Seeking Transparency in Bedford County’s Recreation and School Funding
- Cody Jones
- Oct 15, 2025
- 5 min read
Updated: Nov 5, 2025
Article Overview
What started as a frustrated Saturday morning post about last-minute youth soccer cancellations, and the conditions of the rec soccer fields in Goodview quickly turned into something bigger.
After seeing neglected fields, old equipment, and uneven effort between districts, I began to wonder if there’s more to the story, whether this pattern of neglect shows up in the numbers, too.
Within a week, Parks & Rec made a few quick fixes, but the question remained: is this difference just perception, or is it baked into how the county funds its schools and recreation programs?
At the same time, tensions over local school funding made county headlines, with the School Board and Board of Supervisors publicly disagreeing about funding. It all points to one simple truth, when there’s no transparency, people lose trust.
So, through Dogwood & Deathcap, I filed formal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests asking for the facts:how much money goes where, per student, per player, and per district. To find out the data.
Read the full post below to see what I found, what I’ve asked for, and why it matters.
The start of all this for me....
The Original Post (October 1, 2025)
Bedford County parents deserve better.
Saturday morning’s cancellation of games was handled poorly. Families got notice around 8:22 a.m., long after many were already dressed, on the road, or standing at the fields for 9 and 10 a.m. games.
The forecast didn’t change. This last-minute decision shows a lack of judgment and respect for families’ time.
But this isn’t just about one bad morning. It’s part of a bigger, ongoing problem.
– Fields outside the Forest side of the county are neglected.
– U6 and U8 nets are decades old, rusty, patched together with duct tape and zip ties.
– U10 nets are full of holes. Replacing every net in the county would cost less than $2,000.
– The fields themselves are uneven, full of holes and dirt patches, making them unsafe for kids.
Families are paying taxes and program fees that are supposed to provide safe, fair, and enjoyable play. Instead, it feels like if you’re not on the Forest side, your facilities don’t get the same attention or care.
It’s time Bedford County Parks & Rec raise its standards and put effort into maintaining all fields, not just the favored ones.
Our kids deserve better, and it won’t get fixed until parents demand it.
That post was shared at least 16 times in the first 24 hours, making it “Bedford County viral.” It wasn’t meant to divide it was meant to spark awareness.
The Follow-Up: Progress and Perspective (October 10, 2025)
To Parks & Rec’s credit, something happened after that post.
Within a business week, fresh field stripes appeared and staff zip-tied the holes in the nets. It’s not perfect, but it’s progress, and progress deserves recognition.
In the post I stated “Gotta give credit where credit is due.”
That second post went out on October 10th, as an update, a statement of intent.
The goal isn’t to attack our local departments. The goal is to work with them, hold them accountable, and make sure families outside the Forest district get the same respect and resources as everyone else.
Feelings & Patterns of Unequal Investment
Anyone who’s lived in Bedford County long enough knows there’s a long-standing perception, and maybe a reality, of uneven resource distribution.
Parents and coaches from the rest of the county, outside of Forest, have voiced frustration for years about rough fields, old goals, and the slow replacement of basic equipment.
Meanwhile, when you visit fields and schools on the Forest side, everything looks newer, cleaner, and better maintained. Yes, Forest Youth Athletic Association is its own entity with its own fundraising, but there seems to be more to it.
That being said, simply feeling something is unfair doesn’t make it fact.The only way to know for sure is to see the numbers.
Connecting the Dots: The Bigger, Decades Long, Conversation in Bedford County
That’s why this issue isn’t limited to youth sports.
It mirrors a larger county-wide conversation about school funding that’s now making headlines.
Last week, tensions flared between the Bedford County School Board and the Board of Supervisors over local funding allocations. Several supervisors expressed frustration about comments made during a school board meeting, arguing that the county already provides more than the state requires.
You can read that coverage here: “Bedford County Supervisors Upset After School Board Comments”
To me, that moment highlights exactly why transparency matters.
When the public, and even other county boards don’t have clear access to the data, how much funding goes where, and why, conversations quickly turn emotional, personal, and political.
Transparency removes the mystery and replaces it with accountability.
Taking Action: Filing FOIA Requests
So instead of making assumptions or pointing fingers, I decided to go straight to the source.
Through Dogwood & Deathcap, I submitted formal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to:
Bedford County Public Schools
Bedford County Government
Bedford County Parks & Recreation
The goal is simple: gather hard data about how local funds are distributed.
Here’s what I asked for:
Education side:
County (non-state) funding per school
Enrollment numbers by school and zone
Per-student investment
Any reports or spreadsheets that show how funding is distributed between zones like Forest, Liberty, and Staunton River
Recreation side:
Budget allocation for each Parks & Rec district
Number of registered players per district and per sport
Calculated local investment per player
Field maintenance logs and invoices
What percentage of the Parks & Rec budget goes toward administrative costs vs. direct field or program improvements
These are not complicated questions, but they’re important ones.
The root of how Bedford County prioritizes its children and families.
What This Is
To be clear, this is an effort to understand. A request for transparency. It is very likely that once the data is received, there will be more questions that will require answered.
If the numbers show that Bedford County is distributing resources fairly, that’s something worth celebrating.
If they show gaps or inequities, that’s something worth fixing together.
No matter what, it is very likely that once the data is received, there will be more questions that will require answered.
The Heart of the Matter
Every child deserves the same standard of safety and care, at public school and in county funded rec sports.
This isn’t about Forest vs. the rest of the county. It’s about ensuring an equitable Bedford County for our kids.
These questions go to the core of Dogwood & Deathcap’s mission. To promote connection, equity, and community improvement through patience, understanding & respect.
Sometimes, truth starts with uncomfortable questions.
What Happens Next
The FOIA clock is now ticking. Under Virginia law, agencies have five business days to respond or extend by seven.
Once the data is released, I’ll review it in full, compile the results, and publish an analysis here.
If the information shows strong equity, I’ll highlight it and thank the departments for their work.
If not, we’ll bring the facts to the table and work toward solutions.
Either way, Bedford County parents deserve clarity.
Closing Reflection
“Asking for transparency can feel like confrontation. But really it’s an attempt at connection, meeting on a level field. If we all have the data, then the real discussion begins.”
— Dogwood & Deathcap
This process is just one small example of how we can turn community frustration into civic engagement.
If we can approach problems with curiosity and gather real data, we can start to rebuild local trust, one issue at a time.
Our kids deserve nothing less.
Author:
Cody A. Jones
Founder, Dogwood & Deathcap LLC
Citizen & Parent, Bedford County, Virginia
Comments