Virginia Governor’s New Education Appointees Walking Into Controversy

Hundreds rallied to protest against Loudoun County Public Schools adopting the Virginia Department of Education's 2021 transgender student model policies outside the Loudoun County Public Schools administration building in Ashburn, Va., on Sept. 28, 2021. (Terri Wu/The Epoch Times)

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin recently announced replacements for the state superintendent of public instruction and for a vacant seat on the Board of Education.

Youngkin’s appointee for the superintendent of public instruction is Lisa Coons, the former chief academic officer for Tennessee who helped overhaul that state’s English Language Arts programs. The position was formerly held by Jillian Balow, who resigned in March after serving in the position for about one year.

Coons is set to start on April 17 and will be asked to handle a series of controversies.

“Dr. Coons’ proven leadership will serve Virginia’s students, families, and teachers well and help make Virginia’s education system best-in-class,” Secretary of Education Aimee Rogstad Guidera said in a statement. “She has demonstrated success in addressing learning loss, creating and implementing evidence-based literacy policy and practices, and building strong partnerships with teachers, communities, school and division leaders, and parents.”

Youngkin also appointed Dale Sturdifen to replace Suparna Dutta, the governor’s previous appointee to the Board of Education.

Sturdifen ran unsuccessfully for state Senate in 2019 and for the Republican nomination to replace the late U.S. Rep. Donald McEachin in a 2023 special election. He’s also a former chair of the Mecklenburg County School Board and former special agent with the Virginia State Police.

Critical Race Theory

Dutta was ousted by Democrats in the Virginia Senate because she spoke highly of the U.S. Constitution. Balow and Dutta had been accused of aligning with white supremacy because of their support for Virginia’s revised social studies history standards, which removed critical race theory (CRT) from the curriculum.

Suparna Dutta (back, 4th R) and Jillian Balow (front, 1st R) with the Virginia Board of Education in 2023. (Courtesy of Suparna Dutta)

Progressive groups throughout the state have been voicing their opposition to the new social studies standards, especially in regard to slavery in America and how it should be taught. They have accused the Youngkin administration of promoting white supremacy with the standards.

Since taking office, Youngkin’s Department of Education has been working to undo many policies and practices that are seen as indoctrination by parents or that weaken the parents’ role in their child’s education.

A major part of the governor’s campaign platform was his promises to give parents their rights back with regard to public school education and prohibit the use of “inherently divisive concepts,” including the CRT-based curriculum, in K–12 education (pdf).

Youngkin has criticized the focus on equity and has called for raising academic standards for all students. In response, Balow ended most equity initiatives launched by former Democrat Gov. Ralph Northam’s administration.

Besides handling the ongoing review of Virginia’s social science standards and CRT curriculum controversy, Coons will also be asked to handle controversies over gender and sexuality issues is in the classroom.

Parental Rights

Parents have voiced opposition to schools making important decisions for their families and elected Youngkin because he said he would focus on transparency and parental rights.

In February, the Virginia House of Delegates narrowly passed a bill that would have empowered Virginia parents to have knowledge of any change to their child’s gender identity in school and be the final authority to decide how to handle this issue.

The bill, called “Sage’s Law,” was struck down by Democrats in the state Senate, and the debate on the issue continues.

After Balow’s resignation, the Virginia Education Association (VEA) said that it would like her replacement to be someone with classroom experience and personal knowledge of the Virginia education system.

People hold up signs during a rally against critical race theory being taught in schools at the Loudoun County Government center in Leesburg, Va., on June 12, 2021. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

In a statement following Coons’ appointment, the VEA lamented that Youngkin did not appoint someone from Virginia.

“While we look forward to showing Dr. Coons the excellent work Virginia’s public school educators are already doing, we are deeply disappointed that yet another out-of-state official with a political agenda has been promoted over a proven state education leader,” the VEA said in a March 23 statement.

According to the Department of Education, before being appointed in Virginia, Coons worked as an executive officer of division priority schools for Metro Nashville Public Schools and executive director of instructional leadership at the Tennessee Department of Education.

“The governor has set a bold academic agenda that puts students first and empowers families to help set priorities for their children. We have an opportunity in Virginia to be the country’s best state for education, and we’ll achieve that vision through partnerships with families, educators, and school division leaders,” Coons said in a statement.

Goochland County Superintendent Jeremy Raley will join Coons as the Virginia Department of Education’s new chief of staff.

Guidera said they are both “centered on high expectations and multiple pathways for every student, strong knowledge and experience in the commonwealth, and proven leadership.”