VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – Virginia Beach City Public Schools superintendent Dr. Aaron Spence has been appointed the new superintendent of Loudoun County Public Schools.
The Loudoun County School Board on Friday voted 6-2, with one member absent, to appoint Spence as that school division’s new superintendent. Spence is expected to start as Loudoun County Public Schools’ new superintendent “in the coming months.”
Dr. Daniel Smith, who had previously been a principal in the Virginia Beach City Public Schools division, will remain as acting superintendent of Loudoun County Public Schools until then.
In a statement attributed to Spence read following the vote, Spence said he was looking forward to his tenure as Loudoun County Public Schools’ superintendent.
Multiple sources had earlier confirmed to 10 On Your Side reporter Brett Hall that Spence was in line to be appointed Loudoun County Public Schools’ new superintendent.
“Loudoun County is incredibly lucky to have such a visionary, dynamic, caring and thoughtful educational leader at the helm,” said Virginia Beach City Public Schools School Board chairwoman Trenace Riggs. “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.”
Spence, who was named the Virginia Superintendent of the year in 2018 by the Virginia Association of School Superintendents, has been the superintendent of Virginia Beach City Public Schools since June 2014, leading a school division which has 86 schools and serves more than 67,000 students and has more than 10,000 employees.
Spence came to Virginia Beach after having served as the superintendent of Moore County Public Schools in North Carolina.
Loudoun County Public Schools has more than 82,000 students, 12,800 employees and 98 schools. Currently, Dr. Daniel Smith is serving as acting superintendent for Loudoun County Public Schools.
Smith, among his previous stops, served as a principal in Virginia Beach City Public Schools.
The Loudoun County School Board voted unanimously Dec. 6 to fire former Superintendent Dr. Scott Ziegler after he appeared in court following indictments on three misdemeanor charges of providing false statements, penalizing an employee for a court appearance and a conflict of interest – prohibited conduct.
Check with WAVY.com for updates.
