Scalia daughter one of two new Youngkin appointments to Virginia education board -

Gov. Glenn Youngkin named two new members to the Virginia Board of Education this week, including Meg Bryce, a daughter of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. The additions mean eight of nine board members have now been appointed by the Republican governor.

Bryce, who attended the board’s meetings this week, unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the Albemarle County School Board last year. Bryce campaigned on issues such as restoring transparency, raising standards and bringing back “common sense” to the school district. Bryce, a cognitive psychologist with a PhD from the University of Virginia, has previously taught and now serves as a capstone mentor at the university.

“Having an expert in psychology on the board with teaching experience is a great addition for navigating the most critical issues facing our public schools and youth today,” Board of Education President Grace Turner Creasey said during Thursday’s meeting.

Bryce couldn’t be immediately reached for comment.

Youngkin also appointed to the board Ida Outlaw McPherson, an attorney from the Hampton Roads region, Creasey announced at the meeting. McPherson is a former president of the Suffolk chapter of the NAACP and had been appointed by then-Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) as director of Virginia’s Department of Minority Business Enterprise, now the Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity, and she also has held other government roles.

McPherson will join the board for its August meetings.

Youngkin spokesman Christian Martinez said in a statement that the governor was thankful to have Bryce and McPherson step into the positions.

Martinez said Bryce’s “extensive background in education, her advocacy for student-centered policies, and her commitment to restoring common sense in education for all Virginia students will be instrumental in ensuring that every parent, student, and teacher receives the essential resources and support needed to thrive.”

Of McPherson, he said, “Her immense expertise, dedication to community work, and commitment to ensuring high-quality education for every child will be invaluable as we work to restore excellence in education.”

During her 2023 run for office, Bryce, in a blog post responding to a campaign sign being vandalized with “SCALIA” painted across it, addressed her relationship to the late justice, who was an outspoken opponent of abortion, affirmative action and what he termed the “so-called homosexual agenda.” She said she chose to distance herself from the name while campaigning because she wanted people to get to know her as an individual.

“I knew the opposition would paint a caricature of me and they have done exactly that, in a most unoriginal and unimaginative way, and often with outright lies. They make it clear that they do not see me as a capable, intelligent, independent woman; I am not worthy of their respect,” Bryce said in the post. “… It is increasingly apparent that many in this town have become so consumed by groupthink that they are unable to engage with anyone who holds differing views.”

During the race, Bryce also received criticism for removing her children from the public school system and enrolling them in private school. At a candidate forum, Bryce said she made the move in 2020 when she lost faith in the school system, according to the Daily Progress.

“I’m so invested that rather than walking away and not looking back, I came back to fight,” Bryce said at the time. “I’m fighting to represent the people that feel that the district has lost its way.”

Bryce and McPherson mark Youngkin’s seventh and eighth appointments to the state education board, leaving Anne Holton, who was first appointed by Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) in 2017, as the only member not appointed by Youngkin. Holton, a former Virginia education secretary, is married to U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.).

At Thursday’s meeting, the board moved forward with a proposal for a new school accreditation system, an overhaul that came in part from Youngkin’s criticism that too many schools have been reaccredited despite declining student performance. The new system will be based on “mastery, growth and readiness” metrics, and schools will then be categorized into one of four tiers: Distinguished, On track, Off Track or Needs Intensive Support. The plan is up for final board approval in August.

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