The Loudoun County School Board voted to appoint Dr. Aaron Spence as the next superintendent of Loudoun County Public Schools Friday afternoon.

"Loudoun County is incredibly lucky to have such a visionary, dynamic, caring and thoughtful educational leader at the helm. Our loss is their gain," VBCPS School Board Chairwoman Trenace Riggs said. "Knowing what he has accomplished in his nearly decade-long tenure in VBCPS, I have no doubt that he will do great things for the students, families and staff in Loudoun. In my opinion, he is truly a bridgebuilder and is the best superintendent VBCPS has ever had; he will be truly missed."

Under Dr. Spence's leadership, VBCPS has accomplished much and seen a number of great successes, including:

• Implementing full-day Kindergarten for the first time ever in the city and dramatically increasing access to pre-K classrooms.
• Launching a Blue-Ribbon Panel on school safety to bring security and mental health experts from the Navy, police department and city together to address physical and emotional safety needs in our schools.
• Spurring significant innovations in the division to meet the needs of the workforce and community, including the development of an Environmental Studies Program classroom at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Brock Environmental Center and an Entrepreneurship and Business Academy at Kempsville High School.
• Developing a division equity policy that led to the unanimous passage of a division-wide equity plan that aligns with our strategic plan, Compass to 2025.
• Amplifying the voices in our community in collaborative decision making by making intentional connections through our Teacher Leadership Forum, our Teacher Assembly, Principal Leagues, the Superintendent Teacher Advisory Council, the Superintendent Student Advisory Council, the VBCPS Student Leadership Workshop, and the development of multiple Family Voice Groups that represent the diverse needs of various communities within the division.
• Developing expanded partnerships with the United States Navy, including the Oceana Air Show STEM Laboratory where all 5th grade students attend the Oceana airshow annually for an interactive learning experience, as well as PROJECT SEARCH at NAS Oceana, the Navy's first partnership with this national job transition program for students with developmental disabilities.
• Building a Family and Community Engagement center, intended to provide families with the resources and supports necessary to ensure their children thrive.
• Improving college and career readiness and increasing access to advanced coursework for all students, which led to a significant increase in AP enrollment and performance, including increased participation by underrepresented student groups.
• Moving to a school-wide AVID model across all middle schools.
• Launching a mental health taskforce during the COVID-19 pandemic to address the significant increase in mental health concerns experienced by both students and staff.
• Expanding career and technical education opportunities in fields such as manufacturing and renewable energy.
• Improving salary scales for staff to ensure VBCPS is competitive with local school divisions and further support recruitment and retention efforts.

"As you can imagine this is a bittersweet moment in my career. I am honored and excited to take on this new role and embrace the opportunities and challenges it will bring," Spence said. "At the same time, I feel tremendously proud of the work we have done together. VBCPS is one of the top school divisions in the nation and will always hold a special place in my heart."

Dr. Spence plans to transition to his new role in the coming months. The School Board will meet Tuesday, June 6 to discuss the transition process.

Dr. Spence has served as superintendent of VBCPS since 2014. Prior to that role, he was the Superintendent of Moore County Schools in North Carolina for two years. His previous positions have included Chief High Schools Officer for Houston Independent School District, Chief Academic Officer and Director of Curriculum for Chesterfield County Public Schools, Principal of Deep Run High School and Assistant Principal of Henrico High School for Henrico County Public Schools, and a French teacher at Brooke Point High School in Stafford County Public Schools.

A recognized leader at the state and national level, Dr. Spence was named 2018 Virginia Superintendent of the Year by the Virginia Association of School Superintendents (VASS). He was also named the EmpowerED Digital Superintendent of the Year by the American Association of School Administrators and CoSN in 2021 and one of the 100 Most Influential Leaders in Business by Coastal Virginia Business Magazine in 2023. Dr. Spence also serves as a mentor and teacher for new superintendents across the country.

Please see Dr. Spence's letter to the community here.

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Department of Communications and Community Engagement, [email protected]

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