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BV Superintendent Says ‘Time Is Just Right’
With academic performance much improved and before the start of a longrange facilities project, Buena Vista City Schools Superintendent Tony Francis says that “the time is just right” for him to retire from his position.
Francis, the city’s school superintendent since 2021, announced at last Thursday’s meeting of the Buena Vista School Board that he would step down on July 20, 2025. He was applauded for his service and received a standing ovation from those in attendance.
He emphasized that he is not sick, and that his retirement is not due to anything negative. He said that the time is just right at this point and that “that’s where I am.”
School Board Chair Teresa Ellison took the opportunity to praise Francis for his dedicated service, saying that “it was clear that students were always on the forefront of your mind.”
Board member John Rice reminisced about the first time the Board met Francis as a candidate for superintendent, saying “You blew us away,” and asserting that he continued to do so throughout his tenure.
Board member Paula Charlton commended Francis for prioritizing school safety in his role as superintendent, and for committing to stay through the end of the current school year.
The News-Gazette reached out to Francis later via phone to hear more about his history as an educator, his accomplishments as Buena Vista’s superintendent, and how he envisions the future of Buena Vista City Public Schools.
Francis started his career in 1987 as a teacher and assistant football coach in Lynchburg. He taught and coached at three schools: Dunbar, Heritage High, and E.C. Glass High School. He got his master’s degree from Lynchburg College in 1999, and after that he was offered a position as assistant principal at Jefferson Forest High School. In 2003, he became the principal there, and served in that position for 11 years. After his daughter graduated from Jefferson Forest in 2014, Francis achieved his doctorate, and accepted a position as the director of secondary education for Bedford County Schools.
“I did that for seven years, and then I was at a crossroads,” Francis said. “I needed to decide what I wanted to do. The Buena Vista position opened up, and I really wanted to stay in the Central Virginia area, so I was blessed.
“You know, everything just kinda clicked when I interviewed with them,” he continued. “I think it was a good fit for them, and it was a good fit for me, and my family and my wife and everything. We’ve loved it here, enjoyed it. It’s a smaller division, but it’s one where you get to know people.”
Francis is particularly proud of three accomplishments the school system has achieved under his tenure.
“First, all our schools are now fully accredited. We’ve moved up from [a ranking of] 82nd in the state to 38th in four years,” he said, while making sure credit went to his team of educators. “Of course, that’s had a lot to do with the staff. They’ve done a lot to make that happen.”
His second point of pride is “definitely the salary scales. When I came… $32,000 was the starting pay.” In 2021, that meant Buena Vista was ranked last in the state for teacher pay. “So that was one that we really had to look at. We made some things happen and got it up to $42,000, a $10,000 jump, and adjusted all our scales.”
The Buena Vista school division’s pay packages may not compare favorably to those in larger divisions, “but we’re competitive,” said Francis. “We were $8,000 below the surrounding divisions, which made it really difficult to get anyone and to retain them. That’s the problem — they could’ve gotten an $8,000 raise by driving 20 minutes. That was tough. So we’re very proud of working to do that.
“The last one is obviously the safety and security for students and staff,” Francis said. “We were able to do the camera systems, and the SSOs [school security officers], and the fencing at Enderly. Just making that a higher priority was good, because in today’s climate, staff and student safety is a key element to public education.”
Francis said he didn’t initially plan to work in school administration, let alone become a superintendent. “I thought, maybe down the road I’ll become an assistant principal or something like that, but never all the way down to superintendent. Maybe some people plan those types of things … I really didn’t. I just took things one step at a time, and felt like, I had good experiences as an assistant principal and then a principal.”
It was the difficult step of moving from a principal’s office to a central office that prepared him for this job. “I think it’s tough when you are a principal, and you kind of run your building, you go to central office as a support person and you’re no longer running things the same. Superintendent kind of aligns with that. So that’s when I really started thinking, when I first went to central office, that I think I could be a superintendent.”
As for what’s next for Buena Vista City Schools, Francis thinks the next superintendent will have a big job.
“The next superintendent that comes in will get a chance to work with the facilities committee,” he said, referring to a future project that will involve either extensive renovations at existing schools or the construction of a new school.
“That’s probably at least a three- or four-year project. I think someone can come in who would see it all the way through, and I knew I couldn’t do that,” he said. “That’s another reason the time is right. It’s probably better to have someone come in, put four years in, see another school, or a renovation, or whatever the committee decides.”
Whatever happens, he is optimistic. “I just think it’s a good time right now for Buena Vista City Public Schools. There’s really solid ground.”
