New 7-Member Committee Will Guide Search Process
The Lynchburg City School Board has announced the formation of a new Ad Hoc Superintendent Search Committee. This seven-member committee will be tasked with identifying and vetting candidates to replace Dr. Crystal Edwards, who recently announced her retirement as Superintendent at the end of the 2024-25 school year.
The committee will play a pivotal role in selecting candidates for consideration by the School Board. The members of the Ad Hoc Superintendent Search Committee include:
- Dr. Mark Tinsley - Co-Chair of the committee and current School Board member
- Dr. Mike Nilles - Co-Chair of the committee and former School Board chairman who helped hire Dr. Edwards in 2018
- Letitia Lowery - Current School Board member
- Timothy Beatty - Principal, Heritage High School
- Danny McCain - Lynchburg community member
- Colleen Larkins - LCS Parent
- Megan Lucas - CEO & Chief Economic Development Officer, Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance
The committee will oversee the process of identifying qualified candidates, conducting interviews, and making recommendations to the School Board.
Members of the special committee (created by the Board Chair under the authority of Policy BCEZ) were selected by the Chair with advice of the Vice Chair.
“None of the members solicited a position on the search committee,” said School Board Vice Chair Martin Day. “We believe this is important to ensure that none of the members approach the task with a particular agenda.”
The search committee will develop various methods to solicit input from the community and interest groups, and as Dr. Day emphasized, “the public is always welcome to express opinions to the Board in advance of a hiring decision being made.”
As is typical in high-level professional searches, applicants may need their interactions with the search committee to remain confidential. “The search committee will need to respect this,” Dr. Day said. “This is one reason why a relatively small committee is important.”
The School Board itself will hire the next LCS Superintendent, and the final decision will be made in an open public meeting of the Board.