Former Albemarle County School Board candidate Meg Bryce was appointed to the Virginia Board of Education by Gov. Glenn Youngkin on July 24.
As a member of the VBOE, Bryce is now one of the top education officials in the state despite losing her previous bid for public office. In addition to her appointment to the state board of education, she is also a part-time psychology instructor at the University of Virginia.
While it was officially a nonpartisan race, Bryce ran on a conservative platform in her campaign for the Albemarle County Public Schools at-large seat last fall. Beyond her platform—centered on improving academic standards and strengthening parental rights—the newly appointed board member also caught media attention as the daughter of late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
Bryce received significant criticism for running for the school board despite having pulled all of her children from public school during the COVID-19 pandemic.
After one of the most expensive school board elections in history, Bryce ultimately lost the election to opponent Allison Spillman, receiving only 37.56 percent of the vote. Spillman won the seat, but with her appointment to the VBOE, Bryce is now the one with greater influence over local and state education policy.
“The governor’s office reached out to ask if I would be interested in serving, and I gladly accepted. The Board of Education has been focused on the issues that matter so much to me and to other [Virginia] families—accountability, transparency, and excellence in education,” Bryce told C-VILLE in a comment via text. “It is a privilege to be a part of those efforts.”
For Spillman, Bryce’s appointment comes as a disappointment, but not a surprise.
“The voters of Albemarle County overwhelmingly voiced their support of public education this past November when they elected me to the school board,” said Spillman via email. “In spite of the Youngkin administration’s continued efforts to weaken public education in the Commonwealth, I will continue to fight for all the students and teachers of Albemarle County.”
Other local representatives have also publicly expressed concern over Bryce’s appointment, including Dels. Amy Laufer and Katrina Callsen.
“You know what’s easier to win than an Albemarle County School Board seat? An unearned appointment to the State Board of Education from Gov. Youngkin,” posted Callsen on X/Twitter on July 24.
Both Laufer and Callsen have indicated they will oppose Bryce’s appointment when it comes before the General Assembly in 2025. In the interim, Bryce has started her term on the board, attending her first meeting shortly after her appointment.
In her first meeting with the VBOE, Bryce indicated her support for changing the state’s accreditation regulations.
“One policy that I believe will be instrumental moving forward is the School Performance and Support Framework,” Bryce said. “The Framework will be a powerful tool to identify the schools that are excelling so that we may learn from their best practices, but also the schools that are struggling so that we may get them the support that they need. I believe it will go a long way in providing the best possible education to every student in [Virginia].”
The VBOE will reconvene for a special meeting on August 28.