Lynchburg’s joint city council-schools committee aims to vote Tuesday on final recommendations, including a future elementary school closure, rezoning some neighborhoods relative to where their kids attend elementary school, reshuffling the school facilities capital project funding schedule and more.
If the panel approves the recommendations, they will next go to council and the full school board for final votes.
The committee will convene at 4 p.m. in the I.T. Conference Center, 3550 Young Place.
Earlier this month, the school system approved a controversial proposal to convert T.C. Miller Elementary School to a school serving only pre-kindergarten students. Starting in the 2025-26 school year, current Miller students will attend either Perrymont Elementary or R.S. Payne Elementary.
The recommendations to be considered Tuesday include the school board aiming to close a second elementary school in 2026-27 and that no new school buildings should be built in that fiscal year.
Also, the committee will vote on recommending adoption of a plan presented April 1 by the schools’ facilities and finance committee. The plan’s first phase was the decision to convert T.C. Miller. Other phases would include:
- Rezoning two neighborhoods so that elementary students in Birchwood would move from Perrymont Elementary to Dearington Elementary, while Florida Avenue/Winston Ridge students would move from Heritage Elementary to Bass Elementary.
- Between now and 2028, completing elementary renovations and improvements, adding gyms and determining if classroom additions are needed for a future second elementary school closure.
- Completing additional rezoning to improve student transportation times and make better use of building space.
- In 2028-29, completing the second elementary closure and finishing elementary rezoning.
- In 2029-30, converting Fort Hill Community School to an elementary alternative education site and adding more pre-K classes at T.C. Miller and the Hutcherson Early Learning Center as space allows.
Additional recommendations the committee will consider include:
- City council should support the school system’s full request for a $5.5 million increase in the city’s school operating funds.
- The city should change the order of planned school capital improvement allocations. The city manager’s proposal calls for spending about $10 million in fiscal 2026 (which begins July 1), $30 million in fiscal 2027 and $20 million in fiscal 2028. The committee will vote on a recommendation to make it $30 million in the first year, $20 million in the second year and $10 million in the third year.
- Once adopted, the city should not alter the capital plan for schools through fiscal 2030 without consulting the school board first.
- Repairs to the track at E.C. Glass High School should be a high priority.
- The joint committee or a similar committee should continue meeting at least quarterly to discuss cost savings ideas, “including possible mergers of closely related city and school departments” in fiscal 2027.
You can find the agenda here.
