Spence speaks

continued from page 1 listening to every voice, putting students first and improving communication and transparency. when it comes to special education and EL students, if he has a political agenda, and let’s see if he can take pressure off our teachers and improve their morale.”

“Transparency seems complicated, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s communication, communication, communication,” he said.

He said there needs to be a world-class communication program built around key stakeholders and the media. He said twoway communication was important and that he wants to build on it.

Smith wrote that the timing of the appointment and motives behind it are “troubling” based on friction between Spence and the Virginia Beach School Board.

Spence was in the news in 2019 for filing a complaint against two Virginia Beach City Public Schools School Board members alleging he experienced “abusive conduct” that led to a hostile work environment. The two School Board members said in an article they believe he filed the complaint because he was unhappy with a performance evaluation and social media posts made by the two board members. There were also concerns raised by the two board members and a third that a meeting held to discuss the complaint violated closed meeting laws.

Spence’s contract with VBCPS was set to expire this year.

“This raises doubts about his ability to handle conflicts and disagreements effectively, traits crucial in a leadership role,” Smith wrote.

Meanwhile, Supervisor Kristen Umstattd (D-Leesburg) had praise for acting superintendent Dan Smith.

“I’ll look forward to eventually meeting the new superintendent of schools. I have been very impressed with Dr. Smith, the interim superintendent,” Umstattd said. “He is very easy to work with, he is easy for our staff to work with, and I’m hoping the new superintendent Dr. Spence is also easy for [County Administrator] Tim Hemstreet and our budget folks to work with.”

Dan Smith said Friday he didn’t apply for the superintendent position and said his goal all along was to set up the next superintendent for success by holding listening sessions among other things. Smith said he is looking forward to going back to being the division’s chief of staff once Spence takes the superintendent job.

Spence, who was unable to attend the meeting Friday, sent his regrets and thanked the board in a statement read by Serotkin.

“I am honored to be chosen as the next superintendent of Loudoun County Public Schools. I want to thank the board for entrusting me with the responsibility of continuing to build on the already solid foundation of academic excellence in LCPS,” he said.

He pledged in a press release that his goals would be to build trust, create greater transparency, recruit and retain world class educators and strengthen the division by building on the relationships with families and stakeholders.

As a result of the special grand jury investigation, Ziegler was charged with three misdemeanors: false publication, prohibited conduct and penalizing an employee for a court appearance. The false publication trial is set for Aug. 14-15, his other two are combined and are scheduled for Sept. 25-26.

Corbo attempted to use a medical exemption to attend both the special School Board meeting and the closed session but wasn’t allowed to due to a lack of second when she asked to attend virtually.

The board went into a closed session after the announcement of Spence’s hiring to discuss Ziegler’s three cases and get legal advice from division counsel Robert Falconi.

Polifko opposed the motion to go into closed session saying she was uncomfortable taking legal advice from Falconi after the May 30 order by Circuit Court Judge James P. Fisher that said there were potential Freedom of Information Act violations in previous closed sessions. n

“We need to know what people need and what they want and be responsive to that. We need to hear from the people we serve, what their hopes and aspirations are for their children,” he said.

He said his first six months in the job will be devoted to listening, and he will hold community input sessions like ones held by Acting Superintendent Dan Smith but also smaller ones that include key leaders in the community, business leaders, parents and other key stakeholders. He said he wants to learn from the community and hear their experience. Spence said there is much about the division that sets it apart from others, including the resources that are available to students, the commitment to developmental opportunities for learning, and preparedness for after students graduate.

Spence said he wants to bring the voices to the table that aren’t always heard and get their perspective, instead of only hearing from the extreme sides.

“Everyone’s point of view has value,” he said. “It’s the superintendent’s job to avoid politics and find what we agree on, then tamp down on where we don’t agree and move forward. Most people in the middle will agree and appreciate that. Those on the extremes will also appreciate it.”

He said no matter which side they’re on, there are a few things parents can agree on all the time when it comes to their children. Those include student safety, knowing that children are learning in thoughtful and engaging ways, and making sure children feel like they belong and feel a sense of connection with the teachers and staff.

Spence, a father of six, said it will become clear early on to Loudoun that his politics are children.

“I’m not a Pollyanna. I know some issues are super divisive and maybe intentionally political perhaps, and there are some wicked challenges and sometimes

SPENCE SPEAKS continues on page 33

Asalone sentenced

continued from page 3 crimes.

On March 14, 2020, Asalone was arrested in Asbury Park, NJ, following an indictment issued by a Loudoun County grand jury as a result of that investigation.

Following Asalone’s arrest, then-DC City Councilman David Grosso issued a statement acknowledging that he was the victim in the case.

Just before the start of a planned five-day jury trial in the case in December, Asalone entered an Alford plea, acknowledging prosecutors have sufficient evidence to win a conviction but not admitting guilt.

The felony charge of carnal knowledge of a minor between 13 and 15 years of age carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

Based on a psychological evaluation and Asalone’s lack of criminal history, the state’s sentencing guidelines recommended no incarceration for the crime that occurred 38 years ago.

During Tuesday’s sentencing hearing, Plowman heard testimony from psychologist Mark Hastings who conducted the evaluation. He found that Asalone presented a below average risk of recidivism and that there was no diagnosis of sexual deviance disorder or other mental health issues.

Spence speaks

continued from page 32 you can’t fix it. But you can hear everyone, and they will know how and why you made that decision,” he said.

