AMHERST
A month before the Virginia General Assemblyâs 2021 session, three local legislators observed Monday how Amherst County Public Schools is operating in the gauntlet of daily challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sen. Mark Peake, R-Lynchburg; Del. Wendell Walker, R-Lynchburg; and Del. Ronnie Campbell, R-Rockbridge County, joined school officials in a tour of Central Elementary School before a virtual conversation with the Amherst County School Board. Superintendent Rob Arnold walked the trio through the school while explaining protocols and procedures for keeping the divisionâs classroom settings as safe as possible.
âItâs quite a production,â Arnold said to the state representatives, later adding of Amherst educatorsâ efforts: âOur ability to get this far without having to shut down is a tribute to work all these guys have done.â
AMHERST â A committee of Amherst County officials agrees community support is paramount for a planned auditorium addition at the countyâs high school to move forward.
The group, which includes Amherst County Board of Supervisors Chair Claudia Tucker and Vice Chair Jennifer Moore, and Amherst County School Board Chair Priscilla Liggon and Vice Chair Abby Thompson, discussed the hopeful project during a recent meeting.
The Amherst County School Board last month approved a new capital improvement plan for the division, which Superintendent Rob Arnold describes as a long-range working document outlining structural integrity needs of the divisionâs buildings over the next 15 years. The first two projects â wall and foundation repair work at Madison Heights Elementary School and Amherst Middle School â already are budgeted for in the 2021-22 school year, Arnold said.