ASHBURN, Va. — The Loudoun County Public School Board recently voted to appointed Dr. Aaron Spence as the district's new superintendent.
Spence has been the Virginia Beach Public Schools superintendent since 2014. He replaces former LCPS superintendent Dr. Scott Ziegler, who was fired by the school board in December after a special grand jury report intensely criticized how the school system handled two high-profile sexual assaults on campus in 2021.
With the volatile school district embroiled in legal drama and two years of mistrust, Spence said leading LCPS was an opportunity he was excited to accept.
“Who wouldn’t want that job?” Spence asked during a virtual press conference on Tuesday. “Loudoun County is an incredible school division. It does have some challenges and I think I have some experiences that will be helpful. I think I’ve got some experience the division has been looking for and talking about.”
Spence, with almost 30 years as an educator, hopes to make Loudoun County his last stop.
“I’m looking forward to Loudoun County being my last superintendency and I’d like to stay there as long as the school board and community will have me and I think I can do a great job for Loudoun County,” he said.
Spence wants to make collaboration and family engagement a priority for the school community. He intends to address hot-button issues including banning books and teachings on race -- topics that have ignited controversy and protests in school districts across northern Virginia.
“I'm a parent and I think it's okay for me to know what's in the books my kids are reading,” Spence said. “I think it's okay for me to be able to tell a librarian I'm not comfortable with my child checking out those books. What matters is to come up with a process that are workable both for our parents and for our educators.”
The superintendent emphasized his desire to lead with transparency.
“I don't think it's inappropriate for us to work with our parents to address concerns," he said. "When it comes to what we teach, I think it’s important we’re transparent about that. It’s also important people understand that we have to teach all of our history."
Spence still has to meet with the Virginia Beach Public Schools Board to address leaving his position. His current contract requires a six-month notice, but the board can waive that if there is an agreement.
Spence hopes to start in Loudoun County by the end of summer. One of the major topics he plans to analyze is the internal investigation into how LCPS handled the sexual assaults. A Loudoun County Circuit Court judge recently ruled the division must hand over the internal report to the Office of Attorney General, as part of an ongoing investigation instructed by an executive order from Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
“My intention would be to assess that report to understand where, if any, shortcomings were, make sure we've got the processes and instructions in place to address those and make sure any mistakes we acknowledge, and that we ensure they don't happen again,” said Spence.
School safety is also a top priority for the superintendent, who says he believes in law enforcement in schools but would also want to address mental health issues. He plans to review the school safety program and protocols and if they line up with his and the community’s expectations.
LCPS has a pilot program to make gender-neutral school bathrooms. Spence said the school board likely responded to the model policy recommended by the education department. He will analyze how it’s being implemented.
“Communicate, communicate, communicate,” he said. “You cannot communicate enough and I think transparency is all about sharing information that you have and being able to talk about the work that you're doing.”
Spence was awarded the 2018 Virginia Superintendent of the Year award by the Virginia Association of School Superintendents. During his tenure, he established a Student Discipline Task Force made up of teachers, administrators, parents, and community members after a review of the disproportionalities in discipline, specifically for Black students and students with special needs. The task force aimed to close the gaps while maximizing instructional time for all students in the classroom.
Before working in Virginia Beach, Spence served as superintendent of Moore County Public Schools in North Carolina. During that time period, the district moved up 20 places in state education rankings.