Surry District Supervisor William T. Calhoun announced his resignation from the Surry County Board of Supervisors at the board’s meeting on April 2.
The announcement marks a significant change for Surry County leadership, as Calhoun steps down after serving the community both inside and outside the boardroom. The Board of Supervisors said, “The Board of Supervisors extends their sincere appreciation to Mr. Calhoun for his dedicated service to Surry County and for the positive spirit he demonstrated both inside and outside the boardroom during his tenure.”
With this resignation, attention turns to how local governance will address filling the vacancy on the board. Officials confirmed that “the process to fill the resulting vacancy is currently underway” and stated that more details about how a new supervisor will be appointed will be provided in due course.
Surry County’s public institutions continue to serve its residents amid these changes in leadership. During the 2023-24 school year, Surry County Public Schools District enrolled 694 students, according to the Virginia Department of Education. Of these schools, Surry Elementary School had the highest enrollment with 283 students during that period according to state data.
Enrollment figures show that Black students represented one of two largest ethnic groups in county schools during 2023-24, totaling 301 students or 43.4% of enrollment; white students made up an equal share with another 301 students as reported by education officials. Total school enrollment increased by about 1.3% compared with last year’s total according to official statistics.
In terms of grade-level distribution, sixth grade saw the highest number of enrollees with 59 students—about 8.5%—while pre-kindergarten had just under five percent at only 34 children based on education department records.
As Surry County prepares for this transition in local government leadership, officials say further updates regarding appointment procedures are forthcoming.
