Lynchburg City School Board names temporary Linkhorne principal

The Lynchburg City School Board officially named an interim principal at Linkhorne Elementary School and a new assistant superintendent of operations Tuesday night.

The board unanimously voted to accept the nomination of Linda Barnett, retired principal of Dearington Elementary School, to serve as temporary successor to former Linkhorne principal Jason Mack, who resigned in May.

The board also unanimously accepted the nomination of Sonny Witt, former school director for facilities and transportation, to the position of assistant superintendent of operations.

Superintendent Paul McKendrick said he was happy with the nominations and is looking forward to working with both new appointees, as well as other nominations the school board approved Tuesday.

“They’re great people. I anticipate them doing a great job,” McKendrick said, adding “we think we’ve got some great people and a great team.”

Witt, who attended Tuesday’s meeting, thanked the board for the nomination and the chance to further serve the school system.

“Thank you so much for your demonstration of trust and confidence in my abilities and my experiences,” Witt said.

“I’ll work hard for you, I promise you that,” Witt said. He also issued a thank you to his former staff in facilities and transportation.

McKendrick said Barnett will likely serve as principal of Linkhorne until at least February, and that the school system will likely post the job opening in January, to allow for adequate training for a new hire.

The board also spent a lengthy amount of time listening to, then approving, a proposal for the allocation of $2 million in stimulus grant money for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Wyllys VanDerwerker, Lynchburg City Schools director for special education, presented the proposal.

“Our big focus,” VanDerwerker said, “is … independent behavior for children with disabilities. Give them equal access to the general education curriculum, and full accountability in the school division.”

VanDerwerker drew laughs from board members as he demonstrated some pieces of assistive technology, designed to help students with particular disabilities communicate or absorb information better.

He introduced himself using a recording device he strapped to his wrist like a watch.

“My name is Wyllys VanDerwerker,” the contraption spouted into the microphone. “I am the director of special education for Lynchburg City Schools.”

Some board members raised concern that grant money might be used on projects or services that would need to be sustained past the two years available for the stimulus money, particularly in relation to some set-aside money VanDerwerker noted for potential new teacher hires.

He gave a hypothetical case where several new students with autism moved into the city, necessitating new teachers.

“Those positions would not be added, unless we encountered (that type of scenario),” he said.

McKendrick said there was careful consideration not to incorporate continual funds into this particular allocation.

“Anything that you’re buying, or any services that you’re providing, they typically should be one-time purchases, not something that’s going to be a continual expense,” he said.

The board also:

Approved other personnel nominations, including the appointment of Dana Koenig as director of the LAUREL Regional Program.

Agreed to do more research on comparable programs to the Ombudsman program, that the school had been considering as an alternative education venture.

Approved the budget for the Central Virginia Governor’s School for Science and Technology, as well as the budget for LAUREL Regional School.