Meet Virginia's 26th superintendent of public instruction. She had been in the trenches.
Independent Women’s Forum is pleased to announce that Elizabeth Schultz, assistant superintendent of public instruction for the Commonwealth of Virginia and a longtime advocate for parental rights, is the latest entry in our popular series of Champion Women profiles.
Governor Glenn Youngkin named Schultz to the post in January.
Schultz first gained prominence as a member of the Fairfax County School Board who was unafraid to defend the rights of parents. She succeeded in ensuring that a number of gifted and talented programs were restored in Fairfax.
Perhaps Schultz’s most famous fight on the FCSB came in 2015 when she was the sole member to vote against the school board’s move to require sex education classes include gender identity and transgender issues. Although she lost this battle, she won the hearts of concerned parents, who gave her a standing ovation.
“Schultz is used to being on the losing end of votes as the mostly liberal board’s brash and loquacious conservative, but she reveled in the rare public appreciation as hundreds of parents in the audience applauded her stance,” the Washington Post reported. The story was headlined, “The Outspoken Conservative Riling the Fairfax County School Board.”
She attracted Youngkin’s attention when, as a candidate, he convened a meeting to talk about education.
Schultz speaks candidly about education and how a health crisis with her youngest son helped her learn what is important in life.
We know you will enjoy meeting this gutsy woman (without apologies to Hillary and Chelsea) who never forgets about Virginia’s parents.
