Title: Gov. Glenn Youngkin Appoints Three New Members to Virginia Board of Education
Date: [Current Date]
In a recent announcement, Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) revealed the appointment of three new members to the Virginia Board of Education. The appointments were made as part of a series of appointments to various state boards. The new members are Mashea Ashton, Debbie Kilgore, and Amber Northern. Their appointments come as the terms of three previous members expired last week.
Ashton is the founder and CEO of Digital Pioneers Academy Public Charter School in D.C. With a focus on coding and game design, the school caters to “at-risk” students from D.C.’s poorest neighborhoods. Last year, the school gained recognition for outperforming similar schools on standardized math and reading exams. However, it has recently faced challenges with an increase in instances of violence, including four student shootings this year.
Kilgore is a retired family and consumer science teacher at Gate City High School. She also served as an adviser with Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), a career and technical student organization. Kilgore is married to House Majority Leader Terry Kilgore (R-Scott).
Northern currently serves as the senior vice president for research at the conservative-leaning Thomas B. Fordham Institute. She supervises the institute’s research on academic standards, career and technical education, and charter schools.
In a statement, Gov. Youngkin expressed optimism about working with the new appointees to make Virginia the best state in the nation to live, work, and raise a family.
With the addition of these three members, eight out of the nine-person board will now be Youngkin appointees. The only remaining member appointed by a Democratic governor is Anne Holton, who was first appointed by former governor Terry McAuliffe in 2017.
While the new members will start serving on the board immediately, their appointments must be confirmed by the state General Assembly.
It is worth noting that last year Gov. Youngkin appointed five members to the board, breaking the previous status quo where all members were appointed by McAuliffe and former governor Ralph Northam (D). The appointments came after Virginia House Republicans voted against confirming three members appointed by Northam, which created three additional openings. This development was seen as a response to the rejection of Youngkin’s pick for state secretary of natural and historic resources by Senate Democrats.
Earlier this year, one of Youngkin’s 2022 appointments, Suparna Dutta, was rejected by the Democratic state Senate due to opposition to her involvement in educational culture-wars. Dutta co-founded Coalition for TJ, a group fighting admissions reform at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County.
The new members, Ashton, Kilgore, and Northern, bring diverse backgrounds and experiences to the board, promising an equitable and innovative approach to education in Virginia. Their appointment signifies Gov. Youngkin’s commitment to strengthening education for all students in the state.
In addition to the board appointments, former superintendent for public instruction Jillian Balow recently resigned, prompting Youngkin to appoint Lisa Coons as the new superintendent. The governor also named Emily Anne Gullickson as the new deputy secretary of education. Gullickson is the CEO and founder of A for Arizona, an education advocacy nonprofit.
As the new members join the board, the education landscape in Virginia undergoes significant changes under Gov. Youngkin’s leadership, emphasizing the importance of providing quality education for the state’s students.
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