Dr. Sterling Wilder

Dr. Wilder is endorsed by the Lynchburg Education Association

Summary from candidate’s website:

• Sterling Wilder has been a strong advocate and mentor for youth in Lynchburg for over 30 years. In 1998, he founded the Jubilee Family Development Center, where, as executive director, he has spearheaded educational and recreational programs, including summer camps, a STEM center, and vocational training to promote achievement and self-sufficiency. Before his election to City Council in 2016, Sterling served nine years on the Lynchburg City School Board, where he also held the position of Vice Chair.
  
  

Do they have Children that attend LCS

• Yes, his child is currently attending LCS.

Thoughts on LCS Schools

• "I have a strong commitment to public education. I am a product of the education system, and I served on the school board for nine years. Education has always been my priority. We are going to have some difficult conversations and discussions about how we will find funding for our schools. The challenge lies in our community discussions. Sometimes, we have to cancel meetings or stop them due to the chaos that ensues. We need a dedicated group of people who can come together specifically to discuss how to save all of our schools, not just TC Miller, but all of our schools. We have been working on various challenges for years, just as they have across the country. We need to collaborate to make decisions on how to improve our school system and provide the support necessary for our teachers and students. Sometimes, this means discussing issues with our city manager, including the possibility of reducing the real estate tax rate. We need to manage our city budget effectively because we have services like the police department, trash pickup, and leaf collection, which may not be available in the county. As a city, we must engage in hard conversations and discussions. One thing is clear: we need to come to the table and discuss these issues together as a community, with the city council leading those civic discussions." - Cardinal News Candidate forum
  
  

Find more information:  https://www.lynchburgbettertogether.org/ward2-wilder

Rodney Hubbard

Summary from candidate’s website:

• There was no website able to be found.
• He stated during the conversation with Andrea Whitehead he would cut the funding for the schools as to not reward “bad behavior”
  
  

Do they have Children that attend LCS

• Unknown

Thoughts on LCS Schools

• “That's a great question. Where will you get the funds to save Sandusky? The funds will come from the basic aid that Lynchburg receives every year, which amounts to $23 million from the government. I don't believe Sandusky is in such disrepair that it would require a whole new school or more than $2 to $5 million in renovations. However, my main concern about trying to save Sandusky is why we are solely focused on that. The focus should be on saving our students from failure. We need to increase our numbers and protect our Black children from being expelled from school. For example, Black students are currently at 97 percent at the bottom of the rankings, and we're second to last in graduation rates in Lynchburg. When I was in school, we were at the top; we were featured in USA Today every month for our academic achievements and had the highest scholarship rates in the Western District. So my concern is about returning to our traditional values in education. We need to bring back the educators who taught us when we were growing up to help correct our failing education system”
  - Cardinal News Candidate forum 
  
  
  

Find more information:  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558370580083

Tori Howard

Summary from candidate’s website:

• There was no website able to be found.

Do they have Children that attend LCS

• No

Thoughts on LCS Schools

• During the conversation with Andrea Whitehead, she stated she would like to push homeschooling in Lynchburg with “grant availability”   This would pull much needed funds away from the public school system.
• “Yes, I definitely stand. Um. And keeping our schools open. I'm not quite sure how we're going to get the funding but I do want to bring this to your concern. Um, the fact that the transfer to Capital In the FY 2024 budget is zero. The transfer to Capital, for those that don't know what capital is. It's money set aside to improve maintain and build new structures like schools. Why is that line item zero? So that's letting me know that they're not prioritizing our children. There's no excuse for that to be zero for two consecutive years. So I really urge you to go look at the budget and this will raise a lot of questions because this is blatant disregard. And it's failure on the school system.”
  - Cardinal News Candidate forum
  
  
  

Find more information:  https://www.facebook.com/toridenaye.2020

Dr. James Coleman

Dr. Coleman is endorsed by the Lynchburg Education Association

Summary from candidate’s website:

• 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.
  

Do they have Children that attend LCS

• All his children graduated from LCS.

Thoughts on LCS Schools

• “To every parent out there, I want you to know that you matter. These last few years have been tough for all parents and grandparents, and I empathize with you because I’m a parent too. I also want to acknowledge that when our governor ordered schools to close, that wasn’t something any of the nine of us planned. But we responded by always doing what was best for the kids. Right now, my concern is making sure the students in Lynchburg City Schools get the best education possible.  I have a list of 19 things we accomplished successfully, while my opponent, who claims he would do the same, voted for level funding and defunded schools. There’s no evidence to support his approach that will help our schools. We have to take a very complicated situation, break it down, and work together—City Council, the school board, and the community—by listening to parents and focusing on what's best for educating our kids. Lastly, I’m confused. I don’t understand how you can have good schools if all you do is cut, cut, cut, cut, cut. It just doesn’t make sense to me."  - Cardinal News Candidate forum 
  
  
  

Find more information:  https://www.colemancareslynchburg.com/2024_issues

Curt Diemer

Council member Heggleson, who has led the charge in the City Council for closing schools, endorsed Curt Diemer

Summary from candidate’s website:

• There is no information on his website about his views on schools, however he does state he is for lowering taxes.  Lowing taxes again would result in less funding for schools. This could mean that ALL the essential needs for the school's buildings cannot be completed which include: fencing, HVAC systems, electricity, a new track for EC Glass (which if not repaired will have to be closed) and more.The track at EC Glass is a community resource as it’s open to the public anytime that it is not in use by the school.
  
