School board candidates quizzed on Heritage, creationism

The achievement gap, the fate of the aging Heritage High School and even creationism were all matters of discussion in closed-session interviews of school board candidates this month.

City Council’s questioning of five board applicants was made public following the appointment of three board members Tuesday. The interviews were released per council policy, created in April 2008, with the intention of bringing transparency to the appointment process.

A review by The News & Advance of the taped sessions, which spanned almost four hours altogether, shows a largely formal setting. Candidates were individually interviewed on June 9 and 19. Interviews ranged from 30 minutes to an hour. Candidates were asked a standard set of pre-written questions before council members had the opportunity to ask their own questions.

For example, after the formal set of questions, Vice Mayor Bert Dodson asked each candidate if he thought creationism should be taught in Lynchburg City Schools. During one of the initial interviews, the questioning sparked a terse exchange between council members.

Board member Keith Anderson, who was reappointed to his second board term, said creationism should be taught in schools.

“If creationism were exposed as philosophy or thought — that there is another explanation for life, and where it originated from, and how it evolved, or exists within what we understand is our world — then I say yes you should because you better prepare a person to make an intelligent decision for what they believe,” Anderson said.

His statement drew a follow-up question from Councilman Mike Gillette.

“Would it be in the science classroom? If you are teaching a science class is that where you would teach it or would it be in a comparative religion class?” he asked.

Anderson said creationism should be taught in a comparative religion class. Following that exchange, Councilman Jeff Helgeson, who personally believes in creationism, noted some people question the scientific validity of evolution.

“It seems like some are attacking on you,” he said to Anderson.

Other council members disagreed, particularly Gillette.

“I didn’t share my personal view on this. We were asking for candidates’ views on this,” he said. “I don’t want to get into a debate.”

Prior to the questioning on creationism, Anderson was asked to rate the division using a letter scale. He said he gave the division an “A,” but would have made it an “A+” if not for the system’s achievement gap between minority and disadvantaged students and their peers.

When questioned about budgetary issues and capital needs, he said further consolidation of city and school resources will help save money. He also identified Heritage High School as a major capital priority.

“Our maintenance department is doing a good job but intrinsically we’ve encountered problems with the building because of its construction,” Anderson said of the aging facility.

Heritage was noted as a priority by every candidate when asked about the division’s capital needs.

Board newcomer Ingrid Hamlett, who was also appointed to the board last week, said there’s a likelihood Heritage will need to be built new. Hamlett has two students who attend the high school. She said funding for such a large capital project will mean being creative.

When asked about the achievement gap, Hamlett said there’s certainly an issue with math and that teachers have been innovative with ways to help students. When asked to rate the division, she gave it a “B-” partly because of the achievement gap.

When it came to creationism, Hamlett said she thought it should be taught at home, rather than in the city schools. Helgeson asked if Hamlett thought evolution should be taught in schools.

“I do, because it’s a much more scientific position,” she said.

Newly appointed board member Charlie White also agreed creationism should not be taught in city schools. There were no follow-up questions to his position.

White was interviewed June 9 because of a scheduling conflict. Helgeson and Councilman Scott Garrett were not present.

When speaking about Heritage, White expressed particularly passionate views. The E.C. Glass alumnus said he recently toured Heritage to get a better understanding of the facility’s needs.

“It really reflects poorly on our city, quite frankly,” he said of the building, while noting the school’s successes in student achievement, most notably its lack of achievement gap.

White also made mention of the division’s move to consolidate resources with the city as a way to save money and stressed the importance of involving students in extracurricular activities.

In an unusual light note, during the interview process Councilman Turner Perrow questioned White about his own extracurricular activities as an athlete at Glass. Perrow said White set the school’s bench-press record, and wanted to know what weight he pressed and if he still held the record.

White, who said he did not set the record, did say that while at Glass he could bench-press 360 pounds.

Questions the board members were asked:

• In an environment of budget constraints, it’s important the school system use resources wisely. Indicate a specific example where the system might be able to reduce expenses in its budget. What area should be retained and not cut?

• How do you feel about children of nonresident Lynchburg City Schools personnel receiving free tuition in the school system?