03/10/2026
This is a statement I have just sent to the press:
Statement from Chris Daniels
District 7 Bedford County School Board
Over the past several days there has been significant discussion within the community regarding the proposal involving Stewartsville Elementary School. I appreciate the many parents, teachers, and community members who have taken the time to share their perspectives. These conversations are understandably emotional because they involve our children, our educators, and the communities our schools serve.
As a school board member, my responsibility is to look honestly at the challenges facing our division and work toward solutions that best serve students across Bedford County.
The reality is that our school division is facing several pressures at the same time. Since 2020, cumulative inflation has been approximately 28%. That means the same dollar simply does not go as far as it did just a few years ago. To put that in perspective, $1,000,000 today has roughly the same purchasing power as about $781,000 did in 2020. At the same time, many of the costs school systems must cover—transportation, utilities, insurance, maintenance, and personnel—have increased significantly.
In addition to rising costs, we are also seeing demographic changes. Birth rates in Bedford County have declined over the past decade, even more so in the Stewartsville area. Fewer births eventually mean fewer students entering kindergarten several years later, and that trend is now beginning to show in our enrollment numbers.
As a result, some facilities are operating well below their designed capacity. Stewartsville Elementary is currently operating at approximately 47% capacity. Even when a building is less than half full, the division must still cover the full costs of operating and maintaining that facility.
These realities force difficult decisions about how to best use limited resources. Every dollar spent maintaining buildings is a dollar that cannot be invested directly into classrooms, teachers, student services, and programs that benefit students across the entire division.
My priority is protecting the quality of classroom instruction and supporting the teachers and staff who work every day to help our students succeed. Those educators—and the programs that support our children—must remain our focus as we plan for the future.
If structural changes are not considered, one of the remaining options would be to raise classroom sizes across the division to the maximum levels allowed under the Virginia Department of Education’s Standards of Quality (SOQ). That approach would likely result in larger class sizes and reductions in teachers and staff across the county.
Let me be clear: I do not believe that outcome would be in the best interest of our students or our educators.
It is also important to recognize that different areas of our county face different challenges. Some areas are growing, while others are experiencing declining enrollment. Because of this, we cannot always apply a one-size-fits-all approach across Bedford County. We must remain flexible and make decisions based on the realities each area is facing.
No final decision has been made, and community input is an important part of the process. This issue has also been discussed previously over the past two years as the board has tried to evaluate the long-term trends and challenges facing the division.
These are not easy decisions, but they are decisions that must be approached honestly and thoughtfully as we work to ensure the long-term sustainability and success of Bedford County Public Schools.
Buildings are important, but what matters most is what happens inside them: great teachers, strong support for students, and classrooms where children can succeed.
Thanks!
Christopher V Daniels
District 7-Bedford County School Board
311 South Bridge St.
Bedford, VA 24523
