Chris Daniels - Bedford County School Board District 7 Representative

03/10/2026

This is a statement I have just sent to the press:

Statement from Chris Daniels
District 7 Bedford County School Board

Over the past several days there has been significant discussion within the community regarding the proposal involving Stewartsville Elementary School. I appreciate the many parents, teachers, and community members who have taken the time to share their perspectives. These conversations are understandably emotional because they involve our children, our educators, and the communities our schools serve.

As a school board member, my responsibility is to look honestly at the challenges facing our division and work toward solutions that best serve students across Bedford County.

The reality is that our school division is facing several pressures at the same time. Since 2020, cumulative inflation has been approximately 28%. That means the same dollar simply does not go as far as it did just a few years ago. To put that in perspective, $1,000,000 today has roughly the same purchasing power as about $781,000 did in 2020. At the same time, many of the costs school systems must cover—transportation, utilities, insurance, maintenance, and personnel—have increased significantly.
In addition to rising costs, we are also seeing demographic changes. Birth rates in Bedford County have declined over the past decade, even more so in the Stewartsville area. Fewer births eventually mean fewer students entering kindergarten several years later, and that trend is now beginning to show in our enrollment numbers.

As a result, some facilities are operating well below their designed capacity. Stewartsville Elementary is currently operating at approximately 47% capacity. Even when a building is less than half full, the division must still cover the full costs of operating and maintaining that facility.

These realities force difficult decisions about how to best use limited resources. Every dollar spent maintaining buildings is a dollar that cannot be invested directly into classrooms, teachers, student services, and programs that benefit students across the entire division.

My priority is protecting the quality of classroom instruction and supporting the teachers and staff who work every day to help our students succeed. Those educators—and the programs that support our children—must remain our focus as we plan for the future.

If structural changes are not considered, one of the remaining options would be to raise classroom sizes across the division to the maximum levels allowed under the Virginia Department of Education’s Standards of Quality (SOQ). That approach would likely result in larger class sizes and reductions in teachers and staff across the county.

Let me be clear: I do not believe that outcome would be in the best interest of our students or our educators.

It is also important to recognize that different areas of our county face different challenges. Some areas are growing, while others are experiencing declining enrollment. Because of this, we cannot always apply a one-size-fits-all approach across Bedford County. We must remain flexible and make decisions based on the realities each area is facing.

No final decision has been made, and community input is an important part of the process. This issue has also been discussed previously over the past two years as the board has tried to evaluate the long-term trends and challenges facing the division.

These are not easy decisions, but they are decisions that must be approached honestly and thoughtfully as we work to ensure the long-term sustainability and success of Bedford County Public Schools.

Buildings are important, but what matters most is what happens inside them: great teachers, strong support for students, and classrooms where children can succeed.

Thanks!

Christopher V Daniels
District 7-Bedford County School Board
311 South Bridge St.
Bedford, VA 24523

03/10/2026

3 of 3:

My priority is protecting the quality of instruction our students receive and supporting the educators who make that possible. Sometimes that means having difficult conversations about facilities so we can preserve what matters most inside the classroom.

To be clear, this is not just a Stewartsville or Staunton River zone issue. These are Bedford County Public School issues. Other zones face different challenges, and we will address those as part of our responsibility to the entire division.

Buildings matter, but what matters most is what happens inside them — great teachers, strong support for students, and classrooms where kids can succeed.

My responsibility as a school board member is to be honest about the challenges we face and work toward solutions. I believe our community deserves that honesty and can handle those conversations.

Because these discussions deserve thoughtful and respectful dialogue, I will not be debating this issue in Facebook comment threads. If you would like to share your thoughts or ask questions, please feel free to contact me directly through my Bedford County Schools email. I will continue doing my best to respond there.

Thank you again to everyone who has taken the time to engage in this conversation.

03/10/2026

2 of 3:

At the same time, we are also seeing demographic changes that directly impact school enrollment.

Birth rates in Bedford County have declined over the past decade. Fewer births eventually mean fewer kindergarten students entering our schools five years later. That trend has already begun to show up in our enrollment numbers in parts of the county.

Because of this, some schools are operating well below their designed capacity. Stewartsville Elementary is currently operating at roughly 47% of its capacity. When a building is less than half full, we still must pay to heat it, maintain it, insure it, staff it, and keep it operational.

