THE INDEPENDENT NEWS
VIRGINIA BEACH — Dr. Aaron Spence, who has served as the schools superintendent here since 2014, will next serve in the top post in the school division in Loudoun County.
Virginia Beach schools announced Spence’s new job on Friday, June 2, shortly after the Loudoun County School Board voted to appoint Spence. As of this writing, the Virginia Beach School Board may vote for an acting superintendent as soon as Monday, June 12.
Loudoun has faced controversy following an investigation into sexual assaults on school property. The school system sought an experienced leader who has run a “large, complex school division, and Dr. Spence fits the bill perfectly,” Ian Serotkin, that county’s School Board chairperson said during that body’s meeting, according to The Washington Post.
In a statement, Spence thanked the Virginia Beach community for supporting the public schools. “Your investment in our schools now and in the future ensures that VBCPS has been and always will be among the nation’s premier school divisions,” he wrote in a letter on Friday, June 2.
“I hope my legacy in Virginia Beach will be one that encourages people to uplift the importance of inclusion, belonging and high academic expectations for all students,” Spence added. “Thank you for allowing me the privilege of leading a school division that will have a positive impact on the children of Virginia Beach for generations to come.”
Virginia Beach School Board Chairperson Trenace Riggs on Thursday, June 8, called Spence a visionary leader whose accomplishments include full accreditation for all schools, opening new academies and fostering an environment in which educators were trusted to do their work.
The School Board expects to discuss a possible acting superintendent during a meeting scheduled for Monday, June 12. It could vote upon a selection that day following a closed session discussion, the chairperson said.
“We’re going to be voting for an acting superintendent while we do a search,” Riggs said. “Our community needs to know our school system is going to continue to do the great things we are doing and keep working.”
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