Former member Tom Marshall appointed to fill vacated Loudoun County school board seat

By a vote of 7-1, the Loudoun County school board voted to appoint former school board representative Tom Marshall to the vacated Leesburg District seat.

The appointment comes after embattled school board member Beth Barts resigned after threats.

READ MORE: Virginia school board member resigns after pressure from parents, activists

Marshall previously served as the Leesburg District representative for 8 years. He’s also worked in the Fairfax County public school system for 30 years.

He beat out 12 other candidates seeking the seat which the school system says is a record for a vacated seat.

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John Beatty opposed his appointment, but others questioned the lack of diversity behind the appointment at a critical time for Loudoun County schools.

Austin Levine, representing the Broad Run District, didn't mince words.

"I guess we are now replacing a moldy blueberry with a dusted off old political hack," he said. "Just what the equity and equality champions need, another old white guy."

Marshall says he's ready for the job and his demographic shouldn't matter.

"I was hurt by it because they’ve already decided I’m not going to be a good school board representative because I’m an old white man, which I am of course, I am," he said with a laugh.

That tied into the later discussion on equity, with the board set to vote on a policy establishing its commitment to equity.

A draft document lists some elements of the policy as recruiting and hiring a diverse staff, implementing professional learning to strengthen racial consciousness and creating a school system that provides a welcoming, inclusive and identity affirming environment.

An overwhelming majority of those who spoke about the policy did not favor it, including Michael Rivera, who was hoping to fill the Leesburg seat.

"The process through which this charter was created is fraught with assumptions, prejudices and racism in the selection of certain groups of people over others," Rivera said,

Loudoun County has been ground zero for grassroots efforts against critical race theory in public education. The school district is also facing controversy about the way it handled two alleged sexual assaults on school grounds.