Campbell

Campbell

CHARLESTON — Tom Campbell, a former member of the House of Delegates with a lengthy tenure on the West Virginia Board of Education, has resigned effective Tuesday.

Campbell’s resignation was first announced by Gov. Jim Justice, who had just appointed Campbell for a second nine-year term in December.

“Yesterday, I had received the letter of his resignation, resigning from the West Virginia Board of Education,” Justice said. “Tom served on the board for the last 10 years with terms as both president and vice president. We all thank Tom for his dedicated services and his absolute commitment to education.”

According to his resignation letter dated July 9, Campbell said it was time for him to step aside and let someone with new experiences be appointed to the board. He also cited the technological changes in education brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic as reason to step aside.

“COVID-19 and the changes brought about by the pandemic are forcing a whole new way to approach public education,” Campbell wrote. “It is time for new board leadership to take on those issues with enthusiasm and a fresh perspective to help our children be the best they can be.”

Campbell was serving as the board’s vice president. He was first appointed to the state board in 2012 by former governor Earl Ray Tomblin and also served a term as board president. Campbell’s second term was not up until 2030.

A Lewisburg native, Campbell served 16 years in the House representing Greenbrier County beginning in 1997. During his legislative career, Campbell chaired the House Education Committee and later became vice chairman of the House Finance Committee where he chaired an education subcommittee.

Campbell’s resignation comes as the state Board of Education and Department of Education finds itself on opposite sides from the Republican-led Legislature and Justice.

The board and department have sided with three parents who brought suit against education officials, Justice, State Treasurer Riley Moore, Senate President Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, and House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, over the Hope Scholarship education savings account program. Kanawha County Circuit Court Judge Joanna Tabit ruled in favor of a preliminary and permanent injunction blocking the program last week, stating that the program violates the state Constitution.

“All the board members with which I served care deeply about our children,” Campbell said. “There have been many challenges faced by the board and while times have not been easy, it has been rewarding to work with fellow board members, legislators, and governors to find workable solutions.”

All of the current group of state board members have been appointed by Justice. Campbell’s resignation gives Justice another opportunity to appoint a new member of the board, though all appointments are subject to confirmation by the state Senate.

“Tom is a real believer in public education and his contribution will be difficult to measure for years if not decades and decades to come,” Justice said. “We thank him. He is a good, good man. I look forward to appointing somebody new to that position, but Tom will really be missed. He is a real star.”