The FY22 budget for the school system is 65.2 million dollars. That is almost fifteen thousand dollars per student. Roanoke Catholic charges between six and ten thousand dollars per student.
Certainly, we can some find savings within this budget to facilitate teacher and driver pay increases. They deserve it and we need to make every effort to make it happen.
This will enhance our ability to attract and maintain teachers and drivers, something that we cannot seem to do within the current framework.
WILSON: As a professional, I know the importance of developing relationships in a business setting. It is about give and take. Our school system is facing many financial challenges right now in areas of capital improvement needs, but there are also areas where we may be able to save money by working more efficiently with systems already in place. I hope that by demonstrating that we are good stewards of the money allotted to us, that when needs do arrise, our Board of Supervisors will see that we have exhausted any and all means prior to asking for additional revenue. This year it has been made apparent that as a division we are falling behind in competitive pay for our bus drivers, aids, and other supportive staff. I would like to see additions made to next year’s budget that take these pay discrepancies into mind.
CAMPBELL: I think it is very important to have a close relationship with our Board of Supervisors. I spoke at length with Amy White about this at the recent Republican Ham dinner. We are both on board to support each other in any way we can. With that being said, I would like to first crack open the books so to speak of the school funds and see where the funds are currently going. If there are places we can move our current funding, then I would certainly do that before asking for more. We have to be good stewards of the funding we are currently receiving before we can expect to be trusted with more.
Do you feel there is evidence of Critical Race Theory (CRT) in the school system? What evidence have you presented to the school division, such as lesson plan, textbook page, homework assignment, to investigate?
WEDDLE: No, CRT is not in our school system. My children are in the school system, I have volunteered as a parent in the schools often, and I have professional relationships with many teachers: CRT is not being taught in Botetourt County, nor do I believe it is appropriate for K-12 public education.
DEAN: There is real evidence that VDOE is moving in that direction.
(I point out the contents) of a 51 page document describing how our school system should become “woke”!
(“Navigating EdEquityVA” can be found on the VDOE website: www.doe.virginia.gov.)
WILSON: I have been following the BCPS meetings, and the Board of Supervisors meetings and listened to parents and community members engage in discussions that CRT is being taught in our schools. One thing speakers reference is the Culturally Competent Virginia Educators Bill (SB 1196 and HB 1904) requiring teachers to participate in cultural competency training. While this law went into effect this summer, at this time, no training has taken place in BCPS to meet this requirement. I think it will be important to judge BCPS by our actions, rather than training materials that come from the state. As an engaged parent, I have personally seen no evidence of CRT in our curriculum. I have sat alongside my children during their history homework and have seen nothing that would raise concern to me as a parent. I have asked two of our high school history teachers this question as well and they agree that CRT is not in our current curriculum. I do understand my role as a parent in teaching where our values as a family align with what has happened historically, and how our views as Christians impact our interactions in the world and our community. Discussions like these are important for each individual family to consider, not the role of our public education system. History is history, and I believe should continue to be based in fact-based learning, not the individual opinion of a teacher. Like our current School Board, I do not support CRT being taught to our children and will continue to advocate against it.
CAMPBELL: There seems to be a fundamental misunderstanding, or unwillingness to understand, in the media regarding Critical Race Theory, CRT, in the Virginia public schools. I have not stated, nor has anyone else, that CRT is being taught, as a subject, as lesson plans, in the public schools. However, the school board has repeatedly denied that CRT is in the public schools, which is dishonest. CRT is a kind of lens through which administrators and teachers are encouraged to filter their teaching philosophy and the administrative policies used in the schools. In that way, CRT is in the schools. You may have heard the word “equity.” It’s easy to conflate or confuse this term and the term “equality,” however, they are not at all the same. “Equity” is a CRT idea and term. BCPS has an Equity Task Force. The school system would like to tell you that equity is giving a specific student what he or she needs to succeed, and that it’s preferable to equality, which is giving every student the same thing. That may sound nice to some people, however, this country was founded on equality, not demographic-based special treatment. I think more often equity turns out to be cutting off high-achieving students at the knees rather than putting a stool under the feet of struggling students. That can manifest in a variety of ways, from inconsistent enforcement of discipline policies based on the overall demographics of BCPS, to quotas in AP classes, which I know happens in other school systems. Where we are seeing equity prioritized in Virginia schools is, for example, the “Social and Emotional Learning” (SEL) standards. (https://www.doe.virginia.gov/support/prevention/social-emotional/index.shtml).
