Last night, the Virginia Beach School Board voted unanimously to appoint Dr. Aaron Spence as superintendent of Virginia Beach City Public Schools.
For Spence, this appointment is more than just a new job; it’s a homecoming.
“It is home,” Spence said speaking to reporters Tuesday night after his appointment.
“Coming back to Virginia Beach is something I wanted to do since leaving Virginia Beach.”
Spence is a Beach native who graduated from Green Run High School in 1989. (He also attended Cox High School, Great Neck Junior High, and both Hermitage and Thalia elementary schools).
Spence credited the instruction and support he received as a Virginia Beach student as an impetus for his success.
“I owe a lot of where I am today (to) Virginia Beach schools,” Spence said.
He also owes his professional inspiration to the school system– he was named “Most Likely to Become a Teacher” while at Green Run.
After graduating, Spence went on to the University of Virginia, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in French studies, his master’s degree in secondary education and his doctorate in educational administration and supervision.
He began his career in education in 1994 as a French and photojournalism teacher in Stafford County Public Schools. From that time, Spence steadily climbed the ranks of school administration – first serving as an assistant principal and later as a principal in Henrico County Public Schools.
In fact, as principal of Deep Run High School in Henrico, he led the school to being named one of America’s Best High Schools by U.S. News and World Report.
After his time in Henrico, Spence served as director of curriculum and instruction for Chesterfield County Public Schools then its chief academic officer before being named chief high school officer for the Houston Independent School District in Texas. This is the eighth largest school district in the country.
In 2012, Spence left Houston to become superintendent of Moore County Public Schools in North Carolina, a post he will leave to take the reins in Virginia Beach. His first day on the job will be on or before July 1.
Spence said he is blessed to have the opportunity to come back to the city and division he grew up in, and recognizes it is an opportunity many never have.
“I am incredibly excited,” Spence said. “This is a dream job for me…I told the Board, if they want me, they would have me as long as they wanted.’”
Describing his leadership style as collaborative, Spence said his approach to taking over the superintendency will be to first and foremost hear from staff, students and community directly.
“The key thing is to come in with a mindset of listening to people,” Spence said. “It’s about people. It’s about relationships.”
It was a sentiment Spence shared earlier that evening in his remarks to the School Board.
“It is my commitment to you – because you have given me this opportunity – that together we will continue to build on the legacy and the excellence that is Virginia Beach City Schools,” Spence said. “We will continue to ensure that every child has a rigorous and meaningful learning experience and…we will continue to ensure that no matter where you go to school or what part of the city you are from that you will have an incredible opportunity to be successful in whatever future you choose.”
For more information about Spence, visit vbschools.com
My child have been bully three times last year try to reach out to you we report to the super tend school board nobody did nothing his teacher told us she can’t read 27 KIDS AT ONE TIME I ASK MS HALL TO MOVE HIM ANOTHER CLASS HONOR ROLL STUDENT HER AND MS LEWIS PUT HIM IEP CLASS AND IT BROKEN HIM DOWN MENTALITY WE HAVE REACH OUT TO THE NAACP AN DEPT OF EDUCATION OF VA TO INVESTIGATION THIS MATTER SAID ME AND MY FAMILY THREATENED HER THAT WAS A LIE SHE BAN ME AND MY FAMILY FROM SCHOOL BECAUSE SHE KNEW HER AND MS LEWIS WAS WRONG FOR TAKING A HONOR ROLL STUDENT PUT HIM IN A IEP CLASS EVERYBODY WILL HAVE THEIR DAY IN COURT AND THE MEDIA AGAIN SHE WILL NOT GET AWAY WITH THIS SHE CAME FOR ANOTHER INCENSE BLACK CHILD AGAIN LIKE LAST YEAR HIS DR AND COUNSEL SENDIND CPS OUT TO THE SCHOOL THIS YEAR VA BEACH SCHOOL SYSTEM THE WORST SYSTEM WE SEEN WE CALL MS BUFFLO KATHY STAR LEWIS ROBINSON THEY THOUGHT IT WAS A JOKE MY SON CAME HOME WITH BLOOD RUN DOWN HIS ARM RUSH TO THE ER STILL HAVE THE PICTURES FROM BEEN PUSH IN THE BATHROOM SHE TRY TO CHANGE THE STORY AND BAN MY FAMILY MAKE UP LIES SAID SHE CALL CPS WHY WE WERE NOT INFORM MY SON HAS ASTHMA AND OTHER ILLNESS HIS MEDINCE WAS NOT KEEP IN SCHOOL LAST YEAR THE WHOLE YEAR BECAUSE THE NURSE DID KNOW HOW TO USE IT BREATH TUBE HE USE HE SO SCARE MS HALL GOING TO PUT HIM BACK IN IEP MS THYAR HIS FATHER GOT HIS LAWYER ALSO INVEST ALSO THE TEACH AT ROSEMONT HAVE STATED SHE WRONG,NOW MY SON SCAR FOR FOR LIFE ME AND MY FAMILY GOT TO DEAL WITH IT SHE BE RIGHT BACK IN THE MEDIA AGAIN THIS SEPT LIKE LAST YEAR SHE CAME FOR ANOTHER BLACK CHILD AGAIN SHE GOING TO JAIL AN MY FAMILY GONE TO GET LEGAL JUSTICE AND SUED, VA BEACH SCHOOL THE PARENTS AT THE SCHOOL SAY THEY SICK OF HER AND TEACHER SAID THEY NEVER SEEN A UNSTABLE CREATE LIKE HER TO DO THAT TO A CHILD AGAIN KEEP ME AND MY FAMILY IN YOUR PRAY MS NIXON AND FAMILY GOD Get the Glory out This
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