Billy K. Cannaday, the superintendent of a 57,000-student school district outside Richmond, Va., was nominated last week by Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine to become the state’s next superintendent of public instruction.
The state superintendent leads the Virginia Department of Education, which oversees pre-K-12 education. If his nomination is approved by the legislature, Mr. Cannaday will oversee an agency of about 340 employees and a budget of $112 million.
Since 2000, Mr. Cannaday, 55, has been the superintendent of the Chesterfield County school system, a fast-growing district in the suburban Richmond area. All of the county’s 59 schools have received full accreditation under the state’s Standards of Learning accountability program.
The previous superintendent, Jo Lynne DeMary, retired in January.
