Brandy Campbell is running as a write-in candidate for the Buchanan District seat on the Botetourt County School Board. The daughter of a retired Marine, Brandy spent the summers of her youth in Buchanan, eventually settling in Buchanan then graduating in 1996 from James River High School, just as her parents before her. After a few years away from Botetourt, in 2008 Campbell’s family purchased a home in the Town of Buchanan to raise her five children where she grew up. She has served her community as a team mom for most of her children’s sports teams, even coaching when no coach was available. She currently works in medical billing with a local company and attends Fincastle Baptist Church.
In addition to having attended Botetourt schools, and having children currently in Botetourt schools, Campbell began a career in early childhood development in 2007, as the nursery director for a local church, after her youngest child was born. She moved on to teach preschool, then obtained a CDL to drive a school bus for Botetourt County Public Schools (BCPS), and finally advanced to the position of bus route coordinator, a responsibility she filled until late last year. Campbell said she knows the school system from several crucial perspectives.
She said the events of the last 18 months commanded her attention, especially BCPS’s response to various social, educational, and policy developments. She began attending School Board meetings, even speaking to the board during public comment citing fiscal concerns, the surprise reversal on mask mandating, and the presence of CRT in Botetourt schools in the form of the Equity Task Force.
When asked why she wanted to become a candidate for School Board, Campbell stated, “As parents, we, not county or state bureaucrats, know what is in the best interests of our children. As a taxpayer, I grew tired of seeing our school system deny transparency on how funding is used in the schools and as a parent, I grew tired of the school system mandating families’ personal decisions. I’ve worked inside the Botetourt County school system and I’m a parent, so I know the School Board can do better, and that’s why I decided to run.”
Campbell said the School Board members should be listening to what Botetourt County’s parents are telling them, and that the School Board should be advocating Botetourt parents’ views to the Virginia Department of Education, not vice versa. She wants to increase fiscal accountability in BCPS and to better empower parents within the school community.
Looking forward to welcoming her first grandchild in the next few days, Brandy said she appreciates the importance of guarding educational quality to provide children a bright future. As a write-in candidate, she is requesting the votes of Buchanan voters during the 2021 general election.
Registered voters can cast ballots at the Voter Registration Office in Fincastle, 2 East Main Street, Fincastle, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday and on Saturdays, Oct. 23 Oct. 30, (the final early voting day), then ultimately on Tuesday, Nov. 2. All regular Botetourt polls will be open on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 6 a.m.-7 p.m.
Buchanan polling locations are Buchanan Elementary School, 255 Schoolhouse Road, and Mill Creek Baptist Church, 11475 Lee Highway, Fincastle.
