WDBJ7 Roanoke News and Weather NRV Lynchburg Danville | Changes planned for Bedford County Schools
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With new students coming in every year, Bedford County schools are trying to plan for the future.
They're creating a plan for future growth that calls for expansions and at least one new building.With new students coming in every year, Bedford County schools are trying to plan for the future.
They're creating a plan for future growth that calls for expansions and at least one new building.
The building that houses Bedford Middle School has served students since 1928.
Under a new plan, it could be abandoned in favor of something new.
A proposal by Superintendent Doug Schuch calls for a new Bedford Middle School in a different location.
The school would house 900 students and cost an estimated 29.8 million dollars.
"I think it's a really bad idea," says former Bedford student Tiffany Roach.
Roach went to Bedford Middle in the late 90's.
"I never saw anything wrong with it. I always thought it was fine. I don't understand why they would want to change it now," says Roach.
Bedford Middle is the oldest school in the county. It's also too small to host 6th graders.
Still, Roach thinks upgrading the existing building would be better.
"Make it more habitable for the students instead of just wasting the land and the money and everything else," says Roach.
"It's really hard to renovate things. It just gets extremely expensive," says Bedford County parent Jackie Kerr.
Kerr says the superintendent's plan makes sense.
"I pay taxes so that my kids can go to a public school and if that's where he thinks the tax money needs to be spent, then I defer to his judgment," says Kerr.
Schuch's plan also calls for expanding Bedford Elementary School at a cost of 4.8 million.
He also wants to expand Forest Middle School at a price of 14 million.
Forest Middle faces more overcrowding than any school in the county with 21 temporary classrooms.
No matter what plan is used, parents say something has to change.
"I have three grandchildren that are in Bedford County Schools and grew up in Bedford County schools, so I'm going to be watching it with interest," says Bedford County resident Carolyn Craig.
School officials stress they're still in the early stages of crafting a plan for school construction.
They don't expect to vote on a final plan for at least another few months.
