The Virginia Board of Education cleared the way Thursday for a controversial candidate to become Spotsylvania County’s next school superintendent.
The board voted 6-2 to give Mark Taylor a superintendent’s license, setting the stage for him to potentially become the next head of Spotsylvania County Public Schools.
The vote came after hours of public comments from dozens of people, mostly against allowing Taylor to lead the school system.
Many accused Taylor of making offensive social media posts, which were cited by one board member who voted "no." Taylor has not said if the posts belong to him.
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In a video posted on the Spotsy Parents for Public Education Facebook page, Rich Lieberman asked Taylor after the vote if he wanted to comment about the social media posts.
Taylor said "no" and that he hadn't seen them.
Critics have said Taylor isn't qualified to lead the school district and that the process in bringing his name forward was flawed.
He has experience as a county administrator and attorney, but not as an educator.
Several people spoke in favor of Taylor, including three Spotsylvania School Board members who said Taylor is the victim of a orchestrated smear campaign.
The school board could hire Taylor to be superintendent as soon as this week.
A special school board meeting has been scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday to discuss the matter.
