Parents in Lynchburg express concern about the lack of transparency surrounding school budget projections

Lynchburg, Virginia – Lynchburg families have been concerned about their children’s future for months following the school board’s decision to eliminate two primary schools.

Parents expressed their concerns regarding the lack of clarity surrounding the future measures during Tuesday’s board meeting.

“I can show you the grades, scores, and therapy notes to prove what a difference the school makes in a child’s life,” said a speaker for the Sandusky Elementary parent-teacher organization Jordan Nesbitt.

The Lynchburg district decided to close TC Miller and Sandusky Elementary Schools in 2025 last year.
Due to the disappearance of the relief funds from the epidemic, the school system is facing a financial deficit of more than $17 million.

“It puts a lot of worry and unsettling into me that there are currently parents’ guardians, etc. that do not have any idea what is going on,” said Nesbitt.

The city offered $39 million, but the board requested a budget of about $43 million to avoid making dramatic cuts at the most recent meeting.

“If we receive the additional funding, we need to remain open another year, they need to know what’s going to be done to make it sustainable. They’re currently losing teachers, staff, and eventually parents and families,” said Nesbitt.

The board recommended that the school close as early as September in the absence of additional financing.

“We need to give them a plan, something that we as parents can stand behind and get behind and stop blaming them for not funding us. I wouldn’t want to fund us either. I would be worried about where that money is going,” said a speaker for the TC Miller Elementary parent-teacher organization Karla Jones.

The lack of openness at every stage of the process is one of the main worries. Many parents desire a well-thought-out plan for the requested cash from the school board.

“I have noticed a massive gap between this board and the school admin, and providing those updates on the decisions and the processes that have been made from this board,” said Nesbitt.

“Seven months down the line and what do you have to show for it? Nothing. There is still no plan,” said Jones.