WYOMING —Wyoming State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow announced her resignation this afternoon, Jan. 13, via a press release.
Balow is heading to Virginia to serve under Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin as Virginia’s Superintendent of Public Instruction.
“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,” Balow said. “We have made great progress on these very items during my tenure in Wyoming.”
In May, Balow spoke out against the Department of Education’s proposed implementation of a critical race theory curriculum for K-12 students across the country.
Balow, who affiliates with the Republican party, stated that educational curriculums should be ruled by a local consensus rather than a national one.
“America needs to update and renew our expectations for teaching and learning about history and civics. Every school board, state legislature, and state superintendent should be working to build local consensus about what should be taught and what materials to use in classrooms,” Balow said. “When it comes to politics in the classroom, I’ve made my position crystal clear that partisan politics and radical theories should not be forced upon our children.”
Balow began her career teaching in Hulett, Wyoming.
“I have built a 25-year career in education and politics, serving as a national literacy consultant, an executive in state government, a policy advisor in the governor’s office, and now the elected State Superintendent of Public Instruction,” Balow said.
Following Balow’s announcement, Governor Mark Gordon issued a statement of gratitude for her service. The Superintendent’s resignation is effective January 16. Governor Gordon is informing the Republican Party Central Committee, which will have 15 days to submit three candidates to the Governor for consideration. The Governor will then have five days to appoint a new Superintendent from the names submitted. That individual will serve for the remainder of Balow’s term.
