The most recent edition of the Richmond Free Press (no link available) features an article with the headline of “NAACP cool to Cannaday.” Apparently, the Virginia branch of the historic civil rights organization is lukewarm about Gov. Kaine’s selection of respected African-American educator, Dr. Billy Cannaday, as Superintendent of Public Instruction for the Commonwealth. Cannaday, who will finish out the school year as head of Chesterfield’s school system, initially drew the ire of the NAACP three years ago for refusing to close county schools in honor of the Martin Luther King holiday. After a career in the Hampton School system, Dr. Cannaday made history as the first African-American superintendent in the history of majority-white Chesterfield County, and with this appointment he will become the first African American to hold the statewide position. He is widely-regarded as an effective leader and top-notch educator.
Apparently, this is not enough to assuage the doubts of King Salim Khalfani, head of the Virginia NAACP. He told Free Press reporters that “normally when a person of African descent is appointed to a high-ranking position, I would be enthusiastic or even celebratory. Not this time,” though he acknowledged that the county NAACP chapter “had nothing negative to report” about Dr. Cannaday’s performance. Thus, some three years after the King Day snafu – when Cannaday decided to keep Chesterfield kids in school to ensure that the system met its instructional time requirements – time has not yet healed the wounds that Mr. Khalfani feels were caused by this move.
The Free Press article ran during the same week as a Washington Post report which explored how black students in Fairfax County – the wealthiest community in Virginia – lagged woefully behind their counterparts in other districts, even those from lesser-regarded schools in poorer communities such as those found in Metro Richmond. Ironically, under Cannaday’s watch, black students in Chesterfield performed at or above the level of black students statewide. Though Chesterfield’s black students were outperformed by the county’s white students, on balance, those black students (who comprise over 20% of the school system’s population) met the relevant state and federal targets for student testing performance.
Additionally, Cannaday has been lauded by the Chesterfield School Board for his 6-year tenure there, where he oversaw increased enrollments, curricular changes, and new construction. His work in that county culminated in him being named “Superintendent of the Year” for the entire Commonwealth in 2005 by his peers. These accomplishments – which should be attributed more to the content of Cannaday’s character than the color of his skin – were not noted by the Free Press article or in the comments of the Virginia NAACP official.
The bottom line is that while the leader of the Virginia NAACP was busy nursing a grudge against him, Dr. Cannaday simply did his job well, which resulted in better outcomes for black students under his watch. He can be expected to bring those same talents to bear on the entire Commonwealth, ensuring that all Virginia students get a chance to excel. After such a lukewarm reception, it remains to be seen whether the Virginia NAACP chooses to work with Cannaday or against him. One has to wonder just what Dr. King would think about that.
