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.
![Dr. Aaron Spence, with his wife, Krista, before the Dec. 17 School Board meeting.](http://www.vbcpsblogs.com/core/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/IMG_0037-300x200.jpg)
“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.
![Dr. Aaron Spence makes his remarks at the Dec. 17 School Board meeting.](http://www.vbcpsblogs.com/core/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/IMG_00941-300x200.jpg)
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