See below for a press release from the Virginia Department of Education regarding Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow’s resignation. For more information on Balow, see Virginia NAACP “Outraged” at Gov. Youngkin, Says Superintendent of Public Instruction Balow Has “declared war on teaching accurate American History” and Eight of the Worst Youngkin Administration Nominations/Appointments So Far… (which notes that Balow is a “Critical Race Theory opponent” from Wyoming who “supported a proposed Wyoming bill that would require K-12 schools to publish lists of instructional materials, among other provisions.”  and endorsed the bill alongside its patrons, one of whom described the legislation as an effort to prevent ‘the indoctrination found in the critical race theory curriculum that has been pushed by the far-left and has found its way into some classrooms.’” Also, as the Virginia Mercury reported, Balow “publicly opposed a proposed program from the administration of President Joe Biden that would offer grants to teachers who include ‘racially, ethnically, culturally and linguistically diverse perspectives’ in history and civics education.”

So…is this someone who should have ever been in charge of public instruction in Virginia?

Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow Announces Resignation

RICHMOND — Superintendent of Public Instruction announced her resignation as the commonwealth’s chief school officer this morning in a letter to Governor Glenn Youngkin. In the letter, Balow thanked the governor for the opportunity to serve the students, schools and families of Virginia and pledged her continued support for the governor’s agenda for raising standards and promoting excellence and expanding educational choice and opportunities for all students.

“I am particularly proud of the fact that we advanced your agenda for education over the past two successful General Assembly sessions,” Balow said. “First, we passed and began implementing the Virginia Literacy Act, which I know will have a lasting impact on all students for years to come and be a model for other states. Second, we released the report ‘Our Commitment to Virginians,’ which is a roadmap for school and student success, and for parents to be their child’s most important teacher. And because of our work, many more students will have access to career and technical education courses that better prepare them for the next steps in their lives.”

Balow’s resignation is effective Thursday, March 9. In her letter to the governor, Balow pledged her cooperation in ensuring a smooth transition and expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to continue to serve the administration as a consultant on K-12 policy. Balow also expressed her esteem for the staff of the Virginia Department of Education and their service to the commonwealth.

“My family and I have quickly developed roots in Virginia, and though we have family in the West, we will continue to reside here in the commonwealth for the foreseeable future,” Balow said.

Balow was appointed as Virginia’s 26th superintendent of public instruction on January 15, 2022. She was elected twice as Wyoming’s state superintendent before coming to Virginia, most recently in 2018.

Nationally, Balow served as president of the Board of Directors of the Council of Chief State School Officers from 2019-2020. She is a member of the Hunt Institute’s 2020 Cohort 6 Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellows. She also served as the Treasurer of the Education Commission of the States, the highest-ranking position a state superintendent can have in that organization.

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