Two dozen speakers ask city to keep funding level for schools, library

School funding and the downtown library were by far the top issues raised during a public hearing on the city budget Tuesday.

Of the 29 people who came forward to address City Council, 24 of them were there to advocate on behalf of either the school division or the downtown branch of the public library.

Those who spoke up for the schools urged council to uphold the city manager’s recommendations to maintain level education funding, rather than cutting back, and to pay for repairs to Heritage High School.

“I’m here to speak to you as a parent, which is the most important job in the world, and next to that is teachers,” Catherine Mosley, who has a son in kindergarten, said. “… We have a real jewel in the Lynchburg City Schools and if we tamper with it the entire community will suffer.”

John Matheson, a senior vice president with Areva, said quality schools are a valuable tool for his company as it seeks to both cultivate qualified employees locally and recruit from other areas.

“The school system has been a big selling point for us,” he said. “… We have to realize that our schools are the most important resource we have. Areva officially endorses the recommendation for level funding.”

Speakers representing all parts of the school community — teachers, students, parents and coaches — also emphasized the hazards posed by Heritage High School’s chronically leaky roof and warped gym floor. The budget proposal now under consideration includes $1 million to address those issues.

Some requests were also made to preserve the two crossing guard positions the police department provides for the schools. Those jobs are recommended for elimination, due in part to a feeling they should be treated as a school responsibility. No money for crossing guards was included in the school budget approved last month, although division leaders have expressed some interest in discussing the matter further.

Strong support was also shown during the public hearing for the downtown library, which the city manager has recommended closing as a cost-cutting measure. Library advocates are offering to pay $20,000, or more than half of what is needed, to keep that branch open on a part-time basis. They hope that council will provide the remaining funds.

In making their case, speakers highlighted the benefit of having access to free books and computers, particularly for low-income residents, and the vitality the library adds to the reawakening downtown area.

“The library is a source of information, online and on paper, for people who cannot afford to purchase information. You would be surprised at the number of people that cannot afford to purchase information,” said David Neumeyer, a legal aid attorney, noting that the downtown branch includes a law library used primarily by laypeople who cannot afford counsel.

The library supporters included several children, one of whom, KeAndre McCoy, began his remarks with, “Dear my fellow Americans,” before explaining he was there to talk about why he felt closing the downtown library was a “bad idea.”

“It keeps young kids like myself out of trouble,” KeAndre said. “I love coming to the downtown library and reading books and using the computer.”

Other people who spoke during the public hearing, which went on for about an hour and a half, requested level funding for a handful of individual agencies, including the Greater Lynchburg Transit Company and the Lynchburg Humane Society.

The hearing on the budget was the only item on Tuesday’s agenda. Council adjourned the meeting immediately following its conclusion without making any additional comments.