Traditionally, each year one Superintendent is selected as the Superintendent of the Year for each of the eight Regions, and then one of those eight Regional winners is selected by a committee as the Superintendent of the Year for the state of Virginia. However, in 2020-2021, the VASS Board of Directors decided that ALL Superintendents in Virginia deserved to be honored for the amazing leadership that they had shown during the Coronavirus Crisis. VASS honored all Superintendents during the 2021 Spring Conference Leadership Series, with each of the three virtual meetings concluding with remarks recognizing all of Virginia’s Superintendents as Superintendent of the Year.
During the AASA's National Superintendent of the Year Annual Awards Ceremony in Nashville on Thursday, February 17, 2022, ALL of Virginia's superintendents were recognized as the Virginia Superintendents of the Year. During the Superintendent of the Year Ceremony, AASA called out each state alphabetically, and its representative walked out on the stage. When AASA announced Virginia’s winner, the photo below was displayed on the screens in front of hundreds of superintendents from around the country. Congratulations for a job well done to ALL of the Superintendents of Virginia!
The following Resolution to Honor each Superintendent was presented by the School Board for each division in the Commonwealth.
Recognition of 133 Virginia Public School Division Superintendents as Superintendents of the Year for 2020-21
WHEREAS, in order to ensure the health and safety of all Virginians, schools across the Commonwealth closed on March 13, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and most have provided virtual instruction since then as in-person teaching and learning evolved; and
WHEREAS, individual school divisions retained the autonomy to decide whether or not new instruction would continue and the format in which the instruction would be presented; and
WHEREAS, stable and consistent leadership by local school division superintendents has been vital in serving children through this pandemic; and
WHEREAS, school division superintendents are responsible for the health, safety, welfare and education of each child while creating school cultures, even within a pandemic, that serve all children, regardless of their circumstances; and
WHEREAS, public school division superintendents utilized guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, Virginia Department of Health, Virginia Department of Education, local health departments and local case data in fulfilling leadership responsibilities in their communities like no other time in their careers; and
WHEREAS, local school division superintendents worked collaboratively with their school boards, educators, parents and community stakeholders in providing technology, resources, curriculum content, emotional support and meals to children during the pandemic; and
WHEREAS, traditionally VASS Superintendents of the Year have been selected via a diverse panel of education associations after reviewing an individual superintendent’s ability to demonstrate leadership for learning, communication, professionalism and community involvement; and
WHEREAS, all 133 Virginia public school division superintendents have extraordinarily exhibited these qualities while leading their school divisions and communities during the 2020-21 school year; and
WHEREAS, the VASS Board of Directors agreed on January 7, 2021 to suspend the traditional selection process of determining a single superintendent of the year and unanimously agreed to recognize and honor all Virginia public school division superintendents as Superintendents of the Year for 2020-21; and
WHEREAS, VASS is appreciative of the Virginia School Boards Association supporting this resolution and the honor provided to each division superintendent by having his/her respective School Board present this resolution to the superintendent to be recognized within the community for which he/she serves and leads.
Click HERE for Resolution to Honor All Virginia Superintendents as Superintendents of the Year (PDF)
Click HERE for the Program for the VASS 2021 Virtual Spring Conference Leadership Series (PDF)
Congratulations to ALL of the Superintendents of Virginia Public School Divisions for being named 2022 Superintendents of the Year!