Balow Resigns as Wyoming State Superintendent
Jillian Balow, state superintendent of public instruction in Wyoming, put out a statement announcing her resignation from her position in order to work as Virginia’s Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Balow had served in her position since 2015 when she won her election for state superintendent, winning 58% of the vote, then won reelection in 2018 unopposed, and was set to serve until 2023.
Balow's last day as superintendent will be Jan. 16.
Virginia's Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin is set to assume the governorship on Jan. 15 and has named several other key individuals in his cabinet including Craig Crenshaw as Secretary of Veterans Services in Veterans and Defense Affairs, Bob Mosier as Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security, and John Littel as Secretary of Health and Human Resources.
Balow said in a statement, in part:
"Serving as State Superintendent for the last seven years has been the greatest honor and challenge of my life," Ballow said. "Governor-elect Youngkin made educational transformation the centerpiece of his campaign. There is no more serious time to be in K-12 education governance than now, and Virginia is on the cutting edge of this battle for the future of our public schools. The work we will do to restore parents’ voices in education, push for innovation and student success, enhance school choice, and to eliminate political ideology from the classroom will set a new tone in Virginia and the nation. We have made great progress on these very items during my tenure in Wyoming."
Linda Finnerty, communications director for the Wyoming Department of Education, said Kari Eakins, chief policy officer for the WDE, will serve as interim superintendent while Governor Mark Gordon looks for an official replacement.
Finnerty said she did not know how long a search would take and would not say whether Balow had alerted anyone prior to her resignation.