RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Virginia’s Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow resigned Wednesday in a letter to Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

Governor Youngkin, who emphasized education and parental rights during his campaign, selected Balow as Virginia’s 26th education superintendent shortly before his inauguration. After stepping down on March 9, Balow will continue to work with the Youngkin administration as a consultant.

“I’m grateful and honored to have served Virginia’s children and families, and I fully support you and your educational vision for the state,” Balow expressed in her letter to Youngkin.

Balow didn’t specify a reason for her departure in her letter but mentioned that her family has settled in Virginia and plans to remain there “for the foreseeable future.”

“The governor expresses gratitude to Superintendent Balow for her service and efforts in advancing the Governor’s education agenda, which aims to empower parents and restore educational excellence,” stated Youngkin’s spokeswoman, Macaulay Porter.

Balow highlighted her pride in progressing Youngkin’s education agenda over the last two Virginia General Assembly sessions, mentioning the Virginia Literacy Act and the publication of the “Our Commitment to Virginians” report in May 2022.

Balow’s tenure at the Virginia Department of Education was not without controversy, particularly the Youngkin administration’s draft revisions to the state’s K-12 standards for history and social science, which faced significant criticism for omissions, errors, and accusations of “whitewashing” history.

After multiple delays, the state Board of Education voted in early February to move forward with the education department’s second draft.

The learning standards, reviewed every seven years, will set the bar on what K-12 students should learn during each grade as early as the 2024-2025 school year. The state board will hold six public hearings on the proposed revisions from March 13 to March 21 before a final document is approved.

Youngkin’s education department also faced backlash over a mathematical error that led some K-12 school districts to get less funding than they expected to receive, a $201 million gap that was later addressed in the “skinny budget” passed by lawmakers before wrapping up the 2023 legislative session.

The Virginia Education Association, a union representing more than 40,000 teachers and school personnel, released a statement criticizing Balow’s tenure as superintendent.

VEA pointed to the revised history standards and the Youngkin administration’s effort to overhaul Virginia’s transgender student policies, which has been met with heavy criticism.

“Despite all of the problems left in Superintendent Balow’s wake, VEA calls on Governor Youngkin to take this opportunity to appoint a new superintendent who has a mix of leadership knowledge, policy expertise, deep background in our state K-12 funding formula, and real-world classroom experience,” Dr. James J. Fedderman, VEA’s president, said in the statement.