School divisions across the country are dealing with this same combination of challenges — inflation increasing costs while enrollment declines in certain areas.

One of the difficult choices we face as a school board is deciding where limited dollars will have the greatest impact on students. When budgets become strained, every dollar spent maintaining buildings is a dollar that cannot be invested directly into teachers, classroom instruction, mental health support, and programs that serve students.

03/10/2026

Thread:

1 of 3:

Over the past several days I have received many emails, calls, and messages regarding the discussion about Stewartsville Elementary. I truly appreciate everyone who has taken the time to share their perspective. These conversations are emotional because they involve our children, our teachers, and our community.

I want people to understand something very clearly: the challenges we are facing are not about a lack of care for any particular school or community. They are about the financial and demographic realities our school division is facing.
One of the largest pressures on our budget has been inflation. Since 2020, cumulative inflation has been approximately 28%. That means the same dollar simply does not go as far as it did just a few years ago.

Here is a simple example to illustrate what that means:

If cumulative inflation has been about 28% since 2020:

• $1,000,000 today has the same purchasing power as roughly $781,250 in 2020. You can think about it two ways:

Looking backwards:

To buy the same goods today that cost $781,250 in 2020, you would now need about $1,000,000.

Looking forward:

If you had $1,000,000 in 2020, you would need about $1,280,000 today to maintain the same buying power.

11/07/2023

Election Day: it’s a family affair!

10/04/2023

BCPS to hold a Bus Driver Hiring Event: “Breakfast on the Bus!”

(Bedford, VA): Bedford County Public Schools is in need of full time, part time, and substitute bus drivers. We are looking to fill current vacancies for applicants who can provide safe and efficient transportation for students while modeling a positive attitude which has an impact on students and the educational programs of the county.

If you, or someone you know is interested in becoming a part of the BCPS Transportation team, please come to the Bus Recruitment Event on Saturday, October 14, 2023 at Liberty High School from 9:00AM - 11:00AM. Interested applicants will have the opportunity to operate a school bus, speak directly with current drivers and discuss employment with Human Resource Representatives. Applicants will be provided with paid training.

Donuts and light refreshments will be available on site.

See BCPS Facebook and Instagram for updates and more information. Any questions, please contact [email protected] or call 540- 586-1045.

09/23/2023

Thank you for the privilege of serving Bedford county. I look forward to continuing this role both in our schools and our community. We are blessed to live in such a beautiful county.

09/22/2023

Remember to excercise your Constitutional and civic duty today. Regardless of the candidates you vote for, be sure to research their position and get to know them. Informed voters make better decisions. These are more than just names on the ballot. Policies and spending will be determined by many of the names on the signs below. Your votes matter because policies affect people.

09/20/2023

A different approach…

Solutions come in many forms. After last years outpour of unwavering support and continued feedback I’ve decided to spend time updating the voters with a progress report of our accomplishments, not flooding the county with yard signs. We will use the time and resources to contact voters directly through various channels.

We will have a small yard sign presence at a few well trafficked locations, but not a large footprint. Signs are a reminder that I am still here to serve and do not take this position lightly, but there is still much work to do. I will continue to serve the community working beside the parents, students, teachers and staff. My territory covers both the Liberty zone and the Jefferson Forest zone. While they are both equally important, they have very different needs and deserve our attention to provide ongoing solutions.

Instead of knocking on doors asking for your vote, I’ll be asking for your ideas on how to improve our community schools. Thank you for trusting me in this role, I do not take the responsibility lightly and look forward to serving with the same value and resolve moving forward.

If you would like a Chris Daniels yard sign, we have plenty and can accommodate everyone. Message me directly and I will be sure to get the signs to you.

05/28/2023

Our focus should always remain on educational excellence in Bedford County. Here is a grant program aimed at improving our children’s educational success as well as an opportunity for teachers to be included on a list of vetted tutors. The impacts of COVID on our children’s learning, speech and well-being is real. We all play a role to get our children back on track. If you are looking for additional services or resources please click the link below.

To address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students' educational progress and well-being, Governor Glenn Youngkin announced in March 2023 the availability of $30 million in Learning Acceleration Grants to be used for qualifying education services.