What are your thoughts on where BCPS’s Standards of Learning (SOL) scores placed out of the 133 school divisions in Virginia?
WEDDLE: Our Reading, Math, and Science scores were 7th, 6th, and 8th in the state (133 districts) for 2020-2021. What an accomplishment for the students and teachers, especially in a year with so much virtual learning! I’d also like to congratulate parents and everyone in the community who provided tutoring, internet, a place for kids on remote days, and even snacks! These scores speak volumes for the type of place Botetourt is to raise kids. While SOL scores are not the only defining benchmark on which we should judge our schools they are a powerful one proving excellence. It is important for our community to understand that SOLs are also mandates from the Virginia Department of Education and no locally elected official has the power to dissolve the use of the SOL framework.
DEAN: I believe BCPS scored in the top 10% which is great. But this only indicates that we can teach our students how to successfully pass a test.
My 14 year old grandson has always been an honor student at in the Roanoke County school system, but he cannot tell me the significance of the year 1776, the American Revolution, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, or the Civil War and on it goes.
I personally believe the SOL’s are the worst thing that has ever happened to our school system.
We are falling behind the rest of the world in education (36th in math) because we no longer teach students how to learn but what to learn. Teaching to a test, does not educate our students on how to learn, retain what they have learned and to cognitively reason. Because of this Federal edict to pass the SOL’s we are failing in education today nationwide.
WILSON: I am proud that despite all the loss in learning time, and limited in person experiences last year that our BCPS showed such success of the top 5-6% scores in the state. I give credit to our teachers but also for all the hard work of parents and their involvement in their children’s education. That being said, I have never been a fan of teaching to the test. I know that the SOL testing is essential for our accreditation, but when possible would advocate for teaching critical thinking skills, creative problem solving, and more emphasis on writing and interpersonal communication skills. This would involve, at the school board level, not just praising teachers who posted great test scores in their class, but also the teachers who have taken the time (and personal resources at times) for creating hands on learning and interactive learning environments for their students with exceptional results.
CAMPBELL: I am impressed with James River High School for having the 2nd highest math scores. Also, three of our schools were ranked 6th, 7th and 8th out of 133! Of course, we want to continue to work and become 1st, but this is a good start. What I want to concentrate on is making sure our students are retaining the information and not just memorizing for SOLs and then forgetting the information. Additionally, BTEC, our vocational school, is so important for our students. College is not for everyone. Not to mention, more and more colleges are in the business of indoctrination instead of education. Students come out in extreme debt and stressed, with no guarantee of a job. Most vocational school students graduate with certifications AND job placement! If elected, vocational school will be one of my priorities to build up.
Do you feel the 2021-22 school budget is sufficient for the county?
WEDDLE: I do feel this budget is sufficient. Work began on FY22 budget in October 2020. We had several public work sessions which Board of Supervisors members Amy White and Billy Martin also attended. Using these work sessions, the budget was refined until it was deemed perfect to submit to the Board of Supervisors for approval in April. Our goal is to have a budget that will address all the needs of the school system without inflating it or overspending.
DEAN: Yes, by all means, I have already addressed that issue in question 7.
WILSON: The school budget-making process is based on enrollment and the local composite index. The measures of a locality’s ability to pay, or the local composite index, is updated every two years and is based on county property values and sales tax revenue increases (if any) adjusted for gross income and population. As a locality is better positioned to fund their schools through these increases, the state funding to the school division decreases. I think the budget is sufficient, as it was developed with careful consideration of our available resources from the local, state, and federal funding sources (nearly 60 million dollars!) I will be a careful steward of this money with the ability to make hard decisions when needed, work more efficiently with what we have, but will know when to advocate for critical needs (should they arise) for providing our students with a safe learning environment.
CAMPBELL: I believe the budget is sufficient, however the line items are not appropriately distributed.
Vote on Botetourt’s elected officials this Tuesday, November 2. For more information about the local elections, visit https://botetourtva.gov/your-government/election-information/.
