In Virginia, the Superintendent of Public Instruction is the chief executive of the

Virginia Department of Education The Virginia Department of Education is the state education agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is headquartered in the James Monroe Building in Richmond. The department is headed by the Secretary of Education (currently Aimee Guidera), w ...

and also serves as the Secretary of the

Virginia Board of Education The Virginia State Board of Education is an independent board established by the state of Virginia in the United States which helps set state elementary and secondary educational policy, advocates within state government for elementary and secondar ...

Jillian Balow Jillian Balow is an American politician who was appointed as the Virginia superintendent of public instruction in January 2022. She resigned from the position in March 2023. From 2014 to January 2022, she was the Wyoming superintendent of public ...

was appointed Virginia's 26th Superintendent of Public Instruction by Governor

Glenn Youngkin Glenn Allen Youngkin (born December 9, 1966) is an American businessman and politician, currently serving as the 74th governor of Virginia since January 15, 2022. A member of the Republican Party, Youngkin defeated former Democratic governor T ...

, effective January 15, 2022. Balow resigned in March 2023.

Role

The

Virginia Constitution The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia is the document that defines and limits the powers of the state government and the basic rights of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Like all other state constitutions, it is supreme ...

states that the Superintendent be “an experienced educator.” The Superintendent of Public Instruction serves for a term coincident with the Governor making the appointment. The duties of the Superintendent of Public Instruction are addressed in Title 22.1, Chapter 3 of the Code of Virginia. The duties of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction include: # Serve as secretary of the Board of Education; # Provide such assistance in his office as shall be necessary for the proper and uniform enforcement of the provisions of the school laws in cooperation with the local school authorities; # Prepare and furnish such forms for attendance officers, teachers and other school officials as are required by law; # (Expires July 1, 2025) At least annually, survey all local school divisions to identify critical shortages of (i) teachers and administrative personnel by geographic area, by school division, or by subject matter and (ii) school bus drivers by geographic area and local school division and report such critical shortages to each local school division and to the Virginia Retirement System.

Former Superintendents of Public Instruction

The first Superintendent of Public Instruction was William Henry Ruffner who served from March 6, 1870 - March 15, 1882. Others holding the office include: * Richard Ratcliffe Farr (1882-1886) * John L. Buchanan (1886-1890) * John E. Massey (1890-1898) * Joseph W. Southall (1898-1906) * Joseph Dupuy Eggleston, Jr. (1906-1912) * Reaumur C. Stearnes (1912-1918) * Harris Hart (1918-1931) * Signey Bartlett Hall (1931-1941) * Dabney Stewart Lancaster (1941-1946) * George Tyler Miller (1946-1949) * Dowell J. Howard (1949-1957) * Davis Young Paschall (1957-1960) * Woodrow W. Wilkerson (1960-1975) * Walter Eugene Campbell (1975-1979) * Spear John Davis (1979-1990) * Joseph A. Spagnolo (1990-1994) * William C. Bosher, Jr. (1994-1996) * Richard T. LaPointe (1996-1998) * Paul D. Stapleton (1998-1999) * Jo Lynne DeMary (2000-2006) * Patricia I. Wright (2006*; 2008–2014) * Billy K. Cannaday, Jr. (2006-2008) * Steven R. Staples (2014-2018) * Steven M. Constantino* (2018) * Dr. James F. Lane (2018-2022). * Jillian Balow (2022-2023) (*) denotes acting/interim role

References

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External links

Virginia Board of Education

Virginia Department of Education

Governor of Virginia
Public education in Virginia