As the 2020-21 Prince William County School year is a few weeks away from starting, one long-term tenure will be coming to an end next year.

On Thursday Prince William County Schools Superintendent Steven Walts announced that he will retire at the end of the 2020-21 school year. An official announcement was made this afternoon. Walts began working in Prince William County in 2005 after a seven year stint in Greece, New York, which is just outside of Rochester.

Thus ends a career that began in controversy. As he was being hired to oversee PWC schools, there were reports of discrimination within his administration against teachers on the basis of age or disability, and according to records, one case was referred to the Justice Department for review. These findings were never discovered as the PWC School Board was looking for a new superintendent. In addition, the Greece Police Department investigated potential allegations of eavesdropping as well as placing listening devices in a school board meeting room by the administration. However, there were no charges filed.

As his tenure started in potential vetting issues, the end of it brought even greater embarrassment to the PWC School Board. In May 2020 Walts suspended his Twitter account due to allegations that he used the social media platform to send private messages to students, sometimes as late as 11:00 pm. As of today the investigation is still pending.

Last year, Walts lobbied for a contract extension, but did not receive the votes necessary.

Regarding Walts’ resignation, the PW Perspective received the following statement from the Prince William Education Association:

“PWEA is grateful for all of Superintendent Walts’ hard work on behalf of our teachers, staff and students. We wish him well in his retirement. PWEA hopes to be included in the search process to locate the best successor and looks forward to forming a strong relationship with the incoming administration.”