  

Do they have Children that attend LCS

• No

Thoughts on LCS Schools

• "My opponent talks about leadership as chairman of the school board. We increased the amount of money for schools, and over the years, it has gone up significantly. It’s the largest part of the city budget—well over $100 million. Politics is the allocation of scarce resources. If you don’t like politics, then you probably don’t need a city council because that’s essentially what we do. There are unlimited needs and only a limited amount of taxpayer dollars, and we have to remember where that money comes from—it’s from the taxpayers.
• How many of us here own homes? Assessments are about to go up, possibly by 15 to 20 percent, which means we may end up paying more in taxes. Even after lowering the tax rate last year, many of us still wrote bigger checks. We did put more money into education after that. Chris is right, we absolutely did, especially towards the teachers. We also had the opportunity to take some of the federal money that came after COVID and apply a large portion of it to schools, infrastructure, and buildings like Sandusky.
• Roanoke used the lion’s share of their CARES money for construction and long-term building needs. Lynchburg, however, chose to put that money into administration and other things unrelated to classrooms or fixing buildings. I want to focus on the kids and the classrooms, not bricks and bureaucrats. I want to do what’s best for the children, spend the money wisely, and avoid any waste." -   Cardinal News Candidate forum

**FACT CHECK: the CARES money was used to give teachers and staff raises per Superintendent Crystal Edwards during several school board meetings and a City Council session.

Find more information:  https://curtdiemer.com/#learn

April Watson

April Watson is endorsed by the Lynchburg Education Association

Summary from candidate’s website:

• "April believes in properly funding our schools, keeping the 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!”
• Born and raised in Lynchburg and has spent time in each school throughout her life as a lifelong Lynchburg resident.
• "I don't need to schedule specific time to see each school, it's a natural part of life here." - April Watson

Do they have Children that attend LCS?

• Yes, her school aged children attend Lynchburg City Schools
• She also attended Lynchburg City Schools from Kindergarten through 12th grade and is a graduate of Heritage High

Thoughts on LCS Schools

• As a social worker and parent she has always been involved in LCS and has spent time with members of SOS digging into the issues that our schools face. 
• "I absolutely want to keep Sandusky open. We need to figure out a way to make it work, whether that means renovations or rebuilding. I think many of us are leaning towards renovations. I don't know where the money will come from, but that’s not my decision alone. It’s going to take all of us as a community to show up and share our priorities—what do we want, and how are we going to make it happen. When I talk to people, especially parents or long-time residents, education and workforce issues are the first things they mention… If we do renovate Sandusky, we also need a plan for where the kids will go during the process. That’s a major concern I hear from parents—they're worried about their children being displaced. There’s no easy answer, but I’m willing to sit at the table, have tough discussions, and approach it calmly. I won’t yell or storm out of meetings. I’ll stay until the hard work is done, however long it takes.” - Cardinal News Candidate Forum
• She has a unique perspective on LCS schools partially because she held various PTO positions (President, Vice President, Trasurer, & Secretary) for Sheffield and Dunbar PTOs as well as volunteering with RSP PTO.
• She served as the 2023 Parent Representative for the School Board's Academic Success Committee as well.

Find more information:  https://www.lynchburgbettertogether.org/ward4-watson

Chris Faraldi

Summary from candidate’s website:

• Chris Faraldi has supported our public school system while fighting to expand educational opportunies in the city.
• He has a proven record of supporting bonus and increases to Teacher compensation and striving to hold the School Board Appointees accountable for their actions. Chris also was a lead voice for funding the school division by major category to ensure financial oversight of Lynchburg City Schools.
• Along with this, in 2023, he supported the single largest investment into Lynchburg Classrooms while paving the way for a new conservative majority on the Lynchburg School Board.
• Chris was also instrumental in calling for Lynchburg to be put on the map for Governor Youngkin's new Lab School program.
• The Vice Mayor, knowing the Facilities Study was coming soon, toured nearly every public school in Lynchburg to ensure he was educated on the needs for every building. This also provided him with the ability to speak out and defend Sandusky Elementary School when it was proposed to be closed.
• Over the last four years, Chris Faraldi has been the clear leader and champion on City Council for parental rights in Lynchburg. He joined many parents in demanding schools be fully repoened during the pandemic. Chris was the lone voice to fight for an open & transparent School Board Appointment Process, as well as being the first Councilmember to call for the Lynchburg City School Board to be an elected office.
  
  

Do they have Children that attend LCS

• He does not currently have school aged children.

Thoughts on LCS Schools

• Chris Faraldi is the first member of the city council to meet with over 200 parents during a town hall last year, listening for over 4 hours to the concerns of parents. He then worked alongside parents and listened to try to find a solution to the school closure issue. He was one of the five council members who voted to delay a project in order to keep TC Miller and Sandusky open for one more year. Chris has also been a supporter of rebuilding Sandusky as it sits in Ward 4.
• "I’m certainly in favor of fighting tooth and nail for it. There are a few important points to keep in mind, though. First, the overall educational budget for Lynchburg City Schools has increased year after year. The funds are there. The key question is, where are those dollars going? The instructional budget for Lynchburg City Schools is at its highest ever. If you check the website, you’ll see that more money is being allocated to the classroom than ever before, and this happened under Republican leadership. As for how we get the dollars, you don’t need to raise real estate taxes. I've heard many people say we’d have to cut services like social services or others, but that’s missing the bigger picture. What’s more important? A few years ago, there was a big debate about whether to build a sidewalk on Florida Avenue. The residents of Ward I wanted it, and I’m not saying that’s not valid, but we need to ask ourselves what’s more important now. Do we want to put $10 million into a sidewalk on Leesville Road, or should we focus on funding our schools over the next few years? We need to decide whether we want to continue putting money into projects like Heritage Park, or if we should prioritize making sure our schools are fully funded and functional. I’m ready to make those decisions. I’m prepared to amend our Capital Improvement Plan and stop funding non-essential projects so we can focus on the critical issues, like Sandusky." - Cardinal News Candidate Forum
  
  

Find more information:  https://www.chrisfaraldi.com/