The Spotsylvania County School Board鈥檚 controversial choice to be the next superintendent got an important check mark from Virginia鈥檚 Board of Education on Thursday.
Mark Taylor, who was chosen by a slim margin of the school board Aug. 25, has no experience in public education, and has been scrutinized for racial and anti-public-school Facebook posts.
On Thursday, Virginia鈥檚 Boardt of Education met to select nominees who meet qualifications making them eligible to receive a superintendent鈥檚 license. Taylor was approved by a 6-2 vote.
The meeting included two hours of public comment, during which a majority of speakers implored the board to reject Taylor, in part because his close relationship with Spotsylvania School Board Chair Kirk Twigg. Taylor and his wife sit on the board of Twigg鈥檚 nonprofit, and the couple has written letters to the editor in support of Twigg鈥檚 school board campaigns.
However, much of the criticism focused on Taylor鈥檚 social media posts. Board member Anne Holton, who cast one of the two votes against Taylor, read one that referred to Oprah Winfrey: 鈥淲hat country in the 80s would allow a fat blacks woman to have a daytime talk show and become one of the richest people on the planet?鈥�
Holton cited another post that suggested American parents should withdraw their children from public schools.
鈥漌e鈥檙e looking to qualify people to be superintendents, who can be role models for all of our children,鈥� Holton said.
Board member Andy Rotherham said if he were on a local school board and read Taylor鈥檚 Facebook posts, he wouldn鈥檛 hire him: 鈥淭hey raise serious questions about judgment, about commitment to making Virginia Public Schools work for all students, and just general awareness of the obligations of public schools to be broadly inclusive, pluralistic, and responsive to parents.鈥�
However, the choice to select Taylor was Spotsylvania County鈥檚 to make, he said.
鈥漈hat鈥檚 the role of the people in Spotsylvania, speaking through their elected school board, which is what they鈥檝e done,鈥� said Taylor. 鈥淎nd as far as students go, that鈥檚 a civics lesson.鈥�
Board member Alan Seibert agreed that the Virginia Board of Education鈥檚 role should be limited: 鈥淐itizens can elect, and then un-elect, their leaders.鈥�
The Spotsylvania County School Board held off offering a contract for Taylor to sign until he received the OK to receive a superintendent license. The board is expected to address the issue during a special meeting Thursday.
