Since the 2016-2017 school year, SOL test scores have declined. Below are two screenshots of SOL test scores since 2016 on the Virginia Department of Education’s SOL webpage.

Why have SOL test scores declined? Who was in charge during this time? From 2016 thru 2021, the Spotsylvania County school division was controlled by a leftist school board that supported leftist Superintendent Baker. They pushed issues that distracted from education such as diversity, inclusion, equity, and closing schools. It did not help that the governor and general assembly were controlled by the left.

We have been told over and over that we are supposed to trust the decisions of the educators or those with PhDs and master’s degrees because they are the “experts”. Yet, these “experts” have failed because the test scores keep falling. It is the classic appeal to authority logical fallacy that the left keeps pushing. Rely upon credentials instead of logic and reason.

Spotsylvania County schools needs an outside the box superintendent to solve these problems. This is where Superintendent candidate Mark Taylor comes in. Taylor has strong experience in management as a county administrator, managing budgets, and allocating resources. Taylor will provide a more focused vision on education and place the right people in the right role. He will remove distractions that interfere or have no role in education such as DEI initiatives, wasteful spending, explicit books, etc.

Superintendents are far removed from the day-to-day teaching that occurs in the classroom. What is needed is someone that can set a vision for the school division that will not push a woke agenda. Those that argue that a Superintendent needs a strong educational background forget that test scores declined when we had the “experts” running things. It is time for a change that is outside the box.

Source: https://doe.virginia.gov/statistics_reports/sol-pass-rates/index.shtml