Former school superintendent Vance dies at 83

Former Montgomery County schools superintendent Paul L. Vance has passed away. He was 83 years old. Vance, served in Montgomery County from 1991 to 1999, he also served as superintendent for D.C. schools. He was the first black man to hold the role. According to Montgomery County Public Schools, after retiring, Vance served with the county’s NAACP and was a member of the University System of Maryland Board of Regents. He also went on to helm D.C. Public Schools as superintendent (a predecessor role of today’s chancellorship), from 2000 to 2003. Vance resigned from D.C. Public Schools due to a heated debate over changes to the school system’s governance, financial issues and concerns related to school vouchers. Prior to transferring over to Montgomery County, Vance served as deputy superintendent for Baltimore City Public Schools and he worked for Philadelphia schools.