Spence also noted that he feels it’s important to be honest and admit when you make a mistake.

“Superintendents aren’t saviors. It’s not my job to fix the problems. It’s my job to work with the community to solve the challenges,” he said.

Spence said his job is also to make sure meetings happen between stakeholders who bring up an issue and his administrative team.

“People have to see that they’ve been heard, and when they see ‘I’ve been heard’ and you are making an action plan, that is how you build trust and overcome divisive issues,” he said.

He said it was premature to say what changes he plans to make in Loudoun before getting here. He plans to take time to assess the situation and see how things are

The sentencing consideration also was complicated by the commonwealth’s parole policies in place at the time of the crime—before the General Assembly abolished discretionary parole for felonies in 1995. A Department of Corrections representative was called to testify about the system that required first-time offenders to serve as little as 25% of their sentence and the workings of good behavior credits.

Prosecutor Phillip O. Figura, of the Attorney General’s Office, requested Plowman impose the maximum sentence, noting a 10-year sentence would be expected to result in less than five years in prison and as little as one year and eight months.

Defense Attorney Barry Coburn run and where changes need to be made once he gets here.

He said he plans to use his experience as an educator for the past 30 years and as a superintendent for the past 12 to do that in Loudoun.

“I think I have a demonstrated record of good judgment and sound judgment,” he said. “I’m known for my integrity and my desire to lift people up and make people better. That is going to be my focus from day one and every day.”

Spence said he wants to build on the division’s reputation as being a great school and to change the negative perception of it, which he said is not fair to the teachers, parents, students or community.

“I know that the community, the School Board, the teachers, and the educators want us to move past the negative conversations about LCPS and help us see the good that is happening every day in the school division. I made a promise to work to build trust and build relationships,” he said.

He added that he wants to highlight what is being done on a day-to-day basis objected, saying it was “extraordinary” to seek a maximum sentence after Asalone had demonstrated his ability to change his life and had been a law-abiding, contributing citizen for decades. to change the negative perception of the division by emphasizing the bright spots so every student who walks through the doors of a school knows they are getting a world-class education and that they are prepared for the workforce or college when they graduate.

“It was an abhorrent thing. He knows that,” Coburn said.

Grosso did not attend the hearing, but submitted a statement to be read to the judge.

He said his family moved to Purcellville, just two doors down from the Main Street church, after his father abandoned them and his mother had to sell their Lovettsville farm. He described “Father Scott” as the young, hip and cool priest. They played basketball together. The relationship shifted over time. The priest suggested they take showers together to save water. He started massages, which evolved into full body massages in his bed, and then to oral sex.

“I was only 14 and my family was in disarray,” Grosso wrote.

In the aftermath of that relationship, the victim said he struggled in school, quit sports and could not find success in life. He turned to alcohol and drugs and quit college to work in a DC bar. He continued to struggle as he wrote his letter to Asalone in 1992.

“You f—ed up my life,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, Grosso noted, Asalone went on to a successful business career and a stable family life, marrying his husband 25 years ago.

Spence, his wife and two kids at home—one a rising sixth grader, the other a rising high school freshman—plan to be in Loudoun by the end of summer. Until then, Smith will stay in the role of acting superintendent.

Spence said he’s been in contact with Smith, whom he worked with in Virginia Beach when Smith was a high school principal in the division and Spence was superintendent.

“We’ve been having great conversations already. I’m very appreciative of him and his work to build bridges and address concerns and I’m looking forward to coming in and continuing to build on that,” he said.

Spence said his family is anxious to get to Loudoun and get settled and are excited to learn more about the county, to ride

“I can only imagine what I could do if Father Scott had supported me during the toughest years of my life,” Grosso wrote.

In addressing Plowman, Asalone said he has felt shame his whole life for his action. He said he was disappointed to be unable to apologize to Grosso in person. “I know I can’t say I’m sorry enough,” he said.

“That same day lives in me,” he said. “That one fatal moment. I hurt him permanently.”

Plowman wrestled with the impact the passage of time has had on the two men.

“This is a difficult case. There is a lot to balance here,” he said.

He said he believed Asalone was truly remorseful, in contrast to other defendants he encounters who regret getting caught.

However, Plowman said Asalone benefitted from escaping accountability for nearly 40 years. His life would have been different if punishment was handed down when he was in his 20s rather than in his 60s, Plowman said.

He also said it was hard to overlook the breach of trust by a community spiritual leader and its association with broader context of child sexual abuse cases in the Catholic Church.

“There’s a balance that needs to be struck,” Plowman said before announcing his eight-year prison sentence.

Asalone was remanded into custody at the conclusion of the hearing. n bikes on the W&OD Trail, and to discover the mountains and vineyards. He said not only has Virginia Beach been his family’s home for the past nine years, but he grew up and graduated from high school there and his parents and brother live there.

“It was a really difficult decision. I wouldn’t have done this if I didn’t believe it was the best move for me and my family,” he said.

Asked what he wants the Loudoun community to know, he said to understand how grateful and excited he is for the opportunity.

“I want them to know I am going to work harder than anybody and do everything I can to ensure LCPS is the best school division in the world and that we are going to be a safe place for kids. I want to make sure kids know when they come to school that they are safe, that they are going to learn something important and that they have a deep sense of belonging. I won’t rest until every classroom in every school in the division looks like this,” he said. n

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